Things To Remember When Creating Your Event Registration

With the Internet, social media, and mobile technology, event registration has evolved in ways I’m certain our forefathers never imagined possible. The unfortunate side to that is that it’s introduced a whole host of challenges they never anticipated, either. See…selling tickets and registering attendees might be easier to do, but it’s also easier to botch.

Likely as not, the first thing anyone’s going to see of your event is the registration page. With that in mind, you want to be sure you make a good first impression. Here are a few things to keep in mind when setting up the registration hub for your conference.

Consider Using Management Software

The first piece of advice I’ll give you is to track down some form of ticketing software, such as Eventbrite or ePly. Not only will this allow you to get yourself set up with a professional-looking page, it’ll automatically add your tickets to an easily-accessible directory, in addition to simplifying the whole registration process. Plus, if you use a recognizable service, I like to think it lends a bit of legitimacy to your whole conference.

Optimize For Mobile

Given that more people browse the web on their mobile devices than their PCs these days, it’d seem rather foolish if you didn’t optimize your event page to be viewed on mobile devices, wouldn’t it? Were you to ignore mobile altogether, you’d be alienating a huge percentage of your potential attendees, many of whom might actually decide it’s not worth the effort of registering if you don’t bother to account for such a vital technology. After all, if you’re not bothering with mobile in the registration process, why would you bother with it at your event?

Keep It Simple

A lot of event managers are starting to throw their voice into the chorus of supporters for single-page event sites. These combine both registration and key information in one place, with minimal navigation required on the part of the user. Not only does it make your site easier to navigate on mobile devices, it streamlines the registration process a great deal – both very good things.

Make Sure It Looks Good

It should go without saying, of course, that whatever information you provide on your event page, it looks both professional and aesthetically pleasing. If you’re not too keen on graphic design yourself, and you don’t really like any of the options provided by your management software, it might be worth the effort to hire someone to build it for you. After all, first impressions are everything. It’s worth doing right and spending a little extra.

Set Up Several Payment Options

Last but certainly not least, you might want to look into a few different payment options to accommodate the wide range of methods your guests might want to use to purchase tickets. While you should obviously allow for credit and debit, it might be worthwhile to let attendees pay through Paypal or another similar service, too. Of course, it’s really up to you whether or not you do – unlike the other items on the list, this one’s pretty much a matter of choice.

In Closing

The advent of new technologies has changed event management in ways no one ever dreamed imaginable. One of the most significant of these is the registration process. With the Internet, mobile technology, and social media; event registration has become quicker and easier than ever before. That new technology needs to be put in the right hands, however – if one doesn’t know what they’re doing, they can easily do more harm than good.