8 Must Haves for your Online Registration Solution

Online registration has been a part of meetings since the 1990’s. However, Online registration systems have greatly evolved in the short ~15-20 years of their existence. Below are 8 Must have features for Registration systems:

Create your Own Event
Registration Systems are often used by planners on a recurring basis. Having the ability to build your own event on the system is effective both for the planner and software provider. Quick and easy wizards and forms can allow planners to set up their own events.

Survey Module
Many registration systems now include survey capabilities for both pre and post event surveys. Attendee Satisfaction, Data collection etc… can all be easily facilitated through the registration system.

Social Media Integration
While some events do not need or use Social Media due to the nature of the event, having a system that accommodates social media marketing is a basic requirement. Using social media to spread info of the event, provide info on who’s going can help increase attendance and awareness. Hot buttons to share registration confirmation or event information are but one example of using social media. In the years to come, social media features like “Facebook Events” will integrate more tightly with registration systems.

Data Management and Reporting
Detailed financial and Graph Based Reporting can provide insight into events-when are registrations happening? Are they tied into marketing or email blasts? How much revenue is being collected? How are people paying? Session reporting, Special Needs, and other event, financial and registration reports are an essential component to online registration systems

Mobile Integration and Functionality
By 2014, more than half of all web traffic will be initiated from a mobile device; according to research from Morgan Stanley. Mobile Integration and Functionality mean the attendee should be able to read content and execute registration from a mobile device quickly and easily. Visitors need to get a good first impression of an event through its registration pages and Mobile will be where half of them are coming from.

Bilingual and Multilingual Registration Support
In Canada, as we all know, attendees usually need registration in a variety of languages. Only a handful of registration systems currently offer automated multilingual registration pages. If your event is national or international in scope, language support options need to be considered.

PCI Compliance
PCI, an acronym for Payment Card Industry, has a set of security standards by which it expects ecommerce providers to adhere to. Registration systems are not all PCI compliant and any planner considering Online Registration should be aware of their systems’ compliance with PCI DSS 2.0 The objectives of PCI compliance are-Secure Network, Protect Cardholder Data, Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program, Implement Strong Access Control Measures, Regular monitoring and testing of system. Whether credit card data is being stored or not, how it is being collected (via secure site), encryption of data etc… are all addressed through PCI compliance and online registration systems should be fully compliant for the protection of registrants and their personal data.

Badge, Check-in and On-Site Features
Many Registration Systems address the online component of registration and payment but fail to address features such as badge printing, onsite check-in, attendance tracking etc… Because registrant data is usually stored on a cloud based centralized database, these features are both easy to include in a registration system as well as easily exported to work with 3rd party applications.

As the web takes an ever increasing role in our day to day activities as meeting planners, the software we use needs to both ensure effective use for the attendee, provide robust tools for the event organizer, while maintaining solid security of personal data. Getting the right mix for online registration is crucial. Your first step in engaging the attendee is often via event marketing, invitation and online registration. Are you looking for a comprehensive conference registration system, D. E. Systems DBA Snapup Tickets offers a robust registration solution via MY Conference Suite. You can find more info at http://www.myconferencesuite.com