In order to add guests to your event you're going to need their names and phone numbers. While you could choose to automatically add all of your attendees (assuming you have their names / numbers already) we recommend giving attendees an opportunity to opt-in to participate with ExperienceGuru instead. Letting attendees opt-in is important because it allows you to explain how the tool will work and what they can expect, which usually results in higher response rates.
You can also get attendees to opt-in prior to you purchasing ExperienceGuru, so that you know exactly how many guests you would need to purchase for. Since our pricing is based on the number of registered guests (attendees), you won't want to pay for guests that won't actually use the product.
We recommend using a combination of letting attendees opt-in through your registration form + a separate email to attendees post registration.
Opt-in During the Online Registration Process
The flexibility of what type of content you can include in the registration form will depend on what registration product you use but at a minimum you can add a page in the process that explains what ExperienceGuru is, what the benefits are for attendees, and a simple "Yes / No" option for the attendee to participate (assuming you're already collecting their name and phone number). We included some template content that you can copy and paste into your registration page at the bottom of this article.
Opt-in Via Post Registration Email
In addition to letting attendees opt-in during the event registration process we also recommend sending a separate email after they register that is specifically focused on ExperienceGuru. The post registration email is important because attendees often fly through the registration forms and might not even notice the step explaining ExperienceGuru. Also, sometimes the actual person who will be attending isn't the one completing the registration. We've found that the post registration email is the most important factor in terms of attendee participation and achieving high response rates.
1. Create a simple form or survey
The first thing you'll need to do is setup a way for attendees to submit their information if they want to opt-in. Since the email is outside of the registration platform, you may need to use a separate tool like Google Forms (or one of the other million free survey tools available). The form / survey can be incredibly simple -- all you need is a way to provide a link in the email for attendees to go to and submit their name and phone number. Just make sure that whichever tool you choose allows you to export the data to excel (important for importing guests later).
Here is a link to an example form that we created to show you how simple it can be
2. Send an email to registered attendees
Once you have your form setup, you'll need to send an email to the attendees encouraging them to opt-in. We've provided a template email below that you can use if you'd like but you don't have to use it word-for-word. The important things to cover in the email are explaining what the benefits of using the tool are to you (the organizer), what the benefits are to them (the attendees), and how it is going to work / what they can expect.
We also have a short presentation hosted on SlideShare that you can link to, to help demonstrate to attendees how it works and what the benefits are (the template email includes links to it as well).
4. Important your guests into your event
Now that your attendees have opted-in click here to learn how to import them into your event on ExperienceGuru
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[TEMPLATE EMAIL / REGISTRATION PAGE CONTENT TO USE]
Participate in ExperienceGuru @ [Insert Event Name]
What is this all about?
[Insert Your Organization Name] is focused on developing methods to improve the meeting experience. To that end, we are using ExperienceGuru, a tool that will allow us to map the attendees' onsite experience, during the meeting, in real time. Unlike traditional post-show surveys, this method will allow us to change attendees’ experiences mid-meeting and offer real time solutions to attendee issues.
What are the benefits?
-
Allows us to measure your satisfaction throughout the event in order to provide you with the best possible experience
-
Gives you a direct line of communication to the on-site staff in case you run into any issues
-
Gives us the opportunity to resolve your issues on the spot
How does it work?
-
You will receive a text message after different experiences throughout the Conference
-
The message will contain a link that you can click to provide your feedback
-
You respond using a simple 3 point scale; Good, Neutral, or Poor -- and can also provide comments
-
We track the feedback in real-time and can respond to issues immediately
How can You participate?
You can choose to become a participant through this form [make sure to hyperlink to your actual form] or sending us an email at [insert email address] no later than [insert date], and we will be happy to include you.
Please click here to learn more about ExperienceGuru and how participation will help enhance your event experience:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------