A good conference or corporate event comes down to good planning and obtaining the right information when and how you want it.
Using an online registration system that has the necessary capabilities will make your event planning much more efficient, effective and effortless.
Ask any corporate events planners and they will tell you that collecting accurate delegate information is critical for a successful event.
Not only delegates, it is important to collect the right information from potential or confirmed presenters such as biographies, abstracts and photos.
We have all been to an event or function, where someone has asked for another meal because they have a special dietary requirement which wasn’t noted upon RSVP or registration.
What about someone who selected the wrong session to a conference and wants to change into another one a few minutes beforehand.
Although there will be issues at any event, having easy-to-use technology will help minimise these issues and stress for those organising the event.
What are the benefits of a good event registration system?
The main benefit of a good online registration system is it creates one simple collection point for all information you require from delegates, presenters and exhibitors.
It will have a front-end that your delegates and presenters can view and use to submit information. It will also have a back-end that you and your organising staff can access to view, change, download or report on information.
It will also have reporting capabilities which means you can generate all those key onsite lists at the click of a button.
A good registration system can also be built into your event website and shared as a link for simple distribution. It can also be customised to feature your company or event branding.
What information can be compiled by a registration system?
Many online registration systems can be customised, so really, the information it can compile is up to you.
Generally speaking, an event registration system is used to collect key information from delegates such as name, contact details, special dietary requirements, conference sessions and team building activities.
It can also provide the functionality to enable delegates to book and pay for the conference and any other ‘extras’ such as accommodation, travel, social activities and corporate training.
From speakers, it can collect biographies, images and presentation information. While for exhibitors, a registration system can take bookings and collect their stand requirements, company information and logos.
For organisers, it can be used effectively to monitor numbers for each session or team activity and also provide automated communication back to delegates such as a confirmation of registration, travel and accommodation.
Are they simple to use?
The basic functions are simple to use and are designed to be user-friendly.
Once you start adding more customised features and extras such as travel, accommodation, session selection and team building activities, it can become a little more complex.
There are companies like ours that, as professional conference organisers, can set-up and manage a registration system for you or provide support with sourcing a system and some of the more complex features.
We are a ‘one stop shop’ in that we can manage an entire event for you or just provide a registration system and support as required.
How do you determine a ‘good’ registration system?
First of all, the right registration system for one company may not be the right one for another. It all comes down to what is going to work for your event and what functionality you require.
A few things to consider in your decision… how often you are going to use it, how many registrations are you planning for, will there be a cost for delegates, how many questions do you need to ask, will files need to be uploaded and do you need it to feature your branding.
There are different packages for most systems which all have different price points depending on many of these answers.
So, do your research to find the right one or feel free to contact me to find a solution for your needs.
Kathryn Laslett, Conference & Events, Corporate Challenge Events
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