It always dawns on me that many meeting owners still resort to stone-age methodology to register and manage attendees for an event. Technology offers a better way to manage and get your attendees registered for your event. So ditch that excel spreadsheet, and read on about how technology can work for you and your event.

Create the story

From the moment an attendee gets the email inviting them to an event, they are sucked into the story, the experience of your event. This is yours to create. The attendees get excited to see communications that are specifically crafted for them, and also engage with other attendees if social media is enabled.

Attendee engagement

Regardless of the way your attendees register, you can engage your attendees. Having a one-stop-shop to hear about your event, communicate with you, and ensure they are registered is invaluable to your role as an event planner.

Streamlined Process

As attendees register through the online registration tool, each attendee is exposed to the same process and universal language. This streamlined process frees you from repeating yourself. It also helps with staff miss-direction, since everything is on the website for them to refer to.

Looks Clean

Online technology is able to provide your event and clean online look. All of the emails that will be sent by you will look event-specific, and can encourage attendees to be more involved with the meeting.

Reporting features

Instead of sorting an excel spreadsheet, online technology can help you run canned reports on just about anything. The advantage is having the report with a click of a button instead of using the “data-sort” in an excel spreadsheet.

Email management

Want to send specific communications to certain subsets of people? With most tools out there, you are enabled to email those attendees, and get their responses in a way that doesn’t disrupt your desk. Tailored emailed communications are excelled for ensuring attendees feel like they are getting specific attention for their individual situation.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions that you might not need technology as heavily as normal. For example, some VIP meetings can heavily rely on hands-on attention. At times, technology can still be useful as back-end support, providing you with the reports and other supporting features. Use the tool for you to effectively manage your meeting or event.

Sometimes cost is an obstacle to using an attendee management tool. However, there are many tools that are free (with some slight limitations). Do some research to find the tool that is best for you.

 Photo credit: Technology is a given by Scott McCleod via Flickr