Ever wondered what fuels your association’s financial engine? For most, it’s a dynamic mix of events and memberships. Threats to either can mean major cutbacks. We weathered the storm of the pandemic by swiftly pivoting our in-person events online. Membership also took a hit. Now that we’re past that, we’re not just looking to survive; we’re aiming to thrive.

 Event managers are developing strategies  to deliver superior  event experiences with vendors and suppliers playing pivotal roles.   And guess what’s at the heart of these strategies? Your association’s data. We’ve curated a collection of data-driven recommendations  to  ensure  both your members and event sponsors get more than they bargained for. 

Attract More Registrations & Sponsorships Using Segmented Attendee Data

It’s time to maximize the potential of your AMS.  To analyze event data from previous meetings, you can either use the data that’s in your AMS or import the data from your event management software (if you use a separate event software).  Either way, utilizing data from past meetings will help attract more attendees and sponsors for your upcoming events.  Here are our suggestions:

• Segment Your Audience: Create a segmented invitation and marketing lists based on member demographics, interests, and past engagement. Target sponsors and exhibitors aligned with attendees’ specific interests. 

• Personalize Your Approach: Use your data to personalize email marketing campaigns for potential members, sponsors and exhibitors. Highlight relevant statistics and success stories to make a compelling case for their involvement.

• Feedback Matters: Gather insights from previous attendees and exhibitors through surveys. Analyze this information to improve future events and tailor offerings based on the feedback received.

• Spotlight Popular Sessions: Analyze attendee engagement during past events to identify popular sessions, topics, and activities. You can start with simple head counts at each event or session. Highlight these insights when pitching to sponsors, showcasing the potential exposure and engagement they can expect.

Help Sponsors Reach Their Engagement Goals with Data Analysis

The revenue from sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers fuels association projects and keeps registration costs reasonable. In return, provide value by leveraging historical data. By doing so, you can discover which efforts did not perform well in the past, giving you an opportunity to rework them before making your pitch. Here are our suggestions for using your data to benefit your sponsors: 

• Customized packages: Tailor sponsorship packages based on the specific needs and objectives of potential sponsors. Then, use data  to identify packages aligning with their target audience.

• Demonstrate ROI: Evaluate the success of past sponsorships and exhibitor participation. Provide data on the return on investment for previous sponsors to demonstrate the value of partnering with the association.

• Predictive Analytics: Implement predictive analytics to identify potential new sponsors. Use historical data to identify which companies or industries will most likely support the association’s initiatives.

• Feedback Loop: Gather feedback from past sponsors and exhibitors through surveys. Understand their goals, improve future events, and customize your offerings based on insights.

• CRM Integration: Integrate event data with Customer Relationship Management systems. Provide your sales team with a comprehensive view of potential sponsors’ interactions with the association. A sponsor may be ideal for one opportunity but lukewarm for another. Sharing information among your sales team helps ensure sales contacts are at their most effective.

• Benchmarking Excellence: Compare event data against industry benchmarks and standards. Highlight how your events perform in terms of attendance, engagement, and exposure compared to industry averages. Rate how well your events compare to similar meetings in your industry. Are you offering sponsorship packages that meet the needs of your stakeholders?

By leveraging data in these ways, association event managers can optimize their sales strategies, foster better sponsor relationships, and ultimately contribute to the success of events and the entire association.

At Intellidata, we love to help associations understand their members, sponsors, and advertisers better with the help of data analysis. Contact us at info@intellida.tech if you’d like to discuss your data needs.