2. The benefits of registration software
Increases sign-ups and attendance: Gone are the days of paper, phone and fax registration. An easy-to-use and intuitive online registration, payment, and email system makes it easier and more convenient for attendees to sign up and commit to attending an event.
Provides real-time information and reports: There’s no need to manually update your numbers with software. Receive automated and up-to-date information on changes regarding new registrations, cancellations or pricing at events.
Centralizes all event information: Keep track of your event’s activities all in one place. Gain access to attendee profiles and payments in just a few clicks.
3. Typical features of registration software
Online registration: Enables attendees to register for events online easily and eliminates manual processes.
Badge management: Allows organizers to check in attendees for events, provides on-site badge printing and customizes event badges with branding elements.
Attendee tracking and management: Generates real-time tracking of attendee participation by scanning attendees at the door, measuring attendance of sessions, and creating customized attendee profiles.
Payment processing: Collects credit card payments from attendees for event registrations and invoices by integrating with a payment gateway.
Calendar management: Provides attendees with the ability to schedule meetings or appointments with an online event calendar. Some registration software may integrate with third-party systems like Google Calendar or iCal.
Events marketing management: Publicize and market events through email marketing, customizable forms, promo codes, and posts on social media.
4. The cost of registration software
Most products in the market are priced on a per ticket basis.
Price ranges*:
$0.65 - $1.25/ticket
*The pricing included is for the entry-level/lowest priced offering found on vendor websites on February 27, 2020. These ranges correspond to the 25th and 100th percentiles of pricing information gathered from vendor websites of sample products.
The above list summarizes pricing for the base plans of most products. An enterprise or premium product that is priced higher may include an additional fee of 1-4% per ticket.
5. Considerations when purchasing registration software
Mobile-responsive interface: Attendees will be looking up event details—such as when sessions begin or the location of a certain booth—while on the go. Providing a mobile application allows attendees to easily find what they need wherever they are, improving the overall event experience.
Number of features: Larger events will require more specialized features in their registration software than smaller ones. As your events grow, extra features such as discount coupons and tiered pricing will come into play.
6. Relevant registration software trends
Event organizers are integrating with mobile, marketing, and social media platforms to drive ticket sales: From participating in competitions to scheduling meetings, to sharing experiences and driving engagement on social media platforms, integrations to the above software are necessary for creating an exceptional event experience.
Sources
Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Capterra’s registration software directory, sorted by number of reviews). The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in Capterra’s directory that offer them.
The following sources were used for this document:
5 Free and Open Source Event Registration Software, Capterra (Date accessed: 2/29/2020)
