What does an effective registration process look like? With digital platforms becoming the norm and the events space becoming increasingly competitive, it’s crucial to have a registration process that’s both efficient and welcoming, delivering on sales and data collection whilst bearing the user needs in mind. It’s a seemingly simple process that has to work hard behind the scenes. Your registration form is usually the first point of contact with your attendees, so it sets the tone for their entire event experience – and first impressions matter.
We want to help you to get registration right. Because an effective registration process will ensure the financial success of your event, deliver a positive experience for attendees and help streamline the whole event management process by gathering essential information without frustration or obstacles. And because we understand that registration impacts on your ability to plan efficiently, offer personalised experiences, and ultimately, maximise attendance and revenue.
Why the commercialisation of registration has become essential practice for Associations
Commercialise; professionalise; optimise. These days, the commercialisation of registration has become an essential practice. Attendee expectations are high, and events are products which must deliver financially as well as providing value for attendees. In light of this, the registration process is no longer just about collecting information; it’s a critical revenue stream.
Attendees now expect a smooth and efficient registration experience. They’re used to streamlined online transactions in other aspects of their lives, so any friction can lead to lost sales. By professionalising your registration process, you can ensure it’s not just user-friendly but also strategically designed to maximise conversions.
And competition needs to be taken seriously. Associations are often vying for the attention and attendance of the same audiences. An effectively commercialised registration process can set your event apart, offering competitive value and encouraging early and increased ticket purchases through strategic pricing, packages, and promotions.
Finally, the financial sustainability of events and associations themselves is increasingly under scrutiny. With rising costs and funding often uncertain, maximising revenue from event registrations is a practical necessity. It ensures not just the success of the individual event but also the long-term viability of your association.
In a nutshell, commercialising the registration process responds to the evolving expectations of attendees, the competitive market landscape, and the financial imperatives of hosting successful events. It’s a strategic approach that integrates marketing, sales, and customer experience into one seamless journey, turning every registration and touchpoint into an opportunity for growth and success.
What are the most common challenges and pitfalls of registration?
Effective registration, sales and attendee communication is a multifaceted process that requires careful execution. However, by understanding and anticipating the most common pitfalls, you create a more efficient and user-friendly process to streamline delivery and improve your sales.
Key registration challenges to avoid include:
- Complicated registration forms: The desire to collect comprehensive attendee data often means lengthy forms packed with questions. These can easily overwhelm potential attendees, causing them to abandon the process altogether. It’s important to balance the desire for detailed information with the risk of deterring sales.
- Limited payment options: Today’s attendees expect to have the flexibility to pay in various ways, from traditional credit cards to digital wallets and group bookings. A registration system that doesn’t support diverse payment methods can turn potential attendees away.
- Technology failures: It’s crucial to have reliable registration software. Technology problems such as slow website performance or system overwhelm are often due to inadequate infrastructure or outdated software, frustrating attendees and potentially damaging your event’s reputation. All easily avoidable with the right solutions in place.
- Poor user experience (UX): The registration experience needs to be easily navigable, readable and accessible. Poor UX in registration can cause high dropout rates during the sign-up process, decreased attendee satisfaction and trust, and inefficient collection of data, all of which negatively impact overall event success and attendance.
By acknowledging and tackling these problems at the planning stage, you can create a registration process that is user-friendly and inclusive, ensuring a smoother path to event success.
Effective registration: Best practices for Associations
What are the best commercial practices that will help you both professionalise your registration and deliver the best possible user experience? In essence – you need to simplify everything, target your data collection, and add value wherever possible.
We asked Rob Eveleigh, our Managing Director, to share his top 5 tips for optimising your registration process:
- Streamline registration: Focus on making initial ticket-buying quick and straightforward. Limit the registration form to the essential information needed for service provision, like contact details, ticket selection and specific requirements (e.g., dietary or accessibility needs). Ask yourself which information is crucial and which is nice to have or can be gathered later. This will not only accelerate the process but also reduce drop-offs, boosting sales.
- Strategic data gathering: It’s important to be strategic about what data you gather, and when. To facilitate a smooth buying experience, stick to basic essential information at first. Then, carefully consider how to segment additional data collection along your timeline – whether during post-registration phases or even during the event itself. You can make it easier for users to share detailed preferences and feedback through interactive tools or gamification.
- Data-informed pricing: Is early bird pricing really working for you? It’s worth interrogating. It’s a tactic that can create a sense of urgency, but discounts too far in advance can lead to revenue loss, especially if attendees would have paid full price closer to the event date. We recommend reevaluating your event’s pricing model in light of your data, looking critically at historic buying behaviour and preferences. Because if traditional pricing models aren’t serving you, try introducing dynamic pricing models, member discounts, group rates, or package deals.
- Enhance the experience with value-added offers: There are better ways to add value to your tickets other than cutting prices. You can differentiate your event by adding unique experiences. Collaborate with hotel partners, curate special packages, or arrange exclusive access events that deliver high value at little cost to you. Use insights from your segmented data collection to tailor these offers, ensuring they align with what attendees truly value.
- Implement upselling techniques: Seize the opportunity to upsell and cross-sell during or following the registration process, guided by the preferences and behaviour patterns identified in your data. Whether it’s premium seating, exclusive session access, or special merchandise, you can make these offers part of a seamless registration experience, adding to revenue without complicating the process.
By integrating these strategies, you will forge a commercially successful registration process both now and into the future. It’s a comprehensive approach that not only simplifies registration but also enriches the attendee experience, boosts recurring revenue, and leverages data for ongoing improvement and personalisation.
Need help? Bring the experts on board to improve your registration practices
When you’re looking to make your event registration smoother and more profitable, outsourcing can make an enormous difference. The Brightelm team are experts in handling the ins and outs of event registrations, making the whole process both easier and more profitable for you.
We use tried-and-tested specialist software that tackles all the tricky parts of registration. This means we can set up seamless, optimised registration that’s easy for people to get through without getting stuck or giving up, making sure you collect just the right amount of information from attendees without scaring them off.
You’ll also benefit from our commercial and sales expertise to help you figure out the best way to price your event tickets. We’ll look at what’s worked in the past and what hasn’t, using data to make smart choices that could help you sell more tickets. And we have a wealth of tried-and-tested ideas for ways to add extra value for your attendees, like special deals with hotels or unique experiences that make your event stand out.
By outsourcing to Brightelm, you’re not just getting someone to manage your registrations. You’re getting a team that’s focused on making your event more successful for everyone involved. We use both tech and expert know-how to take the hassle out of registration, giving you more time to focus on other parts of your event.
Looking to improve your registration process? Contact the Brightelm team here and let’s get started today.