Defining event pricing and registration options

Quick Tutorial Full Training

You must define at least one registration option or program item for users to be able to register for your event. For example, you might choose to create several registrations to include different options for your members, students, vendors, staff members, guests, and presenters. Each registration option allows you to set a price and registration cut-off date.

Note: If an event only has one registration option defined, then all registrants will be automatically registered for that option.

Open the event for edit:

  1. (Pricing tab) Define the specified pricing options:
    • From the drop-down, select a Financial entity to be associated with this event. If this option is left blank, the default Financial entity will be used.
    • (if VAT is enabled) Specify the Canadian or VAT taxation rules to apply.

        If you have enabled Canadian taxation or VAT taxation, you can specify the taxation rules to apply. The taxation method is set up for your default organization (Go to Settings > Finance > Financial entities).

        • If your organization uses the Canadian taxation method with either GST or GSTINC as the taxation authority, enter the Tax Authority.
        • Organizations using the GST tax authority can also choose to Tax by Address.
        • If your organization uses the VAT taxation method, specify the VAT rule.

        See Taxation for more information.

    • Enter the Early Cutoff date and Regular Cutoff date for the registration prices, if applicable. The dates entered are inclusive. For example, Early Cutoff date is the last day for the early discount price.
      • If you have entered a cutoff date, save the event before adding registration options.
  2. In the Registration options section, select Add:
    1. (Info tab) Enter the general information for the registration option:
      •  Enter a Registration option code and a Registration option name. The code must be alphanumeric, contain no spaces, and be unique among all registration options and program items in the event. After you save the Registration option code, you are unable to change it.
      • Enter a Description, Start date and time, and End date and time, for the registration option.
      • Enable Display to staff users only to display the registration options to only staff users.
      • Enter the Capacity and enable Print tickets to allow tickets to be printed for registrants of this registration option. When enabled, a Print tickets button appears on the Dashboard for the event. You can print tickets With badges or Without badges.
      • Enter a Category, Track, and Sort sequence for the registration option.
      • Enable Award continuing education units to attendees when event is closed to define continuing education unit types and the number of units to be awarded. See Defining and marking CEU attendance on the web for information on setting up CEUs and marking attendance.
        • Continuing education type - Select a CEU type from the drop-down. This drop-down will not display if no CEU types have been defined.
        • Units to award - Enter the number of units to be awarded.

        Note: If this option is enabled and you mark all attendees as absent, you will receive the following message when trying to close an event: All attendees were marked absent for the following functions. Do you wish to close the event anyway?

      • Select an Image to display for the registration option.

        • Note: The maximum supported characters for an event Image file path is 255 characters. Event registration option images support 100 characters.

      • Enter HTML text in the Additional information editing panel. There is no limit on size. See Understanding the toolbar icons for more information about how to use the Additional information HTML editor.
        • Adding downloadable documents to an event

        Event managers can add downloadable content to an event, such as slides or manuals for an upcoming webinar. This allows attendees to view the slides or manual before and after the event. To add downloadable content to an event, use the Content Link Manager.

      2. Note: Events with only one registration option do not display the option on the event page because registrants are automatically registered for it. Instead, the registration option is visible in the registrant’s cart upon checkout.

    2. (Pricing tab) Set the prices and availability for the registration option.
      • If Allow adding guests is selected in the event definition, the following can be defined:
        • Available to guests - Select this checkbox if you would like the Registration option to be available to guests of an event attendee. If there is only one guest registration option defined, that option is automatically selected.
          • Adding the event guest relationship types

          You will receive the error Not a valid role when attempting to checkout in the Cart if the guest relationship types are not added to the Relationship types table. To add these relationships, do the following:

          1. Go to Settings > Contacts > Relationship types.
          2. Add the Event Guest and Event Guest of relationship types:
            1. Select Add relationship type:
              1. Relationship type - EVTGUEST
              2. Description - Event Guest
              3. Reciprocal type - EVTGUESTOF
              4. Enable Use dates.
              5. Click Save.
            2. Select Add relationship type:
              1. Relationship type - EVTGUESTOF
              2. Description - Event Guest of
              3. Reciprocal type - EVTGUEST
              4. Enable Use dates.
              5. Click Save.
        • Also available to primary registrants - Select this checkbox if you would like the Registration option to also be available for the person registering for the event.
      • You can set both Default and Members price fields so that your members can enjoy the benefit of a reduced fee. Note that the Default price you enter auto-fills the Members price. You can leave it to prevent any discounting, or override the price. When your members view an event, they will see only the appropriate fee.
      • Select whether the registration option will be made available to the pricing groups in your system by checking or unchecking the Not available option. Selecting Not available excludes all members of the pricing group from registering, or being registered, with a few caveats:
        • If a contact qualifies for more than one pricing group, and any of the registration options are visible, the contact will be able to view the registration options.

          Example: Teresa Spain is a regular member, and she belongs to the Board of Directors and the Awards Committee. In the Leadership Summit event, the Delegate Registration registration option is not available to Members and Awards Committee pricing groups. However, Board of Directors members can register at a price of $10.
          Teresa will see the Board of Directors pricing, and only that pricing, for the Delegate Registration.

        • Staff can register a pricing group member, even if Not available is checked.
        • Non-staff users can register a member of an eligible pricing group, even if the event function is not available to them.
      • You can also set additional Pricing Groups for both registration options and program items. These pricing groups allow you to define a regular price, along with early and late pricing for specific groups. See Adding pricing groups to events for more information.
      • If you entered an Early Cutoff date for your event, the Early Price fields will be available. If you entered a Regular Cutoff date, Late Price fields will be available.
      • Select an Income Account for each of the pricing groups, so that transactions related to the respective pricing group will be recorded to the specified GL account. Please note the following:
        • If a pricing group's Income Account is set to Default, the income account for the registration option (defined on the Accounting tab) will be used.
        • If the registration option's Income is defined as Default, the pricing group (if also Default) will use the system settings for Income. This is defined in Financial Entities on the Default Accounts tab.
      • To make the registration option complimentary, select the Comp option.
    3. (Accounting tab) Review the settings and make any required changes for the item.
      • From the drop-down, select a Financial entity to be associated with this registration option. If this option is left blank, the registration option will use the Financial entity defined for the overall event.
      • If you are configured for Canadian or VAT taxation and want to specify specific tax options for this registration option, select Taxable:

        • For Canadian taxation - If your organization uses the Canadian taxation method with GST as the taxation authority, and the registration option is taxable, select GST/HST or PST.
        • For VAT taxation - From the drop-downs, select the Tax mode and VAT tax code you want to use for this registration option.

        See Taxation for more information on setting up Canadian and European (VAT) taxation methods in iMIS.

      • Charitable item - Enable this option if you would like this registration option to be considered a gift. The fees for the registration option will appear in the registrant’s Giving History.

        • Note: Be sure to use a charitable financial entity for registration options that are considered gifts.

        • Fair market value - Only registration options marked as charitable items can have a Fair market value. This value defines the value of the benefit (if any) that a donor is receiving in exchange for purchasing the Charitable item with which the Fair market value is associated. For event registrations, the tax-deductible amount is often calculated as the amount of the registration fee minus the Fair market value of any benefits that the registrant receives for their registration. Currently, this value is not included in any of the receipting logic.
      • Income - Choose the GL account to assign to the registration option. The Default option will use the system default account for events.
      • Deferred income - If you are licensed appropriately, define the Deferred income account. For an event, the Deferred income is recorded during the month in which the event occurs.

        • Note: These accounts are defined in the GL_ACCOUNT general lookup table. See General lookup tables for more information.

    4. (Questions tab) Click Add new to include Registration Option-specific questions:
      1. Type in your question.
      2. Enable Required if you would like to indicate that an answer to the question is required. When the Required option is enabled, system administrators and staff users can submit registrations without answering the required questions, while public users must answer all required questions before submitting.

        3. Note: Event questions responses can be reported on using the FormDefinitionFieldData and FormFieldResponseData business objects.

        Note: If you are working with a copied event or used a template to create the event, the event questions are copied over and cannot be deleted. If needed, you can hide questions. See Adding program items to an event for information on how to hide event questions.

        • Numeric integer – The registrant can enter only whole numbers (positive or negative).
        • Numeric decimal – Registrant can enter any number with up to 4 decimal places. If more are entered, they will be truncated to the fourth place (not rounded).
        • Multi-line text – The registrant can enter lengthy answers in a multiple-line text box.
        • Single-line Text – The registrant can enter an answer of only one line in a text box.
        • Yes/No – The registrant can only choose "Yes" or "No".
        • Dropdown list – The registrant can select one of several listed options.

        Event organizers configure drop-down lists either explicitly, defining each option manually, or by query, defining a static group of list options for an individual question through a pre-arranged query.

        The Display Value field determines the text seen by registrants. The Data Value field is only used in the database. For example, if you chose to display long sentence answers to registrants, the Data Value field would enable you to record abbreviated versions of those options in the database.

      4. Click Save.
      5. Modify the question as needed.
        • To adjust an existing question, click the edit icon on the question row.
        • To hide a question from registrants, select the Hidden checkbox in the Questions configuration area.
        • To change the presentation order of your questions, click the up and down arrows on the questions tab.
        • The modifications made to questions determine the content viewed by registrants after they have selected a Registration option.
        • If a system administrator makes changes to questions while a registrant is completing a question, it is possible that either the question or the registrant response will be lost. Ensure that your changes and updates are conducted at a time that few people will be registering.
    5. (Program options tab) From this tab, you can configure how each program item will display for this registration option:

      6. Choose how each program item should display when a registrant chooses this registration option:

      • Display and allow user to add/remove – The program item displays for the current registration option, and the registrant can register for it. This option is available only if the item allows registration.
      • Display and do not allow user to add/remove – The program item displays for the registration option, however, staff users can register contacts for the program item. The setting is still honored for public users who will be unable to register for the program item.
      • Do not display – The program item does not display for the registration option. However, staff users can view the program item. The setting is still honored for public users.
      • (optional) Enable Register by default?. When Register by default? is selected and either Display and do not allow user to add/remove or Do not display are chosen, registrants will be auto-enrolled for that program item.

        • Note: When a registrant selects a different registration option, program items added to registrations by default are not automatically removed.

  3. Click Save & Close, then click Save & Exit.

    4. If needed, you can define additional registration options so that registrants can choose between different options. In order for responses to each group of questions to be saved, registrants must click Save Responses before checking out.