Why Are Attendees Dodging Your Events? And How Might You Increase Attendance?

"Why does nobody like me!?"

Said the event organiser (not me, that was not me saying that…) 

Fortunately, we rarely see a distraught event organiser, at least not in public, lamenting a lack of attendees at their events. I'm also certain there's nothing personal! But I'm sure the topic of numbers is on the wrap-up meeting agenda, in fact, I am certain of it. 

The missing attendee, or the “non-attendee” as Freeman put it in their Q4 Event Organizer Trends Report, however, is hard to track down. It’s difficult to ask someone who didn't attend why they did not, because we don’t tend to consider them in our post-event surveys or pre-event research. But we can theorise…

Event Attendee Location

Let’s be honest, as a now Australia resident I shall not be attending this week's Confex in London, England. I'd love to—I’d love to go and see old friends at the Aztec stand, reconnect with former clients in the organisers’ office, and sneak onto the VIP stand serving prosecco. It's not that the event isn’t good (it's actually one of the best), it's because it’s a 23-hour plane journey away.

Location creates boundaries for most attendees, and that's why researching your audience is so important. I am no longer the “target” audience for the organisers of Confex. They are looking to engage with event professionals from the UK, and with London being one of, if not the most, connected cities in the UK, it’s the perfect place to host that event.

Arguably, though, Birmingham—situated in the Midlands—would be a better location as it’s easier for the whole country to access. But is it the best for accommodation? Have they conducted deeper research into where their audience lives? The best location is not always the most convenient to reach. There are several location-based factors that can restrict or enable an attendee’s decision to attend, and it’s a fine balance that organisers need to navigate carefully.

Time

Let’s start with my favourite question: “When are the kids on school holidays?” It’s crucial to time your event around accessible periods.

In Australia, the December/January summer period and in the UK, Europe, and US, the end of July and August are terrible times to run a B2B event—everyone’s on holiday. If you’re planning a festival, though, you might have nailed the perfect timing!

School holidays are not the only factor influencing attendance. Consider your competitors' events—if you can avoid scheduling your event at the same time as another industry-specific gathering, you remove another barrier to attendance. This is even more relevant for exhibitors, who will often need to choose between events.

Then there are the timings you just can’t control. As workplaces evolve, more people are adopting a flexible work-life balance, and sometimes that doesn’t align with traditional event scheduling. If you run an event on a Friday (a day I typically don’t work), you need to increase its value enough to justify altering my routine.

Value

I sort of teed myself up for this one… When I talk about the value of an event, I’m not referring to financial value—at least, not directly. I mean value to the attendee, and that can be highly specific.

What makes an event valuable to attendees? Here are a few key factors:

• More or better professional development

• Networking opportunities outside their usual circles

• Content and presentations from exciting, relevant speakers

• Extended and additional content available before and after the event

These need to be valuable enough to justify a day out of the office, the cost of a ticket, and time away from family and/or day-to-day responsibilities. And if this is a repeat event, what’s different this year? What makes it worth investing in again?

Resource Availability

This is a tough one—how do you encourage potential attendees to buy a ticket when they literally don’t have the time?

It’s a common Rock, Paper, Scissors dilemma:

• If there’s no work, potential work (i.e., an event) prevails.

• If there’s ongoing work, that work prevails.

• But if you only focus on existing work, there’s a risk of no new work in the future.

I don’t have an answer for how to guarantee new business for those whose workload is preventing them from attending, but I do have an alternative. If your industry is particularly busy with ongoing commitments and stretched resources, don’t run in-person events that demand multiple days of attendees’ time. Instead, focus on webinars and virtual events—1-2 hours max—that flex to their availability.

Those who shudder at the thought of a Zoom call can shudder all they want! It’s about adapting to your audience, not forcing your audience to adapt to you.

Cost

Cost is one of the hardest balancing acts. With increasing supplier and venue prices, most events rely on two revenue sources: sponsors/exhibitors and attendees.

Finding that ticket price sweet spot against the perceived value is essential.

That’s why I put so much thought into marketing and storytelling—emphasising the added value and then conducting research. Ask yourself:

• How much is the added value worth compared to a day in the office?

• What’s the price difference, and can you charge accordingly?

It’s also important to consider hotels, travel, food, and drink costs for your attendees. A pricey ticket might not be the issue—but a lack of perceived value is.

Access

I’ll keep this brief, as accessibility is a frequent theme in my content. But it’s critical not to overlook attendees who physically cannot access an event or who avoid attending because their needs aren’t accommodated.

Every audience member is different, and while it’s impossible to cater to everyone, it must be part of the conversation.

Give Your Event Attendee a Reason to Attend

For every barrier to attendance—location, timing, value, resources, cost, and access—organisers must provide a compelling reason why those barriers are worth overcoming.

In 2025, expecting attendees to show up with no questions asked is foolish. The best organisers invest in understanding their audience and removing barriers before even advertising their event.

What do you think? What’s been your biggest challenge in increasing event attendance? Drop your thoughts in the comments!