How to Set Up Online Registration for an Event: Tips and Tools

Are you looking for the best way to create an online registration for an event in WordPress? If yes, this article is for you. A convenient online event registration system does play a great role in increasing sign-ups and ticket sales on your website. All you need to achieve that is a dedicated WordPress events website and the right WordPress registration plugin.

In this article, you will learn about how you can create an online event registration form in WordPress using a feature-rich WordPress plugin from scratch.

Why do you need to setup a WordPress event registration form?

Did you know a lot of people step back from registering for an event due to a complicated event registration process? An event registration form not only makes it easy for the event organizer to maintain the details of the registrants but also helps people register for an event without any hassle. Moreover, with a simple event registration form, you can also encourage people to purchase tickets for your events. Here are the benefits of creating a WordPress event registration form:

• You can simplify the process of registration with a registration form that your audiences only need to fill in to register. 
• Handling audience data becomes also easy when you have a registration form. 
• A paid registration system increases ticket sales, as people can register and pay for your event tickets at the same time. 
• You can utilize the audience data that you collect through the registration form in offering personalized event experiences to them. 
• The attendee data also helps you know and serve your audiences better. 
• One of the biggest advantages of offering an online registration form is that your attendees do not have to go anywhere else to register themselves for your event.

In a nutshell, a simple WordPress event registration form can do much more than what you imagine in your event. Let's find out how we can create one.

How to setup an online event registration form in WordPress?

Things you need to create a WordPress event registration form:

• A WordPress events website. 
• Appropriate WordPress plugins.

The first thing that you need here is a dedicated WordPress events management website. If you already have a WordPress website, you can skip this step. Choosing a suitable plugin to add event management functionalities to your website: When it comes to a feature-packed WordPress event management plugin, you have plenty of options but it is your duty to choose the right one for your business. If you want to find the best WordPress event registration plugin for your business consider reading our previous blogs on the same “The 10 Best WordPress Event Registration Plugins”. We recommend WP Event Manager here. The reasons for our recommendations include the following:

• The plugin is lightweight, scalable, and developer-friendly. 
• Easy to use. 
• No coding skills are required to use it. 
• Exceptional features. 
• Affordable premium extensions. 
• Dedicated support. 
• Hundreds of positive reviews and ratings on popular platforms. 
• Several awards and recognitions. 
• Sufficient resources to help new users guide on plugin usage and more.

To find out more about such amazing features of WP Event Manager, discover the plugin now! Here are the steps you need to take to create a WordPress event registration form:

• Install WP Event Manager. 
• Purchase and Install the Event Registrations Addon. 
• Purchase and install the Sell Tickets addon if you want to add paid registrations. 
• Create your event registration form.  
• Start managing registration.

Install WP Event Manager

The WP Event Manager plugin can installed both manually and automatically. Click here to learn how you can install the plugin on your system. Once you install the plugin, you can purchase and install the Registration and Sell tickets plugins. To remove any kind of doubts that you have in your mind before making the purchase, you can try out the WP Event Manager Demo to examine the plugin and confidently make payment for it. Using the demo, you can get a clear idea of what you will get from the plugins. With the core plugin, you can add event listings to your website.

How to add an event registration form in WordPress with the Event Registration addon?

The Event Registration plugin from WP Event Manager, allows you to create a customizable registration form through which you can collect audience data as per your requirement.

The customizable options lets you choose your preferred form fields so that you can get only the specific details that you want from your audiences. You can add the registration form using a specific Shortcode. To add the registration option to an event you need to use the below-mentioned shortcode. [event_register id=”event_id”] Example: [event_register id=”342″] The Registration addon gives users the right to add, edit or delete registration form fields as per your requirements from the Backend. Here are the steps you need to take to perform that: WP-admin >> Event Registration >> Registration Form.

This helps the website owner collect only the information that he wants from his attendees.

Registration Form Settings

The settings options allow event organizers or website owners customize the form as per their business needs. Here are the steps to be followed: WP-admin >> Event Registration >> Settings >> Registration form Here are the list of options you will get under the “Registration Forms” tab:

• User Restriction: if you enable the option “Only allow registered users to register”, only logged-in users will be allowed to register and other users will be asked to log in at first.
• Multiple Registration: if you enable the option “Prevent users from registering to the same event multiple times”, the registration form will be concealed from the user who has already registered.

You can disable this option if you want to allow visitors to register for the same events multiple times. 

• Duplicate email: By enabling the Duplicate email option, you can restrict people from registering with the same email ID again.
• Organizer Email notification: An organizer will receive an email notification as soon as a visitor registers for his event.
• Attendee Email notification: An attendee will receive an email notification  as soon as he or she completes the registration process with his or her email ID.
• Enable unregistered attendee email notification: organizers get notified through email messages when a registered attendee de-register for their event.
• Canceled Event Email notification: An Email is sent to the registered attendees if the event they registered for gets canceled.
• Check-in event email notification: Organizers instantly receive an email notification when an attendee checks into their event.
• New registration default status: This signifies the status that you want to display for those who have completed the registration process for your event or events. It could be New/Confirmed/Waiting/Canceled/Archived.
• New registration notification status: This shows the stage of registration at which an attendee should be notified. This status includes New/Confirmed/Waiting/Canceled/Archived.
• Send event registration mail notification: Here, a user can either send the registration confirmation through email to the event organizer or to the registrant’s email ID. The user needs to select between these two options.

For example, If a new user’s default status is new, and the registration notification status is confirmed, the user will get a notification only after the admin or the Organizer changes the status from new to confirmed. The above-mentioned settings options lets you personalize your event registration form as per your choice.

Event Registration Plugin Facts

Besides adding a customizable event registration form in WordPress, the Event Registration offers a lot of other facilities as well. Here are the things that you can do with the Event Registration addon:

• Access the entire attendee list along with their details. 
• Manage the attendee list as per your convenience. 
• Get a detailed backend registration dashboard where you as a website owner can access the following details:
  1. Total number of registrations.
  2. New. 
  3. Confirmed. 
  4. Waiting. 
  5. Canceled. 
  6. Archived.

• Get registration status at event listings. 
• Create My Registrations page.

To know more about the Event Registration plugin and how it works, visit our knowledgebase section.

How the Event Registration addon works with the Sell Tickets addon

You need the support of the Sell Tickets addon when you want to create a paid Event Registration form. With the Sell Tickets addon, you can display the event registration form on the ticket checkout page so that your attendees fill up the registration form before paying for your event tickets.

To display the registration form on the event submission form you need to make changes in the settings section. Get more details on the same on our knowledgebase section.

Wrapping up

Having a WordPress event registration form adds multiple advantages to your event. Besides increasing ticket sales it also helps create a great user experience on your website. The Event Registration addon from WP Event Manager offers much more than just a customizable event registration form. It offers users complete control of the registration system on his or her website. If you are looking for a better and faster way to manage your event registrations online, turn to WP Event Manager for the ultimate solution. Create a simple and customizable registration form with the Event Registration addon and start managing your event registrations online like a pro.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What Payment Gateways Are Most Secure for Event Registrations?

Prioritize PCI-DSS compliant gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, and Square.

2. What Information Should I Collect on My Registration Form?

Balance necessity and simplicity:

• Must-Haves: Name, email, ticket type, payment details.
• Optional: Dietary preferences, session choices, and feedback.
• Avoid: Overloading with irrelevant fields. GDPR-compliant tools such as WP Event Manager enable you to customize forms while maintaining respect for privacy.

3. How do I connect my Registration Platform with Event Management Tools?

Utilize platforms with native integrations or APIs/Zapier.

4. How do I Minimize Abandoned Registrations?

• Simplify Forms: Utilize progress bars and auto-fill.
• Transparent Pricing: Display fees upfront.
• Guest Checkout: Don't require account creation.
• Exit-Intent Popups: Provide incentives or reminders.
• Mobile Optimization: Provide seamless mobile checkout (e.g., WP Event Manager's responsive design).