How to set up member and non-member rates

Why rates get messy

The price list in a flyer looks simple. Then every rate gets an early-bird version, guests need their own price, and the board and speakers should not pay at all. Twelve options appear on the form, people choose the wrong one, and someone has to sort it out by email after they have paid.

1. One package for each kind of person

Make one package for each group that pays a different price, and name it the way your members talk:

• Member
• Non-member
• Resident or fellow
• Student
• Guest or spouse

Add one line under each that says who it is for, for example “Current dues-paying members” or “Medical students with a school email”. Most wrong choices come from a package name that could mean two things.

2. Show people only what applies to them

Put packages in groups, such as attendees and exhibitors, so a physician never sees booth prices and an exhibitor never sees the student rate. Fewer choices on the screen means fewer mistakes.

3. Use an early-bird date, not extra packages

Do not make “Member early bird” and “Member regular” as two packages. Keep one Member package with its regular price, and add an early-bird discount that ends on a date. Until that date people see the lower price; after it, the regular price applies on its own. Nobody has to remember to switch anything off at midnight.

4. Coupons for the exceptions

Speakers, board members, sponsors’ guests and staff often register free or at a reduced rate. Instead of a hidden package for each, give them a coupon code. A code can take off a fixed amount or a percentage, work only between two dates, stop after a set number of uses, and apply only to the packages you choose.

5. Checking who is really a member

The form cannot know who has paid their dues this year, so make it easy to check. Ask for a member number on a page that only people on the Member package see. Then compare the registration report with your member list.

If someone chose the member rate and is not a member, an admin can move them to the Non-member package and update what they owe. The payment they already made stays on record.

6. Guests and family

Give guests their own price, and decide whether a package includes a guest or whether guests are paid for separately. The person registering adds their guests on the same registration, and the total shows each person’s price before they pay.

7. Try every price before you open

Before registration opens, register yourself once on a practice copy of the event for each package: a member, a non-member with a guest, a student with a coupon. Check that each total matches your price list, then clear the test registrations and open the real form.

A short checklist

• One package for each price, with one line saying who it is for
• Attendee and exhibitor packages kept apart
• Early-bird discount set with its end date
• Coupon codes for speakers, board and other exceptions
• Member number asked on member packages, and checked against your list
• Every package tried once on a practice copy