Event registration is an important part of organizing events. There are dozens of providers that automate (parts of) the registration process, but you as an event organizer would like to keep control, insight, and overview. How do you select the best party for your organization?
- Control: Manage your event yourself and change the content.
- Insight: Know exactly who has signed in and out.
- Overview: 1 event registration system instead of several separate programs.
Which event registration system are you looking for?
When looking for automation or support of (part of) the registration process you have two options: working with external partners or using (your own) software.
An overview in event registration systems for keeping track of registrations and deregistrations
External partners:
- Event registration partners
- On-site registration partners
Own event registration software
- Event ticket software
- Event Registration Form
- Event Management Software
Event registration partners
An (external) registration partner offers a service that takes care of the entire registration process: sending out invitations, setting up the registration page, keeping track of registrations, and in some cases also the on-site registration. External registration partners use their own software, to which you as an organizer do not have access.
- You spend less time on the registration process.
- The registration process is in the hands of experienced professionals.
- The costs per event are relatively high, so this option is less suitable for small events.
- You have less overview and insight into the status of your registrations.
- You are dependent on the planning of the event registration partner, this gives you much less control over your event.*
- No integration with your CRM (this means manual input or import and is, therefore, error-prone and time-consuming). Some partners do offer this integration.
On-site registration partners
External on-site registration partners focus on the check-in of visitors on the day of the event. With scanners and printers, they make it possible to check-in large numbers of visitors smoothly and provide them with a badge.
- It is possible to check-in large numbers of visitors effortlessly.
- You pay for both the equipment and the staff. This makes it (too) expensive for smaller events.
- No automatic link with your database (registration overview). In most cases, a manual export can be carried out.
When you work with Momice’s event registration software, you can choose to set up the registration yourself – or have Momice Agency take care of it. Read here how this works for your organization.
Event ticket software
With event ticket software, you can sell tickets for your events.
- For paid events with unique registration, this is a simple, affordable solution.
- The website page to sell tickets is often easily integrated into your own event website.
- Not all ticket software is a white label (i.e. not customizable to your event style). Keep this in mind when choosing the software.
- Separate ticket software offers limited possibilities for sending mailings, which makes it difficult to link these two elements. You should therefore choose integrated software.*
Event registration form (and survey tools)
Some event professionals choose to create only a registration form with separate online tools. Also, the survey form is often set up with separate tools or software.
- Often easy and quick to set up and embed in an (event) website.
- The software is not always specifically developed for event registration or surveys and is therefore limited in its possibilities.
- Often not white label, so in a different style than the rest of your event communication.
- Stand-alone tools for forms are not linked to lists of invitees or attendees, for selecting the right target group or mailing.*
Event Management Software (EMS)
Event registration is an important part of your events, but for flawless registration, you need more than just event registration software. Your attendees are more likely to register for your event if the rest of your event communication is well organized.
Event Management Software connects all parts of event communication (Registration, Mailings, Event Website, Tickets, Survey, and Statistics) together so you can work more efficiently. This way you don’t have to work with different systems anymore, saving you time and making fewer mistakes. In other words, if you choose smartly.
- 1 system for all your event communication (Registration, Email, Event Website, Tickets, Survey).
- 1 up-to-date database for all contact details.
- Always direct insight in the statistics and results (ROI) of your event.
- Possibility to manage everything yourself.
- With some (SaaS)* providers the user-friendliness leaves much to be desired as the projects become more complex.
- Not all providers are flexible enough to offer customized solutions for complex registration processes.
** Event Management Software is often offered in the form of an online license, also known as SaaS (Software as a Service). As an event organizer, you can set up and manage the entire event communication process yourself, without having to purchase and install any software.
GDPR compliant event registration software
Do not only look at the functional requirements but also check if the organization is GDPR (AVG) compliant: do they handle personal data carefully and what is their security policy?
Conclusion: get to know suppliers
Almost all suppliers of event registration tools can be divided into the 4 categories above. Determine in advance what your needs are. Do you want to outsource everything or do you want to keep insight and control? And do you like to work with multiple suppliers or do you prefer to manage all communications from one event registration system? Talk to several suppliers to determine what suits your organization best.
We have also recently written the ‘The ultimate guide to event registration’, in which you will find all the pros and cons of the event registration systems even more clearly laid out.