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A Guide to Getting Started

Welcome to GiftTool Event Registrar service  –  an easy way to handle event co-ordination and online registration.  This guide will introduce you to many of GiftTool's features and help orient you as you begin to set up and manage your events.

Create events - quickly and easily!

  1. The first thing you should do is create your Privacy Policy.
  2. Add an Event Coordinator: Confirmation emails will list your event coordinator's contact details, as well as, use their email as the 'From' email address displayed in your registrants' inbox .  Assigning an event coordinator to an event also allows you to delegate responsibility for creating and managing events.  With their unique password, they have restricted access to your GiftTool account which allows them to administer and view reports for their own events, as well as, create new events (they can log in by clicking on the Admin link at the bottom of any of your event registration pages NOT via the client log in from the GiftTool home page).
  3. Create a Waiver to outline the Terms & Conditions for your event.  The waiver can be displayed to your registrants in two ways, as a link embedded in your registration pages which they can click on to view, or as a separate page in the registration process where they must click "I accept".  
  4. Now you're ready to Add New Event! The wizard will walk you through each page step-by-step.
    • You must create at least one Registrant Type (e.g. General Admission) or you can specify multiple Registrant Types (Member, Non-Member, etc).   You can also create a VIP registrant type for free tickets which will be administered in the BackOffice only and not shown on your public registration pages.
    • You must create at least one Registration Option to which you assign your event prices (Single Ticket, Table of 10 tickets, Day 1 pass, Day 2 pass, etc).  You can bundle your options into a package offered at a special price (e.g. 4-Series Discount Pass, Season's Pass).
    • If you want to allow registrants to purchase multiple tickets, without recording each attendees name, check the "Add quantity fields to the event and session options" on the Setup > Form Options page and check "No group registration" on the Registrants > Registrant Groups page.
    • Once your guests select a registration option, you can also offer a choice of sessions, additional items for sale, and the ability to make a donation to your cause if this is a fundraising event.
    • Wherever you have the option to assign a capacity to an event option or additional item, make sure to either assign a capacity limit or delete the "0".  Otherwise the option or item will appear as sold out on your registration form.
    • If you have a very simple event without sessions or items, just skip those pages by clicking on the Update & Next button at the bottom to move to the next screen. Don't forget to click the Save as Draft button when you're finished.  
    • You can preview your results from the Manage Events > Draft > Profile section, clicking on the green Preview link or you can copy and paste the URL into a new browser.
  5. When changing an event once it has been saved, you must click on Update & Next before proceeding to another screen. And don't forget to hit the save button when you are finished with all your changes. Note: If you already have a web browser open displaying the old registration form, please close the browser and open a new browser so that you can see your changes to your online form. Otherwise, your browser session will still exist, continuing to show the old settings even though you have hit the refresh button. Tip: If the input fields are already filled out, this means that data continues to exist from the last session and you do not have the most recent version of your form. Just close all browsers and start again.
  6. When you're ready to launch your draft event on your web site simply activate the event from the Manage Events > Profile section. Then, insert your event URL link or your List of Events URL link into your Web site.

Take advantage of registration option flexibility

GiftTool makes it easy to set up events that have complex registration and pricing options. Understanding the concepts behind the registration will help you when setting up your event. When you set up registration options, set up the smallest unit that users can register for, then package the event into larger units.

The tool can also enforce your choice of Business Rules including:

  • Track numbers of registrants for all events, including numbers for complimentary events, to monitor capacity and to charge appropriate prices, where applicable.
  • Sell some of the options separately ("one-day registration").
  • Group some of the options into a conference package, and offer the package at a price less than the cost of registering for each day individually.
  • Sell tickets to networking lunches to registrants.
  • Prevent registrants from choosing inappropriate options (restricting Monday-only registrants to the Monday networking lunch) to limit multiple ticket bookings to enforce conference policy.

Simplify event management

Event planners know that tracking registration fees and registrant options are hugely time-consuming, and that tracking all the details eats into your day’s productivity. GiftTool takes the stress out of managing your event:

Set early or late registration rates. Tell the GiftTool Event Registrar, in advance, when the early registration rates are supposed to change, then put it out of your mind. The rates change on the appropriate date, without manual intervention.

Copy a previous event. No need to start from scratch. With a click of the ‘copy’ button, you can create a new event by simply changing the dates, times, prices and anything else that has changed.

Track offline payments. Record full or partial payments received, moving registrations from unpaid to paid status.

Offer multiple payment methods and specify taxes. For each event, you can determine if the event fees are taxable and payable by credit card, check or at the door. GiftTool automatically calculates any taxes owed when attendees register for your event.

Run reports. Keep on top of your events by running up-to-the-minute reports in ways that help you stay organized. Your data is updated instantly when a registration is processed. Download your data into an excel spreadsheet at any time.

Make your on-site registration process more efficient by using Event Registrar's helpful tools. You can print an on-site checklist that lists all the information needed by registration desk staff. The report gives registration desk staffers a place to check who has arrived, and a place to make notes about last-minute things you might need to ask individuals as they pick up their registrations packages.

Tips:
  • Your account is live. So if you would like to step through the registration process to test your form, please stop the process at the payment page. Otherwise, your registration will be processed using your credit card number, and your account will be charged the transaction fees.
  • Test your links once you go live.



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