Your event has come to a close — now what? You might think your job as an event organizer is over, but that’s not quite true.
Your job as an event organizer extends beyond just planning and hosting your event. You need to take care of a few things after your event ends, too, such as reviewing your post-event report and, most importantly, communicating with your guests through a post-event email.
The Importance of Post-Event Communications
Post-event communications are an important step in event planning. They help you connect with your attendees after your event, and they’re also great for gathering feedback so you know what worked well and what you need to improve on for future events. Plus, you can also use your post-event communications to promote your next event.
All in all, your post-event communication efforts will help you build your network, drive conversions, and plan successful events for the future.
9 Things to Include in Your Post-Event Emails, With Examples
So what should you include in your post-event emails? Let’s discuss what to include in your blueprint while going over some post-event email examples to follow.
1. Create a Click-Worthy Subject Line
Your No. 1 goal with your post-event email is to get your attendees to open said email. And the best way to do that is by creating a click-worthy subject line. The same way that you wouldn’t want to open an email with a generic subject line (like “We want to hear from you”), your guests are unlikely to open an email with such a generic subject line, either. That’s why you have to put a lot of thought into your subject line and make it stand out.
Think about popular keywords like “snapshot” and “promotional.” Also, think about what you want your subject line to accomplish. Do you want it to convey a sense of curiosity? After all, humans are naturally curious creatures. Or maybe you want to be funny. Who doesn’t love to laugh, anyway?
Another good option is to evoke the fear of missing out (FOMO) — because no one wants to miss out. You can accomplish this with keywords like “urgent” or “breaking.” For example:
- “Urgent: One day to watch this!”
- “Breaking: Your exclusive event offering ends at midnight.”
2. Include a Personalized Greeting
If your post-event email is too generic, your attendees may feel like you don’t care about them on a personal level. And when your event participants feel like you don’t care, they won’t care either.
Personalized greetings are simple enough to include. Consider greetings like, “Hi, [name], I’m excited to connect with you!” or, “I hope you’re having a great week, [name].” You could take it a step further, too. Instead of just referring to recipients by their name, perhaps try bringing up an action or behavior. Of course, that’ll take some research on your part.
3. Write a Sincere Thank-You Note
Your guests did you a favor by attending your event, or at least that’s how you should think about it when drafting your post-event email. Your attendees are what made your event a success. Without them, your event would have fallen flat. That’s why your post-event email should include a thanks-for-coming message.
Here are some post-event email examples:
- “Thank you for participating in our event. You have no idea how much your participation has meant.”
- “Thank you for attending! I appreciate you more than you know.”
Be careful, though. You don’t want your thank-you note to be poorly written, sloppy, or desperate. Also, don’t wait too long to follow up with your thank-you note, as your guests may forget who you are. Try to send your post-event thank-you email to attendees within two to three days.
If you truly want to master your sincere thank-you note, try keeping in mind these best practices.
4. Provide a Valuable Event Recap
An event recap is the perfect way to summarize your event and share important details and ideas, and it’s important to include this in a follow-up email. Sure, you could just put your event recap on your website or post it on social media, but chances are that not all of your guests will visit those places. When you send your event recap through email, you’re ensuring that your guests have the opportunity to catch important ideas they may have otherwise missed out on. It can also act as a memento or a keepsake — something to show your attendees those memorable moments.
Plus, let’s face it: Maybe not everyone was able to attend your event despite registering for it. Unfortunately, last-minute changes in plans can and do happen. To keep these people in the loop, include things like event highlights, major announcements, and clips from any keynote speakers. Also, be sure to include the event’s topic and number of attendees to showcase how successful your event was.
5. Share Useful Event Resources
Everyone loves a good resource, right? Why not include some good resources in your post-event email? This is the perfect chance to share your social pages, website, video and photo reels, and more. Consider including some calls to action (CTAs) that might help convert your attendees into loyal customers or draw them to your upcoming events.
Perhaps your attendees are curious about the equipment or catering services you used. Share those resources, too! Link out to an Amazon storefront with all the decorations you used at your event, for example. Let attendees know about any vendors or software you used, including any security measures you took to keep your guests safe.
6. Make a Polite Request for Feedback
Feedback is essential to finding out whether your event was truly successful and reached your goals. It helps you understand what your event did well and what you can improve on for next time.
Remember to always politely ask for feedback. For example:
- “I would appreciate your feedback.”
- “Your opinion is highly valued.”
- “I’d be grateful for any comments or suggestions.”
These polite inquiries will show that you appreciate hearing from your audience and are encouraging everyone to share their thoughts — the good and the bad.
7. Include a List of Future Events
Now is the perfect time to promote your next event. Whether that event is next week, next month, or even next year, if you know that you’re going to be hosting an event in the future, make it known in your post-event email. Feel free to list more than one event, too — just don’t overdo it. If you have a lot of events planned, just mention the first few that are coming up, or the ones that are particularly relevant to the event you just hosted. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to promote more events in future follow-up emails.
Oh, and don’t forget to personalize the invite. Address recipients by their names and explain how the event is relevant to them. Include the date, the time, the venue, and what to expect. Already have keynote speakers and sponsors lined up? List those, too.
8. Share Your Contact Information
You want to keep your communication with your event attendees open. They need to know that they can turn to you if they have any questions, comments, or feedback. So take the time to provide your contact information in your post-event email. Link to your website and social media profiles. Let attendees know the best way they can contact you. Also, let your audience know how long it may take to receive a response. Encourage attendees to share their contact info as well, whether it be through an event app, a QR code, or some other way.
Not everyone is keen on sharing their own contact information, so it’s important to take the first step and share yours so that they can reach out to you if they feel it’s necessary. Still, you can gently ask for their contact information as well. Include a sign-up form for your mailing list and let attendees know that they can unsubscribe at any time.
9. Master Your Closing Remarks
When all is said and done, it’s time to close your email. Your closing remarks should extend beyond a simple “Take care!” or “See ya later!”
Like with your opening greeting, you don’t want to be too generic. Instead, you need to be thoughtful and personable. Consider closing your email with something like “Looking forward to seeing you at the next event, or,”Looking forward to hearing from you again.”
Closing remarks are just as important as opening statements. Show your audience that you care by using personalization and a friendly tone of voice.
Seamlessly Manage All Aspects of Your Events With Events.com
Event management can be exhausting, but it doesn’t have to be a lonesome road. With Events.com’s event management software, you have the tools you need to supercharge your event, from start to finish, all on one platform. Alongside our software, you can benefit from reading our blog, which details topics like “6 Post-Event Musts,” to truly master your event management processes.
With our event management software, you’ll be able to sell tickets, promote your event, and find sponsors. Plus, you’ll gain valuable insights that you can use to plan your future events. Get access to our demo today and see for yourself how our platform can help you.
