Conference News Supplements The Tech Factor Supplement | Page 3

Choosing
the right
tech
partner
Simon Clayton, chief ideas officer, RefTech, says that organisers
should take a holistic approach to finding a technology partner
The relationship
between an
organiser and a
supplier can be a
taste of Heaven or a
slice of Hell but
more often than not
falls into a bland
no-man’s land in the
middle. We should
all be working
towards the same
goal, but it doesn’t
always feel like that.
So how do you
choose the right
suppliers and then
how do you turn
them into true
partners? There are
some simple
considerations to be
made before you
take the leap.
it for you, your
stakeholders or your
delegates? Budgets
are important, but don’t
let the ‘bean counters’
have the final decision;
choose technology with
the end users in mind
even if it is hard to
measure the ROI.
Understand your
customer
Event marketers may
love a particular event
app because it gives
them the opportunity to
send push messages
to the attendees, but
too many unrelatable
messages (“you must
visit exhibitor X” for
example) and the
delegate may just
uninstall the app.
Technology has to
cater for different
people with different
needs and provide
something really useful
to that audience.
Remember that
solutions designed by
committee rarely work
well.
Track record
Suppliers with an
established and
proven track record
can be reassuring. If
you need that
reassurance then ask
how long they have
been in business, who
they work for and ask
to speak to some of
their clients.
Remember that lots
of users doesn’t
necessarily equate to
a great product. The
simple fact is that you
wouldn’t employ a
builder without
speaking to a few of
their customers, so
why not take the same
approach with a tech
supplier?
Of course, there’s
lots of tech that is
‘bleeding edge’ and
ground-breaking so
how do you ensure
that the risks
associated with
something so new are
3
Technology
worth
it? It may have great
PR value to be the first
to do something but
take an objective view.
Who benefits from this
“exciting” approach? Is
it important to your
stakeholders? Or to
your audience? Do the
stakeholders really
care, and will the
audience even notice?
Partnerships
Not every supplier
relationship can or will
become elevated to a
true partnership; many
relationships are
simply transactional on
both sides. It takes
will, desire and effort
from both parties to
build trust and create
a great relationship
and everyone has to
recognise the benefit
of working this way. If
everyone is motivated
and willing to put the
effort in, then the
benefits will be
plentiful.
TECHNOLOGY HAS TO
CATER FOR DIFFERENT
PEOPLE WITH
DIFFERENT NEEDS AND
PROVIDE SOMETHING
REALLY USEFUL TO
THAT AUDIENCE.
ROI
Not every relationship
should be judged on
ROI; some tech is just a
necessary cost to the
business (companies
rarely do a cost-benefit
analysis about
Microsoft Excel). But if
ROI is important to you,
consider who the
benefit should be for; is
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