The annual conference and a booking list to check
Your annual conference is the biggest event of the year. Bookings open in spring through an event booking tool. It offers a member rate, a non-member rate, a student rate and a discounted rate for retired members. Anyone can pick any of them, because the booking tool has no connection to the membership database.
So the events officer exports the bookings every week and checks each one against the database. A delegate who booked the member rate lapsed last year. Another is a member but booked the non-member rate by mistake and wants a refund of the difference. A firm books six people and wants one invoice with a purchase order, but two of them are not members. The spreadsheet of checks and corrections grows with every export.
Why member rates cause so much work
Event booking tools are built for general events, and a professional body's pricing depends on data that lives elsewhere.
- The booking tool cannot see membership status or grade.
- Delegates choose their own rate, and some choose wrongly.
- Employers book for several staff with a mix of members and non-members.
- Invoices and purchase orders are handled outside the booking tool.
- Session choices and CPD credit are recorded separately.
- Delegate details are retyped into the membership database afterwards, if at all.
The core issue is that the booking and the member record are separate, so staff join them by hand.
What the checking costs
Staff spend weeks before the conference checking and correcting bookings instead of working on the programme. Some non-members pay the member rate and are never caught, while members who paid the wrong rate need refunds. Employer invoicing delays payment.
Delegates who have to be contacted about their rate feel awkward, and the conference, which should showcase the value of membership, starts with an administrative argument.
How we build member-aware conference booking
- Delegates sign in with their membership login, or give their membership number and email, and their status and grade are checked live against your membership system.
- The right rate is offered automatically, and a lapsed member is offered a quick renewal alongside the member rate if your policy allows.
- Non-members see non-member rates, with an option to join and book at the member rate if you want to encourage that.
- Employer and group bookings let one booker add several delegates, with each delegate's rate checked, and produce one invoice with a purchase order number.
- Payment is taken by card through Stripe or your existing processor, or invoiced, and posted to your finance package.
- Session choices are recorded at booking and can be changed later by the delegate, and attendance feeds CPD records after the event.
- Delegate details, including new non-member contacts who agree to it, are written to your membership CRM.
| Delegate | Status found | Rate offered |
|---|---|---|
| Current full member | Active | Member rate |
| Member who lapsed last year | Lapsed | Non-member rate, or renew and book at member rate |
| Student member | Active, student grade | Student rate |
| Non-member from a member firm | No membership | Non-member rate, option to join |
Your pricing rules stay yours. The booking applies them consistently at the point of booking, instead of staff applying them afterwards.
The run-up to the conference afterwards
Bookings arrive already checked. The events officer's weekly export turns into a glance at the dashboard. Employer bookings come with their purchase orders and invoices raised. Delegates pick sessions as they book, and the programme team can see demand for each session while there is still time to change rooms.
After the conference, attendance goes into CPD records, and every delegate is in the CRM for next year.
Is conference booking like this for you?
- Member rates are checked by hand after booking.
- Non-members have booked at the member rate.
- Employer group bookings need separate invoices.
- Delegate details are retyped into your membership database.
- Session choices are collected separately from bookings.