Non-Profit: Fully-integrated Event Registration System

  Background

A non-profit client organizes dozens of events every year with thousands of participants. Each participant can take part in one or more activities at each event. Preparing for each event, managing the event and activity registration, and coordinating and reconciling payment for thousands of participants is a time consuming and tedious process typically demanding hundreds of manhours for each event. The manual process of on-site check-in and payment resulted in long registration lines and, consequently, most events starting late both of which culminated in complaints from participants.


  Challenge

Client needed to reduce the manhours (and cost) involved in organizing each event. The challenge was to develop an easy-to-use, centrally managed system to allow participants to register and to accept payment for events both before via an e-commerce site and onsite. The system needed to provide a method for event participants to self-register, select from a catalog of activities, calculate appropriate event fees based on selection, and securely collect credit card payments electronically.


  Solution

ADC created a web-based registration system where participants could setup their own login and password to be reused for every event. The participant could "shop" for the desired activities and then securely pay for the event via credit card. The application also printed registration confirmation documents, personal event agendas, and receipts for each participant.


  Results

The massive popularity of online pre-registration greatly reduced the manhours required for each event. Time normally spent dealing with long registration lines was spent attending to the needs of event participants. The increase in available resources and a shift to non-admin activities allowed the events to run much more smoothly, increased participant satisfaction, and helped each event start on time. The application also provided better insight into event participation before hand, which not only allowed for better service levels for event participants, but also a smoother event operation. It also allowed for more efficient planning of other resources needed to support the participant level at each event. Additionally, client management now uses information collected from event in its marketing efforts for future events.