16 Ways To Welcome Attendees With These Event Registration Area Ideas

Although in many cases your event registration is a logistical necessity, you can still use it to your advantage. Even a simple registration desk set up can give a warm welcome, offer sponsorship opportunities and allow event staff to be on top form, greeting guests.

Clever ideas when attendees are signing in can set the tone for the entire event, for example, showcasing professionalism and organization at corporate events demonstrating your company means business or including a fun element at a party or social function to entertain attendees as they arrive.

When it comes to the registration area, there are three key points to consider before you start: 

• If you have no budget, get staff to bring their A game. A simple table doesn’t have to be boring if you have the right greeters to bring it to life. Plus, experienced and adequate amounts of staff can keep things running smoothly.
• If you anticipate queues, engage them. Sometimes queues are unavoidable but that doesn’t have to negatively impact your event. Have roaming entertainment like magicians interacting with crowds, screens sharing content or social media or crowd games for sign up areas while they wait.
• Keep signage simple. We all hate a queue jumper and when it happens to you, you’ll remember it for the rest of the day which will overshadow the event, so make sure signage is clear and easy to follow to avoid this happening to your attendees.

Here are some cool ideas to utilise for your next event registration areas.

1. Consistent Branding

Keeping your branding consistent if you are running multiple events is important, particularly for smaller registration areas like this. Here’s an excellent example of how you can mix things up so it’s not samey, while keeping your brand themes intact. Making registration desks recognisable is important so that attendees can immediately know where to go to sign in.  

Credit: Sublime Event Designs

2. Tablet Tables

If you’re looking to integrate an online system and upgrade your current registration, this can be a nice compromise. It’s still a registration desk to be manned, but staff take on a more passive role, allowing attendees to sign themselves in. One of the benefits of this option is that registration staff can focus on engaging, answering questions and dealing with the queues rather than the writing and paperwork associated with registration so this is an excellent option if you are short on greeter numbers to take the load off.

Credit: Creative Collective

3. Supply Desks

Registration can get complicated which means you need to be organised. This is a great example of how you can deal with a lot of elements on sign in with large amounts of attendees and still nail the experience. Here attendees can be entertained with interactive tablets while they wait and there are plenty of desks and staff to avoid queues so even though attendees have the extra logistics of picking up lanyards and swag it’s still very organised and makes a good impression.

4. Light-Up Desks

These are a cool option if your registration is taking place in low-lighting or as part of a transition from day to night. The lighting allows the desk to stand out and can be adapted to suit the mood or color palette too, plus, these desks are on wheels making them mobile and adaptable to your space, especially at a multi-functional venue.

Credit: barchefs

5. Carnival Admission

Why not tie your registration to a theme? Make event tickets like old fashion show stubs, have a literal ticket booth registration and have staff play character roles. Themed registration desks can create immersive experiences from the outset for your attendees, particularly if you have a designated room or entry for your event.

Credit: Just Seventy Ltd

6. Murals

Spruce up meetings by commissioning colorful murals created in the registration area like this fantastic example from Google’s briefing center. This could be scaled up for larger corporate events and promotes sustainability if you involve community artists or talent to do the piece. You could use it as a fundraising incentive to auction or hang in the office as a reminder of your annual corporate event.

Credit: Jay Crum

7. Backdrop Cut-outs

Backdrops can offer an exciting element to your registration and can enclose an area, particularly if you are using open spaced venues. This is a great example of a custom registration adapted to the products and services at an expo to really make an impact and stand out. What makes it even more special is that they seem to want to fly off the page and create a 3D effect for extra wow factor.

8. Ribbon Queues

This is a cool, clean-cut registration area that means business. Branded signage on the pillars makes it easy to identify where attendees need to go and all of the extra signage follows the same colors for recognition. Although traditional, using tensa barriers to manage queues can avoid cutting in and clearly displays an order for those turning up, plus the LED lights powerfully highlight the desks and adds a “techy” feel for the Linux Foundation’s KubeCon in Austin, Texas.

Credit: Lourentz Events

9. Impeccable Linens

It’s all in the presentation when it comes to registration areas and this impeccable example knows how to raise the standard even if you are using a simple, plain table layout. Staff matching the linens for clever coordination and freshly pressed pleating with no creases shows that you’ve chosen to keep it simple but with purpose. The added foliage is in keeping with the green themes of this golf tournament and adds a drop of color to this otherwise pristine option.

Credit: Tandem Evenements

10. Pop-Up Booths

For events that need a transition, are in a public space or need temporary registrations these booths that allow interchangeable branding can be a cool idea. The signage can be customised and set up on the day but they have a bit of extra height through the header, over and above a traditional table, to make them stand out a lot more. This is a great example of how you can use extra space for sponsors too!

Credit: Convention and Expo Management Services

11. Registration Walk-Through

This is a pretty cool idea for a registration area, particularly if you want to keep things flowing when guests enter. Adding a variety of options and plenty of small desks in a small space could drastically reduce queues if you have staff to keep guests moving and avoid bottlenecks. This can give a seamless transition into the event, particularly as the themes, colors and lighting are already used as you enter.

12. Standing Tablets

If your attendee demographic is tech-savvy enough, having standalone self-service registration can be logistically simple and easy to use. Simply pre-load the registration program and let attendees do the work themselves and as these options are small and moveable, they can be placed at an entrance or easily integrated into the venue if you don’t have much space.

Credit: Aria Technology Rentals

13. Activation

Branding is particularly useful for conferences and trade shows because of the number of other brands and services that are competing for attention. This registration desk works on three fronts, it has a light up backdrop for highlighting itself, solid branding signage and color schemes as well as multiple levels to make it more interactive. You could have brochures on a lower shelf and create a moving line so that attendees can pick up what they need before officially being registered into the event.

Credit: Creating a Scene Inc.

14. Event Apps

What would this list be without mentioning the potential of event apps. They can make registration seamless and if they have a self check in option via the event app they can avoid the need for logistics like desks or queues which is particularly beneficial for larger events if you are expecting a lot of attendees. If you still prefer a traditional registration area, use gamification features like a quiz while they wait.

15. Colorful Graphics

It can be tempting to keep things simple with block colors but sometimes more really is more. These lovely branded registration desks really pop at the IFA Symposium last year and with ample clean and professional staff for each desk, you’re clearly taken care of when you arrive.

Credit: Foot Soldiers

16. Informal Registration

Although technically a welcome area, this is a cool corporate event idea that shows you can create informal registration areas for guests to walk through and interact with when they get to the event. This example from the Meta Mixer last year sees a corporate registration area turned into a playful oasis complete with pillow fighting models in pyjamas!

In Conclusion

Registration areas are all about making an excellent first impression as well as clever ways to interact with your guests to create a great experience. Although you may be hindered by space and practicality in many cases, seize the opportunities that registration areas can bring to make the right first impression and to utilize branding, sponsorship and entertainment to your advantage.