How you can get customizable online registration for events with an out of the box event software! Why pay the custom software price when you don’t have to?
Below are some popular questions event professionals ask about online event registration software.
Question #1: Should my event registration be online?
Yes! Allowing applicants to register online is the best way to boost event attendance and income. Online event software allows you to offer the best tech to your attendees and increases the efficiency of your registration process.
Here is a great eBook on how to pick the right registration software. You want to focus on finding a software that allows you to customize the flow of registration for each applicant, especially if you have a complicated or long process. This means that certain questions that aren’t mandatory for every applicant are only triggered when that applicant should see them. For example, if you have a multi day event and each day requires different forms, if an applicant says they are only attending 1 day, they will only receive the forms connected with that day. That was a long sentence, but the bottom line is people hate filling out forms, so streamlining the process for them will result in more completed applications and less support for confused applicants.
In the event industry, often times you are also registering not just attendees, but vendors and speakers as well. A software that can help you manage all of these applicant types in one space is a winner!
Studies even show that over 90% of applicants prefer filling out an application online!
Questions #2: Should I hire a developer to build a custom event registration software for me?
You can if you have the budget. Generally though this is something only huge companies with the spare cash to spend a few hundred thousand dollars can do, and not most small and medium sized businesses. Plus, it’s not just the upfront cost of the system, but ongoing changes. Unless you have a process that will NEVER change and the budget, a custom system doesn’t make sense.
There are however many out of the box software options out there that allow you to achieve customizable online registration for events, without the custom price tag. As discussed above, a software that triggers questions based on previous answers makes the process unique for each applicant and most software today has the ability to offer robust reporting, great communication and email tools, and can integrate payments.
Question 3: My paper registration process works great! Why should I switch to an online event software?
Many event professionals think that it isn’t worth the investment of time and money to switch the registration process from something familiar to something unknown. You can read more about how paper applications actually cost you more money than registration software here. The benefits of online registration far outweigh the negatives, so the learning curve associated with any new process is short lived, worth it in the long run, better for business and more affordable!
I have found with my clients who have switched over from paper to online event registration, they have experienced:
- 25% more on-time and completed applications.
- Received payments 15-30 days faster.
- Saved 60 hours of admin work per month.
Just think what you and your staff could do with 60 extra hours a month! And what that work would cost you vs. the cost of an online event management software!
Conclusion: Customizable Online Registration for Events
Finding an event software that fits your budget and gives you the tools and features you need can take time. Moving online to a customizable online registration for events makes sense for you and for your applicants. It will making managing your event, from payments, to emails, to marketing, to reporting, smooth and efficient! It IS possible to find customizable online registration for events in an out of the box software. Ditch the hassle and price of custom software.
Start by generating a list of must have and nice to have features, talk to a few companies, do a few demos and choose a software that will give you the tools you need and that best match your business.
Here are some great resources for event professionals: