Using PDF forms to automate conference registration

The bottomline…Adobe Acrobat Professional lets you……automate registration for your conference…...with minimal infrastructure expenses.

What you need to create the form…A license of Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended.What delegatesneed to fill it in…Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat 7.0.5 or above.

The workflow…YouCreate the PDF form using Adobe LiveCycle Designer bundled with Acrobat 9 Pro.PDF formDelegatesSet up the form for distribution.Download the PDF form from the conference website.Host the form at the conference website.Fill in the form using Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat and submit the form.If necessary, retain a print copy of the filled-in form for accounting/reference purposes.Double click the filled-in form and add it to a ‘responses’ file.Review the responses in Adobe Tracker.Create an archive PDF when all responses have been received. Export the responses to a CSV spreadsheet.

A closer look at the Adobe Response TrackerFields of the formNumber of responses; one response per tracker rowClick this icon to view the filled-in PDF.

So where’s the sample?Well, here!For guidelines on creating and distributing a form, see http://bit.ly/Kr1jw. For user guidelines on submitting a distributed form, see http://bit.ly/35bQHv.

Recommended practicesAfter distributing the form, do not modify the [form name]_distributed.pdf file until you upload it.Have a distribution list of the intended recipientsHave a dedicated webmail ID as part of the DL. Use this ID to send an auto-acknowledgement mail to the participants.Add the filled-in forms to the responses file every few days.Back up the responses file frequently.

BenefitsAutomatic collection of form responsesEasy printability of forms as against HTML formsForm responses can be redirected to a separate folder using a simple Outlook rule or a webmail filterForm responses can be archived and exported to MS Excel for analysisMinimal infrastructure required at the delegates’ and organizers’ ends

About the author…Samartha Vashishtha works as a technical writer with Adobe Systems. He is also a bi-lingual poet and a keen follower of technology trends.If you are on Twitter, follow him at http://twitter.com/samarthav. Direct queries or feedback on this presentation to vashishtha@gmail.com. That’s all folks!