Defining your registration funnel stages
Two people on your team report registration numbers and the figures never match.
The short answer
A registration funnel is a short sequence of stages, each with a one-sentence definition, a counting rule and an owner. Typical stages are invited, reached, interested, registered, confirmed and attended, but your event may need fewer.
Write the definitions before you report anything. This page does not give conversion or no-show rates, because those depend on your audience and event. Use your own past figures or leave them blank.
Why definitions matter
Registered can mean a form was submitted, a payment was received or a place was allocated. Attended can mean checked in at the door or present at a session. If two people use different meanings, a report will mislead even if every number is accurate.
Definitions also protect decisions. A committee cannot judge whether the audience is on track without knowing what each number counts.
Stages to define
| Stage | Definition to write | Counting rule to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Invited | A person from a qualified segment was sent an invitation by an approved owner. | Count people, not messages. Count each person once. |
| Reached | The invitation was delivered, or the person was told in person. | Say how you know. If you cannot know, do not report a number. |
| Interested | The person asked a question, opened the registration page or replied. | Choose one signal and use it every time, or skip this stage. |
| Registered | A registration form was submitted for a named person. | Decide how duplicates, group bookings and substitutes are counted. |
| Confirmed | The place is secured, for example after payment, approval or reply to a confirmation. | State what secured means for each ticket type. |
| Attended | Checked in at the event. | Say whether partial attendance counts and who records it. |
Rules to settle early
- Cancellations and substitutions: do they leave the count, or move to a separate line?
- Complimentary and invited guests: are they counted with paying registrants or separately?
- Waiting list: is a waiting-list person registered or not?
- Cut-off time: what time on what day does each weekly count close?
- Source of truth: which system or sheet is the one official count?
Using the stages without invented rates
Report each stage as a count, with the date and the source. If you want a ratio, calculate it from your own earlier events and state that it is from your own past data, or leave it out.
To explore scenarios, use the attendance scenario planner. It asks for your own assumptions and shows the uncertainty. It does not supply a default response or no-show rate.
Put the definitions to work
- Agree the stage list and definitions with everyone who reports or reads numbers.
- Write them at the top of the registration tracker and the status report.
- Fix the counting day and the single source.
- Collect only the registration fields you need to run each stage. The form field minimiser helps with that.
- Review definitions after the first report if anyone was confused.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional forum aligns two different counts
Fictional organisation and figures, written to show the level of detail that is useful.
The secretariat of a fictional engineers' institute reported 120 registered while the finance officer reported 96. The secretariat counted every submitted form; finance counted only paid places.
They agreed: Registered means a form submitted for a named person; Confirmed means payment received or an approved invoice. The report now shows 120 registered and 96 confirmed, with the date and the sheet they came from. Nobody changed a number; they changed what the number was called.
Use this yourself
Funnel definitions table
Copy this table into your tracker and fill each row with your team's wording. Delete any stage you will not report.
| Stage | Our definition | Counting rule | Source | Owner | Count day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invited | |||||
| Reached | |||||
| Registered | |||||
| Confirmed | |||||
| Attended | |||||
| Rules: cancellations, substitutes, complimentary, waiting list |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- One registration system and one person who reports from it.
- The team has run a similar event and knows its own figures.
- The committee only needs registered and attended counts.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several systems, partners or ticket types produce different counts.
- Payment, approval and registration are handled by different people.
- Leadership questions the numbers and nobody can explain how they were counted.
Want the counting rules set up and kept consistent?
A conference project lead can agree the funnel definitions with your committee and finance, set the single source of truth, and report registration progress on the same basis each week. The interpretation and decisions stay with your committee. Send your current numbers and where each comes from.
Questions organisers ask
What conversion rate should we expect?
This page does not supply one. Rates vary with audience, price, timing and how the invitation was sent. Use your own earlier events, if you have them, and label them as your own history.
Do we need all six stages?
No. Many events only need invited, registered, confirmed and attended. Add stages only if someone will act on the number.
Should a group booking count as one registration or many?
Count named people where you can, and record the group booking separately until names are supplied. Write the rule down.
Who decides what attended means?
The committee, ideally before the event, because it affects certificates, refunds and reporting to partners.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.