Online Registration: Content Counts
When you are building a registration website, it’s important to be sure you provide and collect the right information.
By Sarah McNeely
There are two main components to an online registration website. The informational pages provide details about the event for registrants; the registration pages collect information from registrants. Providing and collecting the right information on the registration website will greatly reduce the number of phone calls and e-mails you receive from registrants with questions about the event and registration process.
The following are pages that I commonly use when building an effective registration website. I’ve included details about the questions each page addresses. Not all registration sites use all of these pages. Some use more, some use fewer, and some use entirely different pages, but these address most of the questions registrants will have as they go through the registration process. Remember, the more information you provide on each page, the fewer questions you are likely to receive.
Home: The homepage often provides a welcome address and general information about the meeting. Since this is the first page registrants will see, it’s important to include the name, dates, and location of the event for quick reference.
Location: This page provides information about the city or area where the event will be held. It might include area airports, transportation, and popular things to do, as well as local weather.
Agenda: An agenda lets registrants know what to expect at the event, and also helps them make travel arrangements. Registrants should be able to print the agenda, so make sure the agenda website page is a printer-friendly size or provide a link to a PDF version of the agenda.
Activities: This page is especially helpful when registrants will choose from a list of activities within the registration pages. It will list activities offered and when and where the activities will take place.
Housing: The housing page should clearly specify if registrants are responsible for making hotel arrangements themselves, or if arrangements will be made for them. If registrants will be making their own hotel arrangements, it is helpful to include a list of area hotels, their rates, contact information (including address), and links to each website. If event planners will make hotel reservations for attendees, a list of amenities and information about the hotel should be included.
Registration Pages: The registration pages are the pages you will use to collect information about your registrants. They contain text fields, drop-down boxes, radio buttons, and other form fields. It is always best to stick to multiple-choice questions, as this format will be easier to manage than information collected from free-response questions.
The specific information you gather will vary by meeting, of course. But here is the basic information you should always consider asking for: contact information for registrant (name, phone, company, job title); emergency contact (name and phone number); special considerations (food allergies, disabilities); hotel room preference (smoking, non-smoking); room-sharing preference (if roommates will be assigned); guest information (name and phone number); activity choices (if they are offered); meal selections; and arrival/departure times (if you are providing a shuttle or transportation to and from airport).
Providing and collecting the right information will make the registration process easy for participants, which will give them an excellent first impression of your event before it even begins.
Sarah McNeely is an information architect for Attendee Management Inc. in Wimberly, Texas, where she builds websites and registration sites for convention groups. Contact her at sarah@attendeenet.com.
