Anyone planning an event knows that registration is a key part of the process. But what questions should you ask potential attendees when they sign up? In this blog post, we’ll provide a list of effective questions to include in your event registration form. By asking the right questions, you can get a better understanding of your audience and ensure that your event is as successful as possible. So without further ado, let’s get started!
What Questions Are on the Registration Form?
Before we give you a list of effective questions, let’s quickly go over the types of answers you should be looking for when someone fills out your registration form. Do you want demographic information? Are they people in an industry that will benefit from your event? Or are they just interested in attending events in general? To answer these questions, it helps to include different types of questions on your registration form. Here is a list of helpful categories with examples:
- Industry – What is your job function? (Ex.: Marketing, IT, Admin)
- Company Size – How big is your company? (Ex.: 5-50 employees, 51-500 employees, 501 )
- Preferred Attendee Type – Is this specific to your event?
- Interests – Are they someone that may be interested in other events or just this one? (Ex.: Interested in other events hosted by us, Just interested in this specific event)
- Demographic – Is there a certain group you specifically want at the event? (Ex.: Male or female)
Using Registration Forms to Collect Extra Information From Your Attendees
Include a section on your event registration form where attendees can include additional information that would be helpful for you to know. For example, if they’re attending an industry conference, they might list their association membership number and the designation or title it provides them (such as CPA or CTO), which may help you during the networking process.
Another example is if you are hosting an event in another city and your attendees are traveling to attend, they may list the city where their meeting occurs. This information could come in handy when they go to book a hotel or ask for travel recommendations.
Now that we’ve covered all the different types of questions you might want to include on your event registration form, here’s a list of effective questions to collect more information from attendees:
- What is your association membership number?
- Do you have special dietary requirements?
- Do you need wheelchair access?
- Will you need childcare?
- What are your areas of interest?
This set of questions helps you learn more about the people who will be attending your event. You can use this information to tailor the experience they have while there and make them feel like someone took the time to really personalize their conference experience. Additionally, they help you ensure that there is enough value offered to the attendee so they will be glad they attended once it’s over.
What Should Be Included in a Registration Form?
Now that we’ve covered the details you should get from your attendees, let’s talk about what information you should include on your event registration form. An effective registration page should make it easy for people to sign up and pay for an event. Here are some of the most important aspects to consider:
“How Did You Hear About the Event?”
Including a section where you can ask where your attendees found out about the event is an effective way to collect more data from people. This will help you evaluate which marketing channels are most effective and how word-of-mouth may have spread.
Event Preferences
When registering, attendees are often asked what their role is at the company or organization they work for. You can create a drop-down list with common roles or ask them to type in their preferred role so you’ll know which boxes to check on their name badge.
Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions
If you’re hosting an all-day event that includes a meal, it’s a good idea to ask your attendees if they have any dietary restrictions or food allergies. You can also include a dropdown list of common allergies and dietary preferences in order to avoid sending out a plate with something your attendee has a severe allergy to.
Accommodation Requests
If you’re hosting an event that requires attendees to book a hotel room, it’s important to include a section on your event registration form for them to fill out their accommodation requests. For example, if they need access to a special type of bathroom or have other needs that are specific to the location of the event, it’s helpful for them to let you know this in advance.
Emergency Contact Details
Whether the event is taking place at a few different locations or all in one venue, it’s important to include an emergency contact section on your registration form. This way you can easily get in touch with attendees’ friends and family if there’s ever an accident or something goes wrong.
Travel and Accommodation Details
If the event is taking place in another city or country, you should ask attendees to include their travel dates so they can book a hotel room. You may also want to ask where they’re traveling from and if there are any special instructions for getting to your venue (such as airplane instructions).
Social Profiles
There’s a lot of value in including social media contact details on your event registration form. This is because you can easily share content from your sponsors and exhibitors with attendees after the event. If they also include email addresses, it will be easy to stay in touch and keep them updated about future events and giveaways you’ll be running online and offline.
Event Swag
If you’re not giving physical gifts to all the attendees, it’s smart to include a section on your event registration form for them to list their requests. For example, some people might request more business cards or pens with your company’s logo on them if they saw these items in the swag bag at a previous event.
Data Privacy and Protection
If you’re going to be collecting any sensitive data from your attendees, it’s a good idea for you to include a privacy statement on your registration form or send out a separate private email. You can also ask them to confirm that they’ve read the privacy policy and are happy with the terms.
Waivers
If you’re planning on doing any outdoor activities at the event, it’s important for you to include a waiver of liability form. For example, if they’re going to be doing archery in the park or playing paintball under your company branding, you’ll want them to sign a legal agreement saying that they understand there are dangers involved.
Sponsor and Exhibitor Details
If you’re hosting an event where there are sponsor logos or banners on display, it’s a good idea to include a short section on your registration form for attendees to enter their name and company. This way you’ll know who’s attending with which companies (so you can put them together for meetings and post-event follow-ups).
