Setting up a registration event

It's simple to use TryBooking to bring your registrations online, removing the need for paper forms and tedious admin involved with collating data. This makes TryBooking a perfect solution for sports association and team registrations, memberships, conferences, seminars and workshops. 

Whilst setups may differ depending on what you're offering, there are a number of areas that registration-style events tend to have in common. These include but are not limited to:

• No fixed date and time or it spans over multiple dates
• Multiple categories for selection
• Require a level of custom data to be collected at the time of taking payment

This article covers:

1. Creating a registration event
2. Building your custom form
3. Other features to consider

Creating a registration event 

There are multiple ways to structure a registration event on TryBooking, and the variables of your registration are going to dictate the best way for achieving this on the system. Planning these types of events before setup is crucial to get the most out of the system. 

Creating the basics of the event

To begin creating your registration event:

1. From the Dashboard, click Create an event
2. Complete Step 1: Event Details, then click Next: Venue Details
3. Complete Step 2: Venue Details, then click Next: Session Times
   
   • If there is no venue for your registration eg. a Membership: Set the venue to be the location of your organisation
4. Click Add Sessions
5. With Add a single session time selected, in the Session Start Date and Time fields, enter the date and time you would like your attendees to arrive at your event
   
   • If there is no fixed date and time: Set the Session Start and End Date and Times to span the duration of the period the registration covers eg. For an annual membership, you may choose to have the Start Date as 1 January and the End Date as 31 December.  
   • If your event spans across multiple days: you will be able to set your Session Start date and End dates to cover that period
6. In the Booking Start Date and Time fields, enter the date and time that you would like to commence taking registrations
7. In the Booking End Time fields, set when you would like to stop taking registrations
   
8. Click Save, then Next: Create Tickets
9. Select Paid, and then Create Ticket to add the registration fee.
   Should you have different categories for registration, consider using Ticket Types to provide these options. It will also allow you to place a capacity these categories should you need to limit numbers 
   
10. Click Next: Add Images
11. Complete Step 5: Add Images should you wish to add images to your event at this stage
12. Click Create Event, and then Event Dashboard

If your registration event doesn't have a fixed date and time or runs over multiple dates, proceed with the below steps for Adjusting your Session Time. If the session time entered in the above steps reads appropriately for registration, continue to Building your custom form below.

Adjusting your Session Time

If your registration has no fixed date and time for participants to arrive, or you would like to change the Session Time format so that it reads more appropriate for the customer and what they are registering to, you can relabel your session time. This allows you to change the system date and time format to text of your choosing. This new text will come through to the booking pages, customers tickets, receipt, confirmation email and on your reports.

To change the label of the Session Time:

1. From the left menu, click Sessions times, under Basic information
2. Click Edit next to the session time you wish to relabel
   
3. Select Additional Setting tab, and enter your chosen text is the Session Time Label field
   
   
4. Click Save

Building your custom form

Custom Forms allows you to collect the data that is required from your registrants. Along with participant data, you can collect emergency contact details, as well as declarations and permissions.

To begin creating your custom form:

1. From the left menu, go to Custom Forms (Data collection), under Additional information
2. Select to either Add a Prebuilt Question or to Add a Custom Question
   
   
3. With all required fields added, click Save
   

For a full guide on Custom Forms (including: field options, organising fields, assigning fields to specific ticket types, displaying field on to tickets issued, templates, and reporting on this data collected), please see: Custom Forms

With your fields added, its recommended that you use the Preview Option to see how the form will look for your customers.

Other features to consider

Here are some other features that are commonly used for registration events:

• Turn off E-Tickets: If no ticket is required for the participant to present for entry, you may wish to disable the E-tickets being issued. This would mean that the customer will only be issued with a receipt on completion of purchase
• Terms and Conditions: Provide your own terms and conditions outlining what the registration is valid for, any restrictions and refund exchange policies
• Headers: When offering a large number of options for the customer to select from, or if you have an extensive custom form, headers can be used to help break up these areas into categories. This can make the booking process more comprehensive for the customer
• Follow Up Email: Provide your customers with information on what to bring, time tables, delivery or collection instructions once they have completed their purchase