Event Management Registration: Enhancing the Customer Experience of the Delegates

Wednesday, March 02, 2016



In conferences or congress, the registration process and system is a very critical touch point. It is where First Impression is established during the actual event.

Although, most of the event organizers recognize this important fact, achieving a great customer experience for the delegates is a different matter. Implementation is very problematic and challenging, despite the fact that available technologies are there to ensure that a seamless registration procedure is implemented.

The Delegate to Registration Officer Ratio

The registration becomes challenging if you only have a few staff to man the registration versus the number of delegates attending your event.

Let us say, you have 1,000 delegates and you only have 10 staff to man your registration lanes. This becomes a demanding and a pressure pack responsibility for the registration staff. In this scenario, 1 registration staff handles 100 delegates.

Since, the surge of delegate registration takes place one hour before the event, bottlenecks, long lines and queuing time or waiting time are expected consequences of this scenario.

If this happens, you can be sure to have frustrated and angry delegates looking to eat you alive because of this bad experience.

The ideal at Exlinkevents is a 50:1 ratio or 1 skilled registration staff will handle 50 delegates. This system prevents long lines and long waiting time.

Pre-Event System

Another ideal thing to do is to deliver early the registration kits and eliminate the registration process on the actual event.

This means that earlier completion of registration kits is a must and delivery system must be in place ready to distribute the conference paraphernalia to paid delegates.

For me, this is the best customer touch point that any event organizer can create but this will cost more, and event organizer or event manager must be prepared to should this cost.


Customer Experience versus Budget

All organizers will agree about providing a better customer experience to their delegates, but only a few will put their money where their mouth is.

I understand that PROFITABILITY still trumps all other event concerns and objectives. However, if you think about it for the long term, providing BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE in your events ensure LONG TERM PROFITABILITY of your events.

So I rather pour my event management budget in registration rather that scrimp on it.

No to Long Lines!

If you are an event manager or have been an avid fan of event management, you will agree that one of the emerging trends is the elimination of registration lines. Again, it is where first impression is established on what to expect in your event. At the same time, not waiting or lining-up in a registration area means you are giving a VIP treatment to all of your delegates and guests.

Technology and People Skills

Some event managers and organizers believe that event registration technology is the be all and end all of solving the registration dilemma. They are wrong! Technology must be balanced with People Skills. A trained staff will implement the technology, and besides it, delegates long for Human Connection. We are attending events like conferences and convention to connect with humans.

The first line of human connection is the registration staff. A smiling, enthusiastic, caring and ready to serve registration staff melts the heart of the delegates. The image of such registration staff sends a powerful message to the event delegates, the message is: We Care for You! We Will Make Your Event Experience Great!

Easier Said than Done

I am writing this and the concepts seems great for you, so let us go and make events and implement a better registration system using the principles that I have presented. Why not :)

But the truth is the concepts are available and the actual implementation can only be achieved if you work hard and truly care to bring the customer experience that your events are obligated to provide to your delegates and guests.

So the key is let us work hard and continuously improve to be BETTER THAN BEFORE in the exciting world of event management and in the challenging area of Registration.











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