London hosts an enormous number of events every week — conferences, launches, workshops, festivals, networking evenings. Competition for attention is intense, and ticket sales rarely happen on their own. This guide sets out a practical plan, phase by phase.
Foundations: before announcing
Define the audience and the promise
Write down exactly who the event is for and why they should come: the problem it solves, the people they’ll meet, what they’ll leave with. Every piece of marketing should repeat this promise.
Build a fast event website
Your event site is where every channel sends people. It should:
- Load fast and work perfectly on mobile.
- Show date, time, venue and price above the fold.
- Feature speakers, agenda, venue and FAQs — the details people need to decide.
- Make buying a ticket a single obvious action.
- Include event structured data (schema.org
Event) so search engines can show dates and ticket links. - Track ticket purchases as conversions in analytics and ad platforms.
Ticketing
Use a ticketing platform that integrates with your site and analytics, supports early-bird and tiered pricing, and lets you pass UTM parameters through to purchases. Decide on early-bird deadlines and price steps up front — deadlines are some of the most effective sales tools you have.
Phase 1: Launch (12–16 weeks out)
- Announce to your existing audience: email list, social followers, past attendees.
- Early-bird tickets with a clear deadline.
- Speakers and partners: give each a kit — graphics, copy, a personal discount code or tracked link — and ask them to share.
- Start building the list: a “get updates” form for people not ready to buy.
- SEO: publish the event page early so it can be indexed for the event name and topic.
Phase 2: Build demand (6–12 weeks out)
- Paid social: run campaigns on Meta and Instagram for consumer and community audiences, LinkedIn for professional and B2B audiences. Use speaker videos, behind-the-scenes content and testimonials from previous editions.
- Google Ads: Search campaigns on the event name, the topic plus “London”, and related high-intent searches (“business conference London 2026”, “[industry] summit London”).
- Content: short articles, speaker interviews and agenda highlights that give people reasons to talk about the event.
- Partners and media: community organisations, industry associations, local publications and newsletters.
- Remarketing: show ads to people who visited the event page but didn’t buy.
Phase 3: Convert (2–6 weeks out)
- Price-step deadlines: announce the end of early-bird or the next price increase.
- Social proof: number of speakers, sponsors, attendees registered (only real numbers), testimonials.
- Email sequence: agenda reveal, speaker spotlights, practical info, reasons to bring a colleague.
- Group offers for teams and communities.
Phase 4: Final push (last 14 days)
Many events see a significant share of sales close to the date. Plan for it:
- Reminder campaigns to everyone who showed interest but didn’t buy.
- Countdown messaging: “one week to go”, “last 50 tickets” — only if true.
- Increased paid budget on the best-performing audiences and keywords.
- Speakers and partners: one last share each.
- Practical clarity: how to get there, what’s included, timings.
During and after the event
- Capture content: photos, video, quotes — the marketing for next year starts here.
- Live social: a hashtag and stories during the event.
- Thank-you email with highlights, a feedback survey and an early-interest list for the next edition.
- Update the website with highlights and testimonials; keep the URL so it keeps its search visibility for the next edition.
Measuring what worked
Attribute every ticket to a source using UTM links and ticketing analytics. Compare:
- Tickets and revenue by channel.
- Cost per ticket for paid channels.
- Conversion rate of the event page.
- Share of tickets from partners, speakers and email.
Next year, put more budget behind what produced tickets at the lowest cost.
Marketing to communities and diaspora audiences
London is home to many international communities. Events aimed at a specific community — for example, entrepreneurs from a particular country — work best when marketing:
- Uses the community’s language where appropriate, alongside English.
- Partners with trusted community organisations, media and leaders.
- Targets social ads by language and relevant interests.
- Features speakers and hosts the community already knows.
How Hidook helps
Hidook builds event websites and runs event marketing for organisers in London and across the UK — from the site and ticketing integration to paid social, Google Ads, email and last-chance campaigns. Our clients include Elena Rotari, organiser of Business Summit London. Book a free discovery call and tell us your date.