Whether it is a conference at the Borneo Convention Centre, a gala dinner at a Kuching hotel or a trail run in Santubong, the registration system decides how smooth the whole event feels, both for participants and for your team. Here is the checklist we use when planning an event.
1. Can it survive the rush?
Popular races and free events attract a flood of sign-ups the moment registration opens. For one Batang Lupar bridge run, 1,000 slots filled in 8 hours, and a later wave filled in 2. Ask how the system handles traffic spikes, whether it can release slots in waves, and how it prevents overselling.
2. Payments that reconcile themselves
Bank-in slips and screenshots create hours of matching work. Look for an online payment gateway with FPX and cards, automatic receipts, and a report your finance team can match against the bank statement. If you also accept offline or bulk corporate entries, make sure they land in the same list.
3. Ticket categories, add-ons and discounts
Early bird, member and non-member rates, race categories, T-shirt sizes, meal preferences, workshop choices, group registration: list everything you need before choosing a system. Retro-fitting a category after launch is painful.
4. QR tickets and check-in on any device
Every participant should get a unique QR ticket by email. On the day, volunteers should be able to scan with their own phones, and look people up by name when someone forgets the QR. Check whether the system works on patchy venue Wi-Fi and shows live counts.
5. Seating and table management for dinners
For gala dinners, ask whether guests can be checked in and directed straight to their table, and whether walk-ins can be seated live. At one anniversary dinner, 450 guests were checked in and sent to their tables without a crowd at the door.
6. Reports you actually need
- Live registration and payment totals before the event
- Attendance by day or session, which professional bodies need for CPD points
- Post-event reports for sponsors and the organising committee
7. Local support on the day
Something always comes up on event day. Having the system’s own team reachable on WhatsApp, or on-site for larger events, is worth more than any feature list.
Where EventKaki fits
EventKaki is the platform we built in Kuching to tick every item above. It has run registration for conferences, galas and races across Sarawak, including the Sarawak Energy Marathon with 8,000+ participants. See our event technology work, or tell us about your event.