E-Commerce

Law groups who would like to accept online credit card payments (conduct e-commerce) or create a fee-based event registration form must work within the e-commerce program overseen by Northwestern University's Bursar's office. Note that this system cannot be used to accept donations.

Creating an e-commerce event registration site

  1. Review the Northwestern University Online Event Registration Packet
    • Complete the application form within it and send it to Law Administrative Services for approval.
  2. While waiting for approval, you should create a draft of your registration form, and document all important information about the event or conference. Be sure to include the following:
    • The names, NetIDs, and email addresses of departmental personnel who will manage the registration process
    • Primary contact person and contact email address (preferably a departmental or listserv address)
    • The name, dates, and times of the event
    • The event location (street address and building location)
    • The date the registration form should go live
    • The registration deadline
    • Dates after which refunds will no longer be given
    • Cancellation and refund policy
    • Maximum number of attendees. Will there be a waitlist?
    • Any event or conference agenda items, such as breakout sessions, meals, or other special events requiring separate registration or additional fees.
    • Attendee groups or types that receive special treatment, such as reduced fees. For example, will NU Law students get a discounted rate?
    • The complete fee structure for the event, including the base rate, all group-based discounts, and any additional fees. Will there be an early-bird or late registration fee? If so, on what date will the fees increase?
    • The personal data you would like to collect from each registrant and any special questions you would like to ask.
    • A first draft of the introductory text and registration confirmation text (which will be emailed to the registrant after completing the process).
    • The URL of your event web page that will link to the registration form.
  3. Upon approval, contact the Communications and Web Development team, attaching the information documented above. We will schedule a meeting to discuss the requirements document, training, and the overall process.
  4. Once your form is live, your department will be given access to monitor incoming registrations and process refunds.

For further information, please contact the law school web team at law-website@law.northwestern.edu.

Who can participate?

Any Northwestern department that will be hosting an event featuring online registration and online credit card payments can participate in the program.

Benefits

Northwestern has established a relationship with Certain Software, maker of Certain Registration. This relationship allows the University to provide departments with greatly discounted access to the Certain online registration application, reduced merchant account setup costs, and minimized PCI requirements. Certain Registration can be used to manage any size event. Simple events can get up and running quickly while larger more involved events can create robust one stop registration sites using advanced features such as housing, travel, and program management.

Features:

  • Attendee badge creation
  • Dynamic attendee email lists
  • Flexible reporting
  • Program management, including session attendance limits, wait lists, and session pricing
  • Tiered pricing, early bird, standard, and late registration

A more complete listing of all Certain Registration features is available at Certain's website.