To promote a conference, start with the people most likely to come: last year’s attendees, your members and your sponsors’ teams. Announce the date six months out, open registration around four months out with an early-bird price, use your speakers and sponsors to reach their networks, and track registrations week by week against last year. The last few weeks are for personal asks.
I run a professional association chapter’s annual conference of around 500 people. This is the promotion plan behind it.
Who to reach first
- Last year’s attendees. Your most likely registrations, and the cheapest.
- Members, especially those who’ve attended other events this year.
- Sponsors’ teams. Sponsors with included registrations have seats to fill.
- Speakers’ networks. Every speaker can reach people you can’t.
- New audiences: related organizations, social media and paid ads, in that order.
A conference promotion timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6 months out | Save-the-date to past attendees and members |
| 4 months out | Registration opens with an early-bird price; first speakers announced |
| 3 months out | Keynote announcement; speaker share kits go out |
| 8 weeks out | Full program live; sponsor share kits go out |
| 6 weeks out | Early-bird deadline, with reminders 7 days and 2 days before |
| 4 weeks out | Member reminder; resend to anyone who didn’t open |
| 2 weeks out | Personal asks to last year’s attendees who haven’t registered |
| Final week | Logistics email to attendees; “last chance” to everyone else |
Let the program sell the conference
People register for what they’ll learn and who they’ll meet. Lead your promotion with:
- The sessions, described by what attendees will walk away with, not just the title.
- The speakers, with photos and one line on why they’re worth hearing.
- Continuing education credit, if you offer it. For many professions it’s the deciding factor.
- The people in the room. “Meet 500 people in your field in one day” is a reason to come.
Turn speakers and sponsors into promoters
- Give each speaker a graphic with their photo and session title, plus two sentences of copy and the link.
- Give each sponsor a “proud sponsor” graphic and, if it fits, a discount code for their clients.
- Ask both to post at specific times, like when registration opens and before the early-bird deadline.
Track your registration pace
Count registrations every week and compare them to the same week last year. If you’re behind six weeks out, you have time to add personal asks and another email. If you’re behind one week out, you don’t. That one line tells you more than open rates or likes.
For more channels and ideas, see our list of event promotion ideas.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should you promote a conference?
Send a save-the-date about six months out and open registration about four months out, with an early-bird deadline roughly six weeks before the event.
What is the best way to promote a conference?
Email to last year’s attendees and your members, supported by speakers and sponsors sharing to their networks. Social media and ads help at the edges.
How do you increase conference attendance?
Start early, lead with the program and speakers, offer an early-bird price with a real deadline, offer continuing education credit if you can, and personally ask past attendees in the final weeks.
How do you promote a nonprofit or association conference on a small budget?
Rely on email, your members, your speakers and your sponsors. Those channels are free and outperform paid ads for most association conferences.
Run registration in one place
Purple Pushpin gives associations and chambers conference registration with member and non-member pricing, sponsorship sales and email to attendees on one membership website.
Planning a conference and want experienced hands? Here’s how we work on events.