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PAST NEWSLETTERS
Avoid Surprises, Check For
These Items Before Signing A Contract For Online
Registration Services
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When you are rushing to
open registration for an
event, reading a
contract from an online
registration supplier
might be the last thing
you have time for, but
it could mean the
difference between a
successful event and one
that fails.
A good contract should
be written to describe
exactly what is going to
be provided, how much it
will cost and state the
rights and obligations
of both the online
registration supplier
and the event planner so
that there are no
surprises or
misunderstandings.
If you find that the
company you are working
with doesn’t have a
contract or doesn’t
require you to agree to
their terms and
conditions, you should
question if you want to
do business with that
company. Without a
contract you may be
relying on what the
sales rep told you and
your interpretation of
what was said. Not
getting the service that
you expected might be
just the beginning of
your problems.
When you are asked to
sign a contract you may
want to seek your own
legal advice, but here
is a list of items
specifically related to
online event
registration that you
should watch for.
1. Description
of services
What are you going to
get for the money you
pay? If the online
registration supplier is
doing the set up for you
does the contract state
exactly what they will
set up? Is there a
section that describes
what features are
included and what you
are obligated to provide
and do?
2. Cost
This one seems obvious,
but there is often more
than one price to look
for. A set up fee, per
registration fee and
credit card processing
fees are the most
obvious.
Not so obvious charges
include refund fees,
chargeback fees, rates
to do work not described
in the contract and
charges to integrate
with merchant accounts.
All of these can be fair
and legitimate charges,
but be sure that you
know what they are
before signing.
3. Support
Know what technical
support is included, how
you access it, what
times it is available
(and in what time zone).
Find out if there is a
limit to the number of
calls or emails and if
so how much you’ll be
charged for additional
help or training. If you
are using a self- serve
system where you are
setting up your own
forms, find out how much
it will cost if you end
up needing someone from
the online registration
company to take care of
it for you.
4. Privacy and
ownership of
registration data
Look for a privacy
statement and something
that says you own all of
the collected data and
that the online
registration company has
no rights to sell or use
it in any way without
your written permission.
Similar to this, make
sure that there will not
be any outside
advertising on your form
without your permission.
5. Credit Card
Revenue Payments
In a lot of cases event
planners are using the
online registration
company’s merchant
accounts. If you are set
up like this look for a
clause in the contract
that says when the
collected revenues are
paid to you, if any
amount is held back and
if so, how much and for
how long.
6. Term and
cancellation
Some contracts will be
set up on an event by
event basis while others
will be for a term such
as a year or two years.
Be careful about signing
long term agreements
especially with a
company that you are not
familiar with.
Also consider what
happens if you need to
cancel the contract. Is
there a penalty and what
are your obligations?
These are just a few key
things to watch for. If
you don’t understand
something in a contract
be sure to ask and be
sure you are comfortable
with all of the terms
and conditions before
signing.
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have any questions or comments about this article.
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