The success of any event depends on the marketing. Too much and you run the risk of alienating the people who are coming, too little and people won't notice and consequently won't book or attend the event.

Depending on the size of the event you are planning will determine a lot of the pre-event marketing. You may need to get promotional flyers created and organise an early bird rate - just to gauge interest.

You can also use viral marketing and utilise the social networking sites to generate interest in the event outside of the normal routes - but this pre-supposes you have access to this kind of internet activity through work channels (some organisations don't allow it). It also pre-supposes you have a ready following of people who you can connect with. Loading a profile one day and posting a few messages won't get the critical mass you need when it comes to gaining a following or interest in what you have to say - so think long term strategies when it comes to your event planning marketing strategy.