How to promote a business matchmaking event

Here is how to promote a business matchmaking event, in five steps that make it work.

Organizers today have plenty of options for promoting an event, and a recommendation from a friend is always welcome.

As the author José Augusto Minarelli puts it in his book on networking for personal and professional life: "Whoever has a good network has more power and more possibilities."

Credibility counts for a great deal, which is why it is worth working through the stages below to make sure more people attend and the event genuinely succeeds.

Catch your customer's attention

Which channels do you use to introduce yourself to a prospect? Do they find everything they need to know?

To answer that, you have to think about the benefits you offer and, above all, the best strategy for drawing that person to your event.

As well as promoting on social media, many organizers email their contacts and publish a page with the details of the event.

A very practical route for promotion is a dedicated platform for managing registrations and selling tickets.

Now build their interest

Your potential customer has just heard about your event, through an advertisement or a mailing. They may never have attended a business matchmaking event, and they will be wondering whether it is worth it and what they get out of it.

There are usually objections or hesitations about attending. The key points here are to highlight what makes your event different and the opportunities it brings, networking, partnerships, sales. So when you promote it, make sure the following are clearly presented:

• Include an appealing photograph, which can be from previous events
• Set out the purpose of the event, and say which format it is:

mixed, exclusive, themed

• Explain the benefits of a business matchmaking event
• Describe the programme, for example catering and talks
• Give the general information: venue, date and time
• Publish a FAQ
• You can also offer different price levels, for instance an individual ticket,

a promotional ticket for two participants, and a special ticket for anyone interested in sponsoring and having their brand more visible at the event

Time to sell

When we decide to buy something, we need the process to be genuinely quick and secure.

The advantage of using an online ticketing platform is that it gives the customer several secure payment options. The fee for these platforms usually sits between 7% and 10% of each paid ticket, and both the interfaces and the reporting tend to be straightforward.

However you decide to promote the event, create a positive experience from the first contact. Publish your company's contact details for anyone with a question.

The day arrives

With the earlier stages done properly, it is time to deliver what you promised. Quality has to be present throughout the whole event. One good tactic is to programme workshops and talks in advance, to engage participants before the meetings begin, since this is a real opportunity for business to happen.

To improve the result further, you can use the Rodada de Sucesso software for running business matchmaking events. It automates the whole process of the rounds and frees you to give proper attention to the details of your event. You can leave the badge numbering, the presentations and the table changes to the software, and plan your event for whatever number of people you want.

Understand what the customer thought

At the end of the event, collect satisfaction feedback. Do not focus only on the event itself: find out how the customer heard about you. Identify what worked and what to improve for next time. Be open to suggestions, because that feedback is also what tells you how to promote the next event better.

I hope these tips help you win more customers and generate better results at your event.

If you want to run an even more productive session, download our guide and start contributing meaningfully to other business owners.

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