René Knapp in an Interview
XFAIR’s online registration is a practical and versatile tool that can make day-to-day work easier for XFAIR customers both when planning an event and during the event itself. Sales Director René Knapp explains what it is all about.
Mr Knapp, could you first explain the basic function of online registration and how it is handled at XFAIR?
In principle, online registration is there to capture data online in advance of a trade fair or event so that, both during the planning phase and during the live event period, you can access the necessary information and work with it. Data collection serves participant management on the one hand — “Who is coming to an event, and when?”. But invitation management can also be positioned upstream of it. Invited participants can respond here and then receive a confirmation email — with a QR code if the customer requests it — which enables them to be accredited quickly and efficiently upon arrival at the event.
In addition, our stand management systems are populated with content via online registration, which is particularly beneficial for large trade fairs with large exhibition stands. This means the staff at the information desk have relevant information available whenever needed — for example, who speaks which language, who is responsible for which product, or which countries or regions they cover — so that a visitor to the exhibition stand who does not have an appointment or a known contact person can be assigned the right person based on these criteria. For example: “I’m looking for someone responsible for Belgium, who should speak Flemish and be responsible for printing machines.” In that case, we would have stored this data in the system via online registration and can contact the relevant employee with a single click.
Fundamentally, online registration at XFAIR is a standard product that is adapted for each customer. You can compare it a bit to made-to-measure tailoring: I have a base, which is then extended and adapted for the customer each time. The whole thing is usually designed in a layout that is based on the customer’s corporate design.
In terms of content, we can differentiate within registration depending on the event or the registration group. That means I can create multiple registration groups for one and the same event, in which different information is requested. For a trade fair, for example, there is often the registration group for stand service staff. Naturally, I ask different things there than for the trade fair set-up team. If we take this example a step further, the latter group will also be on site at a different time, so I need to ask for different times. Likewise, a visitor registration group would again involve different questions, and the questionnaire would be structured differently than for employees working on the exhibition stand.
Requesting different information also depends on which modules are selected. These can be activated as needed by the customer. One example is the “Hotel” module, if hotel management is required. The “Meeting rooms” module is also popular: within online registration, participants can request one or more meeting rooms in advance, and then an administrator assigns them via a confirmation email. I can also enable the “Orders” module, which allows participants to order exhibitor passes, for example, or day tickets for their customers, which they can then hand over personally. Many exhibitors also use this function to collect orders for workwear or trade fair uniforms etc. from their employees, so that the items can be ordered and allocated in the correct size.
We have many more modules as well — for example the “guided tours” module, in case our customers want to offer guided tours of their stand. Some customers also use this tool to organise bus shuttles. The principle is simple: I have a certain number of seats at a certain time, and with each booking the module automatically reduces the number of available seats by one. This continues until there are no seats left — and then that slot no longer appears in online registration and can no longer be selected.
All these modules can be enabled or disabled across the different registration groups. For example, I can activate the Hotel module in the employee group but disable it in the visitor group, so visitors cannot request a hotel but employees can. I can also activate or deactivate modules at different points in time during a project.
What is the typical process for online registration?
The typical process for online registration naturally always depends on the event. In principle, however, we sit down with the customer in advance and, alongside the general layout, discuss the design in the respective corporate design and, of course, the data protection guidelines that must be taken into account. In this regard, the relevant contracts must be signed by both parties before online registration goes live. After that, we move on to the content: which modules are activated, which fields are shown and in which order, what those fields are called, what information is requested, and so on. We also need to clarify the timeline: which module is activated at which time in which registration group (or not), and when the registration goes live. Once we have captured and implemented these requirements, the customer receives the end product for review and checks whether everything is correct. They may have one or two change requests — often relating to texts, headings and headers.
We very often provide registration in German and English, but sometimes in other languages as well — most recently for Intermat in Paris, also in French. Here we were able to draw on the know-how of our staff, many of whom are highly proficient in various languages, including French. This is also something that makes XFAIR stand out: we bring together a wide range of skills under one roof, and the language skills of our international team are definitely part of that.
But back to online registration and its typical process. We had stopped at the return flow and the review. Once we get the green light here, we provide the customer with a link, which is then sent to participants and takes them to XFAIR’s online registration.
How does online registration fit into XFAIR’s other solutions in the participant management category?
Online registration is, as indicated, a building block within participant management as a whole. In the logical sequence, it takes second place if you start with invitation management. In this context, online registration partly embodies what is known as “response management”, as the responses to invitations sent out are linked on a personal basis to the data collected during registration.
In general, all XFAIR services are closely interlinked and can be arranged and prioritised individually. Here we not only provide the software — in this case, the online registration platform — but also offer corresponding back-office services through our Customer Care team, which go beyond simply creating the software platform. This includes, for example, training on how to use our products, organising and managing hotel contingents, or creating various evaluations and reports.
Further information on the individual services that can be linked with online registration at XFAIR GmbH can be found on our website. If you have specific questions about planning your own large-scale project, you can contact us by phone or via our contact form. Also worth a look: you can find the latest blog posts below.
