When it comes to organising events, the user experience begins at the point that your delegates complete their registration. This means that you will need to create a registration that is fit for purpose and works well so that they feel confident that the event will meet their needs. Find out more about the best practice requirements for delegate registration and get your system up and running, ready to impress your delegates.
Use a Professional Registration Site
The simplest and most effective way to offer the best registration service to delegates is via a dedicated registration site. Your registration site will offer a straightforward sign-up process that will provide each delegate with information on their current registration status. The site will need to be configured to comply with all GDPR regulations as well as being secure, allowing each individual to process their order and get their space booked. Remember that a quality registration site will have a range of language options as well as links to pertinent information.
Test Your Registration Site
Once your registration site has been designed and uploaded, you will need to test it to ensure that it works properly without any problems. Don’t just test it once and think that it is ready, test every possible process and ask others to test it too, allowing you to discover any error that may cause problems when it goes live. Remember that if delegates encounter errors as they proceed through their registration, they are less likely to complete it and this will lose you money and cause frustration for the individual, leaving them unwilling to come back to you for future events.
Offer an Alternative Way to Register
Whilst the vast majority of your delegates will be relieved that you have a fully functioning registration site that they can use, some may be put off by this process. In these cases, it is important to offer an alternative registration solution so that you don’t miss out on valuable sign ups. You could simply add a phone number to allow a delegate to book with the team, giving them control over their booking and showing you to be a flexible and supportive organiser that understands the needs of each delegate.
Make Forms Easy to Complete
When you keep everything short and simple, you are more likely to get the sign up success that you are looking for. Think about the registration form and decide if everything on it is vital information or not. If not, remove it and reduce the amount of time that each delegate needs to spend signing up. Ultimately, your mission is to get all the answers you need in the shortest possible form so that you don’t have to follow up with further questions and annoy your delegates.
Streamline Payment Process for Quick Results
One of the most important components of your registration website is the payment process. Creating a long, drawn out system will reduce the number of people that are willing to purchase tickets and so it is imperative that your payment process is as streamlined as possible. The best way to do this is to count the number of clicks a user has to go through to get to the payment page and assess the information you are asking them for. If you can reduce both of these to the bare minimum you can be confident that your system is as streamlined as it can be.
Share Registration Information in Pre-Event Communication
Most event organisers will have a solid list of potential delegates that have shared their contact information in return for updates about the upcoming event. The good news about this is that you can use it to both advertise the event and provide information about your registration system. The best way to make this work well for you is to plan out the emails that you will share, ensuring that there is a registration link in each email that you send. In addition, dedicate one of your emails to explaining the registration process as well as sharing helpful contacts that delegates can use to get help if they encounter any issues as they register.
Provide Quality Support
There’s nothing less appealing to delegates than an event organiser and website that doesn’t offer a decent level of support when it is needed. This could be as simple as having a contact us link, an online chat or providing a dedicated number to call. Offering this means that potential delegates can get through to the event team and get the information they need without wasting their time, resulting in them being even more keen to attend the event you are organising.
Offer a Personalised Approach
It’s abundantly clear that technology has helped to give time back to event organisers who would have once spent their days filling out registration forms and handing out lanyards whilst directing people on arrival. However, before you think that technology can offer everything your delegates need, don’t forget about the power of a personal touch.
From having a support team delegates can communicate with before and after the event to installing friendly and welcoming meet and greet staff on arrival, offering the human touch will help delegates to feel important and welcome. This doesn’t mean that tech is no longer needed, but more that it removes the barriers to providing exceptional service and frees up the team so that they can support delegates throughout the whole event.
Reorganise Your Delegate Registration System Today
If your delegate registration system is in need of an update or you want help with streamlining your processes then the tips shared above are an excellent starting point. From investing in a ticketing system that takes the pressure off arranging sales and creating a streamlined process that makes it simple for delegates to get what they need, a well organised registration system will improve your profit margins and delegate happiness. Think about how you can improve yours today!
To find out more:
Call us on: +44 (0)1438 908770
Email: enquiries@miceconcierge.com
anna.hellawell@miceconcierge.com
andrew.bowers@miceconcierge
