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.
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.