Have you held the same annual event for years? Decades? If you can’t decide which is looking greyer, your decorations or your guest list, it could be time for rebranding. Finding clever ways to repackage your organisation’s old meeting can keep your current members engaged while helping you recruit new members. Done correctly, even an older group can draw the interest of a younger audience, ensuring continual success in its mission for some time to come.

Selling Event Tickets and raising donations keep your mission alive. If you’re not selling Event Tickets and raising donations, it’s time to try something new.

Your best bet for breathing fresh life into that old gathering is to try new things. Have you let the same catering hall for 20 years? Try a fun new venue. Local museums or zoos, for instance, often let space after hours, turning your event into something magical and lovely. What about the food? Perhaps there is a hot new caterer in town. The same goes for the musical entertainment. Just because you’ve always done things the same way doesn’t mean you have to keep doing them. There may be some vocal detractors who want to keep things the same, but look at your numbers. If attendance has declined year after year, perhaps you are giving those voices too much power. Shake it up and see if you don’t sell more tickets.

If you’re advertising the event in the same old way, using the old mailing list and a familiar design on the invitations, or only reaching out to active members through newsletters or phone trees, consider opening your group up to the possibilities of the modern world. Are you using email marketing, social networking, blogs, and forums to share your message? Why not? In the last 10 years, some extremely effective meetups for political and social action have been communicated only through text messages. Don’t be afraid to try something new and get the word out. Ticket sales don’t improve if no one knows about your event.

If all this seems scary, have no fear. Somewhere in your circle of acquaintances, there is a teenager who’s ready to help get you up to date. Or, you can use trend trackers to learn about popular food, music, and activity. Yahoo or Google can provide you with minute-by-minutes updates so you can learn about what’s cool without ever leaving your desk.

If your numbers are down, pick them up. If interest has dwindled, give it a shake. If you want to sell Event Tickets to a new market, try something new.