The Issue
The EI team was responsible for taking care of everything, from developing the proposal for an event to handling registration and onsite work, to compiling and managing all event information. They had an in-house tech solution, custom-built just for registration, but it wasn't enough. They still had to deal with a lot of paperwork, which involved manually updating countless bulky spreadsheets. All in all, the process for compiling and handling all their event information was extremely time-consuming and prone to human error.
When the team wasn't dealing with paperwork, they were busy working through other logistical nightmares. The check-in process, for instance, was usually too much to handle. They had to manage long queues of people all arriving at the venue at the same time. At times like these, the team worked in a frenzy sorting through hundreds of name badges that were in alphabetical order, to find the correct attendees badge.
After realising that their custom-built, in-house system wasn't doing much to ease their burden, they learned about the various event management tech solutions available in the market. EI decided it was high time that they had a proper event technology platform in place that would make them more efficient and productive.
After a short search for an event management solutions provider and extensive research into the various offerings available in the market, the team zeroed in on Cvent.
Why Cvent?
With an easy-to-use, powerful online event management solution in hand, the EI team encountered fewer manual errors and was able to easily handle multiple events at the same time. They loved that they could just clone an event and keep on using the same template for other events by just changing some of the information. Creating user-friendly registration websites was child's play and allowed them to make all relevant information easily accessible to delegates, considerably reducing their workload as well and the time it took to answer delegate queries. The team was also able to compile all registration info and make changes to it on the fly, without any hassles.
After having user-friendly websites, onsite solutions, and a smart event app in place, the team found their workload reduced to a minimum as delegates were able to do everything themselves. They were able to move through the registration process quickly and without confusion, and the on-demand badge printing feature was an instant hit. Delegates are able to check-in, fix any incorrect info on their badges, and print those badges themselves. “They (delegates) would say, 'It's amazing, I can just get my badge whenever I want it,' because sometimes they lose it, or they forget it in their rooms and at the venue,” says Ahmad Khalil, Education International's Administrative Officer — ICT.
The CrowdCompass app was incredibly useful for delivering session information to the participants. “It proved really valuable even for us the sessions and the surveys, live polls, and especially the activity feed were really engaging,” says Khalil. Naturally, the response to the app was amazing. “Everybody downloaded the app, all the attendees,” exclaims Rocio Nieto, EI's Administration Officer. “And everybody used it,” adds Khalil.
With all these software solutions, going paperless was a breeze. “We went paperless with our last event in May, where we didn't print anything, and everything was done through Cvent,” adds Khalil.
The reporting tool was also a huge blessing to the team. Where once they had to compile huge reports on Excel manually, now they customise and pull the latest-updated report from Cvent and export it to wherever they need it. They get reports on everything — even the registration process, which makes it much easier for them to optimise it for future events.
A Dependable Partner
Cvent managed to surpass all of EI's expectations with its solutions. The EI team was pleasantly surprised to find out that the solutions decreased the delegates' reliance on the onsite staff. With most of their processes automated, the EI has managed to save a lot of time, “We are a really small team, we have many events at the same time, and it's always the same people or same team dealing with the same events, so if I have the delegates inputting the information themselves, I don't need to input all the data myself. It's amazing. It's a time saver, and to me it's the best,” exclaims Nieto.
The team is really excited for all the new products coming in from Cvent. “Especially Flex, I'm really excited about that... it's really easy. ...You can just do it yourself. It's just drag and drop,” adds Khalil.
They highly recommend that other event professionals use Cvent to make their lives easier and to simplify their workload. “Things are getting even better now, with these new features and new products coming in, it's fantastic. Everyone should use it,” says Khalil.
They look at Cvent as an ongoing partner that they can depend on to look after their event management for a long time. “We plan to work with Cvent up until 2019, when our congress will happen, and then we'll see. I mean obviously it will even get better and we're getting used to it and it's getting easier for us as well, so we might continue with Cvent further” concludes Khalil.