In May 2019, we launched a website for a client hosting their annual conference in four different global locations. The website incorporated four Delegate Management registration sites and an overall Sponsor expression of interest and registration section. Now these events have completed we wanted to delve a little deeper into Delegate Management; what it means and how it supports your event.
What is Delegate Management?
It is a way to track who is going to attend your event and what their requirements are.
How is Delegate Management managed?
This can vary depending on client requirements and/or budget. This could take the form of an Event Website or an On-line Form.
Event Website
You can have a bespoke event website. Team ZiaBia work with fantastic partners who can create a website to match the event requirements & budgets. This is a great tool for an event as it can be as simplistic or elaborate as you require.
Here are some of the options you can build into a registration website and ZiaBia can report on for you;
- Accommodation requirements – It may be that you are having your event in one venue. It may be that your event is so large and multiple venues will be required to support the accommodation requirements. Either way the delegate can use the website to choose the accommodation location and / or dates that suit them
- Payments – Do delegates needs to cover any costs directly? If so, a website can be used to set up a secure payment system so payment by credit card can be easily and effectively taken at the point of registration
- Travel requirements – Do your delegates need to fly into your event? Will they need to book trains? The delegate can include preferred travel date, times and locations so that a subsequent booking can be made. This allows for logistical arrangements to be in place for them at the event
- Airport transfers – If your delegates are flying into the event location, we can track the arrivals and organise airport transfers accordingly. We would be able to offer a shuttle or do individual transfers based on budgets and client requirements. Support can also be arranged in the country of residence
- Dietary needs – It is always great to be ahead of the game when it comes to dietary requirements. Capturing this information within the website means Team ZiaBia can be proactive in supporting delegates dietary needs
- Agenda – You can use the website to update delegates on the event agenda and what sessions will happen. What time are the welcome drinks? Where are they taking place? This can also capture guest speaker information or bios for your leadership team.
- Venue Information – What time will I be able to access my bedroom? Is there a gym, a pool, what is the situation with car parking? All this information can be easily accessible from the website
- Contact information – What if a delegate needs to make a change? How do they do it? Who do they call? Having a contact page on the website answers these questions. It also gives the delegates piece of mind if they need to take any action. Members of Team ZiaBia can also have email addresses linked to your client company for consistency if this is your preference!
If not a website, why not an online Form
Online forms also capture the relevant Delegate Management information, with the data sent back to ZiaBia. We can track information to be able to share with the client and the venue if there are specific requirements and what accommodation nights will be required if any
Is Delegate Management just getting people to register?
No, Delegate Management is so much more! It also encompasses areas such as;
- Who to invite to the event?
- How to invite different groups of attendees, for example delegates, sponsors and speakers
- When should they be invited
- Following up on invitees that have not yet registered or responded
- Sharing updates on the event
- Sharing event specific information that delegates will need to know
- Checking on any registration details that may be unclear or incomplete
- Managing delegate cancellations
- Supporting with different requirements – i.e., sponsors that are registering that may have different needs for their stands, set-up or access requirements etc.
- Liaising with a hotel to increase or decrease a bedroom block based on the registrations received
- Providing rooming lists to venues and checking the hotels room block for accuracy
- Final joining instructions shared with all attendees
What are the benefits of ZiaBia managing the Delegate Management aspect of my event?
There is so much that goes into organising an event that sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day. That is where Team ZiaBia can be at hand to support as an extension of your team. With Team ZiaBia taking control of your Delegate Management we will not only take care of getting your forms prepared or your website up & running. We will manage all the above and provide regular updates as to;
- Number of registrations in a given period
- How much of the room block has been used versus what is still available
- Which delegates have / have not registered
- Highlighting any upcoming deadlines for room block release etc.
- We have a privacy policy as the data processor that can be displayed on the website for delegates piece of mind
Delegate Management plays such a huge part of your event that managing it effectively is key. Team ZiaBia have a wealth of experience in this area and look forward to supporting our clients in the future with more Delegate Management!
