On-Site Badge Printing... I'll never go back to pre-printed name badges (if I can help it)

The use of this technology has revolutionized the way I think about running registration for events. There was a significant reduction in the number of staff needed on-site for the purposes of registration. This allowed us to pay attention to other things that required assistance. You know, things like, the internet isn’t working, the presenter is having issues with the microphone, the room is too hot/too cold. Typical event manager issues to solve.

Pros

We utilized Boomset to customize the Welcome screen for participants. From the time the participant pushed start until the time the badge printed 10 seconds may have passed and that’s being generous. After the badge printed, the most common reaction was, “Is that it?” followed by, “That was so easy!” We even got a tweet that read, “@NCDLI2019 self-service registration desks - how come no one has thought of that before! I love it. #nolineups #ncdli2019”. And what happened when a participant wanted to change the name of their company? Or their name was misspelled? They simply talked with one of our staff standing by, who logged into the Boomset app, made the change, and pushed reprint on the badge. There was even a setting that could allow participants to change this before printing!

Cons

The technology of course came with a price tag. However, I would make an argument that the approximately $4 you’re spending per name badge to have the technology is drastically reducing the staff time it takes to print name tags and stuff them into holders prior to your event. Not to mention that you don’t get a chance to reprint them, produce clean looking name tags for walk-in registrations, or eliminate the registration lines.

Perfect fit for my organization

Using Boomset has brought our badge printing process into the 21st century. It has not only streamlined registration (and reduced lines!) for our members, but has made it possible for staff in the office to help manage events that are hundreds of miles away, enabling our on-site staff to focus more on the event itself.

Pros

This software has a simple but very efficient user interface. I love how few clicks/taps it takes to get from one screen to another, and how simple troubleshooting (usually) is. Even the least tech-savvy users in our office find it easy to use. It is very portable, works with a variety of printers and devices, and customer service has always been prompt and helpful. We'll never go back to the way we used to do things.

Cons

There are times when their updates have bugs themselves, which interferes with our use of the app at events. There is also a lag time when you click on the check-in button before you can print another badge, which can be frustrating when you've got a line backing up. Setting up the Zebra printers can also be challenging if you aren't familiar with all the printer settings lingo.

App crashed on android devices, valuable leads lost

Used Boomset for a tradeshow and the app crashed over and over again on android devices and we lost all of our leads.

Loved our Boomset experience!

Pros

We loved how quick and easy our check-in became with the QR code software! We were also able to instantly print out badges, which added to the professionalism of our event. Generating reports was also convenient, with all the data we needed at just a click of a button.

Cons

The set-up was slightly difficult for our team members, even with the instructions and some experience with hardware. However, whenever we did need help, the Boomset customer success team was just an email away.

Boomset for Annual Conference

We used Boomset for the first time in March 2015. It was a huge success and many of the conference attendees were complimenting us on our new on site registration system. We began the process about 6 months before our event and found that Boomset was not only the most affordable solution to updating our on-site registration needs, but it also was the most user friendly! After choosing to use Boomset, we were able to quickly get set up even though our event has some "unique" needs and scenarios that we had to work through. The team at Boomset spent their time listening to our needs and helping us come up with the easiest solutions. We then were off and running and quickly learned how easy it was for our conference team to learn the software and then train others that would be using it on site. Once we were on site, everything was seamless. The badges printed quickly to keep traffic moving and no one stood and waiting in line for anything! This is was a first for us! We also were amazed with the QR codes on the badges and how easy it was to scan everyone into a program and it was wonderful being able to see how many people were already in the program on the scanners (without having to do a head count). Overall, our organization would highly recommend using Boomset. They are also always keeping up with the trends in the meeting industry to better improve their software and keep your organization on the cutting edge with on-site registration technology.

Pros

User friendly

Cons

Not much, but Boomset is always upgrading the software to fix any issues large and small