The Basics of Event Registration
What is it, and why is it important?

This blog will cover all of the registration basics, from the definition, to what it looks like, to why it's important that you get it right.

What is event registration?

In its most basic form, event registration is the act of signing up, registering your name and details, to attend an event. For example, you might collect names, phone numbers, addresses, and dietary requirements. Registration, for organisers, is where you collect any key information you need from attendees for your event. But it's actually so much more than that, it's the first touchpoint for attendees in their event journey. It's their first impression of your event. It's the data you collect and analyse post-event.

It's usually a form, where all entries are fed into a larger registration system which can be used to print badges onsite, send out communications to attendees, and report on your event with analytics.

A large part of lots of event registration solutions is onsite registration and badging, which can be used to register attendees, who haven't filled out an online form, in person at the event. As well as this, your registration data will directly feed into the printing of your event badges, this is offered by most providers.

Why is it important?

Registration is a key touchpoint for your event because it's the first interaction between you and the attendee, so it needs to be positive. Also, this is your chance to capture all the information you need for your event, this includes what will go on the event badge, any meal options or dietary requirements, marketing email tick boxes, and so much more. Remember, if you forget it from your registration form, there is no guarantee you will be able to collect that information elsewhere - that's why it's so important.

The number of registrations will also inform your logistics, as you will know the attendee capacity which can help with resource management for staff, tech, food and beverages.

It's not just important during your event but post-event too. When it comes to analysing your event success, the data you collect will be important in understanding who attended. You will be able to see the demographics your event appealed to the most and least. This is important because it will help you refine your marketing by identifying a target audience and improve your approach by appealing to different audiences in the future.

Making the most of your event registration

As it is such a significant step, it's important you make the most of it. This means considering your requirements, the data you want to collect, the design of your forms, and the system you choose.

Your requirements can change what you need from your registration. Some people may only need a simple form to collect names, while others may need something much more complex. Equally, you might want to consider if you need onsite event registration or just online event registration.

Depending on your requirements, you will have to choose a system and a supplier to go with. Some choose to do their registration in house, on their own systems, whereas others will outsource this work to specialists.

To conclude, here's our key take away checklist for the basics of event registration:

• Event registration - signing up with your details to an event. For organisers, this means collecting all the key information you need.
• It's important as it helps inform your logistics, marketing, event badges, and post-event reporting.
• To make the most of your registration you must understand your requirements and review different options to see what is the best fit.