20 Tips for Promoting Your Event Internally

1. 1. Send out email invitations to all staff: the sooner the better
   2. Create a dedicated event website or landing page: if you have an intranet, or using Workplace by Facebook use it. 
   3. Conduct a pre-event survey to understand what people are expecting and what they would want. 
   4. Create a hashtag for the event to promote engagement and increase visibility.
   5. Offer early bird promotions, or prizes for those who sign up early.
   6. Use posters, flyers and brochures to create buzz around the event. Everyone seems to have some sort of toilet cubical news, and your event is worth that, at a minimum.
   7. Leverage well regarded managers to encourage staff to invite their colleagues.
   8. Offer special perks, such as a event entertainment or refreshments.
   9. Provide detailed agendas and speaker bios to help staff understand what they can expect.
   10. Partner with other organisations to co-promote the event (if relevant).
   11. Use video to give a preview of what to expect.
   12. Offer special promotions and contests to encourage attendance.
   13. Provide detailed information about transportation and parking options. If possible, offer CabCharge or Uber vouchers for those who live far away, particularly if this is after hours.
   14. Offer online registration options to make the process easy and convenient.
   15. Offer a live Q&A session at the next all staff meeting to discuss the event.
   16. Offer live streaming or recording of sessions for those who can't attend in person.
   17. Use testimonials from past attendees or excited internal influencers to promote the event.
   18. Offer a virtual tour of the venue to help staff feel more comfortable about attending.
   19. Send out follow-up emails to remind staff about the event and encourage attendance.
   20. Offer on-site registration and check-in to make the process smooth and easy for attendees.

Different events may require a different combination of these tactics. Don't feel like you need to use them all. Best practice would be to test what works for your office culture, event objective and staff sentiment.

Bonus Tip: use the gossip train

People love gossip, it's why we are obsessed with the Bachelor until MAFS came about. Everyone loves tea. So get spilling, but carefully. 

If there are people in different cliques that you know are going to be loud, use them. Slowly leak information about some of the best parts of your events. Planning on having a special guest appearance, leak something about them. If there is going to be a band, start playing them on the office stereo and when asked why they are playing so much, just shrug and say you are getting to know them better for an event. 

Give away just enough to encourage rumours, but not enough that you don't have a few spare tricks up your sleeve for the event itself.

All of these ideas and tips are to be used when relevant, to ensure your staff event is well promoted.