Pre-register vs day of sign up

[Royal Hill]

MN,

There are a ton of ways to use online registration. Event directors now have more options than ever before.

Most around our area gravitate towards using a regionally based online event registration service.

Registration service - for the service end to take the headache away from the event director.
And local - since it tends to be a common site for most regional events, and many event attenders play many regional events, so its the "go-to" place to find a registration if it wasn't immediately clear from promotion materials. Plus, local since many supporting local businesses, even online businesses.

That being said, an online registration site could be located anywhere.

My original comments on the pre-reg vs day of (cash) culture building fully knew that the Vibram thing is online only. I think the Birdie Bash is so fantastic in this manner. A brilliant move on their part for how to set this thing up to be event director friendly. (I know there is the way for event directors to do a service move and collect cash and file on behalf of an entrant if the TD wants to take that extra service step)

I'm all about pushing for event models that take RISK down to a minimum for event directors
(event attenders generally don't even come close to considering this aspect of event design)

 

[JC17393]

I get what you say about mudding the options together. But they are kind of connected. Most people I see signing day of are paying cash, where most who pre reg are paying by credit. Now I am giving the option to pay me cash and signing up. Just wonder why people would rather give me cash 6 weeks out rather then registering themselves. It's more of a curiosity thing for me.

I don't think people paying day-of are paying cash because that's their preference so much as it absolutely is the TD's preference. Checks are a pain in the butt on day-of because the TD usually can't cash them that day (no time to run to a bank) and what happens if they bounce?

I suppose with the advancement of mobile technology and credit card readers that plug into your phone and connect to paypal or some other company that connects directly to one's checking account, more TDs can offer on-site credit and debit options. But then you're still at the mercy of signal issues and waiting around for the transaction to clear into the TD's account.

Cash payments day-of allows the TD to turn it right around and stuff pro payout envelopes with it, or pay the lunch vendor or his merch vendor, or any number of things. With check or credit, the TD might have to dip into personal finance just to make sure he has the cash he needs on hand to cover those kinds of things.

Regardless of the form of payment though, pre-reg is a TD's best friend. Hands down.

 

[Obiwankaneobi]

I've been PRE registering since the 90s. I have always preferred to not have to be concerned with that the day of. Also it makes it easier on the TD. I typically need to take time away from work for my tournaments and don't want any chance of being turned away and the day of I want my attention to be on the impending competition not on some wait list.

 

[Pwingles]

OP,

Ace race, birdie bash and similar events are next to impossible to put on without making it 100% pre reg. You can do it the other way, but then you run the risk of over spending, or not getting enough packs.


For a normal tourney, most TDs prefer for people to pre reg.

 

[scarpfish]

People who pay at registration are usualy too clueless to get their lives together. They can not think a week ahead and therefore have to make more work for TD's.

Just make the registration 10$ more if you dont pay in advance. That way the sleepy heads can still register but you profit off their incompetence.

Have you perhaps considered that some people work weekends (when nearly all tournaments are held) and have to arrange getting leave or a schedule change in order to be able to play? Often their employer has to verify if they have enough people to cover their shift which may not happen until the eleventh hour and makes pre-registration impossible. I had to do this myself this past weekend.

If I know that I'm going, I'll gladly pre-register, but that isn't always the case. There certainly is no laziness on my part when it isn't.

Most people I see signing day of are paying cash, where most who pre reg are paying by credit. Now I am giving the option to pay me cash and signing up. Just wonder why people would rather give me cash 6 weeks out rather then registering themselves.

One rational is that some people don't have credit cards, or Paypal accounts and paying cash is the only way they can do it.

 

[DavidSauls]

Have you perhaps considered that some people work weekends (when nearly all tournaments are held) and have to arrange getting leave or a schedule change in order to be able to play? Often their employer has to verify if they have enough people to cover their shift which may not happen until the eleventh hour and makes pre-registration impossible. I had to do this myself this past weekend.

If I know that I'm going, I'll gladly pre-register, but that isn't always the case. There certainly is no laziness on my part when it isn't.

Some players have children. They never have any idea what their schedule will be like.

Some of us, uh, seasoned players have to wait to see if the most recent body part failure is going to heal enough to play.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

While still others, may need to know if their team will still be alive to play in Round 2 of the NCAA Tourney on Sat

No doubt: there are more than enough people who don't have their **** together, and/or are simply clueless as to how much smoother things run when most folks have Pre-Registered. That allows the TD and help to focus on other issues, which can really imoprove the way things flow and the overall feel of the event, unless the TD had lots of good help. But there are a ton of legit reasons a responsible person might not be able to Pre Reg, and will need to do so "day of."


And, uh... take care o' them parts, Dave!

 

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

I think a lot of people are willing to pay you cash in advance so that it is done and done. No online hassle, no coming up with the money later. Just cover it now and be done with it until it's time to play. My brother always has to wait and see if he can swap hours at work with someone else to play weekends. Tons of people aren't willing to shell out money to play a slow moving tourney round if the weather isn't going to be nice, so they wait on a forecast. Lots of factors go into why people sign up when they do and to why they make payment the way they do. With our fixer-upper/remodel recent house purchase, I prefer to sign up as soon as I have the funds, because I may not have the funds farther down the road.

 

[rat106]

I get what you say about mudding the options together. But they are kind of connected. Most people I see signing day of are paying cash, where most who pre reg are paying by credit. Now I am giving the option to pay me cash and signing up. Just wonder why people would rather give me cash 6 weeks out rather then registering themselves. It's more of a curiosity thing for me.

If they give you cash in advance, then it is up to you as the TD to register them online. That is what the FAQ's about the birdie bash states.

 

[texhop58]

If they give you cash in advance, then it is up to you as the TD to register them online. That is what the FAQ's about the birdie bash states.

Yes, I have been registering them myself, just wondering why people preferred it.

 

[rat106]

Yes, I have been registering them myself, just wondering why people preferred it.

The main reason I can think of, is as someone stated earlier, some people may not have credit cards or even internet access.

 

[Hampstead]

I am a paranoid person and don't trust cyber transactions. If possible, I contact the TD to pre-register and then pay cash. I have learned the hard way that it's important to contact the TD and not just show up the day of the tourney with cash in hand.