“Consumer behavior is the study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision processes/buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics, psychographics, and behavioral variables in an attempt to understand people's wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general.” Source: Wikipedia

Now that we know what consumer behavior is, let's discuss consumer behavior within the event industry and why is it important for event organizers to have a strong understanding of their delegate's psyches.

The foundation of any event is delegates or rather delegate attendance at the event. An event without delegates is like a car without wheels. Pointless! So, if you want to ensure that seats at your event are filled, if you want your event to be a success, you need to know what factors affect your delegates, what motivates them to register and what are the barriers that prevent registrations.

The first step to gaining the answers to the above questions is figuring out who are your delegates. Unfortunately, most events do not come with a pre-determined attendee list. So, you will need to research to figure out to whom your event will appeal and then define your audience based on age, gender, social strata etc. Once you know who your audience is, you need to find out where your audience congregates. This will help you to develop an effective marketing strategy and decide on a communication medium i.e. TV, Radio, Print or Internet that will allow you to communicate to your target audience effectively.

Now that you know who your target audience is and where they congregate, you can focus on your delegate – his attitude and what affects his decisions. That said, you need to remember that we live in a world where instant gratification is not just a phrase but a way of life. People have a ‘want now, get now' mentality that encompasses most areas of their lives. Events i.e. registering for an event or buying a ticket for an event fall under this category. They want the registration process for an event to be convenient and easy. The reason being that most delegates do not have the time to stand in lines and more often than not they are too busy during your brick and mortar working hours to call and register for your event. This lack of time is often the cause of lack of attendees at an event. You can minimize the impact of this problem on your attendance numbers by offering an online registration option where delegates can register at their own convenience.

Another measure that you can take that will boost your attendance numbers is by offering a Group Registration option. Why? Online research has shown that over 30% of delegates register as groups. You can capitalize on the opportunity and increase your attendance numbers and feel good factor amongst delegates. If you choose to offer 'Group Registration', there are two factors you need to keep in mind, the first, the group registration process needs to be simple and it should not aggravate your delegates more than having to register a 16 member delegation individually. What that means is that the group registration process should be flexible allowing each member to have a unique schedule despite the fact they were registered by a single individual. Secondly, you should communicate to all members of the group not just the main delegate. By sending confirmation and reminder emails to all members you can prevent problems at the event. For example: The delegate can view his schedule and make any changes required.

In addition to Registration Convenience, Registration Ease is also an important factor. Many delegates change their minds about attending an event mid-way through the registration process because of the complexity and length of the registration form. You can increase delegate numbers at your event by ensuring that your registration form is comprehensive yet concise. You can achieve this by replacing text boxes with check boxes wherever possible so delegates do not have to enter long answers instead they simply tick mark their preferences. This will reduce the amount of time the delegate spends registering. You can also auto-populate the registration form wherever possible for previously registered delegates. This will shorten the registration process and enhance the experience.

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