Corporate events, especially large-scale ones, rely on attendance to determine various markers of success and can determine logistics and direction for the next event. New York corporate events need feedback to understand what went well and what could have been different, and attendance tracking can supply that. Check out our insights for corporate event planning tracking success!
Why Is Attendance So Important When Corporate Event Planning?
Attendance tracking can seem like a mundane corporate event planning detail, but besides basic metrics, attendance tracking can help in other ways:
- Tracking ROI to validate future budgets
- Verifying CE credits
- Data for potential sponsors
- Entice new and high-profile speakers
- Safety and Security
- Planning future powerhouse events
New York Corporate Events Need More Than A Headcount
Knowing the number of attendees is only the start of the metrics that attendance can collect for you. Deep diving into more specific metrics creates a story, a profile, and a way to predict future trends and successes for events. Knowing the ROI of an event can dictate entire event calendars moving forward, and it all starts with attendance tracking.
How You Take Attendance Depends On The Type Of Event
In-person, hybrid, and virtual corporate events can all calculate attendance differently. Large-scale conference-type events usually have a check-in booth-style setup, and this can incorporate name tags, event swag, and goodie bags. Pen and paper are “okay” for these check-ins, but don’t underestimate the value of integrating augmented reality, smartphone apps, or other creative attendance gadgets. Corporate event planning requires layers of oversight. Just don’t forget to make the attendance tracking an easy process, based on the type of meeting, company event, or conference you’re hosting.
Ways To Take Attendance
There is no one-size-fits-all attendance tracking solution to ease your corporate event planning. Depending on what metrics you want to measure, attendance can be taken in a variety of ways:
- Manual check-in
- Excel sheet
- Clicker counters
- QR or barcodes
- Check-in kiosks
- Swipe cards
- Ticketing
- Online registration
- Event attendance tracking software
- Social media check-ins
- RFID bands
- Facial recognition
Beyond Taking Attendance
Apps and attendee codes can create a level of exclusivity and lead to an avenue of gathering more information about attendees. Keeping attendees engaged in an event is a large component of event success. Which booths attendees visit, preferences or dislikes, etc., can all indicate how an event is going. Some other features of attendance apps can include:
- Notifications after keynote speakers or main events to gauge preferences
- Short Likert-scale surveys at random about event experiences
- Incentives to interact with the app throughout the event
- Live polls about various event aspects, including entertainment, theme, and food
Corporate Event Planning: Going Virtual
Attendance tracking during a virtual event is a little easier because an inherent login must be accessed for the event itself. What can be challenging is gauging engagement appropriately and determining preferences, success, etc. Limitations in real-life aspects of virtual events, such as catering or in-person entertainment, can shift the weight of attendance metrics to other event areas, such as keynote speakers or breakout session quality. Keep this in mind when choosing exactly how to track attendance and if anything else needs to be virtually incorporated into the event itself for other metrics.
Don’t Get Bogged Down By Attendance
Remember to balance measuring the most useful analytics for your New York event and not getting bogged down in too many details. Event planning is a hard enough task; add that to an already-existing workload, and you can quickly become overworked and overstressed.
EMRG Media is a perfect partner option to offload your corporate event planning plate. From attendance metrics to catering options, EMRG Media has the New York event planners perfect for any size or level of event. Let the pros handle the details and tedious work so you can enjoy the corporate event just as much as the other attendees. Talk to one of our team members today about your vision for your next event!
