Avoid These Registration Pricing Tactics
Have you ever been shocked by the total price of your event registration platform? Perhaps it seemed affordable, but when all fees added up, you were left scratching your head, looking at a staggering total. If you’ve experienced this, you’re not alone. The event registration world is full of insider terminology, hidden fees, and “gotcha” tactics designed to dent your event budget if you’re unaware of them. In this article, we’ll walk you through seven of the most common tactics so you can avoid them and keep more of your revenue. Let’s get started!
1. Unpublished Pricing
When you’re trying to compare options and run numbers, it can be incredibly frustrating if a registration management tool doesn’t disclose its fees upfront. Sure, you’ll find out the price eventually, but you’ll have to send an email, schedule a demo with a sales member, and attend a presentation first. Who has time for that?
At RegFox, we respect your time. The pricing model is straightforward and clear; it costs 99¢ plus 1% per person. While we offer demos for those interested in learning more, we’ll never hide our prices behind a presentation.
2. Requiring Prepaid Registration Fees
If a registration company ever asks you to estimate your event attendance and prepay upfront—before a single attendee has registered—run away as fast as you can. Requiring upfront payments (sometimes for an entire year!) is a ridiculous pricing model that will drain your event account before your event even begins. Not to mention, if attendance falls short, well, you’re out of luck.
With RegFox, you’ll never be forced to pre-pay for registrations. The simple pay-as-you-go structure means that you only pay for what you use, and we don’t make money until you make money. Instead of using your hard-earned cash to hedge registration bets on attendees who may or may not show up, we recommend you use it to build and promote your event.
3. Multi-Year Contracts with Guarantees
Have you ever been pressured into signing a multi-year contract with an event registration provider? Essentially, you’re supposed to make a decision that will affect you and your team for years to come, and you haven’t even experienced the product. Talk about stressful!
Many event registration providers demand long-term commitments and guaranteed fees, leaving you stuck paying the price—even if you’re dissatisfied. If you happen to face unforeseen circumstances, like, say, a global pandemic, then you’ll have to eat the cost.
At RegFox, we’d rather earn your trust one event at a time. No strings attached. While we can provide a contract if you prefer, we have no interest in “locking you in.” If RegFox isn’t the perfect fit, you can cancel anytime. Your success is our priority, and we believe flexibility is a key element of event success.
4. Complex Fee Calculations
Many registration companies appear affordable at the outset but come with a line item list as long as a Costco Christmas shopping receipt. The platform fee, for example, is the price just to use the platform, and it often runs ten to fifteen thousand dollars a year. To make matters worse, you need to pay the platform fee for as long as you want access to your data; by the way, no exports allowed. So you’re basically trapped with them forever. On top of the platform fee, event registration platforms will often charge admin fees, maintenance fees, security fees, and, worst of all, support fees. Here’s the bottom line: if a platform requires any sort of mental gymnastics or hidden fee hunting just to figure out the actual cost, it will probably overcharge you.
RegFox eliminates this confusion by offering transparent, flat-rate pricing, easy enough for a kid to understand. If you have questions, we’re happy to help. We’ll never make you pay extra to talk to a real human.
5. Fees for Refunds, Cancellations, and Comps
If your registration provider charges you for refunds, cancellations and complimentary registrations, those fees will add up in a hurry. In many cases, you’re on the hook for the registration and payment processing fees of refunded attendees. That means you are paying money to refund people their money. Or, in the case of comped registrations, you’ll pay registration fees for unpaid registrants.
With RegFox, we keep it simple. By using Purchase Protection, you’ll only pay registration fees when you are making money.
6. Fine Print Shenanigans
When comparing registration management platforms, ask to review a copy of their contract, terms of service, and privacy policy. Prepare to be shocked. It’s not unusual for hidden clauses to state that they will hold your funds until after the event, forbid you from exporting data, or terminate your account for any reason. Not only terminate, but they will mass refund all of your attendees. Perhaps the worst offender, however, is a tiny clause mentioning they will access and share all of your attendee data with direct marketers and advertisers. Yikes!
With RegFox, there are no secrets in the fine print. We believe your data belongs to you, and we’ll never touch it, share it, or promote it. You are free to cancel at any time, and you can take your data with you.
7. Fees With No Limits
As you run through fee calculations, it’s important to ask whether the percentage fee has a maximum limit. If there’s no max limit, a 5% fee at a $500 conference means you’ll pay an additional $25 per registrant! As attendance grows and prices increase, your fees will skyrocket.
With RegFox, there’s a 1% fee per registrant, but that fee is capped at $4.99. As a result, you get more money from your event, and you can still celebrate when you sell out.
Final Takeaways
From hidden fees to inflexible contracts, sneaky platform pricing tactics can quickly derail your budget. At RegFox, we believe in doing things differently. With straightforward, transparent pricing and customer-first policies, we help you focus on what matters most—delivering an amazing event. Say goodbye to brain-busting budget calculations and the gut punch of sticker shock, and say hello to an affordable platform that’s simple and powerful.
Interested in learning more? Check out the video below, and don’t hesitate to contact our support team.
We’re here to help you have the best event ever!
— The RegFox team
