Navigation: EVENT BUILDER > ACTIVATE & PUBLISH tab
ACTIVATION & PAYMENT METHODS TOOL
The Activation & Payment Methods tool in the Event Builder contains the settings needed to activate your event registration for public usage and event payment.
FREE EVENTS
Before we get into the details of the Activation Grid, keep in mind that you can eliminate the payment methods from the grid, thus removing any indication of registration payment if your event is free to attend.
To do this, enter the Event Builder and select the EVENT BASICS tab. Then click the Basic Event Information tool on the left.
Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see the OPTIONAL ATTRIBUTES section. Then, flip the Pricing & Payment Tools dropdown so that the event is designated as 100% FREE.
After enabling this setting, return to the Activation & Payment Methods tool within the Builder and take a look at how the grid has changed!
OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVATION GRID
The activation grid is partitioned in 2 distinct ways:
- PAYMENT METHODS + ACTIVATION: the grid displays a row for each style of payment that can be activated + a row for activating registration
- Pay Online [for the event]
- Offline Payment Options [for the event]
- "ATTENDEE" REGISTRATION MECHANISM: Attendee registration is used for all primary registration setup; includes Custom Prompts, Custom Profiles, etc. It can be used for sponsors, speakers, exhibitors, staff and any other registration type to be included within your event registration process.
ACTIVATE REGISTRATION
This switch will open the gateway to public registration. You might also flip this switch on before registration is technically open in an effort to test the event's registration flow before giving access to the public.
Keep in mind that the Attendee and Ticketing mechanisms can be activated together or separately. They are distinct registration tools that can be used.
Just above the Activate Registration switch, you will also see a TEST button. This button can be used by an admin to test your registration flow without having to flip the activation switch.
PAYMENT METHODS
PAY ONLINE
Eventsquid allows organizations the ability to connect one of four accepted payment processors. Follow our GUIDELINES on connecting a payment processor to your Eventsquid Dashboard; we have also included basic instructions below.
When connected, admins can choose to activate the option for attendees to pay for registration fees online. If Pay Online is the ONLY payment method that is activated for an event, registrants that obtain a balance due through the registration process will be required to pay their balance in full at checkout.
When at least one alternative, "offline" payment method is activated, then registrants who obtain a balance through registration can opt to pay their balance now or later.
When Pay Online is activated, registrants can use Eventsquid.com to pay their balance outside of the registration form as well.
The following four gateways are accepted by the Eventsquid platform:
- Stripe
- PayPal Express
- PayPal Payflow
- Authorize.net
CONNECT A PAYMENT GATEWAY TO YOUR EVENTSQUID AFFILIATE DASHBOARD
- Go to your Event Dashboard
- Click the MANAGE ORGANIZATION tab at the top
- Select PAYMENT PROCESSING
- Now click the gateway you'd like to use out of the available options
- Enter API credentials for connection
A great way to test a new payment gateway is through a real registration. Create a registration item on your event with a very small price (i.e. $1), then register and pay for it. Ensure that you activate the Pay Online option (described above) within the ACTIVATE & PUBLISH section of the Event Builder.
If you activate Pay Online in addition to another offline payment method, your registrants will see another option by default: PAY ONLINE LATER. Your registrants can select this, complete their registration and return at any later point to pay their balance via credit card online.
To pay an open balance online at a later date (after initial checkout), you can instruct the attendee to click the link in their confirmation email (to pay balance online), or to follow these steps:
- Login to Eventsquid
- Click name in the upper right corner
- Select My Events from the dropdown
- Find the event name and click Details
- Click "Pay My Balance"
The attendee will be given a presentation of their invoice. At the bottom right corner, they will see a button labeled PAY NOW BY CREDIT CARD.
PROCESSING FEE
You can add a processing fee to your Eventsquid registration transactions. The processing fee can either be a flat fee or a percentage of the total purchase price.
Note that an admin is also able to apply a blanket fee on all transactions, or apply the fee only to only those registrations that were purchased by credit card.
The processing fee will show up on the registrant's invoice as a separate line item.
ALTERNATIVE OFFLINE PAYMENT METHODS
You can also elect to allow registrants to elect a method of payment that would occur offline. For example, you might be running an event which accepts registrations that are paid for by the registrant's parent organization - as such, they might need to submit an invoice to their team for approval. Or, you might allow registrants to pay as the front desk, with cash or check.
The system provides two default offline payment methods; or, you can decide to create your own.
The default options are:
- Pay at the Event
- Pay by Mail or Wire
Notice the EDIT PAYMENT INFO link inside the "Pay by Mail or Wire" option. Click this to reveal a set of fields which allow you to designate check and PO payment instructions for registrants that choose this method. The instructions inputted here will display atop the final invoice, on the confirmation page and within the confirmation email that is sent to registrants.
This information is customizable per event. However, for those of you that would like to keep this information the same for all events, you can setup a default from your Event Dashboard. Click into the MANAGE ORGANIZATION tab, then select Registration Defaults on the left. You can set default check payment instructions.
CUSTOM OFFLINE PAYMENT METHODS
The custom offline payment method option allows you to create new methods, with a corresponding set of instructions. At checkout, any custom option will appear after the registrant clicks the FINISH & PAY LATER button. A dropdown will reveal any option(s) you have activated for the event.
You can always EDIT or DELETE any custom options you have created in the past.