I think my question/issue is getting lost in all this. To be clear, I'm not having issues getting players who are enthusiastic about playing. We run 2 tables of cash every month that the seats fill up nearly instantly with a healthy wait list, so much so that I've considered running a third table but it gets very overwhelming for myself even with just 2 tables with buy ins, cash outs, change and house rulings on occasion that 3 tables wouldn't be possible without more help besides just me.
For tournaments, outside of league season we have tournaments that regularly range from 20-30+. During league season our numbers drop (although I only have one season under my belt and it was last year during Covid) so this could change but we averaged over the 8 tournaments 16 players. Not ideal imo.
So my goal is to try and encourage more of my regulars to try out league play, as well as bring in new players (fresh meat!) for our games. There is no lack of enthusiasm, we don't have struggled filling tables, it's just a desire for more in an effort to increase the competition in the league as well as pump up our payouts for the end of season free roll without increasing the buy ins.
Another incentive I've done for several years and I've added it to the league is our November tourney we do a toy drive for donations. Anyone who brings a toy to be donated to a local family/shelter gets some bonus, either a bigger starting stack or we've even done a free addon at the break. That's our most popular event and promotion.
OK, first, I wouldn't pay heed to the year of COVID. There was something else going on, and the majority of the world took it seriously. Even if your view was that it should be normal, it wasn't. This year is better, but I still would expect a smaller turnout.
Be patient. Sometimes you get shit cards. It doesn't mean you have to shove. Host a smaller game until the world returns to normal.
On a side note: I have found that when running multiple tables, each table becomes exponentially more difficult. My largest event was 4 tables, and it took 2 games to get that smoothed out, despite years of experience with 3 tables. Here are a few tips from experience...
Appoint a table captain Someone that has been around long enough that he has heard most of your rulings, and someone you can trust to make the right, unbiased call. Casinos do it all the time. They call them "dealers". Dealers make rulings that most people accept, especially when the majority of the table agrees. Players are still allowed to call the floor (you), but I find my need to make a floor ruling has dropped significantly since having authorized table captains.
Standardized rules TDA rules for tournaments or Robert's Rules of Poker for cash games. The fewer "house rules" you have, the easier it is. I used to use a number of "house rules" early on because it would be more fun. My favorite was a flip when racing off chips, with players getting one "hole" card per chip. Unfortunately, it was just confusing to everybody else. It wasn't standard, so I dropped it. Unless a custom house rule is necessary, don't use it.
Note Pad I have found that it is pretty easy to forget things. In tournaments for example, you need to remember how many players remain in the tourney, and break down tables accordingly or move players as needed. Having an index card that you can jot down notes makes things a world easier, especially if someone gets KO'ed, and people start yelling "our table is short a player" - while you are tanking on a hand. When you hear "Knockout, Table 3" you can quickly see (without having to calculate) what table is moving someone or if the clock is getting paused to break down tables. You can then get back to your in-hand decision.
You may already know these, but I never seen this kind of info posted before so I had to figure it out through trial and error.