Every trade show and conference needs to sell tickets online and have an efficient registration process. All the more so when the conference is centered around technology, since the tech savvy attendees will have high expectations of the software being used. One such cutting edge technology conference is HTML5.tx in Austin Texas.
In addition to online ticket sales and efficient registration, the HTML5.tx conference needed to offer coupons, present surveys and use handheld barcode scanners at the registration desk . ThunderTix is proud to be the conference registration software of choice for HTML5.tx and we love the way they have made maximum use of our technology. In this post we put the spotlight the ticketing and conference registration software of HTML5.tx.
What is HTML5?
For the uninitiated, Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) is the computer code used to display Internet web pages in a browser. HTML has been the universal standard since the 1980s. Over the years HTML has been revised and each major revision is given a numerical designation. The fifth revision of HTML (HTML5) is the most recent and represents a new era of the Web. In fact, HTML5 is so new, the world’s computer programmers are still learning how they can best apply it to their websites.
Just like professionals in other industries, computer programmers attend conferences to learn about the new tools and standards like HTML5.
The HTML5.tx conference
There are many HTML5 conferences around the country and one of the most prestigious is called HTML5.tx. Held every year in Austin Texas, the conference is where professional computer programmers gather to learn all about the HTML5 standard. The HTML5.tx conference offers classes for different levels of programming experience ("Getting Started" "Digging Deeper") in a friendly, casual atmosphere that the city of Austin is famous for. From the HTML5tx website:
HTML5.tx is the premier event for web designers, developers and technologists in Texas. Our inaugural event was held in Austin in 2011, and the second edition is slated for Feb 2nd, 2013. HTML5.tx is a place for designers and developers of all disciplines and backgrounds to learn from web experts and each other about HTML, CSS, JavaScript and the future of the web. All are welcome. If you love the web, you can expect to be surrounded with some of the best web-heads in Texas and beyond.
An important part of any conference is the line-up of speakers. HTML5.tx shines brightly with its line-up of respected industry professionals who share their opinions of the HTML5 standard. After the talks conclude, conference attendees can meet the speakers in-person and ask follow-up questions if need be. The complete schedule of the classes and speaking engagements can be found on the official website.
But before the classes and talks, the conference attendees first buy tickets and register. HTML5.tx attendees have high standards for the online ticket purchase process and so do the conference organizers. With expectations so high, HTML5.tx needed conference registration software with sophisticated features.
ThunderTix conference registration software in action at HTML5tx
Since the HTML5.tx offers day long classes as part of the three day conference, the purchase process had to reflect those ticketing choices. As ticket were purchased online, the attendee could tailor their experience with tickets to the classes or attended the conference alone. Of course a 3-day pass, that includes everything, was available with just a click of the mouse button.
A long tradition of tech conferences is the souvenir t-shirt. The HTML5.tx conference kept that tradition going by including the official t-shirt with a ticket purchase using the ThunderTix custom survey. This helped HTML5.tx saved time and money by knowing how many t-shirts to make, in the correct sizes, long before the conference started.
Another feature used by HTML5.tx was our robust customer database for collecting and managing attendee contact information, particularly email addresses. The customer database is a critical resource for communicating updates and important reminders to speakers and attendees right up to the very last minute. Here’s an example of one of the emails sent:
Hello (again) Everyone!
We're just a few short days away from HTML5.tx and, to make sure that your experience at the conference is a great one, we wanted to send along some important details to keep in mind for the coming weekend. Some of this information will be a repeat of last week's email, but since everything in here is important, we thought it wouldn't hurt to repeat ourselves...
On opening day of the conference, the registration desk was set-up at the venue and handheld scanners were used to quickly register each person. ThunderTix is an industry leader in barcode ticket technology and our expertise was a helpful addition to the overall efficiency of the registration process. The HTML5.tx attendees simply presented their Print-at-Home ticket to the person at the desk and in seconds they were checked-in and ready to go.
Of special note is how HTML5.tx made use of the ThunderTix coupon feature. Like other conferences, HTML5.tx has valuable sponsors that underwrite the costs of producing the event. Sponsors were given coupons codes to redeem the full value of the ticket price.
Once all was said and done, what was the end result? This tweet from HTML5tx says it all :D
If you are in need of ticketing and conference registration software, use this spotlight on HTML5.tx as case study. Of course your trade show or conference will have its own unique requirements but we are confident our technology can perform just as well for you.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be posting many more “spotlights” on events, venues, our beloved ThunderTix users and some “secret” lesser known technical aspects of a successful event.
If you want to be in the spotlight yourself, contact us about becoming our customer.