Event registration refers to the process by which individuals sign up for an event, providing necessary data, selecting tickets and participation options, and making payments where applicable—often the first and most critical touchpoint between attendee and organizer.
Also known as: online registration, attendee registration
Important for: GDPR, UX, conversion
What is event registration?
The event registration (also: online registration, attendee registration, conference registration) is the structured process through which interested parties become officially registered attendees. It typically includes a registration form, ticket or package selection, payment processing if applicable, and automated confirmation.
For organizers, registration is often the first data-collection touchpoint: this is where attendee lists are created, preferences are recorded, and GDPR-compliant consent is obtained (exceptions for conferences include a preceding call-for-papers process or pre-registration for non-binding expressions of interest).
Components of a registration process
- Registration form / registration flow: Step-by-step or single-page collection of mandatory and optional fields (e.g., name, organization, email, job title, dietary requirements, or any event-specific fields).
- Selection of attendee types: Selection from various attendee categories (e.g., students, association members, etc.). The available tickets and their prices are determined by this selection.
- Ticket and package selection: Selection from various Ticket categories (e.g., full event, individual days, or online participation) and the associated workshops, additional services, or accompanying persons. As a rule, conference organizers use time-based discount thresholds (e.g., early bird) and, where applicable, indicate the limited availability of prices.
- Billing details: Capture of company address, VAT ID, and purchase order reference for automated invoicing.
- Voucher codes: Input field for discount or promotional codes with real-time validation. These tools allow participants to access exclusive services, special pricing, or specific payment methods.
- GDPR consent: Mandatory consent for data processing, optional marketing consent, and a link to the privacy policy.
- Confirmation page & confirmation email: Summary of the booking, automated email with ticket (PDF/QR code), and calendar invitation.
- Payment (if applicable): Secure payment processing with multiple payment methods and automated invoice delivery.
- Invoicing: Generation and delivery of tax-compliant invoices. For conferences, applying different VAT rates to a total ticket price and the reverse charge mechanism for shifting tax liability play a central role. This is where professional conference management systems like Converia differ from simple event management solutions. In Converia, for example, a tax-compliant solution is standard.
Common requirements for conference registrations
- Multilingualism: Forms and confirmations in German and English (or other languages) – especially for international conferences.
- Quota management: Automatically lock tickets when capacity limits are reached and activate the waiting list.
- Conditional fields: Forms that offer different options and display specific fields based on the selected ticket or attendee type.
- Group registrations: Option for bulk booking for multiple people in a single transaction.
- Accessibility: WCAG-compliant form design for all user groups.
- Time-based discount management: Define discount and early-bird thresholds and corresponding prices for all offerings.
- Proof of eligibility management: For congresses, students or members of professional associations can usually purchase tickets at a significant discount. To verify that they are actually eligible, a system for managing proof of eligibility should be in place.
Registration KPIs
- Number of attendees: How many people have already registered to attend the congress?
- Ticket revenue: What is the total revenue generated from ticket sales so far?
- Outstanding payments: How many ticket payments are still pending?
Registration in Converia
Converia offers configurable registration flows for conferences of any size: multilingual forms, conditional fields, classic conference ticket options such as early-bird discounts, day-specific ticket options, integrated ticketing and payment processing, automatic GDPR-compliant confirmations – and seamless integration with check-in and participant management.
Registration that delights your attendees
Converia makes registration the first positive experience of your conference – intuitive, fast, and error-free.
- Participant Management – Ticketing & Registration
- Ticketing System – Ticketing & Registration
- Waitlist – Ticketing & Registration
- Cancellation & Rebooking – Ticketing & Registration
Professional registration solutions for conferences – easy to configure, secure, and GDPR-compliant.