Promo Codes

You arrive at this page when you click Plan > Promo Codes. Here you can add and edit promo codes, as described below, for your attendees to use.

Each promo code has one or more discounts assigned to it. When an attendee registers with a valid promo code, that discount is applied to their fees.

You can use existing discounts you've set up on Event Setup > Agenda Items, or add custom discounts as part of creating promo codes. (See the Discounts step below.)

Discounts you create here are created as agenda items (of Type "Fee"). They are therefore visible on Event Setup > Agenda Items, and can be edited there.

Forms: To add Promo Codes to a registration form, add a Promo Codes section to the form.

Videos: All Certain University videos about Promo Codes

Note: To use Promo Codes in your event, the Registration Groups as Promo Codes sub-module (of the Event Module) must be enabled for the event in Plan > Configure > Options > Functional Areas Needed by This Event. (Caution: When Registration Groups as Promo Codes is enabled for an event, you cannot enable the original Registrations Groups module, nor Appointment Rotations, in the same event.)

---

Promo Code List

A list of current promo codes in this event, showing the information listed below for each one. Click the up/down arrows next to a column heading to sort by that column.

Video: Promo Code List Overview (1 min)

To search for a promo, type any part if a Promo Name or Promo Code in the Search by name or code text box. The list is updated dynamically as you type, to show only the matching promo codes.

Promo Name and Promo Code – As described below.

Total Capacity – The maximum number of times this promo code may be used. (The Code Inventory set when you create the promo.) Used – How many of the total inventory have been used on registrations. Remaining – How many are still available for use; that is, Total Inventory minus Used.

Actions – With these three icons for each row:

View Registrations: Display the Promo Code Individual Report described below, listing all completed registrations that have used the promo code.
Edit: The Promo Code Wizard described below opens, with the details prepopulated.
Delete: The promo code. Note: this cannot be undone.

Caution: Deleting a promo code does not delete any discounts associated with it; they remain available for use, unless you delete them in Event Setup > Agenda > Fees & Discounts. Note: If a planner deletes a discount in Fees & Discounts, that removes it from any promo codes using it. You would need to edit the promo to add a different discount. Warning: Deleting a promo code does remove it from any registrations that had used it, but does not remove (or change) any discounts that had been applied via that promo code. You can edit the attendee's record manually on their Registrations > Agenda page.

If there are more promo codes than will fit on the page, use the First / Previous / Next / Last buttons to navigate through the list.

---

Promo Code Wizard

This "lightbox" panel is where you enter or edit the details of a promo code (which you might think of as a "promo" or "promotion"). It is displayed when you click Add New to add a promo, or Edit an existing one. It consists of a wizard with these four steps: Overview, Discounts, Availability, Done.

When adding a new promo, click Next at the end of each step to continue. When editing an existing promo, you can skip straight to a step by clicking its name at the top of the wizard.

Video: Creating a Promo Code (2 min)

Overview

Enter the following basic details for the promo code:

Promo Name – (Required) A descriptive name, used by the planner, not seen by the attendee when registering.
Promo Code – (Required) The code used by the attendee when registering. Must be unique in the event.
Code Capacity – The maximum number of times this promo code may be used; up to 999999. Default = Unlimited. (Blank is also treated as "Unlimited".)

Caution: Entering 0 is treated as zero, not as unlimited. Zero inventory would mean that the code couldn't be used at all.

Select either All Attendees or Other, to populate the Attendee Types field.
Attendee Types – (Required) If you selected All Attendees, then by default all attendee types are selected here as having access to this promo code. Click x to remove one from the list. If you selected Other, then select each attendee type who can use this promo code. (By default, none are selected, so you must select at least one.)

Click Next to advance to the Discounts step.

Discounts

Select or create one or more discounts to be applied when an attendee uses this promo code. (See Forms > Promo Codes.)

Discounts – (Required) Click in the field to – for Discounts –, and select from the list which is then displayed. The list of discounts is as per Event Setup > Agenda Items (fees with negative amounts, that have unlimited inventory); this includes any created in this wizard as custom discounts for promo codes (including the current one).
Add Custom Discount – Click to add a new discount by completing the extra fields displayed:
Discount Name – (Required) A descriptive name for the discount. Best Practice: Make it self-explanatory; include the percentage or amount, since the name is what you'd see if you Search for Discounts when creating another promo code.
Unique Code – (Required) Must be unique in the event, including in the list of agenda items created in Event Setup > Agenda Items. (As noted above, custom discounts you create here are created as agenda items.)
Select Fixed Discount or Percentage Discount.
For a Fixed Discount, enter the Discount Amount – (Required) The monetary value to be deducted from the fee(s) charged.
For a Percentage Discount, enter the Percent (%) – (Required) The percentage to be deducted from the fee(s) charged.

Click Add to List. The discount record is created, and is automatically added to the Discounts field for this promo code. Best Practice: Do not add multiple percentage discounts to the same promo code.

Click Next to advance to the Availability step.

Availability

Specify when the promo starts and ends. It will only be available for use by attendees during that window.

Starts – Select one of the three options for when the promo becomes available:
Now – Immediately. (The default.)
Specified Date and Time – Select a Start Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy format), and enter a Start Time (e.g. 8:00 AM).
Before Event Start Date – Select numbers in any of these fields to determine at what point before the event's Start Date (as defined on Event Setup > Detail) the promo becomes available: Month, Day, Hour.
Ends – Select one of the three options for when the promo ends:
When Event Ends – (The default.) No further selection required. Availability ends on the event's End Date/Time (as defined on Event Setup > Detail).
Specified Date and Time – Select an End Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy format), and enter an End Time (e.g. 8:00 AM).
Before Event Start Date – Select numbers in any of these fields to determine at what point before the event's Start Date (as defined on Event Setup > Detail) the promo is no longer available: Month, Day, Hour.

You can leave any of them blank as long as you select a number in at least one of them.

Click Create Promo to add the Promo Code, or Update Promo (as its relabeled if you have been editing an existing promo). You advance to the Done step automatically.

Done

Click Close to close the wizard and return to the Promo Code List, or click Create New Promo to add another one.

---

Discount Import Wizard

To import discounts from a .CSV file, click Import Discounts. See the separate Discount Import Wizard help topic, which includes full details of the .CSV file requirements.

Note: If you will be importing Promo Codes (see the next section), you may need to import discounts first, because the Promo Code import file must specify discount codes that already exist in the event. Note: You can update discounts by importing a .CSV file with Discount Codes that already exist in the event.

---

Event Promo Code Import Wizard

To import promo codes from a .CSV file, click Import Promo Codes. See the separate Event Promo Code Import Wizard help topic, which includes full details of the .CSV file requirements.

Note: If the discounts for the Promo Codes you'll be importing don't already exist in the event, you should import discounts first, because (as mentioned above) the import file must specify existing discount codes. Note: You can update promo codes by importing a .CSV file with Promo Codes that already exist in the event.

---

Promo Code Individual Report

When you click View Registrations for a promo code in the Promo Code List, the list is replaced by the Promo Code Individual Report, listing all completed registrations that have used that promo code. It includes their First Name, Last Name, Organization, and Email. If there are more records than will fit on the page, use the First / Previous / Next / Last buttons to navigate through the list. Click Promo Code List in the Left Navigation Panel to return to the Promo Code List.

---