Event registration is often the first tangible touchpoint for participants, and a smooth experience can help set the tone for your in-person, virtual, or hybrid events. The right virtual event registration management software enables you to streamline the registration process and then use the data to improve future events.
So, what are the key things to look for in virtual event registration software?
Must-Haves for Virtual Event Registration Management Software
Here are a few functionalities that you ought to have for seamless virtual registration and to drive event success.
Customized Branding
From the first interaction that potential attendees have with your event to post-event marketing, you want to have consistent branding. With virtual event registration management software, you can match registration tools to your brand's look and feel.
Seamless Registration
Any friction in getting people to sign up for a customer relationship management (CRM) event will reduce your final attendance. Your online registration process needs to be simple and seamless. It should include multiple payment options, including secure credit card processing.
During your online registration period, you want the ability to collect demographic and firmographic data. Depending on your goals, you may also want to ask about decision-making authority and purchase intent. However, you don’t want to make it tedious to sign up, as that can drive cart abandonment.
You want an easy-to-navigate centralized location for attendees, sponsors, and presenters to view relevant information without having to click through multiple pages or menu items. Attendees should be able to view sessions and plan their time at the event to create a personalized schedule that meets their objectives.
Segmented Pricing
Another must-have feature is the ability to vary pricing based on audience segments or targeted outreach. For example, you may want to offer early-bird discounts to create a sense of urgency and front-load your sign-ups. You may also want to bundle offers for multiple events or provide special incentives for groups or associations.
Data Collection and Reporting
You need real-time reporting so you always know where you stand with registrations, session attendance, and engagement. The best event registration software will enable you to track online activity, including open rates, click-throughs, registered attendees, and revenue. This will provide the data that you need to measure success and ROI. For example, online activity can demonstrate interest and intent in speakers or sessions.
Built-In Marketing and Engagement Features
Marketing is essential for attendance. You need a robust set of tools that will enable you to leverage your software to help generate interest and encourage registrations.
Websites and Landing Pages
It starts with the ability to quickly build a customizable landing page or website that hosts your marketing and event materials. You want an easy way to showcase any sponsors and give attendees access to schedules, speakers, and sessions.
Targeted Email Campaigns and Sequences
From initial outreach and encouraging emails to confirmation receipts and event reminders, you want to automate the process as much as possible. Besides sending blanket emails, you can segment audiences and personalize outreach at scale.
Social Media and Activity Feeds
Use social media to market your event using highly targeted audience segments. Your event registration software should provide an easy way to leverage social media and create a social media-like experience with an activity feed to keep registrants engaged.
Before or during events, you may also want to offer an attendee chat for a more active and engaged experience, allowing participants to share comments and photos. This also provides additional opportunities for branded content and sponsorship opportunities.
Surveys and Feedback
Surveys, quizzes, feedback, and evaluation are crucial to keeping attendees engaged and gauging your event's success. You'll want to create forms and integrate them directly into your planning and registration software. Then, you can tie the data back to registration and planning. This will help you understand whether people actually attended the sessions that they were interested in and whether they felt that it was worth their time to attend. This data is incredibly valuable in assessing your virtual events and planning for the future.
Automation Tools
Look for a virtual event registration platform with automation tools to help you do your job. Automation reduces the amount of manual work and minimizes error rates. The best software platform will enable you to import and export data to and from your program to keep everything in sync.
Ability to Sell and Manage Sponsorships
Whether you plan to have virtual exhibitors or sponsorships, you need an easy way to sell any virtual booth space or sponsorships and provide the necessary exposure. Event registration software should have a simple way to track sales and create virtual spaces to make the investment worthwhile.
Simplify Event Planning and Registration
Cadmium's virtual event registration management software is part of a comprehensive suite of tools to manage your virtual, hybrid, and in-person events from start to finish.
At Cadmium, we help event organizers streamline their registration with the right software to automate the process and gather insights from their registered attendees. To see how you can use the event management software, schedule a demo, and check out Cadmium’s platform to help you prepare for your next event.
