| Did you know that your registration process can | | | | #4 Do the work for your competitors Many event |
| dramatically impact your attendees? A smooth, | | | | registrants are frustrated by the length of time it |
| comfortable registration process can change the way | | | | takes to fill out a registration form. Yet many of |
| they look at your organization. It can decrease | | | | these same registrants are previous customers of |
| complications and complaints at your events. It can | | | | the organization holding the event. That means |
| even lead to higher attendance and lower no show | | | | there's no reason these event organizers should |
| rates. | | | | require them to re-submit every piece of personal |
| Use this report to uncover the simple things that | | | | information. |
| make life easier for your attendees - while greatly | | | | Instead, all event organizers should be using |
| reducing your own workload. | | | | auto-recall to pre-populate personal and business |
| #1 Get Rid of Paper-Based Processes: Event | | | | information whenever possible. Not only does this |
| organizers often worry that high-tech registration | | | | practice dramatically reduce time spent in the |
| options will alienate a portion of their target audience. | | | | registration process, but it also decreases the number |
| Yet you'll be surprised how quickly even your most | | | | of people who abandon the process and reduces |
| traditional users will adapt to online registration. In | | | | errors in your reporting. This simple feature can |
| fact, many event organizers have found that | | | | improve the attendee experience while making sure |
| removing paper registration all together has led to | | | | you always have accurate contact information for |
| higher attendance, happier attendees and much | | | | follow-ups and promotions. |
| fewer complications at events. | | | | #5 Re-Confirm to Eliminate No Show: Are you sick of |
| Case in Point: The Religious Conference Management | | | | dealing with no-shows at every event? If you're like |
| Association worried that its traditional, faith-based | | | | most event organizers, seeing a stack of unused |
| group would struggle with online church event | | | | name badges at the end of an event is frustrating. |
| registration. Yet it knew that its lengthy and arduous | | | | But in many cases, it's not the attendee's fault. |
| paper registration process was frustrating for | | | | Instead, the failure to recognize no-shows before |
| attendees and costly for the organization. Last year, | | | | events falls on the shoulders of the event organizer. |
| however, more than 85% of its annual conference | | | | The good news is there is a way to identify |
| attendees registered online - and the organization | | | | no-shows before your events - yet it's one of the |
| was flooded with compliments on the new, easier | | | | least-used features in event registration. It's called |
| registration process. In addition, RCMA chose to | | | | "click-to-confirm" reminders, and it allows event |
| eliminate paper surveys after its event and move all | | | | organizers to send a series of triggered email |
| post-show follow up online, which increased its | | | | reminders leading up to an event, asking attendees |
| response rate from 5% to 32%. | | | | to confirm that they will be attending the event. This |
| #2 Encourage Groups: More than 30% of attendees | | | | practice allows organizers to weed out people who |
| register as a group, and research shows that | | | | have changed their minds and open up spaces for |
| attending events in a group improves the experience. | | | | sold out events. In addition, the extra action taken |
| Yet most event organizers fail to encourage groups. | | | | by your attendees reminds them about the event |
| In fact, most registration systems fail to even | | | | and reaffirms their commitment to attend. |
| automate group registration, leading to lost | | | | Case in Point: Grant Writing USA, a leading provider |
| opportunities and frustrated group leaders. | | | | of workshops and educational materials that focus on |
| There are two important things you should be doing | | | | grant writing and grant management, had a big |
| to encourage group registrations: Provide discounts | | | | problem with excessive no shows at its workshops. |
| for people who register as part of a group. This | | | | The organization now sends click-to-confirm emails |
| practice not only increases attendance, but increases | | | | for all events, and that practice has reduced its no |
| attendees' satisfaction at your events. | | | | show rate to nearly zero. |
| Second, make group registration as easy as possible | | | | #6 Make Networking Easier with Directories: As social |
| by handling it within your standard registration | | | | networking becomes more important to attendees |
| process. Make sure it's easy to add group members | | | | both before and after events, event organizers |
| by streamlining the process and auto-inserting | | | | increasingly depend on good networking opportunities |
| information where possible. Also, don't make the | | | | to make their events stand out. Those opportunities |
| mistake of failing to communicate with individual | | | | start during the registration process. |
| group members. Make sure your system is set up to | | | | Make sure you're providing a quick link to a directory |
| send confirmations and reminders to the group leader | | | | of event attendees both during your registration |
| and every member of the group. | | | | process and in your confirmation email. The kind of |
| A single miscommunication can destroy an attendee's | | | | information you provide on that directory will vary, |
| experience at an event. | | | | but many organizers include names of attendees, |
| So, why do 80% of event organizers still rely on | | | | email addresses and even a list of sessions people |
| manual processes to manage things like meal | | | | are attending. This technique immediately engages |
| preferences, room blocks and nearly every attendee | | | | your attendee with your event, allowing her to reach |
| preference? Take the time to set up a way for your | | | | out to friends or set up meetings. |
| attendees to choose their own preferences and | | | | #7 Build Better Badges: A badge is a badge, right? |
| make self-service changes to those preferences | | | | Nope. Not anymore. In fact, top event organizers are |
| before the event. The best registration systems will | | | | realizing that badges can play a crucial role in tying |
| make this process easy for attendees, and a select | | | | registration information to the event. Most |
| few will even provide reports that can be shared | | | | sophisticated registration platforms will allow you to |
| with hotels, caterers and event organizers in real | | | | enhance your badges with group information, color |
| time. These shared reports ensure that all | | | | coding and even an agenda. |
| preferences are updated and accurate at all times, | | | | Make sure you're branding your badges, agendas and |
| leading to happier attendees and smoother events. | | | | signage to match your registration form. In addition, |
| #3 Put Your Attendees in the Driver's Seat: A single | | | | provide your attendees with a complete list of their |
| miscommunication can destroy an attendee's | | | | session selections and preferences when they |
| experience at an event. So, why do 80% of event | | | | receive their badge. This practice will immediately |
| organizers still rely on manual processes to manage | | | | address any issues before confusion sets in, and it |
| things like meal preferences, room blocks and nearly | | | | will remind your attendees of the selections they |
| every attendee preference? | | | | made during the registration process. |
| Take the time to set up a way for your attendees | | | | #8 Make Every Question Relevant: If you confuse |
| to choose their own preferences and make | | | | attendees, you lose them. Usability studies show that |
| self-service changes to those preferences before the | | | | attendees struggle with long registration forms, |
| event. The best registration systems will make this | | | | particularly when those forms contain information |
| process easy for attendees, and a select few will | | | | that isn't relevant to the attendee. More and more |
| even provide reports that can be shared with hotels, | | | | event organizers are using something called |
| caterers and event organizers in real time. These | | | | conditional logic to avoid that pitfall. |
| shared reports ensure that all preferences are | | | | Conditional logic is based on statements, which use |
| updated and accurate at all times, leading to happier | | | | triggers within the registration form to dynamically |
| attendees and smoother events. | | | | display appropriate information. So, for example, if I |
| Case in Point: Washington State University's | | | | have a golf networking event, I may ask an |
| extension office coordinates five large events each | | | | attendee if they would like to attend. If that |
| year for its Area Health Education program. Each | | | | attendee answers "no," they will never see |
| year the university handled more than 1,500 | | | | information on tee times, t-shirt sizes or |
| registrations with varying payment options and | | | | transportation. On the other hand, if that attendee |
| preferences -- and each year there would be a long | | | | chooses "yes" he will automatically see the |
| line of confused attendees at the registration table. | | | | appropriate questions. |
| In 2008 Washington State moved its registration | | | | Very complicated events are using conditional logic to |
| process online. In so doing, it shaved more than 400 | | | | dramatically streamline the registration process, but |
| work hours from its process and nearly eliminated | | | | even small events can use this technology to greatly |
| the customer service issues that had plagued its | | | | reduce registration headaches for attendees while |
| events for years. | | | | reducing workload for event organizers. |