Putting Technology to Work for Events

Most meeting and event planners that I know are excellent problem solvers. They're great at thinking on their feet, tapping into the creative, responding to crisis, getting the job done! All with a smile on their face that masks the exhaustion. This is why I'm puzzled as to why our industry is slow to adopt technology.

This may seem rudimentary, but event planners should look to technology in helping them solve problems. After all, technology platforms are really just tools to tackle any number of jobs. When utilized properly, tech can do a lot of heavy lifting, save time, automate tasks and workflow, and deliver the data you need to make better decisions to improve program.

I understand that it can be overwhelming at times, with the number of choices that are available, and the incredible amount of noise that accompanies a large and growing marketplace. But if you take the time and leverage your resources, you can cut through the noise and find the right tools.

I suggest looking at the problems that you're trying to solve and determine your overall objectives for solving those problems. And then work backwards.

Are you trying to be more efficient? Are you being asked to do more with less? (This may seem cliche, but there's an app - or two or three dozen- for that - Planning Pod, Message Blocks, EventSPRING, CadmiumCD to name a few). Maybe your team is working in silos or you're overwhelmed with emails from vendors, speakers and attendees?

Are you trying to bring new life to your conferences? Is your attendance slipping? Is revenue down? Sponsorships taking a dive? Perhaps you've been charged with deploying a wide training initiative in a short period of time on a limited budget?

Once you identify problems and set objectives, it's time to turn towards developing a set of strategies to help meet those objectives. Strategies might include increasing engagement (CrowdMics), capturing/analyzing data to help drive content decisions, improve networking (LiGo by Limefy) reworking marketing and outreach, rethinking team deployment and responsibility.

Once strategies are set, it time's to match those strategies with the right tools/technology to do the job. As the marketplace for event technology expands, you'll find there's a platform to help you execute almost any strategy and solve any problem.

It takes research and time, but in the end, developing a strategy to help in choosing the right tools will help you improve your events, and make you a better planner.

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Do you need help developing YOUR strategy? As always, The Event Guys are here to help. Our primary focus and passion is introducing planners to new technologies and helping them integrate those tools into their routines. Our EventTechGuide is the leading review site and marketplace for meeting and event technology. 

Time to Dump your Spreadsheets?

Would you hire an accountant that still uses paper invoices and ledgers? Or would you feel more comfortable with one that uses an accounting software like Quickbooks? What about an architect that uses only paper, pencil and a compass, but refuses to use CAD? 

The majority of meeting and event planners that I've met over the last several years continue to use spreadsheets, email, sticky notes, and clipboards as the tools of their trade. This method of planning has worked for them, and they have templates setup that they can use. It's easy. It's comfortable. You're too busy to learn a new system. So why change? 

The age of planning software is upon us. There are software platforms and solutions that are fully baked - tried, tested, and ready for you to use. Communities and user groups abound that are ready to support you. Ranging in price from FREE to $Thousands. Customizable platforms like Podio, structured ones like Planning Pod, and Message Blocks, and Eventuosity. Platforms that do it all like CadmiumCD or EventAIR to ones that solve one problem, like EventSPRING, that integrate with others that you already use.

In fact there are hundreds of companies with solutions for event planners. One of those can help you leapfrog into the modern world.

The benefits? Choose one because there are many. How about more time to be creative and strategic? Data and insight to help you improve your events? Reduction in errors and duplication? Increased leverage to reduce your costs and increase your income? How about increased stature and respect?  

The risks of not updating? I can tell you that the next generation of event planners are embracing these tools, and can't imagine working without them. If you want to stay relevant, to stay efficient, then can you afford NOT to update?

Now don't get me wrong. Spreadsheets will always have their place. But maybe it's time that you leave that old process behind and replace it with a platform that will centralize and streamline your planning. You'll be glad you did. 

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As always, The Event Guys are here to help. Our primary focus and passion is introducing planners to new technologies and helping them integrate those tools into their routines. Our EventTechGuide is the leading review site and marketplace for meeting and event technology. 

Too Busy to Save Time

If time is the ultimate commodity, why do we waste so much of it?

I recently had a conversation with a meeting planner friend who described her rather arduous process for selecting a speaker and collecting abstracts for the twice-annual conference she managed. This process was time-consuming - collecting submissions via email, wrangling those submissions amongst and between her review committee, cutting and pasting text and photos into a template for printing - and would take her a good 40 hours of work twice a year. Needless to say, it was a frustrating part of her job, but she was proud of the end product and resigned to the fact that it "is what it is".

As a technology consultant, I pride myself in recognizing ways that technology can help people solve problems. My friend had a problem I like to call "Time Melt," which could be solved by a number of event management software providers. Their platforms automate this very process and she could accomplish this same project in about a tenth of the time, possibly saving her more than 70 hours a year - or almost a full TWO WEEKS!

The irony of this story is that when I pointed this out, her response was that she was too busy to learn another system.

As I talk to and get to know event technology providers, this is a common theme that they also hear from meeting planners - "I'm too busy" to save time. Yes, meeting planners are busy people. They have a lot of responsibility, and often scarce resources to help accomplish what they need to do. Finding the time and energy to discover, research, vet, and then learn new technologies can be time consuming, and often ends up at the bottom of their To-Do list.

But the problem with being stuck in a "Time Melt" is not only that you're potentially wasting time in a process that could be done more efficiently, you also could be doing other things with that time (that's called "lost opportunity time"). Could you be thinking more strategically? Could you be getting more done? Being more creative? Taking a day off now and then?

So take a step back from time to time. Examine your processes, search out and analyze technologies that could help make them more efficient. Ask fellow planners what they're using, seek out conferences and educational opportunities to learn more. It can be scary, but if you do your homework and choose the right provider - there's a ton of great ones out there - it will be well worth your time.

And if you need a hand, or a guide for your journey, give us a shout at The Event Guys. We're happy to help!

I recently had a conversation with a meeting planner friend who described her rather arduous process for selecting a speaker and collecting abstracts for the twice-annual conference she managed. This process was time-consuming - collecting submissions via email, wrangling those submissions amongst and between her review committee, cutting and pasting text and photos into a template for printing - and would take her a good 40 hours of work twice a year. Needless to say, it was a frustrating part of her job, but she was proud of the end product and resigned to the fact that it "is what it is".

As a technology consultant, I pride myself in recognizing ways that technology can help people solve problems. My friend had a problem I like to call "Time Melt," which could be solved by a number of event management software providers. Their platforms automate this very process and she could accomplish this same project in about a tenth of the time, possibly saving her more than 70 hours a year - or almost a full TWO WEEKS!

The irony of this story is that when I pointed this out, her response was that she was too busy to learn another system.

As I talk to and get to know event technology providers, this is a common theme that they also hear from meeting planners - "I'm too busy" to save time. Yes, meeting planners are busy people. They have a lot of responsibility, and often scarce resources to help accomplish what they need to do. Finding the time and energy to discover, research, vet, and then learn new technologies can be time consuming, and often ends up at the bottom of their To-Do list.

But the problem with being stuck in a "Time Melt" is not only that you're potentially wasting time in a process that could be done more efficiently, you also could be doing other things with that time (that's called "lost opportunity time"). Could you be thinking more strategically? Could you be getting more done? Being more creative? Taking a day off now and then?

So take a step back from time to time. Examine your processes, search out and analyze technologies that could help make them more efficient. Ask fellow planners what they're using, seek out conferences and educational opportunities to learn more. It can be scary, but if you do your homework and choose the right provider - there's a ton of great ones out there - it will be well worth your time.

And if you need a hand, or a guide for your journey, give us a shout at The Event Guys. We're happy to help!

The Wild West of Event Technology

I've been knee deep in research the last 2-3 years helping clients discover and acquire new technologies for their conferences, and gathering data on providers to include in our new EventTechGuide. After sitting through hundreds of demos and conversations, and analyzing dozens and dozens of pricing models in various categories, I can confirm that Event Tech is surely in a "Wild West" phase.

Just like every rush to opportunity that was the Wild West, there's lots of new storefronts - some will succeed, others will fail. Some will get funding, others will bootstrap. Some will be pure gold, others will be flimflam artists. Hard to tell who to trust for the long haul. 

And all those storefronts offer a mix of services with a lot of hybrids. Just like the Wild West, sometimes the Barbershop was in the General Store. So you have reg systems offering CMS, or event apps offering marketing. 

Just like the Wild West - there are no rules or laws when it comes to pricing. Pay per attendee, per month, one time buy, annual fee, a la carte, package pricing, or a percentage of registration fees.

Just like the Wild West - it's difficult and dangerous out there for technology buyers. It's hard to know what will happen, who will survive, and how pricing will evolve. 

What can you do to mitigate your risks and get the most out of your investment? A few suggestions. 1) Set a strategy. 2) Do your research. 3) Get multiple bids. 4) Don't be fooled by the firms with the biggest marketing budgets. 5) Seek out advice from fellow planners and find objective reviews and opinions. 6) Don't sign long term contracts - technology and pricing evolves at a rapid pace.

The payoffs and ROI can be tremendous for those willing to take the journey into deploying new event technology. Increased efficiency, new found opportunities, enhanced experiences for attendees, improved attendance and sponsorship revenues.

Oh, and if you need a guide on your trip out to the Wild West, give us a call at The Event Guys.

The Event Guys Launches Comprehensive Guide to Event Technology

The Event Guys is pleased to announce the launch of the EventTechGuide - a comprehensive digital guide to meeting and event technology AND the meeting industry's first review site for technology providers.

"After working through the process of searching for and vetting providers for our clients," shared Eric Kingstad, CEO of The Event Guys, "we sensed the frustration that planners must feel due to the reality that there is 1) a vast and growing number of choices available for each different type of technology (at last count we see over 125 registration platforms and over 150 mobile event apps) and 2) no easy way to tell the good from the bad. There are many companies that are just coming into market that have spectacular products, and many that have gained no traction after several years. Creating a review site makes sense and we hope it will help planners in their decision making process as they'll be able to read reviews about experiences from actual users." 

"We also realize the difficulty that small startups have with gaining the attention of planners", Kingstad continued. "The companies with the biggest marketing dollars are ultimately winning the day, even though they may not have the best product or service. Being entrepreneurs ourselves, we hope to level the playing field and give smaller companies with great products an affordable way to reach their target audience".

The EventTechGuide (www.eventtechguide.com) officially launches February 1, and will include listings and reviews of providers in over 20 technology categories, industry news, articles about event technology from industry thought leaders, educational opportunities in the form of webinars, and a calendar of industry technology focused events. Cost is free for planners, and pricing for provider participation varies. 

For more information contact Eric Kingstad at Eric@theeventguys.com.