Offer Exclusivity to Your Attendees

Have you ever had to manage events in which there are limited places, and the people taking them are not who you had in mind? Are you wasting resources on people that are not potential clients? This is more common than one would think, and it is one of the main factors affecting the event industry. Keep reading to find out how to offer exclusivity to your attendees. 

You must know you’re not the only one that has struggled with this issue, as many companies have trouble with achieving attendee-exclusive events. We are sure that for organizations, whether they’re growing or already established in the market, one of the fundamental things when decision-making is budget. For this reason, we must be careful when selecting who we want to reach to avoid spending on implements that will not pay off.

At in-person events, there are limited places and bigger venues will cost more money, apart from being harder to secure. Especially in times of COVID-19, where only a certain number of people can be gathered in closed spaces. It has been seen that many individuals take advantage of these types of events to attend as if it was a just-grab free lunch and drinks invitation, completely ignoring the purpose of the gathering and therefore, not being interested in what the presenters have to say. 

As for the virtual events, even though there are not limited spaces or seating, corporations have to pay fees for each user that connects as if they were actually occupying a physical space in real life. With this, people who might not be potential clients will be able to enter these meetings with no intention of feedback. 

To avoid paying for people that will not be interested, it’s better to make sure that the attendees are people among the target audience and potential clients who will show interest in the company and help it achieve its purposes. Event security features are essential for this, as it’s explained below. 

Solutions for avoiding unwanted people in your event are available in Eventbee, as service providers in the industry: 

  • Exclusivity: This is made to restrict the attendees that can get in. Consists of managers creating, for example, passwords that will be required to customers before being able to purchase the tickets. These passwords will be shared among your target market, so those who join will be in the company’s interest. This way, you can regulate who is entering the event, since you will be giving the password/code to an audience that you know will engage and be active within the presentations, and only those selected will be able to attend. 
  • Priority Registration: You can also fulfill your exclusivity purpose with priority registration, which for example includes sharing specific links for the purchase of tickets to certain people that the company is interested in attending their events, in an individual and more personal manner.
  • Ticketing rules: Using this, there can be conditions made to register for an event, for example, you have to register for the whole conference to be able to enter each session.
  • Buyer page: Since attendee registration is fundamental to exclusivity, this mechanism is used to share access to unique content among attendees by using their profile information. Upcoming events, additional information, promotions, etc. can be communicated through this channel.

The promotion of these types of meetings can be tricky, as in most cases it’s better to have the biggest audience possible of the same industry while keeping it exclusive. 

Nevertheless, this is no issue for us. In Eventbee, we keep in mind that budgets are essential to promote events whether it’s online, in-person or hybrids, and other necessities our customers could have (venues, technology tools, etc). We also consider the purposes and objectives of each company that contacts us, listen to what the managers have to say, and respect their inputs when it comes to decision-making. Such as choosing the channel in which the exclusive code will be shared, or which way to keep up with attendee registration is most accessible for them. 

As Kathy O’Hern of Montana Association of Weavers & Spinners said: “As we began researching online registration applications, we could not find a solution that specifically met our needs for a complex registration process. Eventbee, however, accommodated our requirements by creating customized ‘ticketing rules’ to prevent registrations being made during conflicting days and times while staying well within our budget.” (2016).

So what are you waiting for to contact us and have that attendee-exclusive event that you want, to collect its benefits and optimize the resources? Contacting us is just far away from one click

Event Manager and Attendee Communication

Are you one of those managers that like sharing exclusive information for your attendees, but you realize you don’t know how to do it? When e-mailing each person, the information will take too much time that you could spend on something else? In this article, we will provide you with guidance for when you have these kinds of issues.

As a manager, you should have a special page where you can mass share exclusive facts and data with your attendees.

In Eventbee, we always want to help with your event creation and the chores that come with it. For this reason, we have the perfect solution: a design attendee page. So how does it work for the content manager?

  • We have personalized widget options.
  • You can edit your profile, make different files and check who’s attending.
  • You can customize your exclusive page with custom widgets that include: Content, photos, videos, and virtual meetings. 

That way, you will make sure to share all the information you need and promote events while making them visually attractive to everyone who enters the page.  

If you want to know how it works for the clients, keep reading! 

  • Once you are registered in our system, you can access the purchase of tickets for upcoming events.
  • As soon as you purchase your tickets and the charge is made, you will receive a confirmation email, with your transaction ID and the event URL.
  • On that same email, linked will be the attendee page exclusively made for them and can be easily accessed by anyone with the link.
  • It will be a private channel of communication, from the manager to the public. 
  • On this page, you could find different items of interest, such as:
  • The broadcast of the event
  • Official information
  • Legal documentation that you will need to sign
  • Exclusive videos
  • Schedule for the event

With all of these objects, you will achieve effective communication with your attendees that can have many benefits. As Management Study Guide says, “Communication helps managers to perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication serves as a foundation for planning.” (2021). 

Therefore, having an exclusive channel in which the content manager can share information and communicate with your attendees is highly beneficial for the company. Especially for those managers in charge of planning and directing, since they can have a clearer vision of what the guests are most interested in. 

It has advantages for the clients too, as event creation can sometimes get very messy and the instructions can be confusing. With this feature, attendees can avoid misunderstandings of dates and make the entrance process easier by filing paperwork in advance.

Don’t wait any longer and contact us at Eventbee so that we can help you obtain all the advantages of a design attendee page for your event.

Venue Reserved Seating – Covid Times

There are times when, as we manage events, we realize venues can be very different from one another. There are some big and some small depending on the event assignment, as well as varying in shapes that go from stadiums to theaters to art centers. If you are one of those managers that have difficulty with orderly seating your attendees in the venue, keep reading!

Selling reserved seating tickets to your attendees is beneficial for you as a manager since it helps you keep track of how many seats are available and how the distribution of the venue is. It is also beneficial for the attendees, as they will have knowledge of their places or can select the seats depending on where they want to be located. 

In Eventbee, we work for venue seating in different ways, such as:

  • Venue size and number of seats: We work with managers so that we can have an idea of the requirements, including configurations and specifications. This way, we can build and personalize your ideal map.
  • Seat assignment: We have tips and tools that will simplify the process of seating control. With them, you will be able to manage the tickets you choose to sell and their prices. At the same time, you can change the ticket types and their prices given the demand of the event.
  • Ticket sales: When your attendees want to purchase the tickets, they will see your personalized map of the venue, and they will be able to select the preferred seats. After that, we will then send a confirmation email with their selected seats. This will make it easier for managers to check in the attendees and direct them to their designated seats.
  • Easy management: We have easy-to-use tools that will help you change seat assignments, ticket prices, etc. For example, if you need specific seats for handicapped people, we will make the process simpler. 
  • We also count on an extensive attendee report that will make it easier for you to check-in attendees at your event. For Android users, we have an Event Manager app for trouble-free check-in. 

Managers can also choose the colors they want to differentiate their venue seating, which will be activated once they publish the map. 

These types of maps are very effective when you know you will continue using the same layout for the venues on your future events, as they have a one-time cost of $200. Besides, you will be saving time as we would have it in order according to the configuration made according to the space. 

For the attendees, the process is very simple.

  • You directly select the chair when purchasing your tickets.
  • You can choose the seats you want by looking at the venue map.
  • Your personal information will be required to complete the purchase.
  • When your online ticket arrives, it will come with information about your designated seats.
  • The availability of the seats will be updated as the purchases are made. 

Reserved seating is fundamental for the ideal functioning of the event, in order to avoid disorders or confusions at the entry, as well as providing a service more in line with the customer’s needs. 

As Confucius said, “A man who does not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door.” Meaning that if you don’t plan your events with anticipation, you will be more likely to find trouble when they start or as they are in course. To avoid this, you must take into account all the elements that come with an event. Seating is fundamental, as the way people are seated in the venue will determine how their experience is, therefore it can affect the feedback you will receive.

Don’t hesitate to contact us at Eventbee to help you plan your desired occasion without trouble and in the most effective and efficient way.

Hybrid Events: Future Of Events!

Hybrid events have often been referred to as the events that will be most popular in the future, but are you familiar with the concept? As the name itself says, it’s a combination of physical events, mixed with the digital components that contain a virtual meeting. These types of events are made so that the people who can attend personally, and those who can’t, will have the same participation no matter where they are. The engagement of the audience is essential for hybrid events. Therefore, it can not be treated as a whole virtual event or an on-site one. 

Hybrid events have existed for many years, however, as the pandemic of COVID-19 came into the picture, they have gained more popularity. For the past months, normal events and gatherings have been restricted to avoid spreading the virus, which is why many institutions have switched to applications like Zoom, Google Meets, etc. to make live-streaming for their audiences. 

As Forbes says, “One way for companies to protect themselves in case of another pandemic, a natural disaster, adverse weather, terrorism or no-shows by key presenters is to plan all future events using the hybrid model.” (2021)

There are different types of hybrid events, depending on the demands and objectives. For instance, there are internal hybrid events that are perfect for a company to assemble its employees and managers; so that even if they are not present physically, they can still participate. On the other hand, there are external events, which are inclined to clients, customers, potential consumers, etc. As it can help enroll more attendees who normally could not attend.

It’s important to mention that they vary from standard online events, as they have an engaging, present audience that can participate, unlike events from streaming services such as YouTube that are reduced to watching the presenters. 

Intending to have successful functions, some elements must be considered, such as engaging content for both audiences equally, as well as making sure the people presenting have engagement skills; and attractive marketing that will captivate a bigger audience. If these elements are presented, then the organizers of the function will be presented with multiple benefits

  • For one, considering the participants will not have to worry about traveling costs or health issues, it will raise the number of interested people. 
  • In the same way, by having an online presence, it will be likely to get sponsorship offers as companies will be able to give these sponsors a bigger platform, making creative and innovative banners, offering merchandise, among others. 
  • Additionally, hybrid events can be especially important to those interested in the environmental topic, as having them reduces carbon footprint by needing less food to make and fewer people being transported in polluting vehicles.
  • After an entertaining presentation, the in-person audience can interact among themselves, creating an engagement that will benefit the company if a community is created.

We, as Eventbee, know that planning and conducting hybrid events can be demanding and tough as different challenges can be presented, such as making sure both audiences are engaging in the way we want, time zones, etc. However, we are prepared for these situations, and we want everyone to be able to experience them with all their benefits no matter which part of the world they are located in. We provide this service by selling tickets for hybrid events, to achieve that our customers are presented with the optimum experience that they were waiting for, but without having to go through an exhausting process. 

Eventbee is compromised and has multiple resources to help you make the desired hybrid event:

  • In-built integration: We have the option of integrated ticketing with different platforms such as Zoom and Google meetings, in which you can enter your code to participate in the events directly onto Eventbee’s hosted attendee pages. 
  • Attendee page: With this alternative, registered attendants will receive a confirmation email with a link leading them to the attendee page. This exclusive page is hosted on Eventbee, and you can customize it with your most relevant content for your attendees for better engagement.
  • One place to sell tickets: You can create a single event in Eventbee, avoiding multiple virtual meetings for one event or selling tickets for virtual and in-person events. This way, you can have multiple ticket types tied to a specific event.
  • One place to join virtual meetings: All virtual meetings will be easily joinable on our attendee page. With just a single click, you will join the meeting. In the case of having a specific ticket, by just entering the attendee key you will be able to connect to the gathering. 

Are you ready to reach bigger audiences that appeal to your purposes, bring tons of benefits and have the best of both worlds with hybrid events? Sign up here to know how to achieve them! 

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Sources:

CDC. (2021). Guidance for Organizing Large Events and Gatherings. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/considerations-for-events-gatherings.html

Gupta, S. (2021). Rise of Hybrid Meetings & Events. Retrieved from https://www.beroeinc.com/whitepaper/rise-of-hybrid-meetings-and-events/

Winter Event Must-Haves!

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With the holidays coming around, everyone is scrambling to put together a holiday party. Here’s five tips on how to plan the best holiday festivities this year!

1. Decorations: Everyone celebrates their holidays differently, but however you celebrate, be sure to decorate your event to fit your theme! This will give your guests awesome Insta-worthy photo ops and a way to remember the night forever.

2. Cozy Venue: Make sure guests are able to keep warm at your event! Nothing screams winter like a nice fireplace and warm blankets. You can also keep your guests warm with hot cocoa, s’mores, and other warm snacks!

3. Activities for everyone: The holidays is the time for family. Keep in mind guests of all ages and make sure there’s something to do for everyone. Music and drinks for the adults and fun holiday games for the kids.

4. Potluck Style Food: Since the holidays are all about sharing, have your guests each bring something small or cater food to have a potluck style meal!

5. Gifts: Keep the holiday spirit up and surprise your guests with gifts! Play holiday games for gift rewards or host a raffle with your guests.

Which Payment System Is Right For Me?

Stripe PayPal Braintree Authorize.Net
Pricing
Commission Based:
2.9% + 30¢ when under $1 million each year
Tiered  Pricing:
  1.  $3,000 USD monthly (2.5% plus 30 cents)
  2.  $10,000 USD monthly (2.2% plus 30 cents)
  3.  $100,000 USD monthly (Calculated on individual basis)
Commission based:
2.9% + 30¢
Gateway Only:
$49 per month and $.10 per transaction
Commission Based:

1.  2.9% + 30c

2.  Setup: one time fee of  $99

3.  Monthly  Gateway Charge: $25

Credit Card Processing Charge from your website:  free

International Cards: free

Charge from your website:  $30/ month

International Cards charged 30¢ [for authorizations and card verification]

American Express Charge: 3.5%+ 0.05¢ per transaction 

International cards charged 1% of transaction

American Express Charge: 3.5% per transaction

Charge from your website:  free

International Cards: free

American Express Charge: 3.5% per transaction

Payments
Rolling 2 Day Transfers
1 Business Day
Within 2 Business Days
Gateway Only
Security  Level 1 PCI compliant

Encryption of sensitive data

Encryption of all communication

Vulnerability disclosure program investigates every security issue

Uses HTTPS to secure all connections

24/7 transaction monitoring

Does not share buyer financial information with sellers

Encryptions keep payments guarded from start to finish

Dispute resolution [will put a hold on funds when needed]

Level 1 PCI Compliant

Encrypted data in Braintree vault

Users authenticate themselves every time they log in

Employee, customer, and vendor activity is monitored

Automated vulnerability scans conducted each quarter

Recognized by Visa and MasterCard as industry leading in safety

Customizable
security
features:

Hourly and daily transaction limits [customizable]

IP filters: designate IP addresses allowed to make transactions

Transaction filters [validate credit cards before processing]

Shipping filters: identify shipping and billing mismatches]

 

Summer Event Must-Haves!

spring event must-haves (3)

Summer is all about kicking back and enjoying a break. Whether you want your guests to soak up the sun at an outdoors bash or you want a relaxing indoor event, here’s five of the top summer must haves!

  1. Aesthetic Venue: From a sunny outdoors venue to an Instagram worthy indoor location, this summer is all about making memories and dressing for the occasion. Let your guests remember the moments with awesome pictures to take home!
  2. Finger Food: Guests will want to take a break from all the partying to grab a quick bite! Key to a successful summer bash is a quick and mess-free menu.
  3. Live Entertainment: Never let the party stop! Keep your guests partying with live music and activities for everyone. 
  4. Lights: The party doesn’t stop at night! Brighten up the venue and party into the night with beautiful string lights. Perfect for setting a summer under the stars mood and more pictures!
  5. Drinks: Everyone needs a refresher to cool down in the summer sun. Have an open-bar for your 21+ guests and something creative for the kids! 

What are you waiting for? Get your party on and plan your next summer event with us!

Start 2017 with Eventbee’s FREE ticketing for San Francisco!

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Join us as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary!

We are excited to introduce FREE ticketing for all events in San Francisco for the entire year. Yes, you read it correctly, we are giving you free ticketing service for the whole year! San Francisco has supported us from day one and we want to give back to our hometown.

Eventbee began its journey in 2007 in San Francisco as it became the first online ticketing platform in the industry that introduced the competitive pricing of $1 flat fee. Since then, we have grown tremendously with our flexible payment options ranging from PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.net and more! We reached a huge milestone in 2015 when we crossed $100 million in ticket sales and in 2016 when we launched Eventbee in Spanish speaking countries. Today, we celebrate 10 years proudly in more than 100 countries!

eventbee-history-1

With over a decade of experience, you can now manage any kind of event anywhere in the world using our platform. All events in San Francisco in 2017 are eligible for FREE basic ticketing, which means you can utilize Eventbee’s services completely free of charge! For more details on how to get started, check out our website here.

Announcing Eventbee For Business

Today, we are excited to premiere the new Business tier, which extends the power of the Eventbee Platform to cater to custom business needs.

Through the new Eventbee for Business tier and our industry-leading launch partners, business event managers can enable:

  • Ticketing Rules: With ticketing rules, businesses can create conditions to register for the event, e.g, unless attendee registered for the conference, can’t register for a session in the conference.

TicketLogic (2)

  • Buyer Page: Lets attendees to edit their registration profile information, and businesses can give access to exclusive content meant for the attendees.

BuyerContent

  • Priority Registration: Priority Registration allows businesses to control who can register for the event.

Registration

  • Sub-Managers: Create sub-managers for team management of the event. Businesses can set access controls and delegate tasks to sub-managers, e.g, sub-managers that are allowed to check-in attendees at the venue.

Sub-managers

“As we began researching online registration applications, we could not find a solution that specifically met our needs for a complex registration process. Eventbee, however, accommodated our requirements by creating customized ‘ticketing rules’ to prevent registrations being made during conflicting days and times, while staying well within our budget.”

Kathy O’Hern of Montana Association of Weavers & Spinners.

For more details, visit http://www.eventbee.com/main/eventbee-for-business

Case Study: DeMolay International

About DeMolay International

DeMolay International is a non-profit organization that holds many types of events all over the country. People come from all over the world to attend the Demolay International Annual Convention, which is an event that aims to prepare young men for happy and successful lives through character building and leadership training over the course of a weekend. From registering for the convention, to paying for meals and hotel rooms, there is a lot of thought and planning that goes into this event.

Challenge

As a non-profit, DeMolay International was having trouble finding an online platform that would allow for them to design a detailed registration form at a very low price. They needed their form to be dynamic and customizable, and they needed to ask attendees questions based on which tickets they were choosing. DeMolay also wanted to use their current Authorize.net merchant account to accept credit card payments, and they wanted everything to be very user friendly and easy.

Solution

DeMolay International decided to take advantage of Eventbee’s custom events pages. They needed to offer a wide variety of options to attendees, and Eventbee was the perfect fit. They could set up an event page for people to register for the event, reserve hotel rooms, pay for meals, and answer questions related to the purchase. Eventbee made it possible to handle all of these tasks in a simple and efficient manner.

They also took advantage of Eventbee’s flexible credit card processing capabilities. Now, DeMolay International could use their existing Authorize.net account to process payments for their event tickets. Eventbee also supports by Paypal, Braintree, and Stripe credit card processing.

Eventbee’s discount for non-profit organizations was also a huge help to the company. DeMolay International was able to take advantage of the “Eventbee for Common Good” program, which aims to help non-profit organizations save money on online ticketing. Eventbee offers a 25% discount for 501c3 non-profit organizations. This was perfect for DeMolay International.

The company also enjoys the fact that Eventbee has a great customer service staff that can always help. They stated that “The customer service staff is excellent and they were always able to answer my questions or provide a solution when asked.” Eventbee is perfect for DeMolay International because they value the fact that they can give unlimited options, while keeping their costs low.

“The customer service staff is excellent and they were always able to answer my questions or provide a solution when asked.” -Gary Denklau, DeMolay International

Features Used:

  • Event Page Customization
  • Flexible Credit Card Processing
  • Different Ticket Types
  • Ticket Level Questions
  • Custom Registration Form