This means event organizers must work harder than ever to secure registrations. According to the review site G2, over 50% of event organizers say their biggest challenge is increasing attendance. If you’ve dealt with low registration numbers and empty seats at your meticulously planned events, you know the urgency of this issue, and you’re not alone.

Start With Your Audience

The first step to increasing registrations is understanding who you’re trying to reach. Competitors often miss this key step. Identify your audience’s demographics, motivations, and schedules. You can use past event data or quick surveys to gain these valuable insights. Remember, if you miss your audience, timing, pricing, and channels will fall flat.

Simplify the Registration Process (Friction = Drop-Offs)

If the registration process feels clunky, even high-interest attendees will abandon it. Here’s how to simplify your registration and keep visitors on the page:

➡️ Short forms – Stick to 3–5 fields at the first step to reduce drop-offs.
➡️ Mobile-first design – Assume most of your attendees will register on mobile, and create a layout that supports this.
➡️ Multiple payment options – Give registrants flexibility with credit cards, payment plans, or offline payments.
➡️ Guest checkout – Don’t force account creation, as it often drives people away.

💡Pro tip: Use RegFox to create a fully branded page with registration embedded directly on your website.

Build a Landing Page That Converts Visitors Into Registrants

Your landing page is a crucial sales tool. Here’s how you can make it do the heavy lifting for you:

🎯 Clear headline - Communicate the what, when, and where of your event right away.
📸 Visuals - Showcase speaker photos, venue shots, or highlight videos of past experiences.
💬 Social proof - Add testimonials or a live attendee count to increase credibility.
⏳ Urgency - Use countdown timers or limited capacity alerts.

💡Pro tip: After registration, include an “Add to Calendar” button. RegFox makes this easy with custom confirmation pages.

Promote Across Multiple Channels

Using multiple channels across your campaign can increase registrations by up to 30%. Take a multilayered approach to your communication. 

Email: Email is still one of the most effective marketing channels in terms of ROI—but only if done right.
Social media: Use reels, hashtags, and behind-the-scenes teasers to communicate with your followers.
SMS: Messaging is great for last-minute reminders, quick updates, and high open rates
Partners and speakers: Expand your reach by leveraging their audience.

Email Marketing That Still Converts in 2025

Despite crowded inboxes, email remains a reliable communication tool. Shoot for a 20% open rate, a 2.5% click-through rate (CTR), and focus on these essentials:

✅ Clear subject lines - Your subject serves as a key opportunity for communication. Avoid vague or click-bait subjects. Instead, share the big idea of your email in the subject line and make sure to tell the customer what’s in it for them.
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✅ Short, skimmable copy with bolded highlights - Huge blocks of text drain brain energy. Do your customers a favor and make your emails interesting and short enough to scan in 15 seconds or less. Bold some parts of the copy and use sufficient line breaks so people can skim your email and get to the main point.
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✅ Obvious CTAs, ideally above the fold - Every email you send should have an intended purpose for the readers. The call to action should come early in your email, and the path to action should be as frictionless as possible.

✅Personality in your tone - Many event organizers are so concerned about being professional that they write emails that read like legal documents. Nothing kills excitement faster. You can be professional and on-brand without sounding robotic and flat. Think about how your audience likes to communicate and find a way to surprise and delight them with each email. 
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✅ Incentives - When people read emails, they want to know what’s in it for them. Make a generous offer, such as VIP perks or a discount, that people can’t resist.

💡Pro tip: Use RegFox to set up automated reminders, confirmation emails, and segmented blasts.

Incentives and Discounts That Work 

Incentives drive motivation and loyalty. Here are some options that get people to take action:

➡️ Early bird pricing - Create urgency by rewarding early commitment with a deal.
➡️ Group discounts - Boost volume by encouraging teams, associations, or school groups to register together.
➡️ VIP upgrades - Enhance the event experience and increase the revenue per attendee by offering exclusive, high value upgrade. 

➡️ Flash sales - Spike awareness (and registration) with a flash promotion. These can be particularly effective for holiday and seasonal events. 

💡Pro tip: Use RegFox conditional logic and automation tools to set up these incentives to work automatically.  

Use Social Proof and Partnerships to Build Trust

Showcase your credibility through testimonials, speaker bios, sponsor logos, and past attendance stats. Social proof makes people feel confident they’re making the right choice. Partnerships are equally powerful, and micro-influencers often outperform big names in niche markets. 

💡Pro tip: Use the RegFox count down clock to highlight dwindling time or available spots live. 

Data + Analytics = Smarter Registration Growth

Don’t use guessing as a strategy. Instead, track metrics such as which channels deliver the best ROI and where registrants drop off in the form. With RegFox analytics, you can monitor real-time page analytics, integrate with Google Analytics, and even run custom reports. Additionally, results from A/B testing can provide insight into the effectiveness of subject lines, CTAs, and form layouts. 

FAQs Organizers Always Ask About Event Registration

How can I improve my registration process?
Remove friction: keep forms short, offer guest checkout, and design for mobile.

How do I get more people to my event?
Stack multiple strategies: promote across email, SMS, social media, and through your partners or speakers.

How to increase conference registration?
Use tiered pricing (early bird, VIP), highlight social proof, and run targeted campaigns.

What kind of incentives actually work for registration?
Early bird discounts, group pricing, VIP upgrades, and seasonal flash sales all drive results.

How do I get more people to register for a conference vs. a camp?
Conferences benefit from highlighting speaker credibility and professional value, while events such as camps and retreats thrive on fun, FOMO, and community.

What’s the right timeline for promotions?
Start promotions at least 8–12 weeks in advance, with early bird promos to start and urgency-driven pushes closer to the event date.

Is paid advertising worth it for small events?
If your audience is well defined and you run highly targeted campaigns, paid advertising can pay off!

Final Takeaway – Stack Strategies, Don’t Rely on One Channel

No single tactic guarantees growth. The biggest wins come from stacking strategies: a frictionless registration page, multi-channel promotion, data-driven optimization, and well-timed incentives. With RegFox, you can build your page and automate the marketing, so you can focus on hosting your best event yet. Click here to schedule a demo today or reach out to our support team with questions. 

We’re here to help you host your best event ever!

— The RegFox Team

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