Five Email Event Reminder Templates for Businesses of all Sizes templates

You’ve put a lot of work into organizing an event that’s crucial for your business to succeed. You’ve garnered tons of interest—but you’re worried about how many registrants will actually attend. So, how can you ensure your event is well-attended?

Send an email event reminder, of course! 

In this article, we explore how to write an effective one. We’ve even included some templates that you can use as inspiration!

Why should you send an event reminder email?

Free-to-use image sourced from Pixabay

A full list of registered attendees is no guarantee of a well-attended event – trust us, we’re event people. People could have registered weeks out from the big day and may well have forgotten about you since. A lot can happen in a prolonged period of time, and this may mean you slip down people’s priority lists.

A reminder email gives attendees a chance to confirm the event in their calendars and acts as a prompt to jog their memories. While it doesn’t guarantee 100% attendance, it will get you closer to it.

It’s also useful for conveying details of the event. You can use your reminder email to confirm the time, date, and location. Be sure to include the most interesting or entertaining aspects of it too. 

For example, an event on artificial intelligence in business may have a speaker extolling the value of a .ai domain. Mention something relevant to the audience and the event to encourage excitement among attendees. You could even include a guide for them to peruse beforehand to get their brains thinking of questions and possibilities. 

You can use reminder emails to express gratitude to your attendees as well. They’ll be more inclined to be there if they feel like you value their presence. 

Alternatives to sending event reminder emails

Of course, there are alternatives to sending out emails. That said, emails are both cost-effective and professional, making them a great way to remind people of an upcoming event. 

Nevertheless, here are some different ways to jog their memories.

SMS

If you have the cell numbers of registrants, you could send an SMS. However, this will have to be brief, as no one wants to read a wall of text on their phone, so you may not be able to cover everything you need to in your message. Keep in mind any regulations, as SMS is highly regulated in the compliance world! 

Call

Calling to confirm attendance is another option. If you have to leave a message because no one answers, you’d best hope that some of your attendees have voicemail to email activated. The other issue with this approach is that it’s a very time-consuming process, as it involves contacting each person individually.

Snail mail

For a really personal(/archaic) approach, you could even send a letter. However, you’ll have no idea if the addressee received it. This is probably the least cost-effective approach for sending out event reminders and a lot of people don’t like receiving snail mail for environmental reasons.

Top tips for writing effective event reminder emails

Now we’ve covered why emails are the best option for sending out reminders, it’s time to share some top tips on writing an effective call to action. 

Simply sending an email isn’t enough; it has to be well-written too. So, use the following guide to craft reminder emails that work.

Write an eye-catching subject line

You need your email to stand out in a busy inbox, so the subject line must be difficult to ignore. In bold capitals, use a word like IMPORTANT or ATTENTION. Then, follow this up with Reminder for [event]. 

Keep it brief and to the point

The addressee has already signed up to attend your event. The purpose of this email is simply to remind them of the time, date, and details. Thus, you don’t need to spend time selling your itinerary. After all, you’ve already done the work of creating a compelling event description.

Keep it brief and to the point. Mentioning a highlight of the event can be an effective tactic to boost attendance, but there’s no need to reiterate everything. Your initial invitation email should have done that already, and recipients can always refer back to this if they feel the need. 

Use plain text

An email written in plain text gives the impression that it’s specifically for the addressee. Conversely, an email with lots of images and graphics feels like a mass email. Ergo, plain text creates a more personal touch.

There’s also a practical effect to using this—it’s less likely a spam filter will catch it. Also, it will load quicker compared to an email that’s rich with graphics. 

This is especially useful if the addressee opens it on a mobile device. If they have poor reception, images, and graphics might take too long to load. They may give up and never read the email. Plain text, on the other hand, loads fast even with a slow internet connection.

Confirm time, date, and location

Be sure to include the time and date too. Many email applications have integrations with calendar apps. If this is the case, the addressee can easily add the event to their calendar.

You should also remind the recipient of the event’s location. You could even include a link to the event location on Google Maps. This is especially useful for events attended by an international audience. For example, someone used to seeing a .sg domain while online may need extra help navigating a city in the US. To do this:

1. Open Google Maps on your computer.
2. Go to the location you want to share.
3. Click ‘Menu’.
4. Click ‘Link to this map’.
5. Copy and paste the link into the email.

Confirm event requirements

Your event may have requirements for attendees. Ensure you reiterate these in the reminder email. This may include a dress code, name badges, downloading an app, or reading through certain materials in advance to help them get the most out of the day (for example, a chatbot guide for beginners). Whatever attendees need to participate should be included here.

Some of your attendees may have special requirements as well, such as dietary needs or disability access. You could include how the event organizers will accommodate these. Alternatively, provide contact details for attendees with extra requirements so they can get in touch and discuss these in person.

Express appreciation

Don’t forget to thank the recipient for registering. This can go a long way toward ensuring that they attend. Write your email in a warm and welcoming tone to make them feel valued.

 Use Personalization

Take advantage of personalization tokens in your marketing platform and make the registrant feel like you’re speaking to them directly. Studies show that personalization is no longer nice, but expected. If you don’t have their name already, make sure you are requesting it in your RSVP process with custom RSVP fields.

Confirm important event details

This is your opportunity to lure registrants who are considering not attending back in. Pick out one or two of the best aspects of your event to re-engage recipients, and mention a particular aspect that speaks to the target of the email. This may be a speaker of note or some fun activity you have planned.

For example, imagine a conference centered around improving business workflows. Registrants will be happy to know an expert will be there to provide tutorials on the Google Sheets Slack integration. This speaks to the audience in this particular case, but make sure you mention an aspect of your event that will engage with your specific audience.

Add FAQs

Finally, include a brief FAQ section. You can either incorporate this into the email or share it via a link. This is useful for registrants who want more details and allows you to elaborate on the information provided in the main body of the email.

Five free email event reminder templates you can use

You can use the following templates however you see fit, but be aware that they’re specifically framed for certain purposes. Feel free to combine them or alter the wording to best fit your particular use case. 

You might also want to consider using a tool that has both RSVP collection and email event reminders, such as AddEvent.

Template #1

This first template is a simple time, date, and venue reminder. The tone is intended to be professional but personable.

Subject: Important reminder for [event]

To [registrant],

Thank you for registering for [event].

I am writing to confirm that [event] will occur at [time] on [date]. We look forward to welcoming you at [venue].

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. You can reach one of our organizers at [email address].

Best wishes,

[Your name and title]

Template #2

This next template is appropriate if you require a less formal tone. It also demonstrates how you might include an FAQ section.

Subject: Attention! Reminder for [event]

Hi [registrant]!

We’re super excited for you to attend [event] at [venue] on [date]. Things will be kicking off at [time]. It’s going to be a blast!

Got any questions? Then go to [URL] to see our FAQs. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, email [email address] and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

See you soon,

[Your name]

Template #3

Next up, we have a template that covers preparations that attendees need to make before arriving.

Subject: Before you arrive, you NEED this! Reminder for [event].

Hello [registrant],

Thanks for registering for [event]. Just to remind you, it’s taking place at [venue] at [time] on [date]. 

To get the most out of your experience, please download our app at [link to app]. It’ll provide you with an event schedule and other details about the day. It also contains contact information should you need to get in touch.

Kind regards,

[Your name and title]

Template #4

The following template includes directions to the venue. 

Subject: [Event] Reminder plus venue location

Dear [registrant],

We’re looking forward to seeing you at [event]. It begins at [time] on [date]. 

We’ll be holding the event at [venue]. You can find the venue [input directions]. Click the link below to see the location in Google Maps.

[Link to Google Maps]

Thanks for registering, and we’ll see you there!

[Your name]

Template #5

This template is for online events specifically.

Subject: Reminder for [event]

Hi [registrant],

Thanks for registering for our webinar. We hope you find it informative. 

The live stream begins at [time] on [date]. It will be available for download shortly after.

For further information, please visit [URL].

Many thanks,

[Your name and title]

Remember the reminder

There are many benefits to sending reminder emails. A few of these are listed below:

• Increased attendance
• Prepared attendees
• Time savings
• Cost-efficiency
• Looks professional

Don’t forget to remind your registrants ahead of the big day. You can use the templates we’ve supplied verbatim or as inspiration for creating your own. Simply adjust the language used according to the tone you want to convey. 

Best of luck with your next event!