Event Registration Checklist: Attendee Collection & Confirmation System

Decide what attendee information you need to collect

Beyond just names and emails: Do you need dietary requirements? T-shirt sizes? Experience level? Emergency contacts? List every field before you build your form — this saves you from redesigning mid-registration.

Set your registration capacity and waitlist threshold

Determine maximum attendees based on venue, materials, or instructor bandwidth. Decide at what point you'll activate a waitlist. This prevents over-committing and gives you a backup list when cancellations happen.

Create your registration form on Who's In

Set up at whos-in.app/create with custom fields for attendee information collection. Add conditional questions (e.g., show dietary questions only if they say yes to meal inclusion). Test the form yourself before sharing.

Draft your automatic confirmation email

Write what attendees will receive after clicking RSVP. Include: confirmation of their specific registration details, what to bring, parking/location details, and a link to edit or cancel. This reduces "did you get my registration?" messages by 80%.

Create a cancellation and rescheduling policy

Be clear: Can attendees cancel up until 48 hours before? Can they swap to another date? How will waitlisted people be contacted? Document this on your event page to prevent disputes.

Share your registration link across all channels

Post in WhatsApp communities, email newsletters, social media, and your website. Include the capacity number (e.g., "only 20 spots available") to create urgency. The more channels, the more registrations.

Pin the registration link in group chats

Don't let it get buried in message history. Pin it in WhatsApp/Telegram or add it to your channel topic so latecomers can find it without scrolling.

Export your current attendee list and review for data quality

Check Who's In for completeness: Are custom fields filled in? Are emails valid? Are there duplicate registrations? Clean this up now before you send confirmations.

Prepare materials based on attendee count and information collected

If you collected t-shirt sizes, dietary needs, or experience levels, now is the time to prepare accordingly. Order name badges with correct information from your attendee list.

Set up a process to track late registrations

Decide who monitors incoming registrations daily. Will you manually move people from waitlist to confirmed? Who sends the waitlist confirmation email? Assign ownership now.

Send a reminder to all registered attendees

Include: event date/time, specific location with a map link, parking details, what to bring (reference their registration if they have special requirements), and a link to confirm they're still attending. Who's In sends this automatically.

Check your attendee list for incomplete registrations

In Who's In, filter for registrations with missing custom fields (dietary needs, sizes, emergency contacts). Send a targeted message to these people asking them to complete their registration.

Process and confirm any waitlist attendees

If you've had cancellations, move waitlist people to confirmed status. Send them a confirmation email immediately with the same details as your main attendee list, so they feel fully registered.

Prepare your attendance tracking system

Decide how you'll check people in on the day: printed attendee list from Who's In, mobile check-in via the app, or a simple paper sign-in. Train anyone handling registration desk.

Create a no-show contingency list

If someone doesn't show up, you'll want a backup from your waitlist. Identify the top 5 waitlist people you can call/message if key attendees don't arrive.

Send a final 48-hour reminder with attendance confirmation request

Ask attendees to confirm they're still coming. Include a one-click "I'm attending" button or link. This separates committed attendees from people who've forgotten, reducing no-shows by 40%.

Generate your final attendee list and check for changes

Export the list from Who's In showing all registered attendees, custom field data, and any cancellations. Flag anyone who hasn't confirmed in the 48-hour reminder as a potential no-show.

Contact attendees with special requirements or contingencies

If someone needs accessible parking, has allergies, or requires specific accommodation, confirm arrangements are set. Don't assume — verify directly.

Prepare name badges or labels with attendee information

Print badges from your Who's In export showing names and any custom field data (company, role, dietary tag, etc.). This speeds up check-in and shows professionalism.

Brief any team members on registration process and attendee info

Walk through your final attendee list with whoever is manning the check-in desk. Point out VIP registrations, special requirements, or anyone flagged as a potential no-show.

Arrive early with printed attendee list and materials

Set up your registration desk 30-60 minutes before start time. Have name badges, sign-in sheets, and the final attendee export from Who's In ready.

Create a streamlined check-in process

Use the mobile Who's In app to check people in as they arrive, or use a paper sign-in sheet. Keep it fast: one person checks names, one hands out badges. Anything over 30 seconds per person creates a line.

Note no-shows and mark them in Who's In

Track who registered but didn't arrive. You'll use this data to understand your RSVP-to-attendance conversion and adjust future event communication.

Collect any on-the-day registration changes or additional data

If attendees provide new dietary info, update their record, or if someone brings an unregistered guest, record it. Update Who's In or your notes in real-time.

Take photos of attendees for future event promotion

Capture the crowd, speakers, and key moments. Assign this to someone specific. These photos are gold for promoting your next event.

Send a thank-you email to all registered attendees within 24 hours

Use Who's In to email your attendee list. Thank them, include 1-2 event photos, highlight a key takeaway, and tease your next event. Make them want to register again.

Send a separate "we missed you" message to no-shows

A friendly, non-judgmental message to people who registered but didn't attend. Include a link to your next event registration. You'll recover 15-20% of them.

Follow up with waitlist attendees who didn't get a spot

Thank them for their interest. Offer them priority registration for your next event or ask if they'd like to be notified when space opens up.

Export and analyse your attendance data from Who's In

Calculate: Total registrations, actual attendees, no-show rate, cancellation rate, waitlist conversion. Which custom fields gave you useful info? Use this to refine your next form.

Send a feedback survey to attendees

Use Who's In or a linked form to collect feedback while the event is fresh. Ask: Would you attend again? What could we improve? This data shapes your next event registration strategy.

Create your next event registration immediately

Launch your next event page on Who's In while momentum is high. Former attendees will register faster than new people. Strike while the iron is hot.

Build a master attendee database from Who's In

Export all past attendees by event. Segment by engagement level, dietary preferences, frequency. Use this to target future registrations more effectively.

Refine your custom registration fields based on data collected

Which questions gave you useful info? Which were useless? Did you forget to ask something important? Iterate on your form for the next event.