If your organization plans and launches events throughout the year, you already know the challenges that come with it. From hosting a large number of people to making sure each speaker, vendor, and staff member is where they’re supposed to be, your team has a lot to juggle.
Established organizations like large associations know to turn to software solutions to help them organize and sift through the massive amounts of data that come with putting together an event. You likely already use event management tools, but it’s a good idea to think about how upgrading your software can make your events better than ever.
As the way people first engage directly with your event by signing up, modifying and upgrading your event registration tool can elevate your event, as well as help you generate enough insight to better plan future events! In this guide, you’ll learn how, with the right event registration tool, you can:
- Attract more event attendees.
- Secure your event revenue.
- Easily manage and leverage event data.
It can be tough to continue trying to make each event better than the last. Review your management software solutions and see what can be cleaned up. Let’s get started!
1. Attract more event attendees
If you’re planning on launching an event, whether it is a conference with professional speakers or a silent auction fundraiser trying to raise money for a charitable cause, your organization knows how important your attendees are to the success of your event. Besides creating attractive event invitations or offering event t-shirts as keepsakes, what else can you do to try and attract more event attendees?
Every event needs some sort of registration process to help facilitate the guest’s experience and generate some core logistical data, that is, how many attendees are showing up. Your registration form shouldn’t ask too many unnecessary questions or take too long to complete. Inconveniences like this can easily turn away a portion of your potential registrants. A robust event registration tool will help you attract more attendees if it includes these features:
- An embedded registration form. Don’t send your event registrants to a third-party site when they’re trying to sign up for your event. This disrupts their process and makes them doubt the legitimacy of your organization. With your form embedded directly into your website, people can easily register, fill out forms, and pay securely, right on your site.
- Discounts and coupon codes. With the right software tool, your organization can automatically process and calculate discounts and coupon codes instead of manually handling them. With this processing capability, your registration form will help registrants sign up easily and efficiently.
- Group registration. Allow one person to register multiple attendees for your event efficiently. This helps those from the same workplace, school, or in the same family to easily go to your event in groups.
- Conditional logic. Find registration software with robust conditional logic capabilities. This means that the registration form will adapt to the user’s logical processes. If they pick a specific attendee type, the logic software will automatically add that fee. If a registrant says “yes” to whether they have allergies, the form will adapt and provide an additional question asking what type of allergy it is. Furthermore, if someone inputs a certain answer in a form, your software can automatically send emails. And this is only the beginning of what conditional logic can offer!
The right event registration tool for your organization will help individuals sign up for your event in a smooth and fast process. From giving your registrants multiple registration options and keeping your form on your official website, make sure to find the right software solution for your organization. Visit Regpack if you want to see these effective event registration tools in action.
2. Secure your event revenue
Events are a great way for your organization to raise money, whether it is for a charitable cause or simply getting your business off the ground by garnering a community of supporters. Plus, people will typically need at least have to pay for a ticket to attend an event, especially when the event offers a unique, memorable experience.
With all these financial activities happening, your organization should make sure you have an effective payment processor to help secure these transactions. Some event registration tools will have payment capabilities as well and can help your organization manage your event more effectively.
Look for an event registration tool with these features:
- Integrated payment processor. Make sure your software has a secure integrated payment processor that can handle your attendees’ finances without making them go to a third-party website to pay. People feel more secure in putting their financial information because they know your organization trusts it as well. Additionally, with your payment function integrated, you can also get use your management and reporting tools in the system as well. This way, for example, you can automate reports on attendees who have an outstanding balance! With a third party payment, your registrant’s data is coming from two places, losing the option to automate certain processes.
- Payment plans. Offer multiple payment plans so your event attendees can choose which is best for them. Whether it is a deferred payment plan in which they decide to pay later or on a monthly payment plan, registrants will appreciate the choices.
- Auto billing. Save time by automating your billing. If your event attendees do decide to pick different payment plans, you can save your management team’s time by using your software to remind people when their payments are due or even bill them automatically.
Event registration software will enhance and refine your event’s revenue and transactions. Handling money and other finances is a very delicate process, especially when staff and event attendees are depending on you. Make sure you have the right tools and check out Double the Donation’s picks for the top event management software for more examples.
3. Easily manage event data
The more events you host, the more data flows through your software. With the right event registration software, your organization can process and manage your data in ways to generate helpful and key insights. Having an effective database or CRM system is important because it allows your organization to compile relevant information and data that helps your team to individualize your marketing and add a personal touch to your messages.
Your event registration form is where your CRM pulls the most relevant data from. It’s where registrants input personal details, contact information, and their financial preferences. Make sure to look for event registration forms that can manage and organize data effectively with:
- Data in the cloud. Without the ability to access data from the cloud through an internet connection, you’re confined to your desktop computer. Easily access important information even while you’re on-site at the event. If anyone has a question or you need to check up on something, the data is all there.
- Dynamic data filtering. Easily find pertinent information by filtering your data by key points. For example, find out which people are new to your event. Ask them to take a specific survey to evaluate how your event is perceived on the first impression.
- Reporting tools. Your data is nothing unless it’s actually helping you to generate those useful insights. Find software with robust reporting tools to help compile the data that came from your event and draw insights from them. For example, we can see how many people registered online versus which people were walk-in attendees and make a conclusion off of that.
The more data and information you compile from your events and attendees, the better your organization’s team can plan future events. Compile reports on which part of your event worked and which didn’t to make better decisions about what your organization plans next.
Conclusion
Watch your events garner large, satisfied crowds with the right event registration tool. After this guide, make your registration process more efficient and secure your monetary transactions. It might seem daunting to switch your event management system, but the insights your organization compiles after is worth it.
