Learning a New Role
After five years with a small company you expect to know the ins and outs fairly well. You somewhat expect to know all aspects of your position with knowledge of other positions performed within the company. Well at least you think you do… Read more
Where it all begins…
We’ve had a lot of searches regarding “registration desks” on our site, and although I’m surprised that this is a desirable topic for so many, as Registration Manager for the past four years, I figured I’d better give my perspective on what it takes to run a successful and smooth registration desk!
There are typically two different types of registration desks: a hotel’s built-in desk or one ordered through a service contractor. Whether it’s just an eight foot table or an elaborate multi-counter desk, there are pros and cons to both. Obviously cost is often a factor and the price will be cheaper using a space the hotel already has. I would recommend you invest in signage to brand the registration area for your conference and have some headers sorted alphabetically to queue attendees by their last names. Usually these counters are on the smaller side so I would not recommend using them for a group over 500. If you are going to have a larger group, use a free-standing registration counter.
Using a free-standing desk you’ve ordered is going to cost a bit more unless you can work with the service contractor to include that in your contract. You’ll also have the benefit of having more space to work with to store materials for the attendees, so I would recommend this option whenever possible. Having a free-standing registration desk is also easier for attendees to find as it’s usually in a foyer or outside the main ballroom and should be branded for your conference.
Now that you have your registration desk in place the next step is making sure you have everything at the desk you’ll need to assist your attendees. Here’s a list of some recommended items to have at the desk: Read more 
We love to hate it…Technology
We’ve all been hampered by technology especially when we’ve need it most. The worst time for technology to fail is when you’re onsite at a conference and the attendees, the client and especially you at the registration desk are relying on it. I was just at a show in New York and the hotel we were at had the internet go out on the entire second floor, which just so happened to be where our registration was located. Luckily when it happened it was well into the conference so it wasn’t a crisis situation but the effects were still felt mainly by the attendees. Turns out it was just a bad port at the hotel but because it was on a Sunday they had to call in the IT guy who lived 45 minutes away.
Planning ahead can help make unexpected onsite technology issues less of a burden onsite and keep your show running smoothly until tech support arrives. I offer the following preparations, based on my recent experience: Read more
A View From the Registration Desk
Well, well, well, where to start? With over five years of traveling, I have had my share of experience working conferences from all areas, but one of the most entertaining views is from behind the registration desk. Although my colleagues claim that interesting things happen inside the exhibit hall, I am going to hold my argument that the best “people watching” and interactions happen at the registration desk. You never know what or who you’ll run into behind that desk!
For conferences large and small, the registration process always starts with making sure all of the materials are setup for the attendees to pick up. Sometimes this is simply a matter of printing a few new badges onsite, but sometimes, it means printing over 700 badges and assembling packets the day before a show starts (did I mention alone?) because of a technical glitch! Next, you need to train the staff that will be helping you work the event. Most of the time it’s outside hired help or volunteers, so training can be a challenge, at times. In a best case scenario, these volunteers have been to every type of conference and dealt with every type of issue, although sometimes, these volunteers fall asleep in the middle of your training…not that I’ve ever seen that happen!
Then, all of a sudden, Read more
Conference Management 1.0
Planning a conference is a challenge and sometimes the hardest part is figuring out where to start. Once the location and venue have been determined, the next step is to design your conference website. First, you’ll need to create a conference logo and theme. Avoid promotion of the city and venue, in favor of the value and take-aways attendees will gain by attending your conference.
The next, and probably the biggest piece of your conference planning cycle, is building the online registration form and website content. Collecting all the information can be a daunting task so I’ve created a Website Launch Guide to help planners determine the relevant information to collect for this process. Some of the elements you’ll need to determine in order to create your online registration form include:
- conference fees
- registration types
- policies
- deadlines
- registration codes
Once you’ve established the fields for your registration form, define what potential attendees will need to know about your event – hotel accommodations, conference dress attire, networking opportunities, available technology, program content, etc. Think like an attendee to determine what information to present and make that information easy to find. Some standards I’ve implemented for my events include:
- Creating a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section and a “Know Before You Go” page to help attendee’s quickly find answers to their questions without the need to contact you directly.
- Provide your attendees a conference specific link to the hotel’s group reservation site to simplify the hotel registration process.
Happy Planning!
