BizBash
  • Production & Strategy
  • Catering & Design
  • Event Tech & Virtual
  • Venues & Destinations
  • Meetings & Trade Shows
  • Sports
  • Advertise
  • Events
Topics
  • Production & Strategy
  • Catering & Design
  • Event Tech & Virtual
  • Venues & Destinations
  • Meetings & Trade Shows
  • Sports
  • Advertise
  • Events
  • Industry Buzz
  • BizBash Lists
Resources
  • On-Demand
  • White Papers & E-Books
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Subscribe
User Tools
Follow BizBash
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconFacebook iconTwitter X icon Pinterest iconYouTube iconTikTok
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Get Featured
  • Press Releases
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Subscribe to Magazine
Follow BizBash
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconFacebook iconTwitter X icon Pinterest iconYouTube iconTikTok
  • Production & Strategy
  • Catering & Design
  • Event Tech & Virtual
  • Venues & Destinations
  • Meetings & Trade Shows
  • Sports
  • Advertise
  • Events
  • On-Demand
  • White Papers & E-Books
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Subscribe
  1. Production & Strategy
  2. Event Management

Online Registration: You Kick Back, It Takes Names

February 15, 2006
With hundreds of guests coming and going between education sessions, meals and free-time excursions at large meetings and events, planners can get left fumbling with spreadsheets and binders to figure out where their attendees are. But there's a weapon against the paper war that's winning more and more favor among more planners: online registration programs.

While it may not be necessary to use the Web for cocktail party RSVPs—although some people do it— a custom-made Web application can help meeting and trade show planners keep track of all the details for large, multi-part events with numerous attendees. The systems can store guests' contact information, hotel reservations, schedule choices, food preferences, and even their golf tee times and whether they want a deep tissue or hot stone massage after a meeting.

"Paper is so last century. It's a white flag of inefficiency. It gives a bad, dated look," says meetings technology guru Corbin Ball, president of Corbin Ball Associates. "You want to have one source of information, and you want to have it online."

More event planners are starting to agree. When Cardinal Communications introduced online registration site Regweb in 1997, the program had 11,000 registrants; this year Cardinal expects that figure to rise to about 700,000. Certain Software's Register123, another registration service, has experienced a 400 percent increase in new registrations in just the last 10 months.

Ellen Rosen of Sterling Receptive Services, an Arizona-based destination management company, used an online registration program for the first time to track and arrange ground transportation and excursion schedules for a recent 8,000-guest conference. She used special fields in the program, Count Me In, to track which excursions the attendees chose for their recreational time during the convention. And having their hotel information easily accessible made arranging their transportation to and from the events easier.

In the past Rosen used various databases and spreadsheets to record attendee information, but using online registration minimized the work. "I don't have to print emails or deal with faxes," she says.

Most providers set up the registration site and tailor it to look like a client's Web site. Attendees then input the required information, and planners get backend access to the data and various ways to sort it into printable spreadsheets.

Costs vary by provider, and often depend on how much customization is necessary.

—Jennifer Levi


What to Ask

Looking into using online registration programs? Meeting technology guru Corbin Ball suggests posing these 10 questions about potential providers:

Do they understand my industry and my needs?

How well do they respond to customer questions?

What are their privacy policies?

Do they read customers' data?

How secure is the data?

Is it easy to add, customize and track new fields?

How do they handle financial transactions?

How do they price their services—is there a start-up fee, monthly fee and/or fees per user?

What type of customer support do they provide?

Do they provide online training courses?

This story originally appeared in our newspaper, the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.
E3426tech 320
Latest in Event Management
6connex, event technology, event tech, event marketing
Industry Insiders
First Step of Event Planning: Understand Your Event Target Audience
PRG Production Resource Group
Industry Insiders
Best Practices for Working With a Technical Production Partner
Event planner works with her setup crew.
Industry Insiders
4 Ways a Payroll App Can Make Your Life Easier
Biz Bash Lwa Article Cover 700x467
Industry Insiders
Less Planning, More Party With Lightwave Event Artists
Related Stories
E4255badge 320
Event Management
Talk to the Badge: The Digital Name Tag Trend
E5541fogscreen 01
Event Management
DECOR: Misty Display Makes Crisp Images
E5345pond 152
Event Management
TECHNOLOGY: An Interactive Information Desk
E5317leverage 01
Event Management
TECHNOLOGY: Online Tool Makes Networking Easier
More in Event Management
Sponsored
First Step of Event Planning: Understand Your Event Target Audience
6connex
Building a solid sales and marketing pipeline through events means first finding your target audience.
6connex, event technology, event tech, event marketing
Sponsored
Best Practices for Working With a Technical Production Partner
Production Resource Group (PRG)
Here’s how to minimize risks and turn creative possibility into production reality.
PRG Production Resource Group
Industry Insiders
4 Ways a Payroll App Can Make Your Life Easier
You have enough on your plate already. Here’s how running payroll can be as simple as sending a text.
Event planner works with her setup crew.
Sponsored
Less Planning, More Party With Lightwave Event Artists
Here's how to achieve "less planning, more party!" with Lightwave Event Artists.
Biz Bash Lwa Article Cover 700x467
Sponsored
Partnerships in the New Event World of 2022: How to Make Them Successful
VDA
Creating high-profile partnerships can help you acquire a new audience, add credibility to your event, and increase revenue. Choosing the right partner makes all the difference. Follow these simple principles to find your optimal strategic partner.
VDA, BizBash
Industry Insiders
How to Put On A Hosted Buyer Event Attendees Will Love
Grip shares how to connect buyers and suppliers effectively at your next event
MIP Cancun
Most Popular
Experiential Marketing, Activations & Sponsorships
Cannes Lions 2025: 90+ Bold Builds and Big Ideas From the French Festival of Creativity
Brands & Event Pros
Industry Innovators 2025: Sephora
Brands & Event Pros
Industry Innovators 2025: 10 Brands That Took Experiential Marketing to a Whole New Level
Experiential Marketing, Activations & Sponsorships
50 Cool Event Ideas You May Have Missed From Liquid I.V., Martha Stewart, Foot Locker, and More
Innovators
Industry Innovators 2025: Netflix
Brands & Event Pros
Industry Innovators 2025: Chase
Sponsored
Spice Up Your Event Registration
PC/NAMETAG
Make your registration process more efficient and an overall better experience with these best practices.
23914771 Pcnametag Event Registration Ideas (1)
Sponsored
Gamification: The Future of Corporate Event Engagement
Interactive Entertainment Group
Looking to increase event engagement, but don’t know where to start? Gamification—a concept that’s expected to grow by 30.1% by 2024—may be the missing piece of your events strategy.
1 Main Image April Content Activation
Sponsored
6 Ways to Host a More Sustainable Event
PC/NAMETAG
Discover ideas for making your event more sustainable this year and beyond
23914771 Pcnametag Green Event Products (1)
Sponsored
How Cop26's Hygiene Protocols Can Help Keep Businesses Safe
Lysol Pro Solutions can help protect against the spread of germs in the workplace
23914771 Rb221 0913 Lysol Pro Web Mockups Image 2 V07b (1)
Sponsored
Understanding the Benefits of Event Cancellation Insurance
eve has transitioned the entire insurance journey to digital, making the application simple and painless while providing a policy specific to your event’s risk.
Event Insurance Made Easier
Event Management
15 New Event Industry Job Roles That Emerged During the Pandemic
From technical production managers to hygiene experts to reunion designers, here are some new positions that event companies and venues have been hiring.
Marvin Meyer Syto3xs06f U Unsplash
Page 1 of 33
Next Page
BizBash
Follow BizBash
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconFacebook iconTwitter X icon Pinterest iconYouTube iconTikTok
  1. Privacy Policy
  2. CCPA: Do Not Sell My Personal Info
  3. Contact Us
  4. Site Map
© 2025 Connect Biz, LLC. All rights reserved.