5 Easy Ways to Make Your International Registrants Feel Welcome

Unless you’re escaping winter weather or otherwise simply escaping, holiday travel isn’t generally a topic of choice. Images of crowded airports, long lines, security searches, screaming children, exasperated parents and bad food quickly come to mind. And really, unless you’re soaring on good spirits because you’re heading off on your Caribbean vacation, most travel is the same. Being as fun as it is, all of the little things that you can do to make attending your event easier are going to be appreciated by your International participants.

A good way to make an early impression on International participants is to design an online registration form that includes a few special considerations.

International addresses – If registrants can’t select their country from a drop-down menu, it doesn’t create a very welcoming impression. Include a complete country list if any International registrations are expected. For Province and State, an option to select “Outside U.S. and Canada” is generally the best option as a comprehensive list would be overwhelming and an International address may not include such a designation.

It’s a great exercise in frustration to know that you are entering the correct information, only to find that the system won’t accept it. Be sure the system will accept different formats for postal code and phone number. If it doesn’t, many International registrants won’t be able to enter valid data and you’ll end up with data that you can’t use.

Not being able to enter a complete address can also result in declined credit card transactions. Of course, this is frustrating for the registrant but it can also result in lost registrations.

Time Zones – It may seem too obvious to include the time zone in the event details but if the registration cut-off time is at 5:00 p.m., the fact that this is actually 5:00 p.m. an ocean away may slip the registrant’s mind. It’s easy to overlook so some extra clarity can avoid disappointment.

Currency – It doesn’t hurt to state the currency as it’s easy to overlook. If you expect a large number of people to come from a specific area it’s also a nice consideration to include an approximate exchange rate so that the registrant isn’t doing the math. However, make sure that it’s clear that the exchange rate is approximate as you can’t account for fluctuating rates.

Translations – You can make International registrants feel more welcome by offering your registration form in a second language. If half of your registrants are French or Spanish speaking, then the impact on these registrants may be worth the extra effort. If the volume isn’t high enough or if the language diversity is too great, then be careful about using industry jargon or acronyms that registrants from outside the country may not be as familiar with.

International Calling – It’s generally a good idea to include a phone number that registrants can call if they have questions about your event. If you only have a local number, include the country code so that International registrants don’t have to look it up. If you have a 1-800 number, it may not work outside of North America so you may also need to include your local number or an International toll free number.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments about this article.


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