For event organizers and attendees alike, it’s important to have an online registration system that works for everyone. Whether you’re organizing a big conference or a small gathering in your backyard, making sure your guests can register for things quickly and easily is key. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of creating an event registration system from start to finish.
1. Offer Several Ways to Register
The most popular way to register for events is online, but you should also offer phone registration and in-person registration. Phone and in-person registration give you the opportunity to reach people who may not be comfortable using their credit card online or aren’t able to get online at that time.
Having multiple ways to register will help you reach more people and maximize your event attendance!
2. Promote Your Event Registration Page with Social Media
- Share your event registration page on social media. Social media is a great way to get the word out about your event and encourage people to sign up for it. If you’re not using social media yet, start now! It’s free and easy, and it can help you build a following before the big day arrives.
- Use email marketing to promote your event registration page or online events in general. Email marketing is another inexpensive way of getting the word out about what you’re doing at your business–and once again, it’s easy as pie! You don’t even need any special software or tech skills; just write an email (or several), send them out into cyberspace…and watch them go!
3. Make Sure Your Page is Mobile-Friendly
The most important thing to do when registering online is to make sure your page is mobile-friendly. This means that it will look good on any device and should be easy for people to use no matter where they are or what device they’re using.
If you don’t have a responsive website, which automatically adjusts its layout based on the size of the screen being used (so that it always fits), then you’ll need to develop two separate versions of your registration page: one for desktop users and another for mobile users (or create a new template altogether).
4. Tailor Registration Questions to Your Event Type
The next step is to tailor your registration questions to the type of event you’re hosting. For example, if you’re hosting a conference, then it makes sense for attendees to provide their names and contact information so that you can get in touch with them later. A workshop might be less formal–you may only need basic information like their name and email address.
You’ll also want to consider whether or not there are additional logistical details (like travel arrangements) that will affect your attendance requirements. If this is the case, include a question about it on your registration form so that people know exactly what they need before signing up for an event!
5. Make the Registration Page as Simple and Easy as Possible to Navigate
There are a few things you can do to make sure your registration page is as easy to use as possible.
- Make it easy to find what you need: Use descriptive titles, clear headings and subheadings that explain what’s going on in each section of the registration form. This will help your users figure out what they need quickly, so they can get back to their lives or focus on other tasks if they have no interest in registering for an event at this time.
- Use a clean design: Keep everything simple and uncluttered with minimal text blocks (the area where all of your content appears), minimalist color schemes (think black text on white background), little-to-no animation effects when navigating through steps within the registration process–this all helps keep things from feeling cluttered or overwhelming when filling out forms online!
6. Create an Early-Bird Incentive to Encourage Signups
Make the most of your event registration by offering a discount, freebie or other incentive for people who sign up early. You can do this in one of two ways:
- Offer a discount for all registered attendees if they register before a certain date (e.g., $25 off if you register before March 1st). This encourages people who have been thinking about attending your event to take action and get signed up while they still have time!
- Give away tickets randomly throughout the signup process as an incentive for people who are considering registering but haven’t yet taken action yet (e.g., give away one free ticket every 10th person).
7. Use a Countdown Timer
A countdown timer is a great tool for encouraging people to sign up now.
For example, if you’re selling tickets for an event that’s going to happen in three months, you can use a countdown timer on your registration page to show how many days are left until it starts. This will give people more incentive to sign up sooner rather than later because they’ll want their spot at the event–and once they do register, you can include the time left in any emails reminding them about it.
8. Let Registrants Know How Many Spaces are Left, but Don’t Make it Too Crowded
The most important thing to remember when it comes to registration is that you don’t want people feeling like they are missing out on something. You also don’t want them feeling rushed, pushed into something or like they have to sign up for something they may not be ready for.
It’s easy for this kind of anxiety and pressure to build up in a person during the registration process, so keep it light and breezy! Make sure there’s plenty of time between when people get their tickets and when the event actually takes place so that everyone has time to do their research on what events will best suit them before committing themselves financially (and emotionally).
9. Offer Different Price Tiers
One of the best ways to encourage people to sign up early is by offering different price tiers.
Different price tiers can be different prices, or different levels of access, or both. For example, you might offer one tier with a low ticket price and another tier with a higher ticket price that includes VIP benefits like an exclusive meet-and-greet with the presenter. Or you could have three tiers: one cheap option, one middle-range option and one expensive option that includes some extra goodies (like tickets in advance).
It’s important to remember when setting up your event registration system that not all attendees are going to be able to afford every tier–even if they’d like them all! So don’t make it impossible for someone who wants a lower-priced ticket but doesn’t want any extras from their experience at your conference/event/etc.
10. Send Reminder Emails for Free Events
Reminder emails are a great way to get people to register. They should be sent at the right time, though–not too early, and not too late. If you send them too early, people will forget about your event before they have time to register; if you send them too late (or not at all), then some people may have already registered for another event or decided not to go altogether.
Reminder emails should also be personalized so that they’re relevant for each recipient–if someone has already registered for your event, there’s no point in sending them another reminder! You should also make sure that these reminders come from the event organizer rather than from someone else who might confuse recipients into thinking they’ve been invited as speakers or sponsors when this isn’t actually true.
11. Use Online Event Registration Platform
In order to make your registration process as smooth and seamless as possible, it’s important to use an online event registration platform like Eventtia. This will allow you to customize your registration page and collect payments in a secure manner.
You’ll want to look for a platform that allows users the ability to pay online or via mobile device through their preferred payment method (credit cards, debit cards). It’s also important that the site is mobile-friendly so that attendees can easily navigate through it during registration. Lastly, make sure the company has a good reputation with its customers by reading reviews on social media sites like Facebook and Google+.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever tried to organize an event, you know that it can be a lot of work. From finding the right venue and booking speakers to making sure there are enough snacks for everyone, there are lots of details to keep track of. And that’s before even getting into things like ticket sales and promotions! The good news is that there are plenty of tools available today that can help make all this easier–especially if you’re looking for something free or low cost.
