In 1998, Laura Kunkle, Communications Specialist for the Columbus, OH-based Ohio Florists’ Association (OFA), was looking at a mountain of pre-registrations for the group’s annual Short Course, which at the time drew nearly 9,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors. As a staff of one, Kunkle spent three solid months of 12-hour days entering registration data — while still managing the logistics of the event.
The next year Kunkle outsourced online registration. Even though the show’s attendees are not all particularly comfortable with the Internet, 8 percent of the show’s attendees registered online the first year. This year, the number more than tripled to 27 percent.
“We’re open 24/7 worldwide — no office hours,” says Kunkle. “We’re absolutely going to do it again next year. We expect it to keep growing.”
The ability to have attendees and exhibitors register directly over the Internet, eliminating the need for any hand-keying of data, has fundamentally changed the way show managers process information and opened new avenues for growing shows through better communication and customer service.
John Golicz, President for Westport, CT-based b-there.com, which provided online registration services for OFA, suggests that many organizations could enjoy a 500 percent savings or more on every online transaction received, compared to traditional methods. “Nobody has to touch the registration,” he explains, “and the more attendees and exhibitors who adopt it, the more the savings.”
David Audrain, Vice President of Dallas-based Hanley-Wood Exhibitions, producers of World of Concrete and Custom Home, is working with Atlanta-based ExpoExchange on the design of its online registration components to build service levels from year to year — and from show to show. Since the registration databases reside online, it’s simple to query the files and personalize the message. “We’re able to match what our customers have registered for and compare to years past, then provide personalized options to enhance their show experience,” he explains. The service can automatically complete the registration forms and prompt the user along a path of personalized options based on his past history.
Hanley-Wood has seen rewarding growth in the number of registrants online. World of Concrete went from 2 to 36 percent online in two years, and its goal is 50 percent or more for all shows in 2001. Golicz’s customers are also enjoying double-digit growth, averaging 26 to 27 percent per year, generally topping out at around 80 percent.
Online registration programs can take one of two basic forms — custom programming or the application service provider (ASP) model.
Creating individual custom registration modules for each event, or even a registration database to manage multiple shows, may provide the best possible fit for some organizers because each database is an exact match of the corresponding event. With ASPs, the event fields must match up with the data fields provided, or customization is required.
With custom programming, Web and database developers generally work with the show manager to create custom forms for each show, usually tying into standard report forms and data fields. Sound expensive? Quality custom programming usually is ($30,000 for a management system isn’t out of line), but the initial expense can be amortized and could prove to be a cost savings over transaction-based structures in the long term.
Show producers might look to custom solutions for a variety of reasons, such as extensive graphics and other high-end Internet functionality or constant content updates, where site control is essential. At the opposite end of the scale, events that remain constant from year to year might benefit from establishing a custom template and making minor changes for each event.
ASPs offer Web-based software systems that allow show managers to select and build registration systems over the Internet or organizational intranet. Show organizers simply enter a password-protected administrative area, check off their selections for necessary fields, program components, registration types, graphics, colors, etc., click to submit, and an event registration system is up and running.
Since ASPs are themselves online, show organizers can create new show sites and generate reports from any computer with Internet access. The ASPs can completely host the event site, or tie into existing show sites for registration only. Typically, the interface is seamless and transparent to the user.
Fee models are still in flux for ASPs, but there are a few basics. The most popular structure appears to be a charge for initial setup (ranging from $350 to $7,500), with a transaction fee for each registration (from $1 to $15). Both the setup and transaction fees can usually be negotiated, and the setup fee may even be waived based on total attendance. Some ASPs may charge by the percentage of revenue received through the site, or flat licensing fees with annual renewals and no limit on transactions.
