Registration Management for Trade Fairs

The Challenge: Manage Invitation, Registration, and Admission to a Fair

The International Motor Show (IAA), at which some 500,000 visitors and 1,000 exhibitors met, had just ended when the Frankfurt Book Fair began last week. There were 280,000 visitors expected, 7,500 exhibitors from the book industry presented their new products, and about 10,000 journalists and bloggers had accredited. The Book Fair itself also listed over 4,000 events planned during the fair.
This is a challenge for everyone responsible for guest management and registration.

In the process of administering guests, exhibitors and visitors, the high number of attendees and the different guest groups are the most prominent challenges. Trade fairs always mean mass: vast exhibition areas, several entrances, many visitors, many exhibitors. All of this has to be coordinated flawlessly and in a coordinated manner. Fair management is, therefore, always also guest management. Digitization and automation simplify the complex processes of guest and visitor registration.
Even if many satellite projects are managed and processed externally, more than enough tasks remain in the hands of the central trade fair management.
What requirements do trade fairs place on guest management? Let's bundle the criteria and tasks in summary:

• Invitation management
• Registration of trade visitors
• Accreditation of journalists
• Exhibitor administration
• Coupon management
• ticket sale
• Ticket management for different guest categories (professional audience, private visitors, VIPs, students, exhibitors, speakers, journalists etc.)
• Flexible Payment
• On-site registration
• Admission management
• Name badge printing
• Management of workshops and satellite events
• Quota management and waiting lists
• Surveys
• Statistics and Reporting

Without structured and precise planning, guestmanagement is inconceivable. Digitisation and automation facilitate complex processes. The various guest groups, such as exhibitors, trade visitors, visitors, journalists and guests of honour, can be easily categorized and managed in a carefully structured guest solution software.

The Invitations

Already the invitation dispatch requires a segmentation of the guest list into different guest categories. A carefully prepared and maintained guest list in an efficient guest management tool contributes to the overall event planning.

The Feedback and Registration Process

With the invitation, the visitors are requested to register for the event. At a trade fair, it is often also asked whether the guests will stay for the entire duration of the trade fair or only on selected days. In contrast to private visitors, trade visitors can often take part in the opening event. Journalists can also register for press conferences or specific press events.

Declining visitor numbers also make it necessary for trade fairs to deal with their no-show rate. Attentive invitation and guest management, timely and prepared reminders help to reduce this rate.

Payment Solutions‍

Many visitors prefer to buy tickets online before purchase tickets at the checkout. The integration of a flexible payment tool is no problem for most registration management systems.

Admission

‍Tickets and invitations to a trade fair or its satellite events must allow easy and quick access to the event. For many companies and their employees, trade fairs also mean stress, which should not be increased at the entrance.
Friendly staff that welcomes visitors, checks tickets quickly and carefully, distributes name tags and wishes a great event - this is how efficient registration management should look like.The more visitors there are and the more guest groups these visitors form, the more complex the registration and admission process becomes. Short waiting times and smooth check-in confirm the professionalism of an event.
Quick admission and good-humoured staff immediately increase the comfort for visitors and attendees and pave the way for a successful event. Efficient, digital guest management that enables a smooth process is essential. The system has to be fast because the guest volume is high. The focus here is on satisfied visitors who can gain access quickly and easily.

Instead of pre-produced and alphabetically sorted name tags, a professional, automated and, above all, fast, direct printing on-site saves waiting times.

Private visitors who have already paid for their ticket online go straight to the entrance. After scanning their QR code, they gain access to the fair without having to prolong the waiting times of the trade visitors, who have to register and pick up their name badges on their first visit.

And finally, the use of software for guest management also means that all data collected can be evaluated after the event. How many guests were actually at the event, on which days were they there? Which guests were not reached via the system? Essential data to further optimize registration management in the future.