Onsite registration is the first point of contact between event attendees and organizers, making it a critical aspect of ensuring a positive experience for all participants. First impressions are so important at face to face events! To guarantee a seamless event journey, event planners must cultivate good onsite registration habits. In this blog post, we’ll explore 10 essential habits gathered by Validar employees that can enhance the registration process and set the stage for a successful event.
Provide clear signage, documentation and maps at registration.
This will help eliminate the series of questions from attendees that can extend the throughput time. Where is the show floor? How do I get my mobile app? What time does the keynote start? Clear pre-registration communication will help eliminate these questions and speed things up.
Take advantage of choke points and encourage early registration
By setting up self service check-in stations at airports, and hotels, you can reduce traffic at your main registration area significantly. Validar often breaks up our customers registration configuration with stations placed at hotels to capture early registrants and reduce foot traffic in the central registration area.
QR Codes in a mobile wallet are faster than QR Codes in an email.
The more effectively you market ticketing pre event, the faster your check-in throughput will be. Have clear signage telling attendees to pull up their QR code before getting to the main registration areas. Validar offers two types of QR Codes, an embedded image depicted in an HTML email, and a PK Pass File that can be downloaded into a IOS or Android Wallet. We often see attendee searching for their emailed QR Code on their mobile phone, which in some cases can take longer than a search. Mobile wallets are much faster! Market the heck out of them, and track their usage.
Make sure your check-in application explicitly depicts where the camera is located on iPads!
This is something that Validar focuses on when customizing vCheck-in on iPads. If built well, attendees should know exactly where to show their QR Code when checking in.
Limit required fields for Walk-Ins as much as possible.
If your registration form is long, handle walk-on’s in a separate area. Leverage auto-fill whenever appropriate and have an escalation desk with clear signage.
A “Line busting” mobile tablet can be a very effective way to reduce a large rush of attendees.
These tablets along with strategically placed printers can be a very effective means to reduce sudden lines.
Separate badge, lanyard assembly, and SWAG giveaway from the check-in stations.
The more you ask your concierge to do at check-in, the longer the throughput will be. If you do ask your concierge to assemble badge, lanyard, and distribute swag at check-in, increase your station count to accommodate the increased throughput. Validar often conducts a throughput analysis on behalf of our clients that takes into account average throughput with an adjustable station count. This helps determine the hours it will take to process an estimated attendee count. It is very important that you understand this metric, especially for one day non-fee based events.
If possible, do one badge design, and print attendee type and special distinctions on-demand.
We always encourage our customers to follow this principle when printing on demand. The attendee flow will be much cleaner, wide open and faster. Attendees should be able to check-in at any station.
Consider straight funnels versus snake lines
Our employees are very passionate about this one. Trust us when we say, your check-in process will go much faster! Snake lines can slow things down, as they often bottleneck the line on one end. Attendees often get distracted and or wait for the closest check-in station, versus choosing one that is open further down. With Snake Lines, it is very important to have a diligent line monitor directing people or you run the risk of things really slowing down. Shorter straight lines help speed up the check-in process as attendees naturally choose the shortest line. You’ll find find these lines are managed by a speedier concierge. One key thing to note with straight lines, make sure you leave room for attendees to exit the counter space without having to walk in front of check-in station monitors. Snake lines often do not leave that space, which creates a situation where attendees exit in front of others attempting to approach a check-in station.
Direct clip to badges, don’t use badge holders
Direct clip to badges are very popular, especially if the badge is an eco friendly option. They’re faster as well since you do not have to insert into a badge holder. Validar is very much on top of sustainable, durable badge options!
Conclusion: Mastering onsite registration is a pivotal step in creating a positive event experience for attendees. By cultivating these 10 good onsite registration habits, event planners can not only simplify the registration process but also set the stage for a memorable and successful event.
