An Event Planners Guide: 7 Ways Online Registration Cuts Workload

Meeting planners ranked "Workload" as the #1 trend impacting their job and industry. Discover seven ways in which meeting planners are cutting their workload in half by using online registration. See why online registration is the fastest growing tool in meeting planning today.

In MPI's Future Watch survey, meeting planners ranked "Workload" as the #1 trend impacting their job and industry. "Overworked and underpaid" couldn't be a more appropriate way to describe meeting planners today... juggling location logistics, hotels, catering, agendas, marketing, AND the millions of little details relating to registering people for their events.

According to industry-expert Corbin Ball, 80% of meeting planners are really missing out by managing their registrations using paper, spreadsheets, and home-grown systems. They are missing out on cutting their workload in half because they are not using an online registration system. In a recent survey, 342 meeting planners estimated their workload was cut by 55% on average after switching to an online event registration system.

A good online registration system eliminates a lot of work by automating tasks that meeting planners used to do manually like data entry, reporting, mailing, and payment processing work. Below are seven ways a good online registration system can cut a meeting planner's workload in half.

#1 Cut data entry work

If you are using paper registrations or web forms that get emailed to you, then you have data entry or transfer hassles... a time consuming process that leaves you struggling with illegible handwriting and correcting wrong information. An online registration system takes the registration data right from the online form, stores it in an online database where you can access any registrant's info at anytime, and runs an unlimited number of reports with a click of a button.

#2 Cut reporting work

If you use Excel spreadsheets or home-grown databases to organize your data, then
you have the ongoing task of transferring and compiling data to get the totals you need for your event. An online registration system will automatically compile and tally all of your data for you... in real-time. With a click of the button you can run summary reports that tell you how many people are attending, how much they paid, and how much beef or chicken to order. You can also give links to these reports to your clients or vendors so they can get up-to-the-minute information without you having to send updates.

#3 Cut mailing work

When someone registers using paper or a web form, your manual work has just begun... printing, copying, folding, mailing, emailing, repeat. An online system will eliminate these time-consuming activities by automatically emailing everyone right when they register with their receipt, invoice and event materials. It also makes reminders a breeze when you can email everyone with a click of a button.

#4 Cut credit card & payment processing work

Accepting credit cards and other payments is a manual processing hassle with data entry, wrong credit card numbers, declined cards, and accounting complexities. Or you just accept checks - taking longer to collect money. An online system will eliminate these extra steps with real-time credit card processing and built-in automated accounting doing the job... the moment someone registers.

#5 Cut registrant change work

Registrant's changes and cancellation are a necessary part of registration that create an influx of calls and email requests that interrupt you at your busiest time - right before the event! With an online system, registrants can go online and make their own updates and cancellations without ever having to bother you. You just get the email notification that it took place.

#6 Cut capacity management work

Managing capacities for popular events, breakout sessions, and room blocks can be a labor intensive task with keeping track, limiting, and wait listing. A good registration system automatically manages limits, waitlists, and automatically notifies your waitlisted registrants when space becomes available.

#7 Cut accounting work

Collecting payments from those who have "forgotten" to pay is an ongoing hassle before, during, and after events... turning into too many mailers, phone calls, and keeping up-to date on your accounts receivable tracking. An online system automatically accounts for who-owes-what and produces balance due reports where you can email personalized letters with amounts due, with just a click of a button.

An easy to use online event management system will not only save you time but will greatly reduce the stress involved in planning and organizing a successful event.