I recently worked an on-site registration for a conference for the first time. I had heard many “horror” stories about the on-site registration desk and before I left, I was informed that I would be absolutely exhausted by the end of the week. However, this was no horror story for me. If anything, it was like one of those great dreams from which you expect to be abruptly woken up. There was little to no confusion with customers, and, to be honest, I didn’t have much to do.
You may be thinking to yourself now, “well, it was probably a very small conference,” or “I must be reading that incorrectly.” I promise, you did not read it wrong – and we had approximately 1,000 attendees. How could it go so smoothly? We used Expo Logic ExpressPass™ Check-in for registrant check-in! ExpressPass™ integrates with your existing registration system (there are over a dozen that are compatible) to allow attendees to experience a quick and painless self-check-in process.
Let me tell you why this was so helpful:
- Self-Check-In: Registrants who pre-registered were able to walk up to one of the 2 kiosks provided by Expo Logic, search for their names, and print their own badges and tickets within seconds – as simple as checking in at the airport. Attendees had no trouble checking themselves in and were very pleased with how quickly they could check in and hurry off to the exhibit hall for networking and refreshments.
- Self-Registration: Registrants who did not pre-register but were in the system from attending previous events, could register and pay their fees at a separate kiosk. They could then print their own badges after the fee had been processed.
- Printing Only 1 Badge: If any registrants had outstanding balances, we were able to adjust the settings from the back end to make it look like they already printed a badge. This way, they would not be able to print one without assistance from a registration staff member, who would then ask to have the outstanding fees paid.
Basically, my main focus was registering attendees who did not have an existing profile in our database. Another registration staff member would direct these individuals to me once he determined that they needed to be registered. I searched for his or her name to make sure there wasn’t an existing profile, and then created a new profile to register him or her with. Once the registration was complete and the fees were paid, one click of my mouse allowed me to print the badge and any purchased tickets all at once. Simple as that!
Just imagine, no more worrying about stuffing envelopes with badges and tickets, hoping nothing was left out. You wouldn’t even have to worry about trying to figure out who attended, since everyone is automatically checked in when they print their badges. *pinch* No, it’s not a dream!
