Opinion 27
A manifesto for event data control
Are event owners losing control of their most valuable asset ? In the battle for online success , many organisers are giving the lifeblood of their business to the competition without knowing , says Luke Bilton , chief growth officer , ExpoPlatform
The rapid move to digital platforms over the last year has created an explosion in attendee information and event data , redefining the way organisers shape the communities they serve .
But in this online advance something has been forgotten : Who actually controls the customer information , and why aren ’ t platforms sharing usage data with the organiser ?
The schism that has emerged between event technology providers and event organisers runs deep enough to pose some serious questions for the events industry . An organiser ’ s success is underpinned by making connections between the communities catered for by their events .
If those connections could be made by the online platforms that host organisers ’ events , then what becomes of the role of the organiser ?
The data boom Online events grant us access to a gold mine of data we ’ d never know about in physical events , including who meets who and which visitors are matching with which exhibitor products and sessions , all powered by sophisticated AI algorithms .
As an example , an event may have 10,000 visitors . In the past , registration data would be all that was known about them . Compare this with events conducted on a virtual or hybrid event platform , where visitors might generate 300,000 interactions and 20,000 meetings , and we find an increase in volume that has yet to be properly mined and understood .
It ’ s important to define the two kinds of customer data that we are collecting , in order to understand what we are hoping to learn and use to improve our business .
User data is the unique demographic data organisers store to identify a customer ( name , email address , job title etc ). This is typically uploaded to a platform through a visitor or exhibitor registration process , and can be used by the organiser to communicate directly with the customer .
Usage data is the behavioural data that is generated by all the user interactions on the platform . This includes who met with who , which content sessions they attended , which exhibitor profiles they viewed and so on .
Both forms of data are incredibly valuable to organisers looking to pull this enriched data back into their own database to learn from it and use in future campaigns .
When the platform becomes the competitor For the partnership between organiser and online platform to be mutually beneficial , customer data must remain with the organiser . What purpose does it serve for this data to be owned by the technology platform – or to put it more directly – how could they use it independently of the organiser ?
An increasingly common vendor-led model is problematic , giving rise to the platform itself owning the direct relationship with your customers , and able to share that data with other organisers .
Parallels may be drawn with Facebook , LinkedIn or Club- House , online platforms that own the relationship with their users , on which event organisers essentially ‘ rent ’ the space .
While this is great for the VC backers of these platforms , it ’ s bad news for the organisers losing control of their data as a result of their partnerships .
The publishing industry regrets directing their audiences to follow them on Facebook a decade ago . If control of this customer data is ceded to the online platforms , then the early 2020s could become the moment the events industry looks back upon with regret , having essentially nurtured a competitor .
Secure the usage data and read your contract
Shared control of the usage data , however , is something that benefits both parties . Usage data tracks the customers ’ behaviour on the platform and aids vendors in improving and optimising the online experience for customers .
To ensure that your data isn ’ t at risk , make sure your contract includes the following :
1 . Make sure you own the user data
When it comes to data , an event technology platform should only ever serve as a data processor . There is no need for a technology partner to store any data that identifies an individual by name , unless it plans to monetise this information down the line .
2 . Share ownership of the usage data
The organiser must have co-ownership and be able to access this data whenever and however it likes , and this should not be only in the form of reports or representations ; the platform should share the raw data itself .
3 . Make sure you own the IP
Any Intellectual property ( IP ) that is shared during your event by speakers , attendees or exhibitors should also belong to the organiser rather than the technology platform .
Collaboration , contract management and co-ownership of data will help organisers in the long-run to extract their most valuable asset whenever required .