A key requirement of the registration process is being able to maintain professional control of confrontational situations.
There are many problems that may arise from people standing in registration queues:
- People get upset if they have been standing in the wrong queue
- People get upset if they are not “in the system”
- People get upset if they ask a question and you don’t know the answer
- People get upset if they are asked to go here, then go there, then go elsewhere because no-one knows how to handle their problem or where to send them
- People get upset if they are not treated like the most important person at the event
- People get upset if they just arrive and expect to be let in for free
- Some people just get upset because it’s Monday and their dog died and their aunt is in hospital and their wife is filing for divorce and they’re being retrenched….
The fact is we are dealing with people and people can be emotional and irrational – our job is to ensure that problems are handled quietly and efficiently.
We ensure that our staff can handle all these situations, and make sure there is a clearly defined chain of command if a problem must be escalated. The usual chain of command is this:
- Registration Operators
- Registration Supervisor
- Information Counter
It is also important that all registration and information staff members are aware of the following:
- Nearest Toilets
- Nearest Restaurants / Shops / Banks / Internet Cafe
- Emergency Exits
- Emergency Response Contact Details – Police, Fire, Medical
- All events and functions taking place, and where they are (cocktail functions, exhibitor parties etc)
- Any other event-specific information visitors are likely to ask
There are always visitors who refuse to fill in the registration form. The supervisor on duty will use discretion in determining how to proceed. If the person is a known exhibitor, speaker, VIP or spouse who does not have accreditation with them, then the supervisor may simply process the person quietly and without fuss. If it is just someone “in a hurry” and they are prepared to hand over a business card then only the anonymous demographic section of the form must be filled in. If the person refuses to fill in anything at all, then the event policy kicks in - entry is denied or, possibly, a visitor sticker is handed over and the person is permitted entry without being entered in the system (this is often how we handle visitors who pay to enter but then refuse to fill in the form).
Most of these situations will be silently handled by our staff – but the overall policy, including whether or not to allow accompanied or unaccompanied minors or students, will be agreed during the initial consulting phase.