ONLINE REGISTRATION: AFTER THE EVENT
With online registration, you will be left with a hugely valuable database of information once the event is over. Here are some ways you can put it to work.
By Sarah McNeely
Online registration services do not just provide registrants with an easy way to register, and you with an easy way to manage their information. Once your event is over, you will have an incredibly valuable database comprised of useful registrant information. This information is especially useful for organizations that hold annual gatherings or maintain an active membership list. Fully utilizing this database of attendee registration information adds great value to your upfront investment in online registration services, and there are many ways to take advantage of this added value.
Membership Database
Once online registration for your event ends, you will have a long list of the most active members of your organization, along with their mailing address, home address, email address, and other contact information. Use this list as a membership database, and build on it between events. When planning recurring events (annual meetings, conferences, or conventions), the database you have collected is a great place to begin to assemble an invitation list. Registrants who attend an event once are likely to attend a similar event again, so this list is a good way to boost attendance.
The database can also be used for member retention within your organization. By tracking information about memberships, you can keep in touch with members about their membership status. If their membership is about to expire, you can inform them before it lapses, ensuring that fewer members are lost due to forgetfulness.
Mass Mailings
In addition, your attendee list can be used to prepare mass organizational mailings, which will keep members connected to the organization and to each other. This connection and inclusion in the goings-on of the organization will encourage continued involvement, and will ensure that members are aware of the organization’s upcoming events. E-mail is an economical and effective method of communication for large and small groups alike, and an excellent way to manage organizational communication.
E-Marketing
As your next event draws near, utilize your database to market your event electronically. Strategically timed Save-the-Date e-mails, invitations to register, and registration reminders can significantly boost registration numbers, especially when coupled with online registration services. Save-the-Dates, invitations, and reminder e-mails can include the link to the registration website so that potential attendees can register as easily as checking their e-mail. Surveys, evaluations, and polls sent out after an event can inform planners about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your specific organization’s event needs, and the database you compiled in planning your event places attendee information at your fingertips.
Sarah McNeely builds databases and registration sites for convention groups using the services of Attendee Management Inc., Wimberly, Texas. Contact her at sarah@attendeenet.com.
