Founded in 1986, the Internationaux de France de Badminton is one of the 12 biggest stops on the international circuit, renamed the HSBC BWF World Tour in 2018. For the French Badminton Federation (FFB), it's a flagship event. First because it represents the excellence of this sport in France, and second because this moment is anticipated all year by fans and enthusiasts of the discipline. For the occasion, the FFB uses Digitevent to invite its guests and partners to the event.

The initial challenges

For the FFB, the goal is to give its partners and their guests access to this unique annual event on French soil. However, seats are limited, and daily invitation quotas must be respected in order to accommodate all guests. Here are the initial challenges:

  • Managing invitations on behalf of the Federation and partners,
  • Registering guests for the different days of the tournament while respecting quotas,
  • Registering companions for participants authorized to bring guests,
  • Sending PDF access badges and registration confirmations,
  • Controlling participant access on each day of the tournament,
  • Restricting access to VIP areas and notifying partners of the arrival of important guests,
  • Thanking guests and sharing the event's highlights.

Managing invitations on behalf of the Federation and partners

Ahead of the event, the FFB collects the guest list from each of its partners and sets the participation rights for each one. Some are only authorized to attend the qualifying rounds, while others can also invite guests to the finals. Some are allowed to come on several days, others only once. Finally, some are allowed to bring a companion, particularly for the qualifying rounds during the week.

Registering guests for the different days of the tournament while respecting quotas

A save-the-date and an invitation campaign are sent to the various guests. Thanks to campaign personalization, each guest receives an invitation email mentioning the name and logo of the partner entity inviting them, generally an event sponsor.

After opening their personalized invitation email, future participants access the website created for the occasion via Digitevent. For this major event, a dedicated domain name and a personalized sender email address were set up to offer a fully white-labeled experience for the FFB and the tournament. All the guest has to do is confirm their attendance and indicate which days they will participate. Quotas are set for each authorized day, so there's no risk of registering more people than the venue can accommodate.

Registering companions for participants authorized to bring guests

Once registration is complete, the participant can, where applicable, add their companions. The number of companions allowed (as well as the right to bring a companion at all) depends on the participant's category. Transparently to the guest, the FFB has thus set the number of companions allowed for each category of participant. Categories are defined dynamically by creating segments via Digitevent, which filter contacts meeting certain conditions (e.g. everyone coming on Thursday and invited by Yonex).

Sending PDF access badges and registration confirmations

After each online registration, a PDF access badge is automatically sent to the participant (for themselves and their companions). The information and the access map are summarized in this confirmation email. The badge shows the person's name, their day of attendance at the tournament, and a secure QR code to control access on the day they attend.

Controlling participant access on each day of the tournament

During the event, security is paramount, and it's essential to confirm that everyone present is indeed pre-registered. Hosts equipped with tablets welcome participants at the check-in points. They look up each arrival by name or via the badge's QR code. Within seconds, they confirm the participant is on the day's list and check them in. Arrivals are synchronized in real time across all devices. This digital welcome process is repeated every day of the tournament. Detailed statistics by day and arrival time are generated in the organizers' Digitevent account.

Restricting access to VIP areas and notifying partners of the arrival of important guests

In addition to watching the matches, VIP areas are open to certain guests. These spaces are ideal for connecting with the inviting partner and exploring potential collaborations. To notify the partner when their guests arrive, an SMS alert system was set up. As soon as a guest is scanned in at the entrance to the VIP area, an SMS is automatically sent to the host to let them know their contact has arrived.

Thanking guests and sharing the event's highlights

After the event, the organizers and the FFB sent thank-you email campaigns to participants. Thanks to digital access control and contact segmentation, they sent a specific message targeting only those who actually attended. This campaign was also an opportunity to send a recap of the highlights along with information about badminton. A photo album was also added to the event's dedicated website in just a few clicks.