As leaders in the event technology industry, Cvent knows that behind every great party is a great planner and months of preparation.
We interviewed Cvent’s own planners, to get a look behind the scenes on how we plan our Holiday party using Cvent technology. Take a look at the process from start to finish. Find out how our amazing planners pull off Cvent’s biggest employee event! We've sprinkled in some tip and tricks that our planners use to help them during the planning process.
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Cvent Supplier Network
First, the planners use the Cvent Supplier Network. They use it to search for venues in the area that meet our needs about a year in advance. Our planners can run the Participant report within the event from the previous year to gauge how many attendees they will have this year. On the Supplier Network, they can compare different venues, run a report with the status the RFPS, and then choose the venue that offers the best value.Event Registration
Once our team has chosen the location for our holiday party, they start working on event registration. This is when they discover how many Cventers are planning on attending the event. A best practice is to copy the event registration in Cvent from year to year and use it as a template so they don't have to build the registration process from scratch. Once they copy over the event, they will send out the first Save the Date email around August and then open registration in October. The planners like to close registration around three weeks before the event so they are able to send the registration counts to the caterer and venue.Onsite Check-In
Onsite at the event, we use our OnArrival app for onsite check-in. During our main check in “rush,” our planners like to have about one iPad per 70 people. They can predict their rush by pulling the check-in statistics from last year’s event. They will also use these statistics to help them predict how many staff they will need on hand to help with check-in, how much food to order from the caterer, and how many bartenders are needed (they suggest 1 per 50 attendees).CrowdCompass Mobile Event App
During the event, we use CrowdCompass to send out notifications before, during, and after the party. Some examples of notifications from this year’s event were to let people know the event was not canceled due to wintery weather, notify when the buffet was open and where it was located. We also used the mobile app to post the menu and drink options, the agenda for the night, and gave easy access to the Uber app.Feedback Survey
After the event has taken place, the team will send out the Feedback Survey to collect opinions on how the event went and ideas for next year. Our planning team suggests keeping your questions constant from year to year so you can use them for benchmarking.Tweet @CventSuccess
All in all, we really appreciate our Cvent planners and the knowledge that they give us to pass to our customers. Not to mention the amazing events they plan for us to enjoy! We hope that you found these planning tips and tricks helpful and let us know how your holiday party went using Cvent by tweeting us at @CventSuccess! This post was authored by Emma Grimsdale, Sr. Client Success Advisor, and Michelle Williams, Sr. Onboarding Specialist at Cvent. Emma is very indoorsy. She loves to be inside—watching TV, reading, resting, you name it! She also loves to shop for discontinued seasonal candles on eBay. Michelle is a Cvent expert and a George Mason Alum that has a passion for indoor cycling, conservation biology, and traveling.
