How to Run A Sold-Out Conference for 2,200 Attendees Without the Hassles!

TiE Eliminates Write-Offs and Keeps Members Happy by using 123Signup. Hosting a large conference that draws over 2,000 attendees is a significant undertaking when you have a full-time staff of three people. This is especially true when the conference involves multifaceted registration, one with different pricing for various membership types, spouses, guests, special activities plus early and late registrations. However, the event planning and registration task can be simplified by leveraging the Internet. Just ask the Silicon Valley chapter of the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). TiE is a non-profit global network of entrepreneurs and professionals with roots or interest in the Indus region. One of the key benefits of TiE membership is the education and networking opportunities provided at events such as TiEcon, the organization's flagship annual two-day conference. "Our members rely on us to host a conference that feels professional even though we rely on our slim staff and a lot of volunteers," said Bakul Joshi, Executive Director of TiE. "They are a web literate community of professionals who want to take advantage of the Web. 123Signup has helped us deliver member convenience and project a professional image." "With the substantial increase in event attendance that we've experienced, it is critical for us to have an efficient mechanism for managing registrations," said Joshi. Most of the attendees preferred to register for the conference online. They were able to register and pay for the main conference, including signing up for the dinner that required a separate payment. 123Signup has the intelligence to calculate registration fees based on a members online profile. 123Signup's system factored in member/non-member status, special rates for spouses or guests and early bird discounts, to offer the right price to everyone. With a simple three-click process, attendees were registered, received e-mail confirmations and their name badges were accurate and ready when they arrived at the conference. "Registration for our conference went very smoothly using 123Signup's online registration system," said Joshi. "Our members were very happy with the efficient handling of the registration and we didn't have to deal with the data entry, delays and errors involved in paper registration!"