How to produce a profitable Wylie Writing Workshop for your chapter
When PRSA Puget Sound brought Ann in for a program, the chapter drew more than 100 participants. When the chapter brought her in again just 12 months later — in the midst of the recession — chapter leaders still managed to draw more than 85 attendees.
“And, to top that off, both workshops are held in August, a time when many are taking time off,” says professional development chair Karla Slate.
“Ann is a huge draw. Her workshops aren’t the same every year, so people come back instead of saying, ‘I’ve already seen her.’”
— Karla Slate, past president, professional development chair, PRSA Puget Sound
Read more rave reviews.
Since then, PRSA Puget Sound has brought Ann back almost every year, producing profitable training programs each time.
How do they do it? Slate shares these secrets …
The chapter promoted the program through:
- Teasers in monthly newsletter (several months in advance)
- Articles in monthly newsletter (regularly until event)
- Teasers on chapter website (during early planning stages)
- Full information on chapter website with link to register
- Flyer distributed at all chapter events
- Verbal announcements at all chapter events
- Email announcements through CVENT
- Email registration link through CVENT
How they profit every time (even in August!):
- Secured venues for free and catered breakfast ourselves, saving more than $400.
- Started promoting in the springtime, giving folks a huge lead time to make arrangements to attend.
- Encouraged attendance by offering an early bird discount and student rate.
“Ann is a huge draw,” Slate says. “Her workshops aren’t the same every year, so people come back instead of saying, ‘I’ve already seen her.’”
How they priced the program:
- Students — $75
- Early bird member — $85
- Regular rate (after July 15th) — $95
- Nonmember — $145
- Walk-in rate — $115
“We found that almost half of attendees registered as nonmembers and paid the higher price,” Slate says.
“One assumption is that because of the economy, they couldn’t keep their membership current. However, people still want to see Ann, despite their membership status, so they pay the nonmember rate. This allowed us to bring in even more revenue.”
Learn how your association can bring Ann in for a conference keynote or breakout session or chapter writing workshop that draws crowds and rave reviews.