Event Guests

The system’s Guest functionality gives you the ability to allow registrants to add up to a designated number of Guests to their registration, and for you to control the added cost of doing so.

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Guests vs. Ticketed Sessions

Both "Guest" and "Ticketed Session" functionalities allow registrants to bring someone with them to the event. Here's a quick guide to help you decide which option better suits your particular needs:

Guest Attendee Ticketed Session Attendee
• Can register for the event, any sessions for which the base-registrant registers, and any session that has pricing for which the guest qualifies. • Can only register for sessions with "ticketed session" setting enabled. Does not count toward event registrants.
• Receives the lowest price for which they qualify. • Receives the same price as the base-registrant.
• Registration cannot be assigned to a particular record. • Registration may be assigned to a particular record.
• Cannot earn education credits by attending. • May earn education credits by attending.

Guest Categories

Before events can accept guest registrations, your association will need to have some Guest Categories configured. These are terms used to classify the different possible types of guests, such as a Spouse or Mentee. To configure Guest Categories:

  1. Navigate to the Customers app > Customer Categories section.

  2. Click Add New Category.

  3. Enter a Code and Name for the guest type.

  4. Check the For Guest check box.

  5. Optionally, you may also:

    1. Use the Parent Categorydrop-down menu to select from categories already configured in the system a category under which this one should fall.

    2. Help staff distinguish between categories by entering a Description.

    3. Check For Individual and/or For Organization if applicable.

  6. Click Save.

Enabling Event Guests

The option to allow registrants to bring guests is enabled on a per-event basis. To enable this for a particular event:

  1. Navigate to the event's record.

  2. Under the Details tab in the Additional Info section, check the Allow Guests checkbox.

  3. The Max Number of Guests field will appear. Enter the maximum number of guests that each registrant should be allowed to bring.

  4. Click Save.

Guest Pricing

Events

You will need to have at least one price for which the Guest is eligible, even if that price is $0.

Note: If an Event offers Guest registration but does not provide an eligible price, then customers will be able to add Guests to their registration, but those Guests will not appear in the cart.

Guests will be eligible for prices that either have Guest-specific Price Attributes, or have no Price Attributes. The available Guest-specific Price Attributes are:

  • Is Guest - indicates particular Events at which the Guest is or is not listed

  • Guest Category - can be used to assign prices to all Guests or Guests of a certain type or types

Note: The use of an Event price without Price Attributes is generally not recommended for setups that allow Guests, as that price would be available to both Guest registrants and regular registrants and would not distinguish between them.

Sessions

The setup of guest pricing for sessions will depend on your desired outcome:

  • Guests should only be able to attend sessions that the base-registrant is also attendingClosed: The Session should have no prices for which the Guest is eligible. This means that all of the Session’s prices should have Attributes, and those Attributes should not include Guests. The Guest’s registration for that Session will only successfully add to the cart if the base registrant also has the Session selected, and the Guest will be charged the same price as the base registrant.

  • Guests should be allowed to attend a Session that the base registrant isn’t also registered forClosed: The Session will need to have a price for which the Guest is eligible. Once again, this can be achieved via a Guest-specific Price Attribute, or by offering a price with no Attributes. A Guest registering for a Session that the base registrant is not registered for will either receive the Guest-specific price, or the price for which the base registrant qualifies, whichever is lower.

Registering Guests

When registering for an event where guests are enabled, registrants will encounter a Guests stage of the registration process. If they elect to click the Register a Guest button, they will be presented with the following fields:

  • Guest Category* (drop-down)

  • First Name*

  • Last Name*

  • Email Address

If badges are enabled for the event, they will also be presented with the applicable badge fields.

Note: No further information can be collected about guests, whether by baseline or custom fields.

If registrants are allowed more than one guest, they can enter subsequent guests' information by clicking Add Another Guest. Otherwise, or once they have entered all guests' information, they should click Next to proceed.

Guests can be registered for sessions by checking the box next to the guest's name for each applicable session.