Attracting Your Audience

To ensure that you attract the right audience and get the most value from your event, it is important that you use the correct tools to promote it. 

Guest Registrations

Whether your event is free or requires attendees to pay to attend, encouraging guests to register is a great way to anticipate attendance to inform room layouts, catering requirements, etc.

If your event is free to attend, Eventbrite offers an easy-to-use, cost-free option to allow staff, students and the general public to register their intention to attend. An easy-to-follow guide to creating your event on Eventbrite can be found here.  If you require any further assistance in setting up your registration page, please contact The Events and Conferencing Team, who will be happy to offer advice and support.

If attendees are required to pay a fee to attend, a website for your event, which includes a shopping basket and e-commerce environment, can be set up by Information Services as a costed service. Contact adm.support@qub.ac.uk for more information.

Guest Lists and Invitations

Once you have decided who your event is aimed at, start pulling together your targeted and general invitation lists. Events may be invitation only or may be a combination of invited guests and registered attendees.

When putting together an invitation list, you might want to think about inviting key representatives from the following categories:

• Offices of the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar and Chief Operating Officer (Vice-Chancellor's Office, Ext.5134 or Vc.Office@qub.ac.uk. Registrars office, Ext. 2505 or l.vannucci@qub.ac.uk)
• University Senior Management (see here for an up-to-date list of University Senior Management)
• Members of Senate (contact the Registrars office, Ext. 2505 or l.vannucci@qub.ac.uk for further information)
• Alumni (contact Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy Office, Ext.3114 or alumni@qub.ac.uk)
• Local schools (contact Domestic Recruitment, studentrecruitment@qub.ac.uk. Widening Participation Unit, Ext.5020 or wpu@qub.ac.uk)
• Local Business Contacts (Public Engagement - Business Engagement Unit, businessengagement@qub.ac.uk)
• Local MPs, councillors (Public Engagement publicengagement@qub.ac.uk)
• Media (Communications Office, Ext.3091 or comms.office@qub.ac.uk for details)
• Internal staff
• Students

Although each event will attract different guest numbers and exceptional circumstances (such as attendance by a notable VIP) can increase interest, you should plan for a 35% positive acceptance rate.  Taking this figure into account, you should make sure you have an adequate invitation list to fill your event.

When contacting the guests on your invitation list, consider the following:

• Decide how you would like to send out your invitation. For formal events, printed invitations can be produced, email events@qub.ac.uk for more information. For less formal, a pdf invitation can be attached to a personalised email.
• Decide who the invitation will be from. Think about who is likely to have the greatest influence on your audience, e.g. Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Head of School, etc.
• Ensure that your invitation provides enough information to your guests in advance of the event. Give information regarding the timings, venue parking arrangements, dress code, etc. A selection of sample invitations can be found by clicking the following link: Sample Invitations.
• Ensure that postal invitations are correctly addressed. A guide to formal titles can be found here (link to a version of the Eventus invitation guidelines document)
• Allocate an email account/phone number for responses and queries and ensure that all responses are accurately recorded on a spreadsheet or database to allow for the creation of table plans, delegate badges, etc.
• Ask guests to provide dietary/mobility requirements at the point of RSVP to avoid the need for further contact.

VISA Requirements

All attendees at your event must ensure that they have obtained any visa that may be required to visit the United Kingdom before travelling.  It is strongly recommended that those attending events at Queen’s University travel to a UK port of entry.  If they intend to visit the Republic of Ireland during their stay or to transit through the Republic of Ireland en route to Belfast, they may require two visas, one for the United Kingdom and one for the Republic of Ireland.

Up-to-date information on visa requirements can be found on the website of the UK Visas and Immigration.  Details on visa requirements for Ireland can be found at the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.  Attendees can also seek further information from their local British/Irish Embassy or Consulate.

Delegates from some countries may require a visa supporting letter from the conference organiser.  Where this is the case, you should ask them to email their request, stating their full name (as on their passport), address, country, passport number, nationality, travel dates and the date of the visa application to allow you to consider their request.  Visa supporting letters should only be sent to delegates after payment of the necessary conference registration fee.  A sample of a VISA supporting letter can be found by clicking the following link: Sample VISA letter.

For any further advice on visa requirements for attendees at events, please contact the Events and Conferencing team.