This article is a guide to using the Registration Groups sub-module in Certain. This advanced feature of the Certain platform is not enabled in an account by default. If an account needs the feature after reading this article, email help@certain.com, including the account name.
The functionality in this sub-module is available to users with a user type of Registration Support or higher. Groups can be added only by an Event Builder or an Administrator.
Contents
- What are “Groups” in Certain?
- Why Would I Use Groups in my Event?
- About Setting Up and Using Groups
- Enabling the Registration Groups Sub-Module
- Setting up Groups
- Custom Fields for Groups
- Adding a Group
- Attendee Types
- Agenda Items
- Session Occurrences
- Rotations
- Custom Fields
- Assigning Group Membership
- Letting Registrants Select Their Group
- Using Form Logic
- Assigning Groups on the Registration form
- Using Groups in Conditions in Form Logic
- Assigning Groups in Bulk
- Editing Individual Registrations
- What’s a Group Coordinator?
- Reporting and Monitoring
- Group Summary Report
- Custom Reports
- Emails
What are “Groups” in Certain?
Groups are a way of combining sets of registrations for management and reporting purposes.
A registrant can be assigned to just one group.
You can have as many groups as you like.
A registrant must have an attendee type before the registrant can be assigned to a group.
A group of registrants often needs to share a set of common travel schedules and activities. Hosted buyers, for example, are registrants requiring specific processes and care at an event. Hosted buyers may need to be managed in groups.
Why Would I Use Groups in my Event?
Groups ease the management of registrants attending an event as a group.
For example, a trade show run by event organizers may involve various hotel chains sending representatives from each hotel as hosted buyers. Hosted buyers can be grouped per chain. Hosted buyers can also be grouped per country.
For the provider and host perspective, groups support tracking performance indicators. Performance indicator tracking can compare the number of actual registrations vs. the expected number per group.
About Setting Up and Using Groups
The steps involved in setting up and using groups in Certain are explained in some detail in the rest of this document. This section provides a brief summary.
Switching the feature on in the event
Enable the Registrations Group sub-module in Plan > Configure > Options.
Setting Up the Groups
If required, set up Group Custom Fields to extend the information held about each group.
Add named groups: see “Setting up Groups”.
Each group is restricted to one or more specified attendee types.
More than one group can be restricted to the same attendee type(s).
Set a “target” number of registrants in each group and inventory limits.
Agenda items and session occurrence can be assigned to group members automatically.
Specify Appointment Rotations, Event Airports and Transportation Preferences for a group. This specification limits the choices available to its members.
Using the Groups
You can assign registrants to just one group (or to no group).
Group assignment can happen via a registration form.
Group assignment can happen where the registrant selects their group from a list.
Group assignment can happen where the registrant enters the group code sent by email.
Group assignment can happen using form logic. Form logic can customize the list from which the registrant chooses. Form logic can also determine the group assignment.
Group assignment can happen manually on the admin side.
Group assignment can happen in bulk. Bulk assignment selects multiple registrants on one page.
Group assignment can happen individually in a registrant’s registration record.
You can track the estimated and actual numbers of registrants in each group.
Group members can be assigned as coordinators. This assignment eases communication.
Group information is available in reports, email templates, and forms.
Enabling the Registration Groups Sub-Module
In the event, go to Plan > Configure > Options. Select Registration Groups under Event Module in Functional Areas Needed by This Event.
The Plan menu link on the Top Navigation Bar in the event will now include a link to the Groups page. The Groups page is where groups are set up.
Setting up Groups
As an Event Builder, in the event, go to Plan > Groups.
The Group List page lists any groups that have already been added.
Custom Fields for Groups
Custom fields for groups can store additional information about groups.
Custom fields for groups are displayed on the Group Summary report.
To add custom fields, go to Plan > Groups > Custom Fields. Type a name for the first custom field. Click Add. Repeat for any additional custom fields.
Values for custom fields can be set when adding or editing a group.
Adding a Group
Click Add New to add a group or to edit one.
As illustrated in the screenshot overleaf, follow the steps below to set up a new group.
1. Give the group a Name and a unique Code.
2. Select an Associated User, if required.
3. Optionally, add a Description of the group and/or any Notes about it.
4. Select one or more Attendee Types to which the group is restricted.
5. Save the group.
- Saving the group adds further sections to the page.
- Further sections support editing more information.
Attendee Types
If required, specify the Target Number of registrants in that group for each of its Attendee Types.
An Actual Number is displayed. The Actual Number represents the current number of registrants in this group who are of the selected attendee type.
If a new group is being added instead of editing an existing group, the target and actual values start at zero.
If required, specify an Inventory figure for each attendee type.
Inventory represents the maximum number of attendees in this group who can be of that type.
> Note: Inventory is used to limit assignment to the group on a registration form. If the membership of the group has already reached its Inventory level, then an attendee selecting that group sees a warning message. The attendee is prompted to contact their group coordinator for next steps.
The Inventory limit is only used in forms. An event planner can still assign attendees to the group manually. Manual assignment can happen even if the group has reached or exceeded its set Inventory.
Agenda Items
Select any agenda items that have unlimited inventory for automatic assignment.
Automatic assignment assigns these agenda items to any attendee who registers as a member of the group via a registration form.
Agenda items selected this way may have fees, including fixed fee and percentage discounts. These agenda items can make it possible to use a group as a “promo code”. This setup applies discounts automatically.
Session Occurrences
If the Speaker and Session Management Module is enabled for the event, select any session occurrences to assign automatically.
Automatic assignment assigns selected session occurrences to any attendee who registers as a member of the group.
Rotations
If the Appointment Rotations sub-module (of the Appointments Module) is enabled for the event, select rotations to be available to registrants.
Group Rotations availability is based upon the registrant’s group.
Custom Fields
If group custom fields exist, assign values for up to ten of them for each group.
Assigning Group Membership
A registrant can be assigned to one group.
Group assignment can be done in four ways.
- On registration forms:
- Enable the registrant to select their group.
- Assign a group to the registrant.
- Manually on the admin side:
- In bulk, selecting multiple registrants on one page.
- Individually, in a registrant’s registration record.
Letting Registrants Select Their Group
On a registration form, allow registrants to select a group from a list.
Allow registrants to enter their group code.
The group code is supplied by email.
To enable this, add a Groups section to the form in Plan > Forms.
> Note: The groups available on the form for the registrant are restricted to the groups for that registrant’s attendee type. The Groups section needs to be after the attendee type has been selected or assigned.
Select one of these two options.
- Display select field containing all groups available to attendee type.
- The attendee selects the group from a list of the group codes available to their attendee type.
- Display input field for group code.
- The attendee enters the group code as a precise match to the group code sent to the attendee.
You can make Group Code a required field.
You can customize the label for Group Code.
You can customize error messages for invalid codes.
The following field applies regardless of the selected option.
Validate against total group inventory.
- If selected, then the check for whether the group’s capacity has been reached includes the inventory for all the attendee types in the group.
- The check includes inventory for all attendee types in the group. The check is not limited to the inventory for the attendee’s own attendee type.
Example.
In Group A:
- Attendee Type X:
- Inventory = 1.
- Actual number assigned = 1.
- Capacity reached.
- Attendee Type Y:
- Inventory = 5.
- Actual number assigned = 5.
- Capacity reached.
- Attendee Type Z:
- Inventory = 5.
- Actual number assigned = 3.
- Capacity of 2 remaining.
If an attendee of Attendee Type Z selects Group A, the attendee is assigned because capacity has not been reached.
If an attendee of Attendee Type X or Y selects Group A, assignment depends on whether Validate against total group inventory is selected.
Not selected: Attendee will not be assigned because the capacity for the attendee’s own attendee type has not been reached. Selected: Attendee will be assigned because capacities across all attendee types in that group are included. Two places remain for attendee type Z.Using Form Logic
Form Logic can also achieve group selection.
Form Logic uses conditions.
For example, Form Logic can limit groups to certain countries of origin.
In the event, go to Plan > Forms.
Select or add the form.
Click the Logic page link.
Add a new rule.
Select the Display Action: “Display Groups”.
Choose how the attendee selects their group.
1. By typing their group code. The group code is supplied by email, for example. 2. By selecting it from a list of all groups available to the attendee’s attendee type.
The groups available on the form for the registrant are restricted to groups for that registrant’s attendee type.
The logic action needs to occur after the attendee type has been selected or assigned.
Set up conditions in the rule as necessary.
Assigning Groups on the Registration form
Instead of letting registrants choose their own group, assign a group to registrants using Form Logic.
In the event, go to Plan > Forms.
Select or add the form.
Click the Logic page link.
Add a new rule.
Select the action, “Assign Group”.
Then select the group to be assigned.
Using Groups in Conditions in Form Logic
Group usage in conditions of a form logic rule is possible.
Group usage can be appropriate when invitations pre-assign groups for registrants.
Assigning Groups in Bulk
Groups can be assigned in bulk by selecting multiple registrants on one page.
Go to Plan > Groups > Assign Groups.
This is a two-step process.
Step 1: Select registrations for group assignment
Registrations displayed for group assignment can be filtered by fields including:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Organization
- Title
- City
- Country
- Attendee Type
- Registration Questions
- Travel Questions
- Profile Questions
Select the check boxes next to the registrations to assign groups.
Select registrants who can all be assigned the same group.
The registrants need attendee types for which the group is set up.
Step 2: Select group
Select the group to apply to the selected registrations.
Click Save.
After saving, all selected registrations are in the selected group.
> Note: Agenda items associated with a group are only assigned when the attendee registers via a registration form. Agenda items are not assigned when a planner assigns a group to an attendee via Assign Groups. Agenda items also are not assigned when a planner assigns a group via an Attendee Profile.
Editing Individual Registrations
Edit the group on a registrant’s record.
Go to the usual Attendee Profile page for that registrant.
Search for the registrant by clicking Search in the global navigation icons at top right.
Click edit on the Registration section heading.
The Registration information section at the end of the Attendee Profile page includes the registrant’s group.
Change the group by selecting a new group from the drop-down list.
This section also includes a check box indicating whether the registrant is a Group Coordinator.
What’s a Group Coordinator?
Each group can have one or more members who act as coordinators.
Coordinators are usually people responsible for organizing group activities.
This Attendee Profile page is where to assign a registrant as coordinator.
Assign a registrant as coordinator by selecting the Coordinator check box.
Reporting and Monitoring
Group information is available on standard and custom reports.
Group information is also available in emails.
Group information can support:
- Group Summary Report.
- Custom Reports.
- Emails.
Group Summary Report
A Group Summary Report is shown on the Plan > Groups > Reports page.
The Group Summary Report lists all groups.
The Group Summary Report lists coordinators for each group.
The Group Summary Report lists numbers of attendees.
If the Qualification and Approval module is used in the event, the last total columns on the right are one column per approval status.
The “Not Yet Qualified” column before the approval status columns shows the number of registrants who have not yet completed the qualification process.
This number represents registrants without an Approval Status.
Click one of the numbers on the report.
The click opens a report results window listing the attendees in that group.
Attendee selection in the results window supports mass actions.
Custom Reports
To build a custom report that includes group information, select the Registration Groups report type from the Report Type dropdown.
Group fields are then available in expected places.
1. Select group fields as data fields to include.
- “Is Group Coordinator” indicates whether the registrant is the coordinator of their group.
- “Is Group Coordinator” is set by the coordinator check box on the registrant’s registration record.
2. Group information by a field.
- For example, group information by Group Name or Group Code.
3. Use group fields as filters.
Emails
The same group fields are available for inclusion in emails.
When setting up an email, add group fields as dynamic data fields.
Dynamic data fields are added the same way as other registrant information.