Welcome to an inside look at the Q4 Education Networking Meetup, where institutions from across the country gathered to share insights, tackle common challenges, and explore innovative solutions to enhance event management and CRM integration. This blog post will provide a summary of the key points discussed during the event.
Connecting the Dots: Integrating Event Data with Salesforce CRM
University of Colorado Boulder highlighted a few challenges they faced with their Salesforce CRM, particularly due to the complexity introduced by multiple contact record types, such as Student, Business, and Individual. This complexity often necessitates advanced customization to ensure a seamless and effective system. They also noted the need for attendee records to reflect a comprehensive registration snapshot and the risk of app integrations overwriting vital data fields like Name and Email.
To address these issues, CU Boulder implemented innovative solutions:
- Flow Automation: They built a flow that reverts the Name and Email fields to their previous values if updated erroneously by an app integration.
- Custom Field Mapping: Registration emails are now mapped to a custom field within Salesforce/CRM to preserve data integrity.
Exciting Product Updates
The meetup also showcased a range of product updates that promise to enhance user experience and operational efficiency:
- Custom Report Building: Users can now create bespoke reports tailored to their unique needs.
- Cvent Payments Support: New support for Apple Pay and Google Pay offers greater flexibility and convenience.
- Private Webinars and Website Layouts: These updates provide more options for engaging and organizing virtual events.
- Exhibitor Catalog Widget: An excellent addition for event websites, enhancing exhibitor visibility.
- OnArrival and Attendee Hub Enhancements: Improved notification centers and payment systems (OnArrival Payments 2.0) streamline event management.
- Media Library Refresh: An updated visual and workflow for the Media Library in the Admin area.
- Credit Management Enhancements: These updates simplify and enhance credit management processes.
In-Depth Breakout Sessions
The breakout sessions provided an opportunity for participants to dive deeper into specific areas of interest, sharing challenges and solutions.
Meeting Request Form (MRF) Breakout:
- University of Michigan discussed the importance of determining event request details early and highlighted the challenge of managing a lot of user groups, most of which are not focused on fundraising. It was also asked if the MRF’s can be set up to not auto create events, and the Cvent team confirmed this could be accomplished. The Cvent team members also recommended using the internal Events Calendar to monitor all events.
- The Ohio State University highlighted their successful use of MRF campus wide.
Integrations Breakout:
- University of Southern California expressed interest in CU Boulder’s Salesforce app use case, specifically to streamline their CRM management. CU mentioned how it has saved them time and energy, creating better operating patterns.
Open Networking Breakout:
- George Mason University explored ways to boost engagement in the Attendee Hub, with Duke University suggesting interactive activities like scavenger hunts and live polls. Moving away from paper versions of the agenda was also recommended to increase usage of the Event App.
- University of Washington is focusing on improving OnArrival training and empowering planners with tools and access. They are exciting for the upcoming release of OnArrival Team members to achieve this.
- Attendees also discussed challenges in attracting student groups and alumni engagement, with recommendations including providing meals and fostering connections between students and alumni.
The Q4 Education Networking Meetup underscored the importance of addressing CRM complexities and leveraging technology to enhance event management. CU Boulder’s innovative solutions and the rich discussions from various breakout sessions provide a roadmap for other institutions facing similar challenges. By sharing knowledge and experiences, the education community can continue to improve and innovate, ensuring successful and engaging events that meet the needs of all stakeholders.