Event ticketing system or attendee management software?

The provider market for ticketing and attendee management software and systems is diverse and equally confusing. Many topics sound similar and are often mixed together. This makes it difficult for customers and potential customers to find their way around the market, compare providers and find the right solution for them.

The topics of ticketing and participant management are often “lumped together”, although the two terms only have a limited connection. The commonality essentially results from the fact that a ticket is also generated and sent for the participant at the end of a participant management or registration process.

How is an event ticketing system used?

Anyone who has ever bought a concert ticket knows the process: you select one or more tickets on the online platform and, depending on the provider and event format, you can also choose your preferred ticket type.Select seats, specifies whether the ticket is to be delivered by post or online and then completes the order process with payment. Tickets are increasingly being personalized so that first and last names have to be added during the ordering process.

What does participant management involve?

Participant management is much more than that. A participant management platform is not only a registration tool but also a communication tool for and with participants. They are usually used over a longer period of time – from sending out an initial save-the-date to registration and follow-up after the event.

During the registration process, much more information is usually requested and managed in the system than just the acceptance or rejection. The registration of accompanying persons, the question of hotel accommodation and types of travel, participation in workshops or the indication of dietary intolerances are typical information that must be obtained for optimal event organization and the best possible care of the participants. As mentioned at the beginning, one or more tickets are usually sent to the participants at the end of the registration process.

On-site accreditation and the reception of guests is also part of good participant management. In addition to simply recording attendance by scanning tickets, there are also many points of contact with guests at the event. Be it the printing of name badges, the distribution of participant documents, the registration of guests at other parts of the program or workshops or simply the professional handling of special and clarification cases.

So there are certainly overlaps between ticketing and subscriber management, but in principle the two disciplines offer very different solutions for very different processes.

If you would like to find out more, please contact us.