Building Your Registration Environment
The goal of a conference is to bring people together regardless of topic or industry. Needless to say, achieving this is very difficult if not impossible without proper planning. Early registration helps with this by allowing attendees, as well as you the organizer, to plan ahead for your conference.
It is recommended that websites be launched four to six months before the conference. Use this as an opportunity to encourage attendees to purchase other services, such as workshops, award dinners, and extra copies of conference proceedings. On top of the ease of planning, early registration generates revenue during the months preceding the conference.
Jump to a Topic:
Build the Conference Content Pages
The registration website is an excellent opportunity to post the most important information regarding your conference in one centralized location. Make sure pertinent information is posted accurately and clearly for attendees to access.
Standard information to include on the registration website:
- Event Location/Date/Time
- Event description
- Registration fees
- Partnership/Exhibitor information
- Contact information for questions
Create the Registration Form
Conference registration forms should be easy to use and allow for accurate entry of information. Use the conference website as the main access point to your registration form.
Standard fields the registration form should include:
- IEEE Privacy Policy and IEEE Event Terms and Conditions consent questions
- Name, address, telephone number, and email address
- IEEE member number*
- Title
- Registration category
- Special needs or dietary requirements
- Presenter, exhibitor, or other special group information
- Additional events
- Guest information
- Payment methods
- Discount codes
- Credit card information
*if your registration platform is not integrated with IEEE’s membership database.
Establish Credit Card Processing
Most conferences accept all major credit cards for registration and other conference fees. If you contract with IEEE Meetings, Conferences, & Events (CEE) for registration services, the team will handle this on your behalf. Otherwise, a third-party vendor can assist.
Monitor Online Registration
Monitor online registration throughout the entire registration process. Assign a designated person to handle attendee inquiries, problems, and complaints. By tracking the number of registrations, you can:
- Adjust marketing efforts to improve attendance
- Make changes to budgets
- Accurately configure room set-up and estimate food and beverage orders