Plan Events Your Members Actually Want to Attend: 4 Insights

Think about the last time you genuinely looked forward to an association event. What made it stand out? Was it the promise of great networking opportunities, inspiring speakers, or the chance to contribute to a meaningful cause? Now, flip that perspective: what would make your members feel that same level of anticipation?

Creating events that members are eager to attend goes beyond air-tight logistics. It’s about creating experiences that focus on what they care about. Whether you’re hosting a silent auction, networking happy hour, skills-based training, or a fundraiser, the right approach can increase turnout and member satisfaction.

In this quick guide, we’ll explore key strategies to help you plan events that build loyalty and deliver real value to your members. You’ll learn to use data to your advantage and align details with what matters most to your community.

1. Understand What Motivates Your Members

Before planning an event, you need to think about why your members would want to attend, whether it’s to network, learn, give back, or simply have fun. When your events reflect what members care about—both personally and professionally—you show that your organization genuinely cares about providing a valuable experience.

To figure out what members expect from your events, you might:

• Segment your members based on shared demographics, professional roles, interests, and past event behavior using your membership software. Looking at your segments, you might notice younger members gravitate toward casual networking mixers, while long-time members prioritize educational workshops or high-impact fundraising events.
• Look at past event attendance. You’ll learn which events performed well and why. Which themes, speakers, formats, or locations led to strong attendance? Which events saw low post-event engagement? Do social mixers outperform formal conferences? Are galas more popular than informal happy hours?
• Survey and poll your members. Instead of using data to guess what your members want to see, try asking them instead. You might post a poll to your membership portal with a few different types of events (e.g., networking mixers, educational workshops, or casual social gatherings) so members can vote for their favorite option.

Before you finalize your event plan, take a step back and test your assumptions. Share your early ideas with a small group of members and ask, “Would this excite you enough to RSVP right now?” Their honest feedback can help you course-correct early and plan events that members can’t wait to attend.

2. Leverage Your Engagement Management System

An engagement management system (EMS) empowers your team to plan, execute, and analyze events confidently. iMIS’s EMS guide explains that these systems combine the functionality of an association management system (AMS), constituent relationship management system (CRM), and content management system (CMS).

Alt Text: A graphic illustrating that an EMS combines the capabilities of an AMS, CRM, and CMS.

For event coordinators, an EMS can centralize planning by streamlining registration, automating event reminders, and organizing post-event follow-ups like surveys and thank-you emails. Beyond logistics, an EMS can strengthen your events by:

• Giving you a full picture of member engagement. You can track attendance across event types, monitor sign-up patterns, and capture continuing education or volunteer participation. This data provides critical insights into which topics and times of year might lead to better attendance.
• Helping to send messages that match each member’s past activity and interests. Want to invite only donors from last year’s auction to a VIP preview night? Or tailor follow-up materials to attendees based on their professional interests? An EMS makes this easy.
• Providing insightful analytics in case things aren’t going as planned. For example, if RSVPs are low, you can quickly send reminder emails or target key subgroups that are likely to register. Having these insights at your fingertips helps ensure your event-planning efforts are proactive, not reactive.

Overall, an EMS strengthens your events while driving long-term member engagement across all touchpoints. Once you get familiar with its features, it can make planning and improving events a whole lot easier!

3. Add Value Through Purposeful Experiences

Members want to feel like you respect their time and that their presence at your event is meaningful. To create experiences they’re excited about, you’ll want to keep things fresh and interactive.

Think back to members’ motivations. With that in mind, here are a few ideas to consider:

Host a Silent Auction

Silent auctions are great for fundraising and building community! Procure fun, high-value items like travel packages, sports memorabilia, and themed gift baskets for different budgets and interests.

From here, make it easy to bid on items using straightforward software and set clear rules for participating. For example, Handbid recommends setting guidelines related to using correct bid increments, canceling bids, and having a credit card on file to make things run smoothly.

Help Members Connect

Events are more fun when people feel like they belong. Create some space where relationships can grow and ideas can be exchanged without pressure.

You might carve out time for casual networking or organize small group conversations that encourage participation. Even starting the event with a light icebreaker can go a long way toward putting people at ease. These types of touchpoints help members feel welcome and give them a reason to come to future events.

Consider Accessibility and Inclusivity

You want everyone to feel included and able to join your event. Accessibility can make a big difference in making members feel welcome. That might mean:

• Offering both in-person and virtual attendance options
• Providing translation or interpretation help
• Creating quiet spaces or spaces with low stimulation for those who need them

Small changes like these can help every member feel more comfortable and willing to participate.

Give Them Practical Takeaways

Thoughtful follow-up materials provide value after your event. You can post downloadable slides, bonus content, and other post-event resources to your membership portal for easy access!

Invite Members to Help Out

Some members may feel more fulfilled by pitching in rather than coming as attendees. Offer easy ways for them to get involved, like:

• Greeting people at check-in
• Helping run breakout sessions
• Promoting the event to their social media networks

Whatever volunteer opportunities you offer, provide plenty of training. You could host a pre-event meeting where you walk through roles, responsibilities, and expectations. On event day, you may pair experienced volunteers with new ones to show them the ropes, too. You could even use your learning management system (LMS) to create courses and training materials that review key tasks, include how-to videos, and quiz volunteers on their readiness. 

Your goal is to make them feel confident, leading to a more rewarding volunteer experience.

4. Use Feedback to Shape Future Events

If your team isn’t gathering and applying member feedback, you’re missing opportunities to improve event outcomes and member satisfaction.

Create a post-event survey that asks for feedback on logistics, networking opportunities, and their overall experience. Keep your entire survey brief and include a mix of simple rating questions and open-ended ones. This helps you gather both clear numbers and honest opinions from your members. Here are some simple examples:

• On a scale from 1 to 5, how satisfied were you with the event overall?
• What part of the event did you find most valuable?
• Was there anything about the event that didn’t meet your expectations?
• How likely are you to attend another event hosted by our organization?
• Do you have any suggestions for future event topics or formats?

Your membership software probably includes built-in tools or integrations for sending out surveys, which makes it easy to collect feedback right after an event.

Beyond surveys, consider hosting regular virtual roundtables or focus groups with member representatives. These sessions can uncover unmet needs and spark new ideas, so attendance at your next event will be even higher.

Conclusion

Great events come from a steady rhythm of listening, trying new things, and learning what works. With smart technology like an EMS and a member-first mindset, your organization can create event experiences that feel fresh, intentional, and genuinely rewarding.

When you understand what your members care about, provide meaningful experiences, and commit to learning from every event, you’ll foster a stronger community. And that’s what turns participation into long-term commitment.