Federal Conference is a full-service event management company that has successfully planned and delivered more than 15,000 meetings, conferences, and tradeshows worldwide. CEO Paul Trapp and Chief Operations Officer Stephen Davis have leveraged the power of the Cvent platform for years, allowing them to effectively serve the association, commercial, and government spaces. Using integrated Cvent technology for over 3,000 annual events helps Federal Conference strategically prove return on investment for their clients.
Fighting Against Inefficiencies
“Life before Cvent was painstaking, quite frankly,” says Vice President of Sales Phillip Saims. Event Planner Faye Crenshaw agrees, noting that sourcing venues for the Army Strong Bonds program was a cumbersome process. “I would say over fifty percent of my time was spent just sourcing an event, nothing else,” she laments. Manual sourcing required Faye and her colleague, Kelsie Esser, to spend days calling venues and tracking bids on Excel spreadsheets. With manual data tracking, Federal Conference had difficulty measuring negotiated savings for their clients.
In moving to a digital solution with Cvent, Federal Conference was able to scale their business offerings for clients. “Cvent somehow drops in our lap and creates this gigantic platform for us to reach soldiers, venues, and suppliers all over the US,” says Kelsie. “It’s been a wonderful tool for us.”
Sourcing Valuable Time Savings
In particular, the Cvent Supplier Network has revolutionized the sourcing process for Federal Conference’s team. “The Cvent Supplier Network is like a one-stop shop. I put all my information into a database and because they have such a wide visibility, people call me. I don't have to call them. So, it saved me a lot of time, energy , and money” notes Faye.
Kelsie enjoys using the specific filters available in the tool, which speed up her venue search for forty-five different events each month. She also appreciates the ability to easily track bids and negotiated savings through the tool. “Honestly, that's why we need this wonderful database that is so diversified and visible. It cuts out the middleman,” she adds. "We can go straight to the venue we need, who will then meet our needs so that we can meet our client's needs.”
Creating Meaningful Impact Through Events
By focusing on the value event technology provides their clients, Federal Conference is able to prove the impact of events to their stakeholders. Phillip explains, “Federal Conference’s goal is actually to make a difference in people's lives. So, whether it’s an annual conference, convention, or a board meeting, we want to make sure that that event is meaningful and impactful for each person.”
The key to creating this impact lies in data-driven insights. For example, in working with the National Industries for the Blind, the team wanted to help expand the association’s reach. Cvent Supplier Network, CrowdCompass, and Cvent’s Event Management tool together provided an end-to-end solution for NIB that enabled deeper data insights and a more powerful onsite experience. “It’s been amazing because we’ve been able to elevate their engagement and involvement with attendees at their programs,” explains Phillip. “We’re able to use all the Cvent products to give them more of a global reach to provide better solutions in their events.”
The team works to strategically guide their clients in proving event impact. Phillip identifies three primary goals in using Cvent with their clients: reduce costs, increase top-line revenue, and improve engagement. “Usually, an organization like an association doesn’t have a lot of resources,” he adds. “Helping them understand the analytics Cvent provides so that next year’s conference becomes more engaging, robust, and memorable is important.” For their client AMD, the team integrated CrowdCompass and RFID session scanning with other Cvent solutions. With the detailed data insights they received, the small nonprofit now has full visibility into the attendee journey. “From an analytics perspective, it will make it far easier for them to understand the impact of their event, and we will be able to improve next year’s programs through those different analytics,” notes Phillip.
Investing in a Long-Term Partnership
By enabling their clients with automated efficiencies and a strategic vision, Federal Conference has seen impressive growth across the organization. “When we started the company, we bootstrapped it. This year, we finished with $51 million in top-line revenue. We do 3,000 events a year across the globe. We’re the second fastest growing company in America on the Inc. 500 list,” explains Paul. He views his team’s investment in Cvent technology over the last several years as a key contributor to the business growth. As Phil explains, “Cvent gives you a full, complete, robust platform to engage your attendees. You’re able to engage, communicate, and facilitate information and relationships."
By enabling their small team to better source, manage, and analyze client events, Federal Conference has positioned themselves as an industry leader. “Paul and I have been on the sideline for many years watching Reggie Aggarwal grow Cvent.We actually have implemented a lot of things that Cvent does within our own organization,” says Stephen. “We know the return on investment. If you focus on your people, the return will come back. We've seen that with Cvent.”
Paul and Stephen view their Cvent relationship as a key part of their successful business model. “For us, Cvent is not a cost of doing business. It’s an investment in our clients. It's an investment in our organization, because hand-in-hand with Cvent is how we've grown,” Paul explains. Importantly, the relationship helps Federal Conference impress key stakeholders, raising the profile of the organization. Paul adds, “Cvent is the tool that we use to manage behind the curtain. Anything the customer wants, I can bring to them. Cvent makes everything run smoothly, and we’re thankful because we get to take the credit for it. I feel like we’re in the foxhole with Cvent and we’re fighting the battle together.”
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