Tips for successful event registration management

By administrator

Jun 22, 2022

Who likes to print out the registration confirmation? Or wait half an hour for the event check-in? And if there's a problem, waiting last in the check-in queue? The answer is clear, no one. A good attendee experience at an event starts with a quick, easy, and problem-solving check-in.

Having a slow registration experience makes attendees enter the event tired and irritable, even more so if the event is a paid event. Instead, take advantage of check-in to give your guests a good impression. 

They will enter the event eager to enjoy it and generate a collaborative environment, a mood that can last all day. Pair this with a mobile-friendly test to gather feedback, and you are ready for success!

It is also essential to provide a registration process for attendees who arrive at the event without confirmation or prior registration. Preparing ahead of time ensures you won’t lose any data along the way and can offer the same personalized check-in system as everyone else. 

Here are 12 tips for designing a quick and memorable check-in experience:

1. Inform the attendee 

This first tip is not for check-in but way before the day of the event. To streamline the registration process, send an email to all attendees a few days before the event starts, including their registration confirmation and check-in details. Make it even easier by including a QR code. You can quickly scan on their cell phone for entry.

2. Reserve the space

Design an access area where attendees have space to register, check-in, and line up as comfortably as possible if necessary. Consider the space you will need for the equipment, event staff, and registrants. To avoid problems with Wi-Fi during the process, always prepare several connections as an alternative. 

3. Prepare a plan B

What if an attendee forgets the QR code or confirmation? What if the scanning device isn’t picking up the code? What if they’re not registered?

These are all aspects to consider ahead of time. Design a process for this situation that is clear to the attendee. Ensure it is fast and still allows for accreditation and retention of all data during the process. A flexible system that will enable you to edit and add attendees in real-time with your registration is ideal.

4. Speed up the registration process

Offer faster access, such as with our QR scanning system, so attendees can check-in and receive their badges quickly and efficiently. This technology can also be integrated directly with your registration process to update all data in real-time. 

5. Smile for the camera

Use Facial Recognition technology to make access to your events even faster. With our technology, attendees provide a photo during registration and are recognized by cameras at check-in. Within 9 seconds, registrants can receive their printed badges. Attendees will not need to carry or present any confirmation document to access the event. In addition, it adds modern technological features to your event.

6. Details are essential

Take advantage of the badges to include personalized information about the program, the Wi-Fi password, or the event's hashtag directly on them. What if you have different categories of attendees and want to differentiate them? Prepare other models for each category with different designs, colors, and even QR codes to control access in rooms.

7. Prepare the answers for your event planner staff

Don't leave anything to chance! Create an FAQ sheet for your staff to help attendees and answer their questions. This sheet can include room locations, session schedules, or emergency contacts. 

8. Separate gifts and lanyards 

Keep welcome bags and badge lanyards away from check-in. This will help avoid large crowds at the entrance and a double wait for attendees. In the case of lanyards, set up a separate table from the badge printing area and direct attendees here once they have received their badges. 

9. Greet and organize the entrance

Make attendees feel welcome, and offer clear instructions. It is common to use catenaries to direct the queues at large events. However, you can speed up access by directing the attendee to the correct line and asking them to have their documentation ready to access the event. 

10. Signs lead the way

Good event planners always prevent attendees from getting lost. Use signage to make itineraries visible and provide maps in the welcome bags so that attendees can consult this information at any time. Another option would be to include an event application where people can access this information.

11. Take advantage of event software

Do you want to maximize the ROI of the event? Then do yourself a favor and take advantage of the power of event software and an event kiosk when planning and managing your next event. This tool will save you time (on average, companies using event software save 223 hours per year) and create a unified brand experience for each of your attendees.

12. Measure with a mobile-friendly test

As event planners, measuring event ROI is a critical practice. After all, you can't accurately determine whether or not an event is successful without understanding what the company is gaining in return for all the time, effort, and expense that went into organizing the event.

Unfortunately, tracking the ROI of an event is not always easy, but some tools can help. For example, you can use mobile-friendly tests for the attendees, comprehensive event platforms, attribution platforms like Google Analytics, and your company's CRM software to track event ROI.

It's important to remember that your goal should be to create value with your events, not just immediate monetary gain. An event that loses money but generates many high-quality leads can still be considered successful.

Always keep the attendees in mind

People want their registration experiences to be quick and effortless. If you can't give your attendees a positive registration experience, your event failed before it began. 

The event starts at the entrance, and we all know the importance of getting off to a good start. At Choose 2 Rent, we specialize in implementing technology at events to create memorable experiences. Contact us to design innovative and efficient access that allows you to gather more information about your attendees.