Hello Cvent Community,
Welcome to the April edition of our Member Spotlight series, where we shine a spotlight on exceptional Community members. This series aims to celebrate standout individuals within our community, showcasing their unique insights, perspectives, and experiences. Chosen for their active participation and expertise, our spotlights promise to bring you a captivating glimpse into the journey and contributions of our featured members.
Step into the Spotlight - Nominate Yourself or another Standout Member for Our Next Feature
Just send an email to communitymanager@cvent.com to volunteer or nominate one of your peers.
Minimum Requirements: Have a profile photo uploaded and a history of participating in Community discussions, activities, product ideas, or events.
So, without further ado, let's unveil our remarkable community star for this month!
Meet Becky
I started out in the travel industry, working as a receptionist in an agency corporate travel office. I worked with several agencies in roles like hotel desk, corporate travel counselor, and quality control agent. Since the agency I worked at for most of my career had tuition reimbursement, I went to college and obtained my associate’s degree from a community college and then went on to get my Bachelor’s degree from Depaul University, majoring in Computer Science with a concentration in Information Systems.
While at the same agency, I was able to transition from corporate travel into corporate card services, and in my role as a dedicated customer account rep, I was able to learn how to work with corporate cards, meeting cards, and travel reporting. This led to my next role, where I got to work on the customer side of the business at a large insurance agency in Chicago. I started there as a Financial Analyst and later became an Assistant Manager overseeing the US Travel program.
Since I rolled out online travel booking tools in that role, the next logical move was to roll out a Strategic Meetings Management tool, StarCite, at that company. That was my introduction to the Meetings Management world. Over the last 10 years, I’ve been working with Event Technology and even went to work for Starcite, which became Lanyon, which ultimately became Cvent. I worked on the Customer Success Team with a lot of the great Customer Success Managers who are still on that team today. Three years ago, I was lucky enough to get a role as a Senior Administrator of Event Technology at a tech company, and that’s where I am today.
You can find and connect with Becky on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccayousif
@Kameron Kidd was able to have a chat with Becky and ask her some questions.
Can you share a little about your current role at the company you work for?
I work as the Senior Administrator of Event Technology, supporting Cvent as one of the primary event capabilities. I manage all aspects of the Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) program, from meeting request forms, notifications, approval processes, budget modules, and event templates, while ensuring that branding, privacy, and information security guidelines are all being adhered to.
How long have you been using Cvent and what products do you currently use?
I’ve been using Cvent since Lanyon and Cvent merged into one company and have seen the event tech landscape change so much over the last 10 years. On Cvent, I support Meetings Management, Venue Sourcing, Event Registration, Mobile Apps, Attendee Hub, Surveys, Appointments, Access Portal, OnArrival, Data Analytics, and several integrations.
Do you have a favorite event or venue that you've been to?
I don’t typically support onsite events, so unfortunately, I do not have any exciting pictures to share. I like to think that I support behind the scenes, which allows those amazing planners who do all that hard work onsite to work their magic and focus on the onsite experiences.
Do you have a favorite Cvent article or training that you think helped you succeed with Cvent technology? If so, please share the link(s) to those.
Are you Cvent certified, and if so, which certifications do you hold? Do those certifications help you train others? Have they played a role in advancing your career in some way?
Yes – I am. These certifications absolutely help me train others. More importantly, having these certifications allows me to be more consultative in thinking through issues and making recommendations on ways to leverage all the different tools available in Cvent.
My certifications include:
How have you helped others within your organization be successful with Cvent technology?
My role as a Cvent subject matter expert has allowed me the opportunity to work with different groups including IT, Privacy, Information Security, Legal, Data Analytics, Marketing, and Accessibility teams. I find that teams can collaborate better once they understand what Cvent can or can’t do better. It saves time when working on projects and making sure that we are asking the right questions.
What advice would you share for those who are just starting with Cvent?
My advice is to try not to get overwhelmed by all that Cvent can do. Learn one aspect at a time, whether it’s web design, surveys, or reporting. Get comfortable with that one module that you are working on, and once you have a certain level of confidence, master another area of the tool. I would also say to make the most of downtime. We all have busier and slower seasons in event planning (or do we?), but if you can learn or read articles, it will help you know how to access your resources when you really need them (like at midnight when you need to go live with your reg site). I would also say don’t hesitate to reach out to the Cvent Support team with questions or for advice. Hands down, they are the best customer support team I have encountered in all my years working in event tech.
What is your favorite Cvent feature and why?
I would have to say that I have three favorite features. My first is the meeting request form because of the ability to capture useful data and if structured correctly, it can streamline the communication across many teams. The second would have to be the events management module because of all the fantastic sites that can be created using a flex template and reg sites. I would say that my favorite part would probably be cross-event reporting. I think it’s because I am a bit of a data nerd, and I love seeing how powerful a report or dashboard can be if the meeting request form and registration forms are configured with the right fields and collected logically. See, I told you – data nerd. 😊
Huge thanks to Becky for her time and contributions to the Community. We're looking forward to seeing what you can accomplish in 2024! Becky will receive a Cvent care package as a token of appreciation.
Anyone with comments or questions can respond below
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