YES! You certainly can take computers with you to the registration desk during your annual meeting. However, the trick is determining the best way to do this. Each organization has different needs on-site, different equipment options available to them, their budget to adhere to, and have members that require a different standard of performance. The following information will help you sort through your options when making your decision on the right choice for your organization.

Do I need a computer on-site?

Two basic questions will help you determine whether you do or don't need a computer on-site. First, Do most of your attendees pre-register? If most of your members pre-register, then you may not need an automated registration process on-site. Second, Is it acceptable to your members to hand write badges on-site to correct pre-printed badge errors register late guests? If your members don't expect printed name badges, then you won't need a printer. However, if the answer to either of these questions is no, keep reading. You have established the basic need to have computer equipment on-site.

What is the minimum system I can take with me?

If you simply want to produce badges on-site you need to have a computer with word processing and a printer. You will need as many computers as necessary to avoid long lines. Long lines frustrate attendees and staff alike, making for an uncomfortable beginning to your meeting. However, you can connect several computers to a single printer with the appropriate switch box and cabling. This will give you more stations, without each one needing its own printer.

You can also expand your process to track the names, addresses or other critical data of registrants and enter the data into your primary database when you get back to the office. This will provide you with a quick and effective on-site process, but with more work to do when you get back to the office.

Can I avoid entering the on-site registrations when I get back to the office?

If you use a database system to track accounting, attendance or history, you have two methods available for entering the data on-site. One way is to take the database on-site with you. Depending on your system, this requires you to"network" all the stations on-site so they can share the database. You can put a fileserver on-site, or use a product like Windows for Workgroups, if appropriate, to connect all your on-site stations to the database.

If you decide to take your database on-site with more than one station, I recommend you put together a "kit". This "kit" should contain all the cables you need for your stations and printers, a network hub (so you can leave the primary hub at the office), your stations and most importantly, an alternate fileserver. You can configure one of your normal stations to act as a server on-site and as a station at the office. Leaving your primary fileserver behind will protect it from the dangers of transporting equipment (like dropping, losing, theft, magnetic fields and other accidents.) By establishing this "kit" you will be sure to have everything you need on-site, while protecting the critical part of your network at the office.

Can the staff at the office use the database while I'm using it on-site?

If you leave staff members behind, you need to decide what information they will need to have access to, and what information you need access to on-site. Even with all of today's technological advances, you can't have two copies of data being changed and effectively combine them back into one. If the staff that stays at the office only needs to be able to look-up information and not change it, you can "freeze" the data at the office so it can't be changed. This will allow you to take the database on-site, use it as necessary to register and then copy it to the office system when you return.

If the staff at the office and the staff on-site both need to change the database, you can use a modem at the meeting site to connect to the "live" database at the office. This requires a station with a modem at the each location, a phone line that is not connected to a phone system at each location, and a software package like PC Anywhere that allows you to operate remotely. This can be the most expensive option, depending on where your meeting is in relation to your office and what the Meeting Site charges for phone access. However, the benefit is that everyone can work on the database as necessary without playing catch-up when you get back to the office (in terms of the meeting registrants anyway, you may have other tasks waiting....).

There are other options available beyond those mentioned here. As is always the case with technology... anything is possible, if you have the budget to pay for it and the patience to make it work. What you need to decide as a responsible association is how you can provide the best service to your membership during a meeting, reduce the staff time spent delivering the superior service, and spend as little money as possible doing it. In that process, all associations share the same challenges and concerns.

- Jaculin Thompson