More Engagement & Higher Bids with a Better Registration Confirmation Email

Are you using your registration confirmation email to its full extent?

A registration confirmation email lets guests know their event ticket purchase has been processed, and they’re all set to attend your event. (And yes, you should send confirmation emails for every ticket sold!) Whether you’re selling tickets manually, over the phone, or through your event website, a sold ticket isn’t the end of your pre-event engagement with that guest—it’s the beginning!

This email is a great opportunity to build hype around your event, increase starting bids in your auction, and make life easier for people who want to attend. We’ve compiled some essential parts that every confirmation email should contain, and some fun additions that lend it additional flair, interest, and value.

The Bare Bones

First and foremost—THANK the donor! Make them feel extra super special for having bought a ticket (which is typically in essence a donation) and supporting your organization.

Even though your guest did visit your event page to purchase their ticket, it doesn’t mean they’ve kept all the details on hand. For your guests’ convenience, and for everyone’s happiness, be sure to include some basic event info in your registration confirmation email, like:

• Your organization’s name
• Your auction contact person (and email address) for questions—and make sure someone is checking that inbox!
• Your event name
• The event date
• Event location (specific address) and venue name
• Dress code
• Directions—possibly even a map
• Instructions on how to register with Mobile Bidding, if applicable; alternatively, provide a link to a page on your website with more detail.

It’s also not a bad idea to let guests know in your email what to expect at registration—whether they need to print a copy of their ticket to present, or whether they should expect to already be on the guest list and simply provide a last name.

Pretty It Up

Your guest is going to breeze through your registration confirmation email (and may not even read it) if all they see is a block of text. Make your attendees feel great about the money they just spent, and dress up that email!

Fun photos

Include some fun, active photos of your last event. Pick the best two and add them below the event details. If you can make your event look like a lot of fun, guests might even get their friends to go, too. (See below for more on sharing!)

Sponsor logos

The registration confirmation email is also a perfect opportunity to provide some additional value for your sponsors, and to add another bullet point to your list of exposure opportunities for soliciting future sponsors. Buff up your footer with unobtrusive but visible sponsor logos, and link them back to your sponsor websites.

Raise Bids, Attract More Guests

Simply because you’ve sold a ticket doesn’t mean your job as an event promoter is over. The ticket is only the beginning of a relationship with a new guest. In the months leading up to your event, we want them to anticipate the big night so much that they tell all their friends. They’ll arrive excited and spend more money!

Here are some tools you can apply directly to your registration confirmation to drum up FOMO, attract more guests, and drive up starting bids at your event.

GG TIP: In Greater Giving, you can automatically create a catalog page with your event website and it will pull over whichever packages you select.