Nine points to consider before developing your own online registration
system.

Creating your own online registration system may be tempting. Mostly because
what you see looks fairly simple; an online form linked to a database with a way
for the event planner to access the information. It sounds simple enough, but
let’s take a closer look at some things you should consider before choosing to
develop your own system.

1. Development Time – Designing, programming, and testing an online
registration system will take several months and likely a lot more. An online
registration provider can get your custom online form ready to accept
registrations in less than a week.

2. Labour – Programmers and consultants will cost between $50 and $150
per hour. Initial programming for a basic registration system can easily be in
the hundreds of hours at a minimum and add many more for testing and
troubleshooting.

More labour is required to figure out exactly how you want the system to work,
come up with a project plan and to find, interview and hire programmers, graphic
designers and other professionals to help you.

3. Database design – The structure of the database is critical to the
success of your project. It must be well thought out and properly designed so it
is reliable and scaleable. A poorly designed database can cause your data to
become corrupt and not allow you to make additions for future needs.

4. User Interface – Your online forms and backend reports need to have an
easy to use, intuitive layout or people won’t use your system. It is best to
consult with a professional here. What works on paper doesn’t always work on
screen especially since people are using many different screen sizes, browsers
and operating systems. Also many professional online registration systems do
much more than just show you the data, they actually allow you to manage and
manipulate it as if it was on your own computer.

5. Security – How will you protect the data, process credit card
transactions and limit access to the collected data? People must feel safe using
your system and you will need to purchase proper security certificates and be on
top of the latest patches and alert to new viruses.

6. Computer Hardware and Software – Hardware and software for your
registration system can easily be several thousand dollars for the minimum
requirements. Plus there will be monthly charges to keep the equipment in a
proper climate controlled server room with back up generator power and a
reliable connection to the internet.

Once you have a system there are still more costs.

7. Changes, Upgrades and Maintenance – Since no two events are the same,
there will always be something you need to add, change or improve with your
system. Each of these changes will require more programming and testing time.
Regular maintenance will also be required to keep your system running without
problems. These costs will always be present as long as you have your own
system.

8. Back ups – You need to constantly back up data and the software you
have designed in case there is ever a problem. You should plan to have hourly,
daily and monthly back ups and keep copies of the information in more than one
location.

9. 24/7 Availability – Any online registration system needs to be online
all the time. This means you need someone who can respond quickly in case any
problems arise. This person(s) needs to know how to deal with a wide range of
problems: software, hardware, networking, security. If this person is sick, on
vacation or leaves your company you may be put in a situation that jeopardizes
your business. Even if the system is well programmed and documented it can take
days for a new programmer to get it all sorted out, which will be costly in
terms of labour and your reputation..

Any system you develop must be well thought out, properly programmed and
carefully managed. A poor system will not get used by your event participants or
your staff making the time and money you invested a waste. Even worse, a poor
system can cause a lot of frustration, lose data and ultimately result in more
work.

A professional online registration service will save you from having to worry
about most of the above issues and you will only pay for what you use. Plus you
will be free to adapt new technologies as they are developed without feeling
that you haven’t gotten your money out of they system you developed.

While this article may sound a little biased as we are an online registration
company, all of the points above are real costs to consider. Having gone through
the experience of developing an online registration system and operating it for
more than two years, we firmly believe that the vast majority of people planning
events are far better off to hire an online registration company than to invest
in their own system.

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

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