In-person events are back! It is an exciting time for the meetings and travel industry. The world is opening up bit by bit and international travelers are being welcomed back into more and more countries. So we have put together the key fundamentals of event registration to keep in mind for your next event.
The process has been a slow one, but things are looking promising. As our industry puts their glad rags on and lugs suitcases out of storage once again, we wanted to go back to basics! Or back to the beginning rather. Therefore we are taking a look at the very beginning of your Event Registration.
These tips work for hybrid, in-person or virtual. If you read that last sentence and thought, ‘pfft, how hard can it be to design a registration website?”. You probably aren’t alone. It seems pretty straight forward right?
Wrong.
Your event registration microsite can help drive up registrations or frustrate people into closing the tab and giving up on attending your event. Your attendee’s event experience begins with the registration process. So you need to make a great first impression.
What does a great event registration site look like?
We have built hundreds of event & incentive registration sites and forms. And while doing so, we have picked up a few things along the way. There are a few things to keep in mind when you approach your next registration site.
The first thing to ask yourself when you start thinking about designing your registration, is what are your event goals? This answer will determine the kind of registration you will be setting up.
There are generally two different ways you can collect attendee registrations:
- By setting up a microsite – The website will have all the information an attendee could
need to access – venue, speaker bios, agendas, FAQs etc. An event website can be a
great way to market the event. Showing videos of past events, talent, etc. - A simple registration form – Usually consisting of a landing page with minimal info and a
link to the form.
Whichever option is the best fit, needs to follow a clean, clear design that works on any device. Once you have decided on which route to go with, there are a few more things to think about, such as registration dates. Your registration site should have solid dates for registrations. Early bird and the rest.
The Form
There are a few things to make the admin of filling in a registration form a slightly less tedious experience for you attendee.
- Only ask for the info you NEED, if you’re asking for it, you NEED a reason. Make sure
that the reason is clear to your registrants. - Break up long forms into pages or sections relevant to each batch of info.
- If possible, use conditional branching/ conditional questions.
The types of questions to ask are dependent on the type of event. For example, if your registration site is just there so that attendees can buy a ticket, then very basic information is needed. If your event is a business event, then you need to collect as much information as possible. Therefore you need to make sure you have enough time to do what you need to do with the information you’re collecting.
Payment Gateways
Nothing can make an attendee abandon their registration faster than issues with payment. Your payment gateway needs to make an attendee feel safe and secure. You should also make sure the gateway you’re using works wherever all of your registrants are. Make sure you choose a reliable and trusted payment partner.
We recommend opening up your registration 2-3 months before your event so that you don’t get overwhelmed with a rush of registrations. This also gives you enough time to build up to your event with marketing communications.
All of the most successful sites – those with the highest numbers that are; have taken all of the above into account. They are simple, ask only what is needed and work on any device. Making a great first impression is important. Your registration site sets the tone of the event. With Symbiometry. Making a great first impression is easy. Combined with our on-site registration services we can help make a (Covid safe) entrance that will leave your attendees feeling excited about what your event has in store!