Registration and ticketing is your “first impression” with your attendees, so being organized, informed and well-prepared will help your faire get off to a great start in many ways. It’s very important to remember that the foremost function of registration or entrance is to GREET your visitors and ORIENT them to having a great time.
Design and Staffing
Thus staffing your registration and entrance with volunteers who are well-trained and friendly is really important. Make sure they not only know how to do their jobs, but that they also understand what the event is, who it benefits (if it’s a fundraiser), who is sponsoring it, and who to go to for help with tricky questions or problems. You might create an FAQ and go over it during your training/orientation.
Other event design hints for registration to keep in mind:
Of course, your entrance system varies greatly depending on whether or not your event is free, and again by what ticket methodology you have chosen. Design the physical experience of your visitors to map onto the various entrance scenarios you have devised. Create different lines or check-in tables for different purchasing methods (e.g. printed tickets vs. credit cards vs. cash at the door).
Process
Here are some things to think about for each of the various entrance scenarios:
Free Events. If the event is free, you still will want to use registration/entrance to welcome your attendees and provide them with any printed materials or program. You will also want to have an information/greeting table with a sign-in sheet (or tablet with Eventbrite’s At the Door app) where people can give you their names and email addresses, register for your & Maker Faire’s mailing list, etc. And you might want to use a clicker counter to track people as they enter.
Paid Ticket Events. Most Mini Maker Faires will use Eventbrite’s electronic ticketing system, as well as their free downloadable smart phone and iPad apps for registration and ticketing. Payments can be processed with the Eventbrite credit card reader, or if outside of the U.S., with other credit card processing tools.
We recommend you divide attendees into two lines:
TICKET HOLDERS
TICKET BUYERS
Subdivide this line into two
HINT: Plan a schedule with your security team for swapping out full cash boxes and taking them to your main (and secure) office.
Ideally your sponsoring organization has an existing credit card transaction mechanism, and all you are doing is swiping cards and collecting signatures. In the case of the Mini Maker Faire, our school (the sponsoring organization) had a merchant account, but did not own a digital, internet-connected “swiper.” Instead of investing in one of these, we just used old-fashioned carbon swipers, and called in the transactions via phone the next morning.
Conceivably you could also have an internet-connected computer, and have your attendees pay through a PayPal interface, but that will likely slow your lines down significantly.
Comps / VIPs / Media. If you use the online ticketing tools, complimentary or free tickets can be secured and processed just like any other ticket (either printed out & scanned or on attendee list). You will likely have sent your VIPs a digital ticket in advance, and they will be in the system.
If you are not using the electronic backend of an Eventbrite-type tool, then you may go for the guest list table. Inform your VIPs, media, and guests in advance to enter and check-in at this “gate” or table. Separating these people out from the crowd can be helpful if you want to know when these VIPs arrive (you can have your volunteer at the table call or radio you when particular people enter).
EXITS AND RE-ENTRIES
Even if your event is free you will likely want to manage your entrance and exits, even if it’s just to count how many people attended. Plan how people leave. It is one of the last impressions you will make; make it easy and clear where to go (signage can take care of much of this).
If your event is paid, you will want to staff entrances so that people don’t sneak in without paying. Also, you might want to offer a way for people to gain re-entry. (Your security team can likely serve this function by hand-stamping or offering wrist-bands.)