event technology

Managing a corporate event – which more often than not, entails a substantial guest list – is only feasible when you’ve got the proper event technology at your disposal. Extensive guest lists contain a myriad of information that if managed manually, can see your entire corporate event end up in shambles. Making use of intelligent event technology isn’t optional – it’s essential. Here’s what you need to know about implementing guest list management software at your next corporate event.

If your attendees aren’t happy, your event will have been in vain

This statement may sound harsh, but unfortunately, it’s true. If your corporate event leaves anything less than a smile on the faces of your guests, it’s a pretty safe bet that they’ll refuse any future invites, and choose to investment in a competitor instead. All hope is not lost, however. The event technology available to event planners makes giving guests an enjoyably, impressionable experience far more achievable than if you were to attempt this yourself.

Make sure you’re making the registration process as streamlined and convenient as possible with on-site registration software

The majority of corporate events entail a laborious registration process. You can mitigate against long lines and frustrated guests if you’re using event technology that incorporates on-site check-in. Besides speeding-up the process, hiccups like duplicate information and last minute arrivals which often end up stalling the line are eradicated. If your corporate event entails hundreds of guests, making use of a self-check-in option can further aid in a speedy, stress-free arrival.

QR codes act as a personal event guide for your guests – aiding in crowd control and free-flowing foot traffic

A valuable addition to any corporate event – especially large scale functions like conferences or expos – QR codes that contain personalised information assist both your guests and your event team. Besides being a crucial part of access control, they’re also an efficient way of ensuring your guests have the event agenda on hand, eliminating any poor souls having to wander the corridors in search of their next session.

Making use of Event Management Software that enables you to send personalised post-event surveys benefits both attendees and you, the event planner

One of the most effective ways of gauging how your guests perceived your event is via a post-event survey. But take note: this doesn’t mean that a one-size-fits all, generic survey sent to the entire guest list is suitable. Make sure you’re using event technology that has a built-in functionality that allows you to customise form fields (in both your invitations and post-event surveys), in order to convey the fact that you value and respect your guests.

Being able to personalise all communication you have with guests is one of the benefits of embracing event tech like Event Management Software

As well as making sure that all of your communication is personalised, it’s your responsibility to ensure that you’re collecting and storing all information that you’re privy to in a legally-compliant way. We recently wrote about the lesser-known requirements of the POPI Act, which includes obtaining permission to use your guests’ information, as well as notifying them as to your intentions with regard to this data.

Guest list Management Software that allows you to do all of the above, is an essential factor in ensuring your corporate guests leave with the very best impression of your event.

For more on tailoring the event experience – and garnering the best possible response from your attendees – we can help you turn your Events into Marketing Gold.

You’ve got years of experience in the event industry, and a talented team of event planners at your side. Yet planning your events is far from smooth sailing. What’s the deal? We’re betting that your event technology is to blame. Event planning is an inordinately competitive industry, which means that even the most experienced event planners find themselves coming up short if they’re not equipped with the right event technology.

If you suspect that your events are suffering at the hands of your event technology, watch out for these six tell-tale signs:

1. Your online invitations are bouncing or being marked as spam

You’ve spent ages designing gorgeous online invitations, yet many of them end up ignored, lost at the bottom of spam folders. Why? We hate to break it to you, but your event technology is to blame. If you’re not using event management software that makes use of a white-listing service (we use SendGrid), the majority of your online invitations will sadly never see the light of day.

2. You have insufficient information about guests

We often speak about how the efficacy of your events boils down to the information you have about them. If you’ve got inadequate data on hand, you’re left with a vague idea as to the kind of event that will resonate. A sorry state of affairs indeed. Your event technology should not only be collecting every single piece of information about your guests, but storing it in an easily accessible portal too.

3. The RSVP process takes too long and requires several fulltime staff

Event planning is a full time, ‘round the clock, mad rush of a profession. Streamlined processes are key to making sure that you’re able to keep your head above water. Event technology that doesn’t automate the RSVP process is, quite frankly, a waste of money. Event planning software should make this process as easy as possible, enabling your team to focus on the other aspects of an event that require their full attention.

4. You have to ask guests for the same information every time you run an event

It’s beyond embarrassing to have to ask a guest who’s attended multiple events the same questions about their preferences every single time you re-invite them. Besides the fact that you’re putting people off your brand, you’re also wasting a lot of time doing what your event technology should be doing anyway.

5. You have no way of gathering feedback about your events from guests If you manage an event but have no way of knowing how it was received by your guests, you’re guilty of the event equivalent of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Your guests dictate whether your event was a success or not – without a way to gather their feedback, you’re unable to determine what needs improving or changing. Event technology that enables you to conduct a post-event survey isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity.

6. Post-event reports are a nightmare to compile and are often inaccurate

The last thing any event planner feels like doing after an event is crunching the numbers. Unfortunately, this aspect of your job is unavoidable, but it can be simplified with the right event technology. Software that collects and stores data makes it a whole lot easier to work out whether your event resulted in ROI, and if it didn’t, the reason why.

If you’re tired of being let down by your event technology, find out about our event management software that enables leading local and international brands to manage events in the most efficient way possible.

Whether you’re a seasoned event planner or are busy finding your feet in the industry, you’ll know that your services are only as good as the event technology you use. Make sure that you’re armed with event technology that can do the following:

1.  Work across all devices.

If your event management software only works on a desktop, it’ll add very little value to your events. Your event technology must work across all devices, and be operational wherever you are. This will ensure that you and your staff will be able to access it wherever they are, on their devices of choice.

2.  Streamline the entire event planning process.

From the RSVP process to check-in, the right kind of event technology consolidates and streamlines every single aspect of the management of an event. Many people forget that event technology exists to make your life simpler – make sure that your event management tools aren’t complicating the event process.

3.  Cut down on queues.

Frustrating your guests due to long queues is a cardinal sin. Event technology should speed up the registration and check-in process in order to ensure a guests isn’t put off before they’ve even set foot in the venue.

4.  Keep all staff informed in real time.

Avoid miscommunication and human error with event technology that’s updated in real time. Corporate events entail multiple guest lists and multiple staff to register your guests. It’s therefore crucial that multiple members of staff are able to access and operate the software, without running the risk of data being conflicted.

5.  Elevate the entire guest experience.

The right kind of event technology should bolster your entire event. Faster queues, QR codes instead of adhesive name tags, and a check-in process operated by tablet – as opposed to a paper and pen – are all key in creating an exceptional event experience.

6.  Position your brand as industry leading.

Using the latest event software firmly positions your brand as one that’s ahead of your competitors, innovative and future-focused.

7.  Collect detailed data.

An event provides you with a vast amount of valuable information about your guests – your event technology must be able to gather and store this data. If it can’t, you’re losing out on precious data that holds the key to creating relevant, engaging events. Read our blog here, about why the quality of your events relies on the data you’re collecting.

8.  Have accurate reporting tools.

Compiling post-event reports based on hard data is crucial for demonstrating the success of an event to your clients. Thus, detailed, data-driven reporting capabilities are imperative.

9.  Add value to your clients.

By being able to see exactly how your event performed, your clients are able to improve their events, tailor their offerings to suit their guests and as a result, achieve ROI.

Is your event technology able to do all of this? Chances are, it isn’t. Find out more about our industry-leading event software that’s advocated by leading international and local brands.

Brands have long turned to the hosting of media events based on the fact that they’re able to garner more press coverage than an often-ignored, generic press release. They’re especially effective for big announcements like a product launch, and are effective ways of getting journalists to try out a new product or services – for example, a chance for beauty editors to try out a new manicure method, or inviting motoring journalists to test drive the new BMW.

We’ve rounded up some tools that will help media events managers ensure that their next event is as exciting and impactful as possible:

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Media List Tool

These are especially important as not all media events managers have personal relationships with all the editors and journalist they’d like to invite to their event. You’ll be able to see what publications someone works for, what their role is and most importantly, their contact details.

Medialist: One of South Africa’s most popular media contact directories. This tool has been around for over 20 years, so you can be sure that the information contained therein is accurate and trustworthy, and current. The biggest advantage to using their services it that it’s all online, and lets you customize contacts according to your needs. Users need to pay a subscription fee in order to access Medialist’s directory.

Target Media: This is also a local offering that’s hosted online. This is also a paid for service, but features functionality that allows event managers to email contacts directly from the system. After creating an account, users are able to conduct in-depth searches on thousands of up-to-date media contacts.

Coverage Tracking

After an event, it’s vital that you track the amount and type of coverage your brand or client gets. This will enable you to establish how successful your event has been in garnering exposure, and is an important indication of ways in which you can change your next event in order to get the maximum amount of coverage for your clients. There are two tools you can use to do this, namely:

Google Alerts: is a free tool, and provides event managers with information in the form of emails. You’re able to conduct searches via the platform, and will then be notified about when and where your specific keyword is mentioned. This conveniently lets you conduct ongoing research without having to constantly look for mentions of a brand or client yourself.

Meltwater: an SaaS (software as a service) offering. It has integrated functions that allow you to monitor your coverage – this information is provided in the form of insights that their software has gleaned from the daily analysis of thousands of digital documents (think blogs, social media mentions, etc.)

Social Media

In order to maximise the reach and coverage of your media events, it’s vital that event managers make use of social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Besides the fact that you’ll be able to market your event to a huge audience, you’ll be able to track and see what people are saying about your event too. Increase your event exposure by initiating a hashtag – that way, even if you don’t have time to personally post during the event, the attending journalists will be able to and you can monitor what they are saying.

Hootsuite: media events managers can make use this to schedule social media updates, and then monitor what’s being said about your event. Hootsuite has a free, basic version as well as a more powerful paid version.

Klout: a social media tool that measures the amount of influence various social media users have. This will enable you to establish who to invite to an event, and what topics they’re influential about. Users are ranked according to their Klout score – the higher it is, the more influence they have. Even better, their platform is free for individuals and businesses alike.

RSVP & Interview Times scheduler

You can arrange the most amazing media events, but without getting the right people there, your efforts will be in vain.

The RSVP Agency: we professionally invite media delegates on your behalf, and encourage attendance by personalising their invitations in order to make them feel like a real VIP. We then follow up, in order to make sure that they received their invite. By taking care of the RSVP process, we give you time to focus on the organisation of your media events, instead of wasting precious hours managing the onerous task of RSVPs.

In addition to our RSVP services, our software enables you to schedule one-on-one interviews between the media and your spokespeople.

PR Software

These are integrated software solutions for the management of PR. They’ll allow you cover all aspects of a PR campaign, from making contact with journalists, sending press releases and to monitoring the reach of your campaigns.

Vocus: integrated software designed to automate the entire PR process. It allows you to conduct a PR campaign from beginning to end, from the sending of press realises to the measurement of results. This paid for service contains all of the tools required to ensure your brand gets the maximum amount of exposure possible.

Cision: another international software solution for PR and event managers. After subscribing to their services, you’ll be able to use their tools to conduct every single aspect of a fully-fledged PR campaign. Intuitive functions simplify and streamline the process for maximum efficiency.

Distribution of Post Event Press Releases.

You’ll never be able to get everyone to your media events – some might have responded to other media events or will be on a deadline. This means it’s essential that you have tools in place that allow you to send press releases to members of the media who were unable to attend your event.

Link2media: allows you to distribute press releases to those who couldn’t attend for a nominal fee, so you’ll be able to ensure that your brand or clients gets the maximum exposure possible. A South African company, Link2media uses local and international news wires to distribute press releases for optimum impact.

Image Credit: Watch Dog

On Forbes’ list of “The Most Stressful Jobs of 2012”, the event coordinator was given spot #6, right after police officer and military general. Wow! Yet any event planner who has been in the game for a while will know that the logistics, complications, and crisis management involved in event planning do in fact warrant this ranking.

Just as technology is always changing and developing (and doing it a pace these days), so too are the expectations of event attendees, and consequently the event coordinator has to choose to modernise or become outdated.

The successful event coordinator is aware of, and capable of, navigating his or her way around the ever-changing technology in the eventing world, and is quick to adopt new tools that will aid in the event planning process.

Event planning technology

While new technology can help alleviate the stress of an event by streamlining and speeding up the invite and registration process, for example, so too can it add to the stress of event coordination if you can’t keep up with the increased pace. Either way, event coordinators of the 21st century need to be comfortable in this high-tech, increasingly virtual world so that they can remain relevant, utilise the advantages, and sidestep any pitfalls.

So what are the primary changes to the event landscape that have been brought about by new technology?

Not all event attendees will be in the same geographic location

Today, with the ease of webinars and advanced video conferencing, it’s not necessary to be present at an event or a meeting. Event planners consequently need to have a high level of technological competence, or to hire someone who does, and that person will need to be onsite during the event to assist with any technical issues.

Time zone differences, language differences, multiple-location registration, broadband capacity are all aspects that the event coordinator has to think about.

Guests want to be wowed

Guests have a penchant for the novel and the unexpected. It’s hard to wow people when they seem to have seen or heard everything before, even if it’s just on YouTube or via a blog, but event coordinators are sought out if they have a reputation for organising events that stand out.

From smart lighting and light effects to audio-visual wizardry, it’s necessary for coordinators to embrace new technologies where appropriate to make an event more memorable.

Electronics are changing the look and mechanics of events

The development of multipurpose kiosks, flat-panel screens, and wireless broadband have automated the concierge service, streamlining and speeding up processes at large events. From event registration, to pre-flight check-ins, advanced electronic equipment means less person-to-person management for the event coordinators, but also greater research and knowledge of the technology.

Electronic signage is also helping to de-clutter venues by integrating adverts and notices in one place. Technology is therefore helping to make operations and presentation sleeker in every way.

Social media is monopolising communications

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms are increasingly becoming popular mediums for the event organiser. However, this depends on whether the demand requires its use.

Event coordinators will benefit from using social media to promote an event, increase awareness, encourage RSVPs, and to create general hype around the event.

The scope of social media for free marketing and gathering information is constantly growing. Targeted marketing and research will assist in assessing the demographics of your audience and hence selecting the appropriate social media platforms. Event coordinators can also conduct pre and post event polls and surveys to help guide their efforts.

Mobile technology is rampant

Smartphones are dominating the market in terms of the number of web users, and so are a critical component in event management. Most information that your guests will need for an event, need to be accessed on a smartphone, so it is critical for an event co-ordinator to ensure that all event collateral is mobile-friendly.

Apps are very popular and if there is one that would suit the event, then this would be a strategic move.

The development of online event management systems

Companies like The RSVP Agency have developed strategic software that integrates various components of the coordinator-attendee interaction. From online invitations and custom registration forms to call downs and on-site registration – this professional system unites all aspects of event RSVP management in one place, thereby simplifying the coordinator’s task.

This technology supports the event co-ordinator by streamlining and speeding up the invite and registration process, which means that your RSVP management is simplified and your online accessibility facilitated.