The Benefits of Event Registration and Why It’s Important to Register Attendees Online

Team GTRTeam GTR November 22, 2021

First impressions matter. And one of the most important ways of making a good first impression for event attendees is with well-done event registration. So, let’s talk “Event Registration 101” as we share what event registration is, why you need it, and some basic do’s and don’ts.

First, what is event registration? There are lots of definitions, but essentially it comes down to this:

What is Event Registration?

Event registration is a process by which an event planner secures and organizes attendee data. Consider it to be at the heart of every event where you are building an engaging experience for the attendees and generating additional revenue for your organization.

Whether an event is in-person, virtual or hybrid, most event attendees currently register online for an event. This offers significant benefits both to attendees and organizers.

The Core Benefits of Online Registration

Here are a few benefits for attendees and organizers:

1. Quick and Easy

Online registration is a fast and seamless experience that allows attendees to fill out a form from your official event website. Forms can be customer tailored to groups of attendees, so they gather pertinent information only. Attendees can sign up whenever it is most convenient for them, register the day of the event, select different sessions, and sign up entire teams at one time.

For organizers, online registration reduces human error and saves time and money by automating processes, which can then be used to plan better events, contact more sponsors, prepare more activities, and so forth.

2. Improved Communication

Once people register online, they can be automatically reminded about the event and changes and additions to schedules. Organizers can integrate email and social media, as well as get open rates and click-to-opens of emails to help analyze what is working and what is not.

Registration software also allows you to create pre-event and post-event surveys and get to know your registrants so you can create better events and improve communication with attendees.

event registration confirmation email

3. Secure and Convenient Payments

An online event registration platform securely accepts payment, so attendees don’t need to worry about sending a check or paying at the event. They also immediately receive an automated confirmation receipt.

4. Centralized Data Management

With registration software, you can store participants’ personal information and payments, the percentage of people registered, and other customized data. You can then gain valuable insights with detailed reports and customizable dashboards to efficiently manage a successful event and plan for future ones.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Event Registration

Every event is different with different goals, so it’s important to choose a registration strategy and process that fits your event. That’s why working with a company with experience across multiple kinds of events can prove useful.

No matter what kind of event you are planning or the size, increasing efficiency and user-friendliness are behind the do’s and don’ts of event registration.

👍 Do

👎 Don’t

Keep it simple.
If your registration forms, website, and process are complicated, your attendees will not be happy. So, make sure you keep the number of pages and forms to a minimum during the registration process.

Forget mobile.
The majority of people access information through their phones. Make sure that you have an easy-to-use event mobile app.

Test and retest payment functions.
You never want an attendee to see an error message after putting in their payment information.

Ignore event branding.
If your form isn’t associated with your event, it can cause confusion. This is your event, so your brand should be front and center.

Clearly display refund and privacy policy information.
Also, provide contact information for the support area.

Accept slow payment processing.
User experience (UX) research shows a significant drop-off from purchasing if payments take too much time to process.

Create useful and relevant event registration forms.
Remember this is your opportunity to mine for useful data, but be mindful not to dig too deep.

Use a complicated content management system.
Content will change during an event. You need an easy-to-use content management system to update registration information and stay connected to attendees.

Settle for incomplete analytics.
Data is king, and easy access to important and complete analytics will help make your event successful.

Our customer support is based on experience that we would love to share with you. Now that you have completed Event Registration 101, check out information on increasing event registration and engagement with social media, invitations for events and conferences, and marketing your event.

Better yet, let’s have a chat.

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