Event Tech |
||||||
|
some of its day-to-day business and recently significantly invested in HubSpot , which is becoming its CRM system across the entire business . Says Asher : “ We ’ re building machine learning tools in the background to understand all of our data on HubSpot and be able to deliver AI recommendations through Swapcard . We don ’ t utilise their prebuilt functionality , we build our own which integrates into that . “ We ’ re trying to achieve is a seamless user journey and we have a huge tech stack , but we ’ re getting to a point where we ’ ve only got three or four tools involved in the whole user journey – the CRM system , registration system , the event app and then the odd outbound marketing tool here and there .”
Challenges Asher says the main challenge for CloserStill has been around change management : “ Like many companies we ’ ve significantly invested in a centralised data and digital team , but that comes with its own challenges . That team is very technically minded and has a responsibility to understand almost every single show across the business . Then we have the responsibilities of
|
training the marketing teams who are responsible for their data to understand the benefit of all these new tools and new initiatives that we ’ re rolling out . Given the size of our business , we ’ ve got over 700 employees , it ’ s not an easy task to ensure that everyone gets on board .”
Informa According to Informa US chief operating officer Christine Flanagan , the organiser is focused on enhanced systems that allow for seamless registration onsite , product discovery tools and matchmaking solutions .
Flanagan says educating its customers on the value of these digital tools is crucial , so it provides “ tips and tricks ” ahead of the show . “ We collaborate closely with our exhibitors to enrich their digital profiles ,” she says . “ We ensure they are familiar with our in-app messaging for pre-show and onsite connections , as well as in-app wayfinding and product discovery features .
“ During the pandemic , we initially looked at digital tools as a replacement for the live event experience . We quickly realised , like many organisers , that there is
|
Left : Caption in here please thanks |
nothing like the power of face-to-face connection , but that digital tools could help us make our events more effective platforms for customers . “ We shifted our focus from digital marketplaces , webinars , and whitepapers to advanced show apps , streamlined registration systems , innovative product discovery tools , and matchmaking solutions .”
Now Informa is leveraging AI more effectively and utilising data more efficiently . “ Through advanced data solutions , we can deliver highly customised experiences , making the show experience more personal and relevant to our customers ’ needs ,” says Flanagan .
She cites time constraints as the main challenge when introducing the new tools : “ We operate at such a fast pace with so many shows , and each show requires different event tech solutions tailored to the specific customer community . We have to move quickly on ideas and be extremely adaptable .
“ Our ultimate goal is to focus on the complete customer journey rather than individual pieces of technology .”
Flanagan says Informa has seen increased app downloads and usage for scheduling meetings , planning agendas and making new contacts . This has also led to higher NPS scores overall .
“ At MRO Americas a few weeks ago , over 400 meetings were scheduled onsite through our app ,” she says . “ We have very high standards and sometimes we don ’ t give ourselves enough credit for how far we have come from business cards in a goldfish bowl .”
As for using other digital tools in the future , Flanagan says Informa aims to better understand traffic , dwell times and customer sentiment .
“ We are piloting new ways of doing that now and hope to roll that out more fully this year ,” says Flanagan . EW
|