Event registration isn’t one-size-fits-all and coming up with a registration game plan can be challenging. If you’ve got multiple categories (General Admission, VIPs, Speakers, etc.) registering for the same event, you need a well-thought out registration system in place. And because we know you’ve got more important things to do than test and research different features, fields and flows, we’ve done it for you!
We've come up with three game plans to help you provide a registration experience that is clear and effective, asking all the right questions and charging all the right prices.
Use conditional logic to filter registration options depending on the registration type.
The first option would be a smart-page that shows/hides the appropriate options, depending on the registrants selections. For example, volunteers get a free t-shirt automatically added to their order. There are two benefits from this set up. Everyone is using the same form and the data is collected together. Also, if your goal is to condense all the data in one place, this is the way to do it. If you’re working with a strict onsite capacity, this would likely be the best choice because you can monitor the counts in one place.
This setup will also simplify the check-in process, as all the data can be referenced together. Define just how different the options are when considering this flow. For example, if the only difference between General Admission and a VIP option is a meal, then it would be easier to keep all registrations to one place.
That being said, setting up the form will take some time. It will take more time to create and test the conditional logic and later to filter out specific event data. If you’re anticipating a large number of group registrations with different choices, this would not be the flow for you.
Set up a separate registration page for each registration type.
Another option to consider is setting up a separate page for each category. The main benefit of this setup is you can totally customize the questions and available options. You can also totally customize the look of the page for clarity.
The benefit is the clear separation of data. You won’t accidentally sell a t-shirt that was set aside to give to a volunteer. Also, you don’t have to get fancy with analytics because there will be clear differences of where the visitors are coming from. You can set-up different marketing campaigns to target volunteers versus paid registrants.
But this setup does have its challenges. You’ll need a foolproof way to get attendees on the right page. You don’t want to lose a sale because they wind up in the wrong spot. This flow is ideal for events that are promoted by email, rather than a open invite (for example: facebook event) that’s too easily confused.
The other challenge is onsite check-in. If the registration pages are independent of each other, you’ll need more manpower onsite to check them in, as they need to be scanned it separately. So you want to make sure you have the resources to funnel people to the right place.
Host one registration page and manage outlier registration types manually.
With all the tools and features we offer, you’d never think we would recommend this set up. But we are strong believers in keeping it simple. Let's say the event has two thousand registrants and four speakers. It would be far less work for the admin to handle the registration of the speakers and their guests manually (with a coupon code, for example) than to create them a totally separate registration experience. It would also keep the page where most of the attendees are registering clean and simple.
The challenge here would be factoring in the event manager’s time, as registering the outliers would be a workaround of sorts. You’ll want to be strategic about balancing the workload as certain registrations couldn’t be automated.
So there you have it! Three gameplans to put your mind at ease as you juggle all the factors of your awesome event. Have you experienced a benefit or challenge that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it in the comments below.
