Events can be conferences, seminars, regattas, tournaments, even summer camps. Generally, an event is something that happens at a specific place and time, for some duration. The system supports up to ten thousand events simultaneously. Within each event, you can define up to ten thousand different activities. Activities could be races, seminars or swimming classes, whatever is most relevant to your organization. In the general sense, the activities defined for an event describe what the registrants will be doing at the event. For each event, you may also define up to ten thousand packages. In general, packages describe how the registrant gets to the event; i.e. the financial details and other terms and conditions of the registrant’s attendance at the event. Both activities and packages have a table of transaction records associated with them which establishes the price of the activity or package, and the price of a package may be defined to include the price of the associated activities, on an activity by activity basis. This table of transactions allows you to distribute the credit side of the transaction to as many different G/L accounts as you wish.
Any record in the master list (an individual or organization) may be registered to an event in less than a dozen keystrokes. Transactions are created automatically when the individual registers for an event. The transaction may be designated as a cash transaction or an accounts receivable transaction which may be charged to the ledger of the registrant or another record in the master list. The event registration module also supports name badges. The badge form definition is user-definable (although default definitions are supplied) so any information relating to the registrant or the event can be printed on the badge. An unlimited number of badges may be defined for any single event registration to accommodate family registrations for an event.
In its most generic sense, an event is simply a group of related activities taking place at roughly the same time at roughly the same place. For example, a conference generally consists of seminars and plenary sessions, dinners, tours and related types of activities. The seminars, dinners, tours etc. can all be thought of as activities within the meaning of the term as defined by Society Manager. Generally, activities refer to what the registrant will be doing at the event. Packages generally refer to how the registrant gets to the event. In most conferences there are different rate structures for members and non-members, one, two or three day registrations and early and late registrations. Each of these different rate structures should be defined as a separate package for the event. In this way, you may well have anywhere from zero to forty or more activities defined for an event, and from one to a dozen or so packages defined. Your task when registering an individual to an event is simply to select the appropriate package from the ones defined, and then to select the activities the individual will be participating in, and finally to supply some additional information about the number of registrants, the registration date and payment method. For simple events, a single registration can be accomplished in a half-dozen keystrokes or mouse clicks. For more complex events with many optional activities, a couple of dozen keystrokes or mouse clicks may be required.
When an individual or organization registers for an event, that registration must occur under one of the packages defined for an event. When an individual or organization registers for an event, the registrations for all activities defined as part of the package under which the individual is registered are created automatically. You may also create separate registrations for activities independently of the package under which the individual or organization is registered. You may also select activities from a "pick list" of available activities for that event.
Hotel reservations may also be taken from within the event registration module. The user may define an unlimited number of hotels, with an unlimited number of room types for each. Each room type has a surcharge that may be included in the reservation amount. Up to four rates may be specified for each hotel. Non-smoking requests may be accommodated in the reservation. If the reservation is to be guaranteed, space is provided for the credit card number, issuer and expiry date. Hotel reservations are independent of the event, so multiple hotel reservations may be created for any individual, if necessary.
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