Tech
E
vent technology has
become an essential
component of any event.
There is an ever-growing
number of event tech
companies with different
philosophies, products and
prices. Selecting the right
supplier for your events can
be a daunting task, often
accomplished by surveying
the market, comparing
features and prices, perhaps
putting out a tender, before
a decision is reached. What
is often overlooked in
such selection processes
is whether potential
suppliers can become a
true technology partner
with a matching vision and
philosophy.
Gone are the days when
one could select the
best piece of software
(preferably at the best rate),
implement it across the
organisation and rejoice for
a decade. Technology and
the capabilities it brings
evolve so rapidly, that
software must constantly
and equally rapidly evolve,
to stay relevant. Changing
suppliers every six months
is hardly the best way to go
about constant innovation.
Relationships, trust,
understanding of processes
and protocol, etc., are all
reset when you switch
suppliers. It is therefore of
paramount importance to
find technology partners
able to not only deliver the
software you need today, but
who also have the vision and
the agility that you will need
44 — October
Seek partners
over vendors
Mykyta Fastovets from Expoplatform offer
advice on how to find the right tech partner
tomorrow.
There are many things that
a competent tech partner
can bring to the table. Aside
from the expected basics,
like how to use and deploy
their technology, and how
to maximise its impact at
your events, they can also
share experience on ‘how
others have done it’. Your
partner should also be able
to consult with you on areas
where you can streamline
your processes associated
with their service. They
should bring fresh ideas to
the table, having understood
your events in detail. At the
same time, a good partner
will collect your feedback
and adapt their product to
better suit your needs over
time. A good partner will
strive to solve your problems
and will find ways to deliver
what you need.
So how can you tell
whether your potential
supplier would make a good
partner?
There are three key things
that you can check for that
can help you understand
whether a vendor would
make a good partner down
the line: philosophy, culture,
and vision.
Philosophy defines what
role the company thinks
it should occupy in the
relationship, how it should
interact with the client,
how its internal processes
are structured, how they
approach product change
and enhancement requests,
etc.. Seeking out a partner
who considers it their
obligation to evolve and
adapt their services, and
whose position is that of
a collaborative nature is a
good starting point.
Culture will dictate what
sort of people work at the
company, how they approach
their work, what qualities
they possess, and their
outlook on the company’s
work they have. Culture
is an important aspect of
day-to-day interaction with
your partner, so you should
seek the qualities that align
with your own company
culture. Are they straight
in their dealings? Do they
fulfil their promises? Are
they honest about admitting
shortcomings of their
product or service?
Finally, your partner’s
vision will impact how
their product and service
offering develops, what
new problems and new
technologies they will strive
to implement and how they
will apply them. Ambitious
goals that align with your
needs, and a clear roadmap
on how they can reach them
are a good indicator that
your partner has a solid
vision of the future. Ask
them about their vision for
their product, the challenge
or problem they would like
to solve and how they plan
on achieving that.
Including these factors
into the decision-making
process and nurturing the
relationship from day one
with your partner may seem
like extra work, but it is a
worthy investment that will
yield returns for years to
come.