Qualified registrations, verified attendance and delegate pricing

Define a qualified registration in writing

Describe the audience in terms the campaign team can check. Depending on the event, that might mean job function, seniority, sector, organisation type, geography or buying responsibility. A phrase such as "senior decision-maker" needs more detail before two people can apply it consistently.

Next, agree what counts as registration. It could be a submitted form, an approved application or an accepted invitation with all required details complete. A hosted-buyer programme may require additional commitments that an open conference does not. Record who approves borderline profiles and whether that approval can later be withdrawn.

Choose evidence for verified attendance

An attendance fee needs a specific trigger. Is it arrival at the venue, attendance at a session or completion of a scheduled meeting? Collecting a badge at reception does not establish that the holder completed every meeting in the programme.

Cvent's OnArrival documentation lists event check-ins, session attendance and registration comparisons as separate reporting capabilities. We recommend choosing the relevant organiser record in advance and retaining a timestamp where one is available. Appoint someone to approve the final reconciliation. For online events, agree the platform evidence and the required level of participation separately.

Set the attribution rules before outreach

Agree whether the campaign should generate new registrations, reactivate previous contacts or support an existing audience. Establish the starting exclusion list and how the organiser will share additions to it. Write down how to handle duplicate contacts, colleague referrals and registrations that come through several channels before those cases arise.

Campaign links help identify traffic sources. Google's URL-builder guidance explains the source, medium and campaign fields in Analytics. For the commercial reconciliation, we recommend combining the agreed attribution record with registration and attendance data. Investigate missing tracking through an exception process with a named approver and a deadline.

• Agree the date when campaign attribution begins and ends.
• State how existing registrations and previously known contacts are treated.
• Define the evidence needed for a referral or replacement delegate.
• Set a reconciliation deadline and a process for disputed records.

Compare the full commercial model

A retainer can cover agreed research, setup, campaign management and reporting. Alternatively, a fee may become payable when the organiser approves a registration or when a qualified delegate meets the agreed attendance definition. These are possible contract structures. They do not establish an industry tariff.

For a mixed model, add the fixed campaign cost to the agreed fee multiplied by the number of eligible outcomes. Run that calculation for several attendance scenarios. Include separately charged data, mailbox, translation and telephone costs where applicable. Check the currency, taxes, payment dates and campaign duration so that the options cover the same work.

A commission-only proposal still needs an agreed scope and capacity commitment. Ask what preparation the partner will do, whether a minimum term or outcome threshold applies, and what happens if the organiser postpones the event or changes the audience brief.

Explain cancellations and no-shows precisely

Under a contract that charges only for attendance, a registration that does not attend should not incur the attendance fee. A fixed retainer or separately agreed preparation cost may still be payable. Spell out those remaining charges when describing what happens to unsuccessful registrations.

Use the same schedule to address substitutions, partial attendance, duplicate scans and cancellations. Agree the replacement deadline, whether a replacement must qualify independently and who approves the final record. Both parties should be able to work out what will appear on the invoice.

Ask for a transparent closing report

The closing report should show qualified registrations, cancellations, verified attendees and disputed records as separate counts, with campaign attribution alongside them. Limit access to personal data to the people handling the reconciliation. Show how the approved count produces the fee and include any fixed charges. Agree this calculation before the first invitation goes out.

Editorial and source note

By Summitrix editorial team. Draft for founder review. Sources accessed 26 September 2026. The commercial structures and contract questions are our recommendations. The linked sources describe measurement capabilities. This article is not a price quotation or a report of campaign results.