Safeguarding your event revenue is crucial and ensuring that attendees only access the sessions they've paid for is vital to maintaining the profitability of your organisation. The right registration system will play a key role in revenue protection.
Most organisations don't radically change the design of their event badges from year to year, so would you be able to spot a badge from last year's conference? It's difficult to scrutinise every badge by eye alone, and traditional scanners won't pick up old badges. This is because they simply record the barcodes and the information is downloaded later, long after the attendee has gained free entry to your event.
It can also be very easy for a delegate to ask for a second badge, because the first one is lost. But this could lead to two people using the same badge to split the entry fee and lead to a reduction in event revenue.
The RefTech ScanPod is a floor standing device that enables delegates to scan their badge and gain entry to an event, or a part of an event such as a seminar or lunch. The ScanPod instantly checks attendee information against the registration database so it will pick up any fake or old badges. This real-time verification reduces the risk of duplicate badges and ensures that only verified attendees access the event or only the sessions they have paid for.It also only allows access with the last badge to be printed and so protects organisers from duplicate badges being printed and then used to gain multiple entry.
If a delegate chooses to upgrade their entry, or pay onsite for additional session, then the RefTech Neo software will immediately update the registration database. The ScanPods link to the live registration database, so these upgrades / onsite purchases are immediately recognised and entry allowed.
Wireless and battery powered, ScanPods can be placed anywhere at your event. This flexibility enables organisers to use them at registration to get people swiftly into the event. And then move them to the entrances of seminars or lunches to check if delegates have paid for those sessions.
Clever registration hardware (like our ScanPods and PrintPods) have space for event branding, signage, or sponsor logos. This feature not only enhances the attendee experience but also creates additional revenue opportunities through sponsorship.
Automating the verification process throughout your event with ScanPods reduces the need for manual checks, freeing up your team to focus on other event tasks. This efficiency leads to cost savings and enhances the overall attendee experience.
"We are a small organising team, so having the ScanPods at key points freed up our team to focus on other aspects of the event, whilst the pods collected the visitor and exhibitor data we needed," comments Julie Phillips, COO, CHS Birmingham. "Each ScanPod was individually programmed according to the events each buyer could attend so ensured they accessed the events they had been verified to attend."
Kirsty Taylor at Taylor Bennett Partners LLP used the ScanPods for a client event. She says: "We were looking for a more modern option for scanning which enabled live data syncing for client visibility. The ScanPods removed the need for physical scanners to be allocated / collected / used / downloaded / returned. The main reason we used the ScanPods was because data is key for the client to track customer interests / products and is fed back into their event analytics and CRM system. The ScanPods worked brilliantly onsite; they improved the delegate experience with them instinctively checking in (even when not being asked to!). The branding, wireless power and live syncing of data all made the logistics much easier for us as organisers."
By adopting innovative solutions like the ScanPods, organisers can streamline operations, and deliver a great attendee experience, while protecting their revenue and ensuring event success.
By Simon Clayton, chief ideas officer at RefTech
First published on CHS website May 2024