RefTech see 400% increase in enquiries month on month

RefTech, a provider of event registration and event management systems, has reported a 400% rise in business enquiries in the last month since the government’s roadmap out of lockdown was announced.

RefTech said the enquiries have been a combination of new and returning clients and mainly for Covid-secure registration and badging services for events in the autumn, winter 2021 and into 2022 – although a few summer events have been quoted for too.

Simon Clayton, chief ideas officer at RefTech said: “Our sales team has seen a marked rise in enquiries, and lots of interest in the covid-secure registration options that we have. Our Autonomous Scanning Pods (ASPods) are proving to be very popular with organisers who want to remove as much human contact as possible from the registration process.

“We are also seeing requests from clients asking us to print badges and send them with lanyards and a lateral flow test to delegates – because they want the delegate to have everything they need to hand to test first and then get into the event as quickly and safely as possible.”

Clayton added: “Our badging on-demand service has also proved popular – because we can spread stations out throughout a registration area and avoid gatherings of people in one place. Ensuring that the registration area of an event is covid secure is one of the most important factors for returning events. Clients are planning events again, but understandably they are being cautious and needing ways to limit contact and ensure social distancing.”

Other Covid-secure solutions that RefTech provide include timed entry systems, apps to enable delegate communication, delegate diary systems and matching software – to avoid registration bottlenecks and to ensure safe access to an event.

RefTech launches new membership management software

Event software company RefTech has announced the launch of MemberReference, a new piece of software that aims to simplify membership management.

The system is specifically designed for membership organisations and includes reporting tools and administration functions, and is based on the EventReference event management software.

The system allows administrators to access lists of members who have not yet renewed, who have lapsed or who are coming up to renewal, and allows them to send them reminder emails. In addition, admins can import an existing membership list from a spreadsheet while details of members who don't want to use online systems can also be added and managed. All forms can be adapted to the specific needs of the organisation.

MemberReference also aims to enable organisations to improve member retention by providing multiple routes to increased member engagement.

Simon Clayton, chief ideas officer of RefTech, said: “Membership engagement is a vital part of the management of any membership organisation, especially at present: without being able to hold live events, it is necessary to find alternative ways of creating and monitoring it. In our experience, member retention is far harder than member recruitment so having a system that helps engagement with members and an easy to use, real time online renewal process further increases member retention.”

MemberReference aims to increase member engagement by: simplifying member communication, allowing bespoke communication including newsletters with trackable links, and the setup and automation of transactional emails; creating targeted communications designed for different membership types; monitoring member contact and flagging members who are not engaging and are therefore more likely to leave; enabling membership organisations to create a ‘members only’ zone for members to access exclusive information and content; simplifying payment options to enable easier renewals and for members to add and pay for optional extras; providing a safe and secure platform for members' personal information; and reporting accurately and efficiently on membership numbers and interactions.