The need for speed: how to create a fast registration process

We've been providing registration for events for over two decades and I can safely say that every event organiser on the planet wants just one key thing from their registration provider; to get attendees into the event as swiftly and easily as possible.

Speed is important because with most conferences, there is an initial rush of registration because delegates arrive in time for the first speaker. Seminars and speaker sessions are often scheduled in order to attract delegates to an event from the very start, but of course, if the reg process isn't fast then this can lead to a bottleneck. It can be a challenge if your registration system is slow and clunky or if you rely on one registration desk with multiple staff searching in a sea of hundreds of badges held in badge trays.

There are several ways you can speed up your event registration process:

Print at home badges

Sending delegates print at home badges will help lessen queues and can also help with your event's carbon footprint. Not every delegate will print their badge in advance, but if you communicate the benefits – i.e. it will enable them to avoid any queues - then many will prefer this fast-track option.

Self-scan and print options

You can opt for individual printing stations that print a badge on demand when presented with a barcode. Our PrintPods are exactly as described; individual pods with an integrated printer that simply and quickly print a badge when a barcode is scanned. These pods are fast, easy to use and eliminate the queues often associated with one point of registration and a bank of printers. Having the barcode scanner and printer in one place makes it so much faster for your delegate to pick up their badge and move into the event, and individual stations remove the potential confusion caused by a delegate picking up the wrong badge. Print on demand badges reduce paper waste and are a big step towards achieving your event sustainability goals.

Remove reliance on Wi-Fi

We all know that Wi-Fi can be patchy at the best of times, so relying on that to work well in your crucial 30-minute registration window may lead to anxiety. A reg system could have all the bells and whistles in the world, but if it stops working in the first 30 mins of the event opening, then it massively impacts on the delegates and can have a negative impact on their perception of the whole event.

With this in mind, ask your registration provider if their system will work even if the Wi-Fi goes down. Our Neo software uses IoT (internet of things) protocols to communicate and those protocols are designed to work on poor quality network connections, so it works amazingly well even if the onsite Wi-Fi isn't great. In fact, Neo continues to work even if the internet connection fails completely. It is able to continue to search for delegates, print their badges and scan people and then any changes that happen will be queued and sent to the main servers as soon as connection is restored.

Enquiry station

Every event registration area needs at least one enquiry station to help visitors with mislaid badges or other queries. Make sure yours is easy to see and have a member of staff who can quickly see if someone is in trouble and help guide them towards help.

Be invisible

The first impression of your registration system should be no impression. Visitors won't normally be aware of how great the registration is, they just want to rock up, get their badge and walk in – in one smooth operation that doesn't impact on them at all. It should be a near invisible process that leaves no trace. People only notice event registration when it goes wrong! If you follow the steps above you can help to ensure that your registration is near invisible and flies under the radar (yes, that is another Top Gun reference…).