If there's anything meeting and event planners need more of, it's time. And a common challenge that attributes to not having enough hours in the day are manual and disjointed processes throughout the planning cycle. Luckily, technology like event management software can automate and streamline several time-consuming tasks, freeing up time for planners to focus on more critical aspects of their events, like creativity or customer service. Here are just a few ways automation can make planning more efficient.
Today's venue sourcing tools are all about automated features that make the eRFP process faster and easier. Planners can automatically track all changes during the sourcing process with a tool that aggregates all bids and calculates costs and savings automatically in a side-by-side comparison, allowing them to see the big picture and make the best decision for their event venue.
Targeted and automated email marketing campaigns can make driving attendance to your next event easy and less time-consuming. Not only can you build attractive and personalized branded emails, but you can ensure that the right message is being sent out at the right time automatically throughout the entire event lifecycle. This helps keep your audience engaged and informed about your event while saving you lots of valuable time from manually scheduled emails.
With event management software, planners can personalize and schedule registration emails to attendees that help you save time and build valuable relationships. And it goes way beyond automatic confirmation emails. Send surveys and reminders at the right time to increase attendee engagement. You can also send automated emails to those that stopped registering half-way through to encourage completion or even offer a discount or incentive for doing so.
Event management software that can automatically integrate your agenda, speakers, sessions and other event information into your event website can make edits, changes, and additions a breeze. In minutes, modifications made to your agenda or speakers will automatically be updated on your website, mobile website and even your mobile app, saving your countless time while maintaining a professional level consistency across your event's web presence.
Perhaps the most significant impact automation can have on your event is with your data. Whether it's with your registration, marketing emails or surveys, technology like event management software can automatically capture all of your data so that you can gain visibility and control over your meeting and event ROI in real-time. Take it a step further by setting up automatic reports that can be sent to your stakeholders via email on a regular basis to help maintain a level of transparency. A platform with robust integration capabilities can also bring in data from Salesforce, your CRM and more into one place.
As you can see, automation can be a make or break feature when working with event tech, especially software. It not only helps make planning more efficient and less time-consuming, but it results in a more consistent and seamless experience for both planners and attendees.