CHAPTER 10

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Registration and Housing

 

LEARNER OUTCOMES

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A. Identify the various options for registration.

B. Define the steps necessary to manage financial information, demographics, and policies associated with the registration process.

C. Implement effective onsite registration procedures, including temporary staff training and crowd management.

D. Identify the procedures for determining rooming needs.

E. Describe the process of contracting with hotels for room blocks

F. Describe the process for monitoring and maintaining the room block.

G. Summarize post-meeting findings and reports that will lead to future successful events.

 

Chapter Summary

 

Registration and housing are two critical aspects of the meeting planning process. Technology has revolutionized the registration process through the use of application service providers (ASP’s).  The process of registration is similar to the past, but the means by which the end-user registers has changed. Yet, the primary goal is to create a positive experience for the potential attendee.

 

There are three distinct phases to the registration process.  The Pre-meeting phase, the Onsite phase, and the final phase of the registration process which takes the form of a post-meeting evaluation.

 

The Pre-Meeting phase determines what and how information will be collected, and what will be done with the information.  A meeting with the organizations leader and key stakeholders may be necessary in order determine registration goals.  This aggregated information will help to determine the service provider (if applicable), establish a registration process, identify the level of customer service, and determine data reporting and a general analysis of the registration service.

 

The collected information helps to profile the target audience and provides essential information for the future initiatives/meetings.  Registration systems also can aggregate data for future reporting.  The majority of registration systems are via a website.  Some attendees may prefer to register by phone, and/or complete a pre-printed form that is submitted via fax or regular mail.

Choosing a service provider for registration can involve a third-party vendor (be it an individual or company) that can contribute to the success of the meeting.  The third party vendors can also provide different levels of service.  

 

Selecting a third party vendor requires a RFP process, just like choosing any other vendor for the meeting.  The selection of this service provider is based on the best match to that of the organization’s needs.

 

The preparation and delivery of customer service in the registration process requires previous data collection of attendee demographics. These frequently asked questions should have been documented prior to the event.  

 

On-site policies and procedures need to be determined.  These policies might include onsite badge requirements, other credentials, and/or education session/special event ticket. The badge design, the print and even the badge holder may seem a small issue, but is a basic networking tool that should not be overlooked as a part of an attendee’s positive customer service experience.

 

A customer service team, or individual customer service agent should have an in-depth knowledge of the meetings registration details.  This customer service agent should assist anyone having a question or difficulty in registering for the meeting.  They should be able to answer unique questions that are not answered thoroughly via the posted frequently asked questions on a website.

 

In the onsite phase of the registration process, creating the ease of check-in requires: registration area layouts, signage, electrical services, internet connectivity, and adequate staffing.  These requirements should be confirmed and completed one to two months prior to the start of the event.

 

Continuing with the onsite phase of registration a major concern for meeting professionals is that of crowd management. The floor plans need to be reviewed to establish the best locations for a registration area.  Categories of registration are determined relative to their size and helps in moving lines and gathering places for attendees to eliminate bottle necks in registration cues. 

  A general rule for staffing a registration area is to provide 1 staff member for every 100 attendees.   

 

One of the registration goals is to have the majority of attendees pre-registered for the meeting.   Upon arrival to the event, the attendee need only to pick up their badge, ribbons, tickets to events, sessions, and programs.

 

Temporary staff may be needed for the registration area.  Some of the considerations for hiring temporary registration staff are the size of the event, arrival patterns, number of pre-registered attendees, and the anticipated number of onsite registrations.    Many meeting professionals use a combination of paid and volunteer staff.

 

The reporting and analyzing of registration data draws the meeting professional’s attention to update plans, such as adjusting function sheets, food and beverage guarantees, or copies of workshop materials.  The reports also provide data that help keep the meeting on target with the budget.

 

Report and budget reviews will take place the planning process, during the meeting, and after the event has concluded.  This analysis should take place while the meeting memory is still fresh.  Reviewing the expenses and revenues provides the meeting professional with a clear picture of the budgeted amount for the meeting and the actual forecast for the conclave.  This time of comparison and reflection is imperative for both the meeting professional and the key stakeholders of the event.

Surveys should be sent after the meeting has taken place, and is an important component to the planning of future meetings.  If possible surveys should be available while attendees are still on site.  This increases a better return rate.    

 Housing describes the all-encompassing process of providing accommodations for attendees.  Housing is divided into five steps:  building a room block, contracting with hotels, managing housing policies, procedures and room blocks, and reporting.  Housing can be out sourced to a third-party vendor or handled in-house.

There are several options for housing reservations.  The options include one non-contract approach (direct) and four others that involve a contract but feature differing roles, responsibilities, and execution arrangement for attendees making reservations.

 

The meeting professional builds a room block to secure enough rooms for their gathering. The elements of building a room block requires a knowledge of the group history, determining the guest room types needed, procuring a group rate, based on a hotel room mix, and understanding the peak night use and shoulder night use.  

Once the meeting professional has determined the number of guest room and meeting space needed for the event it is time to contract with the hotel.  Major terms should be agreed upon prior to signing the contract.  Contract clauses and important meeting details need to be included in the document.

 

Maintaining and managing the room block starts the day housing opens and closes. Meeting professionals must be aware of the factors that may encourage attendees to book rooms outside of the block.  The meeting professional must be proactive in communicating incentives to attendees for booking within the room block.

Housing reports are perhaps one of the key elements in determining the success of the meeting.  The meeting organizer will draw several conclusion from the data contained in the report.  This is one of the most critical steps in capturing the group’s history.

 

Other types of meeting reports would include the common Pre-meeting reports of:  

 

1.Summary of reservations confirmed

2.Room pickup by day

3.Rooming list for designated sub-blocks

4.Pickup by sub-block and total block pickup

5.Room availability to date

 

Post meetings will gather data the last day of the event.  These post data reports should occur between 60 to 90 days after the meeting and are critical for return on investment determinations.  These post meeting reports/final reports should include:

 

1.Total pickup – maximum number of room

2.Room pickup by day

3.Booking pace report

4.Pickup report by category or sub-block

5.Number of no-shows

6.Individual hotel pickup report

7.Summary report

8.Summary of recommendations

 

The review of the final reports should be submitted to the organization leaders in the form of an executive summary.  The executive summary should contain the most significant findings from the meeting, and information that could be utilized for making decisions for future business plans.