"It quickly cost much more than it was worth!" said Knut Wicklund Hansen, advisor at one of Norway's largest event agencies, when we asked him why they switched from an event solution they developed themselves to Checkin’s registration system.
When you use a custom-developed event system with Excel files and Google forms, you can quickly find yourself in a situation where you spend a lot of time on manual work - and you may experience that it quickly becomes messy and chaotic when people want to make changes or want to cancel their registration.
Fortunately, there is a solution that offers a simple way to execute your event:
Namely, using a registration system.
A registration system is a system that allows you to sell tickets and communicate with event participants via email and SMS. Participants can register and buy tickets and accommodation for your event by completing a registration form.
A registration system collects all the necessary information from your participants to communicate with them, invoice them, and send out tickets.
A registration system is a tool that simplifies your job when organizing an event by automating tasks, maintaining control over finances, and keeping records after your event.
Some choose to use Excel when planning and executing their (first) event. Excel is useful when you’re creating budgets and analyzing data. If someone uses Excel to stay in control of their event, they expose themselves to a lot of manual work.
Those who work with events year-round, such as Macsimum and Oslo Business Forum, can tell you that they previously spent a lot of time handling and changing bookings before they started using a registration system.
When you use a registration system, it becomes much easier to handle changes in bookings, send out new or additional invoices, and send out correct tickets to participants.
As an organizer, you can also give participants the ability to change their own bookings, so you don't need to spend time doing this yourself. A participant can then go in and change, for example, allergies, accommodation or cancel their ticket completely on their own.
Therefore, you save a lot of time that you can now use on other things, like marketing the event or focusing on creating good content.
And this is not the only advantage.
There are many benefits to using a registration system.
A modern registration system gives you all the functions you need to plan, organize, administer, and professionally execute events.
We have summarized the 9 most important benefits:
A registration form is an effective way to collect information about your participants.
This is data you can use to market future events.
A registration form enables you to collect contact information, participants' preferences, and their interests. This will help you send the right information to the right person.
In addition, you are able to collect information about attendees allergies, what workshops they wish to participate in, and what hotel room they want to book.
The registration form helps you collect all the information you need.
A registration system makes it much easier to handle and change bookings. This is especially important if you offer multiple elements, such as accommodation and meals.
A registration system ensures that:
Your time is both limited and valuable, which is why we, at Checkin, do everything we can to create a registration solution that helps you to save time when it comes to handling attendee requests.
With a registration system, it becomes easier to communicate with your participants before, during, and after the event.
You can communicate with all participants or a group of participants using email or SMS. And you can decide when you want to send out your communications.
Here's a great tip: Send out a SMS at the end of this year's event, with a link to next year's registration form to boost ticket sales while people are in the euforic state you managed to create.
When it is easy for participants to choose their preferred payment method to buy tickets to your event, your conversion rates will skyrocket.
Nowadays, customers prefer to pay using mobile payment apps, a bankcard, or an electronic invoice (when their companies pays for the ticket). All these payment methods will be included in your registration solution, so you don’t have to enter into separate agreements with VISA, MasterCard and other payment providers.
You will also save a lot of time on those attendees who wish to receive an invoice. Because the entire invoicing process, and payment follow up will be automated.
Your marketing communication and branding help you convey your message. With the help of a registration system, you can implement your graphic profile in everything.
From invitations on social media and emails, your embedded registration form on your website, and all other elements you share with your customers.
By using your branding throughout, you will appear more professional, and it will become easier for people to recognize your brand.
You should be able to set up the tickets you need according to your price strategy. Perhaps certain tickets or tickets prizes are only available a certain time or with a certain quantity.
With a registration system, you can set up these different ticket types with different prices exactly the way you want to.
Some systems also give you the ability to create package prices (where the system takes different VAT rates into account). You can, for example, set up standard, VIP, and Early Bird tickets.
You can also set up discounts that apply when the order exceeds a certain purchase amount, number of tickets, or you can set flat discount rates for partners, students, and other groups.
The choice is yours.
Accounting and the financial reports for an event are often an overlooked part of the event. A part that, if done wrong, can cost you either a lot of time or money. (Depending on whether you use an external accountant or not)
A registration system that handles ticket sales and provides receipts, settlements, and tax reports makes it easy for you and your accountant to track your event's finances.
When your event is underway, you want to have a full overview of those who are participating in your event. Not just because of fire safety regulations, but it can also be an advantage to have an overview of those who didn't attend.
You can, for example, send those who didn't attend the recordings of your event or send them a fee for not showing up. Which helps to cover any costs you had to make on food or other expenses.
Without a registration system, it can be difficult to get a good overview of who's coming, who's eating, and who's staying overnight.
With a registration system, you have the opportunity to use standard reports that give you the information you need with just one keystroke.
This way, you spend less time changing bookings and can use more time giving your customers a fantastic customer experience.
You might be wondering what a registration system costs.
Many different registration system providers use different pricing models. This can be anything from a price per month to how many participants or tickets you sell for your events.
Choosing the most suitable registration system for a specific event depends on several factors, including the event's scope, number of participants, desired functionality, and available budget.
It's important to consider what needs and requirements the event has, for example, whether integration with other tools is required or customization options for different ticket categories.
Doing thorough research on different registration systems, reading reviews, and asking for recommendations from other organizers can help find the best alternative that fits both the needs and budget of the event.
There are many registration systems on the market, so we can imagine it's difficult to decide on the solution that's right for your events. Therefore, we have written an article that highlights 5 things you should think about when considering using a registration system.
Try our interactive demo, perfect for you if you like to explore a new solution on your own.
There are many benefits to using a registration system. It makes it easier for your participants. It makes it easier for you as an organizer. And it makes it easier for those who keep track of the accounting for your event.
All in all, you can save a lot of time and money by using a registration system.
When we asked Knut Wicklund-Hansen from Macsimum what he would have done differently if he had the opportunity to go back in time:
"Then we probably would have stopped using custom-developed solutions and switched to Checkin much earlier!" he said.
Read also: What makes Checkin unique?