Ticketbud Tips and Tools*
March 18, 2014  •  by Jane Carter

The 4 Ways You're Confusing Your Attendees (& how to avoid them)

1. Information Overload Information overload is often born out of an honest excitement to share as many details about an event as possible. While properly communicating the particulars of an event is typically a good thing, it’s possible to share too much to the point where your attendees are simply overwhelmed by the amount of info they’re seeing. As a good rule of thumb, pick 3-4 main “selling points” of your event and explain those thoroughly. In the end, it’s easier to remember 3-4 big things than 20 little ones. If you just can’t narrow your points down, rotate a few at a time into your event description every couple days or weeks.

Bottom Line: If you say too much you say nothing at all. Keep the info short and sweet so your guests can remember when, where and why they should go.

2. Lack of Communication

You can cause just as much attendee confusion with a lack of information as you can with an excess of it. After all, if your guests are not sure what your event is about or why they should even go, they’re likely to skip it. Additionally, if you fail to notify or explain changes and updates to your event, you’re bound to mislead, confuse and, ultimately, infuriate your guests. To combat this, include a schedule of your event’s activities on your event page if you have one and be sure to use email or social media to keep guests informed about everything from weather-related concerns to changes in speakers or entertainment.
Bottom Line: Establish lines of communication via email and social media and continually keep your guests in the know. If it relates to their attendance, they need to know about it. Make purchasing painless!

3. Overcomplicated Ticketing

Once your guests have decided they want to buy tickets to your event, the last thing you want to do is make it complicated for them to do so. Avoid creating too many types of tickets or tickets with confusing or misleading names. Be sure to keep any custom questions to a minimum as well. Asking for shirt size, dinner type and other essentials is fine but you want to be careful not to make your checkout process feel like filling out a form at the DMV.
Bottom Line: It should be easy for your attendees to know which ticket applies to them and even easier for them to buy it.
(Tip: have a friend walk through the ticket purchasing process with you. The issues and confusion they have are probably similar to the ones other purchasers are having).

4. Disorganized Check-in

Nothing starts your event off on the wrong foot like a poorly executed check-in operation. Avoid the chaos and confusion of long lines and disoriented attendees by having clearly marked entrance points with designated and uncluttered areas for lines. It’s also helpful to utilize a variety of check-in options including a ticket scanner (like the one Ticketbud offers for free) and a hard copy guest list. Having multiple ways to check people in allows you to be flexible and handle any potential issues that might come your way.
Bottom Line: Avoid a bad first impression by taking the confusion out of checking in. Make lines quick and painless with prepared ticketing scanning and check-in tools.
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