Early Bird Registration Should Go the Way of the Dodo Bird
Author’s Note: This week’s article is based on an ASAE Collaborate post I wrote in an online conversation with colleagues about early bird registration fees. While there was a time “early bird” registration was useful, it’s time to let that go. Our world is completely different in how we interact with organizations of any kind and our schedules are not only packed – they are fluid. Let’s come up with better systems that aren’t based on what day it is. Now, on to the post!
Early bird registration discriminates against those who don't register on a certain date, a date which is randomly picked by the organization to drive up registration numbers (yes, you can make the argument it's not random that you are trying to get a headcount or make your contract requirements but it is still artificially set by the association). This serves a variety of purposes and causes repercussions for registrants and potential registrants:
It helps with the hotel contract and food counts because it gives you a baseline for room blocks and ordering.
It allows the organization to sell more sponsorships or ads because they can show early registration numbers. This can also increase the sponsorship fees if there are high registration numbers.
It forces registrants or potential registrants to register NOW -- even if they may not know their schedule or have authorization to attend. A false sense of urgency is created.
It disregards the schedules of registrants and potential registrants by assuming they are including your months-away meeting in their daily thinking; they likely aren't. Then they will get annoyed that they have to pay more simply because they registered on Tuesday instead of Monday.
And let's not forget budgets -- if you can offer a meeting for an early bird registration, why not offer it at the lower price for everyone all the time? Budget friendly, member considerate, and builds good vibes with members.
And here's a real-world example from an association where I worked years ago:
I was the CSE of a professional society for nursing home administrators. They must get permission to attend anything offsite well in advance because they are not the ultimate decision makers. Despite running a facility, they report to other people who decide if they can attend conferences. It can take a long time to get approval to attend a conference, so they almost always missed the early bird registration.
When I learned more about the daily lives of nursing home administrators, I realized that creating an artificial calendar barrier to attendance was not in service of the members’ needs. And, I also know that if I can do the meeting for $500 (early bird registration fee let's say) then I can use that fee for everyone -- not just people who "register early."
We eliminated the early bird registration fee and used the "regular" fee for everyone. It relieved stress on the registrants and members AND the staff. The staff no longer had to worry about managing
different fee rates based on the calendar, and they didn't have to worry about managing the expectations of annoyed and angry members who couldn't use the early registration fee.
There are enough issues in associations with "certain members" getting special treatment over others, so why create another situation where some members get better treatment based on a date on a calendar? I call that calendar discrimination and I think it's wrong. It's also poor member service and shows lack of consideration for their daily lives.
We are here to help/support members; not create additional stress in their lives.
The association community needs to live in the world it is in NOW. Not the world of the early 20th century. Things move fast, there is a lot of competition, and individuals can create their own experiences. Registration models should reflect that.
