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Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

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  • 1.  Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 07-29-2020 14:34
    Edited by Danielle Czark 09-02-2020 12:02
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hello Cvent Community! My name is Jenny Sosiewicz and I belong to the Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits organization. I look forward to sharing my experiences and hearing from you in our upcoming Ask the Expert session on Aligning with the Times. Along with the Deutsch Family team, it will also feature two other 2020 Excellence Awards finalists. Tune in to see who the winners are (fingers crossed it's us) live on Tuesday, August 25th at 4:30 PM ET by registering for Cvent CONNECT Virtual today

    On Wednesday, August 19th, at Noon-1:00 ET, we'll be hosting a real-time Ask the Expert right here in the Community to answer your questions about using Cvent solutions and best practices to align with the times of virtual, hybrid, and shaping the path for future in-person events. It will feature CUE, a finalist for the Rookie award who successfully pivoted their annual 4,500+ person conference to virtual in less than one week using Cvent and Zoom. Along with Cue, it will feature DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc., a finalist for Cvent Superstar, who launched 6 virtual events in one month while increasing attendance and value through new virtual marketing strategies. And as mentioned, it will feature my organization, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits – we are finalists for Ace of Spaces focusing on our success with venue management (we sent over 100 RFPs to 1,000 venues since our start with the Cvent Supplier Network!) and we are happy to discuss the future of venue sourcing for hybrid events and safe sourcing.

    Here's how it works:

    This thread will re-open August 19th, at Noon-1:00PM ET, and you can reply with your questions. If you are not sure if you can make it live, please send your question for CUE, Deutsch Family, and DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc. to Communitymanager@cvent.com. The Cvent Community team is happy to post it on your behalf.

    You can stay connected to this discussion by clicking the star at the top of this post to follow it. Following the discussion means you will get notified when the event is live and see the questions and answers (you can always unfollow it after.)

    We look forward to reading your questions!


    #Flex-Creating/ManagingEvents
    #CventCONNECT
    #ManagingVirtualEvents
    #SourcingaVenue

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Sosiewicz
    Event Planner
    Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Cvent Staff
    Posted 08-12-2020 12:03
      |   view attached
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hi Everyone!!

    Quick reminder, we have a great line up of Excellence Award Finalist slated to answer your questions and share their insights on the events industry and shifting to virtual and hybrid events in next week's Ask the Expert session.

    I just wanted to send a quick reminder on how to get involved and join the conversation.  You can download the attached file to add the Ask the Expert session as an event on your calendar! We don't want you to miss out on the chance to ask your questions and receive valuable responses from the experts in real-time.

    You can also stay connected, by clicking the blue star at the top of this post – this will notify you when the session kicks off at 12:00PM ET on the 19th.

    If you aren't sure if you can make it live, as we mentioned feel free to send your questions to Communitymanager@cvent.com. We are happy to post these on your behalf.

    If you have any additional questions, let the Cvent Community team know. We look forward to hearing your questions in one short week!



    ------------------------------
    Jodi Meier
    Online Community Manager
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Cvent Staff
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:04
    No replies, thread closed.
    Happy Wednesday, Community! We are excited to introduce our experts from CUE, DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc. and Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits. They will be available for the next hour to answer your questions on all things virtual and using Cvent solutions to guide them along the way. Click the blue Reply button to begin asking your questions 😊.

    ------------------------------
    Jodi Meier
    Online Community Manager
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:06
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hello, Team Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits & Team Cue, 

    What part of the Cvent solution had the largest positive impact on your business during the pandemic?

    Thank you!



    ------------------------------
    Arie Orchanian
    CRM Specialist
    Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:11
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Arie, We use the Flex format.  I believe the ability to quickly reformat the website and emails to change from a physical location to a virtual location.

    ------------------------------
    Michele Gebrayel
    Corporate Event Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Community MVP
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:12
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Arie,
    I don't think there's a specific piece of Cvent that is most helpful - it's the suite of solutions that Cvent provides as a whole to do our jobs effectively and efficiently. We've actually help WAAAAY more events virtually than we ever would in person... so that fact that we have this great software to manage our events is priceless!

    ------------------------------
    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:13
    No replies, thread closed.
    Because CVENT is so feature rich, we have found that each department has their own "best feature" from CVENT. Our favorites at CUE:
        • IT likes Zoom Integration
        •  Marketing - event session emails
        • Session scheduling
        • CrowdCompass


    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:14
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Arie! The Cvent registration platform has been a wonderful tool for us even during virtual events. Utilizing a registration website to keep consistency with what our attendees are used to has been a great tool for us. If your attendees are familiar with events always beginning with a registration website, then you should keep that consistency with virtual events as well. It helped us in the long run because we can keep track of that communication and who registered versus who attended.

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Sosiewicz
    Consultant - Event Planning
    Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    User Group Member
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:08
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi all,

    Thanks for being available today! What new technology have you started using due to COVID-19? Or have you started using some software items in a new way due to COVID to help you with your events?

    Thanks,

    ------------------------------
    Megan Ridgway
    Sr. Specialist, Event Operations
    S&P Global Market Intelligence(PreviouslySNL Financial LC)
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Community MVP
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:10
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hey Megan,
    The biggest new technology for us has been Zoom (or any webinar technology) as we have moved from in-person to virtual events. In addition, the Cvent-Zoom integration has been a HUGE timesaver!

    ------------------------------
    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:16
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Megan, I completely agree with @Lori Wildman!  Our Zoom integration has been a game changer for sure!




    ------------------------------
    Michele Gebrayel
    Corporate Event Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:13
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Megan! We were able to start using the Crowd Compass mobile app in a very unique way. We were able to turn our mobile app on Crowd Compass into a community app where our employees can go on and post photos of themselves working out, cooking great meals, spending time with their family, or really anything that they are doing to maintain a normal life. We have added wellness resources to the app and use it for the ultimate internal community tool and it has helped our employees remain closer than ever in this virtual world.

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Sosiewicz
    Consultant - Event Planning
    Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    User Group Member
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:19
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Megan,

    I would agree with Lori, on using Zoom and the new Zoom integration with Cvent. 
    One other piece of Cvent Software that we used in an "outside the box" way was to use a FLEX event as a Election Platform for our Board of Directors. You can see more in our case study towards the bottom. https://www.cvent.com/en/success-story/event-cloud/cue-virtual-events

    ------------------------------
    Danny Silva
    Director of Technology Integration
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:14
    No replies, thread closed.
    Thanks everyone!

    What has been top of mind that hadn't been before as you continue to venue source for future in-person events?

    ------------------------------
    Amber Swanson
    Communications Operations Lead
    ALTOUR
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:17
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hey Amber! Thank you for your question. The changes that we have been experiencing have been that we are now looking for an increase in square footage per person in ballrooms. Trying to adhere to the 6 feet social distance mandate, we are looking at venues that have much bigger ballrooms and more meeting rooms than we have in the past. Additionally, we are looking at hotels with more outdoor space to have all meals and possibly some breakout rooms. We have seen ourselves looking outside of major cities to get that outdoor space with large event lawns or maybe even a golf course on property that the resort is willing to use for events. Since we now need to accommodate larger spaces for COVID safety we are sourcing venues that allow for unique furniture setups and hotels that have open areas near the lobby for our check-in/registration area so we can spread out for less contact touching.

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Sosiewicz
    Consultant - Event Planning
    Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:17
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Amber,

    We've been talking with our venues about renegotiating contracts for hybrid attendance, six feet of distance between attendees, visual cues to help remind attendees how to stay safe and be mindful of others. We're also diving in deep with new exhibitor hall layouts with more space between vendors and plexiglass to allow for extra protection.

    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:19
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hey there everyone!
    Can someone please help me understand how are you explaining and justifying the ROI of virtual events compared to in-person events to your executive team?

    Thanks in advance! :) 



    ------------------------------
    Justin Plokhooy
    Global Category Manager
    Itron
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:23
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Justin,

    The savings on travel for attendees, speakers, and staff are a quick up front savings. In addition, savings on food and beverage, venue rental, outside consultants to help with the exhibit hall bring the cost of the event down.

    The virtual world allows for increased attendance and farther market reach that can positively impact the ROI as well.

    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Community MVP
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:23
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hi Justin,
    This is sooooo easy because your costs drop dramatically over in-person costs. I mean... $60 a gallon for coffee? Travel for speakers, etc.? Our Zoom integration was a no-brainer as we have cut our events budget by about 90% by having only virtual events. Once we begin hybrid or add some in-person events back in, our costs will go back up. But for now, we are reaching a much larger audience... and here's the real game-changer:

    WE ARE REACHING AN AUDIENCE WE NEVER COULD REACH BEFORE - either because they were geographically too far away, they didn't have the budget to travel, they were too busy to make the time, etc.

    Bottom line: one new inked deal is all it takes to prove the ROI  - OR - the costs savings over in-person events. 



    ------------------------------
    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:21
    No replies, thread closed.
    What are your tips for promoting/advertising your event in this time of COVID-19? Is there anything new you are doing or things you are no longer doing?

    Thanks in advance!

    ------------------------------
    Sarah Keck
    Colorado Judicial Department
    ------------------------------



  • 21.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Community MVP
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:27
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hi Sarah,

    Because we no longer have F&B costs for these virtual events and it's only the cost of the registration (the per registration cost that Cvent charges either as a part of your contract or additional if you've used them all up!), we have actually opened up a lot of our events to a broader audience - perhaps job titles we would have omitted before, or allowing lower seniority folks to attend. 



    ------------------------------
    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:29
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Sarah,

    Great question! Here are some of the things we have done and do to promote and advertise during COVID as well as create community with our members and event attendees.
      • Rebranding logo retaining the spirit of the original design, but adding new elements (fonts color) to differentiate the events.
      • Expanded paid advertising to include a broader demographic (educators and administrators nationwide and Canada, UK, Australia). The emphasis here is on PAID advertising. The in-person advertising budget limited reach to specific geographic areas. The revised virtual push expanded that reach.
      • Increased social media activity and promotion to scale up the event to a broader reach
      • Increased session spotlights and speaker spotlights to appeal to a larger audience.
      • Incorporated Facebook Live for featured speakers (the Live conference only includes Facebook live for keynote speakers).
      • Included a robust Q & A page on the event site that addressed reimbursement, voucher, and contact information. (critical to stem the amount of phone calls coming in during a hectic shift to virtual)
      • Virtual Exhibit Hall marketing and promotion to increase the activity and engagement on the platform.


    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 23.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:29
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi everyone! 

    What are you doing to make Virtual Events exciting and keep attendees engaged?

    Thanks in advance for any guidance!

    ------------------------------
    Scott Sward
    Global Travel Meetings And Credit Card Manager
    Viewpoint, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 24.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:31
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Scott,

    We look to bring the fun and create community across platforms. Here are some examples of things we've doing and are working on:

      • Meet attendees where they're at: Laptop, tablet, phone
      • Stream some content to social media (FB Live) to entice registration during event
      • Meet attendees when they're available - they can attend live or view content at their leisure
      • Offer digital library of recorded content for viewing after event
      • Social media content, # conversation stream
      • Alternative flexible schedule of session offerings as compared to in person event
      • Gamification of virtual exhibit hall including prizes
      • Add sessions based on attendee feedback during the event


    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 25.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:29
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hey everyone,

    Congrats on being the finalists!
    What are some good questions we should ask venues whilst taking a virtual tour of their space?

    Thanks!



    ------------------------------
    Sharna Pascolo
    Program Director
    Texas Society of Architects
    ------------------------------



  • 26.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:32
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hey there Sharna! Virtually touring a potential venue can be tough since we are all so used to getting our "boots on the ground" for a real site inspection. However, one of the most important things to keep in mind when you are doing a virtual tour is how the Hotel's WiFi is acting. Chances are that some of our future events will be a hybrid form and you want to ensure the hotel's WiFi is strong and effective to produce the live stream to the attendees that are not onsite. Additionally, you want to have a clear understanding of the square footage for the ballrooms that are reserved for your event. A good question to ask the hotel is "do you have a COVID-19 preferred room set up layout?". They may already have the best set up mapped out and you won't have to spend time figuring it out yourself. Similarly, don't be afraid to ask for the virtual "back of house" tour. Hotel operations and safety precautions behind the scene are just as important as "front of house". Ask your salesperson "how will the F&B be presented, will there be to-go containers and minimal contact options? What is the housekeeping protocol? How often do the cleaning crews come through public areas and clean? How do you enforce mask mandates in common areas? Gym/Pool/Spa protocols?"

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Sosiewicz
    Consultant - Event Planning
    Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
    ------------------------------



  • 27.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:36
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Sharna,

    We're just starting down this road ourselves and have some initial meetings with venues and visitor bureaus this week.

    Here are some suggestions on questions to ask when virtually touring a potential venue:
      • Layout that allows for 6 ft. distancing
      • Exhibitor layout suggestions
      • New Covid room capacity 
      • Foot paths to avoid crowding
      • Visual cues to guide traffic and waiting areas
      • Full layout of facility
      • Photos and video tour


    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 28.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:33
    No replies, thread closed.
    What are the crucial steps to convert your live events to virtual events while using the Cvent platform? Thank you.

    ------------------------------
    Ashley Venuti
    Events Coordinator
    Edgenuity
    ------------------------------



  • 29.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:39
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Ashley, do you have a virtual meeting platform selected?

    ------------------------------
    Michele Gebrayel
    Corporate Event Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 30.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    User Group Member
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:41
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Ashley,

    Are you converting a future live event to virtual OR are you converting a current "open for registration" event to virtual?

    ------------------------------
    Danny Silva
    Director of Technology Integration
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 31.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:42
    No replies, thread closed.
    Ashley, there are so many moving factors...  
    • Is this a one-off event
    • Will you host many events
    • Will you have many attendees
    • Will you have multiple session


    ------------------------------
    Michele Gebrayel
    Corporate Event Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 32.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:44
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Ashley,

    I'll leave it to the IT experts to dive into the CVENT platform details.

    The transition also calls for looking at the language in any existing contracts Edgenuity has in place with venues, hotels, restaurants, exhibitors, and event consultants. These may need to be renegotiated. We are finding that 100% transparency of where the organization is fiscally short term and long term as well as the market for your attendees and their ability to attend live events is more important than ever. The goal is for all of our organizations to make it through this pandemic in partnership so that we can continue to work with and contract longterm. 

    Force majeure still applies in some areas.  There may be contract language with terms for timelines to cancel with or without penalty - these are still negotiable with good partners.

    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 33.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    User Group Member
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:40
    No replies, thread closed.
    Do any of you have ideas for hosting virtual fundraising events?

    Thanks!

    ------------------------------
    Jennifer Jones
    Senior Event Specialist
    Corning Incorporated
    ------------------------------



  • 34.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Community MVP
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:49
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hey Jennifer, 

    While I have not been in a position of fundraising, I can speak from the perspective of a donor. It's all about engagement and communication... as well as possibly either an element of fun or an element of urgency, depending on what you are fundraising for. I will tell you that personally I LOVE to bid at silent auctions, so if you can get items and services donated, I highly recommend a silent auction. There are a few really great platforms out there, including Bidding for Good, which I really like.



    ------------------------------
    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 35.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:51
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Jennifer,

    We're just beginning to explore this area as well. Sounds like we would all benefit from a group brainstorming session.

    Pam

    ------------------------------
    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 36.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    User Group Member
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:45
    No replies, thread closed.

    Hi everyone,

    Can you share some tips for getting people to engage in Zoom or other video break-out discussion rooms?

    Thanks so much!



    ------------------------------
    Robin Tiberio
    Senior Marketing Manager, Media and Event Sales
    American Psychological Association
    ------------------------------



  • 37.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:48
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Robin! Great Question! In order to keep our attendees engaged, we have always implemented an interactive portion of the event. Whether that is as simple as live Q&A, real-time quiz questions, or live polling, getting the attendee involved in the meeting is so important. We have found the quiz questions work best for sales update meetings or informational meetings where you want to test how much of the content is being digested. Another way we have kept our attendees engaged is to encourage them to turn their cameras on so everyone can see each other. Or post about the meeting in real-time on social media with specific hashtags. Additionally, the Zoom platform has a chat feature built-in. We have found engaging the attendees in a conversation in the built-in chat feature is extremely positive and we have gotten great feedback.

    ------------------------------
    Jenny Sosiewicz
    Consultant - Event Planning
    Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
    ------------------------------



  • 38.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:50
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi, everyone! I have a more general question: what's the one system hack that has revolutionized how you work? 

    Thank you!

    ------------------------------
    Stacy Wright
    Event Manager, Commercial Excellence
    Galderma Laboratories, L.P..
    ------------------------------



  • 39.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Community MVP
    Posted 08-19-2020 12:56
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Stacy,
    I feel like a broken record, but the Zoom integration has saved us SO MUCH TIME... and it improved the user experience for our attendees as well. It had previously been a two-step process for them, and now it's a one-step process.

    Also, if you do not have an integration to your CRM... WHY NOT?! Get that actionable data into your Master system so that you're able to really leverage that data!

    ------------------------------
    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 40.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:57
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Stacy! We implement integration with Cvent.  We have Salesforce and our Zoom account integrated with Cvent.  Cvent pushes to Salesforce.  Cvent and Zoom push and pull information.  When you integrate, it eliminates the manual work.  Automation is far more accurate and efficient.

    ------------------------------
    Michele Gebrayel
    Corporate Event Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 41.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    User Group Member
    Posted 08-19-2020 13:00
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Stacy,

    You are speaking my language =) I "life-hack" everything.
    One system hack that I have done for us is a system to accept Credit Cards & Purchase Orders (about 50% of our payments). We have created two pathways for registrations one for credit cards and one for POs. If someone chooses the PO pathway, they are asked extra questions around billing. We also use registration approval for the PO pathway. Our Finance department gets an email when someone registers using a PO. They can then look at the info to make sure it is correct before approving the registration. If it is not correct they can reach out before approving to get the correct information.

    ------------------------------
    Danny Silva
    Director of Technology Integration
    CUE.
    ------------------------------



  • 42.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 12:57
    No replies, thread closed.
    Have you used other platforms, in addition to Zoom, to encourage networking during virtual events?

    Thanks for all this great advice! 


    ------------------------------
    Ashley Manivong
    Social Media Coordinator
    PCCA - Professional Compounding Centers of America
    ------------------------------



  • 43.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Community MVP
    Posted 08-19-2020 13:00
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Ashley, 
    Microsoft Teams is another option - especially for internal events. I don't love it for external events, but they have made recent updates (such as the ability to view more than just a few people, and a pop-out window) that make it a viable option. We use it for internal meetings and all our internal webinar debrief meetings.

    ------------------------------
    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 44.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 13:01
    No replies, thread closed.
    Hi Ashley,

    We have robust networking under our social media hashtags on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The main hashtag is #WeAreCUE. We also tie hashtags to specific events: #FallCUE #SuperCUE #CUEBOLD #SuperCUE .

    We also take free sessions live to Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags to engage with and connect to our community.​​​​

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    Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez
    Executive Director
    CUE.
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  • 45.  RE: Cvent Excellence Awards Ask the Expert Series: Align with the Times (8/19)

    Posted 08-19-2020 13:05
    No replies, thread closed.

    Thank you all for your contributions today, and a huge thank you to our experts for your fantastic insight! We can't wait to cheer you on during the Excellence Awards on Tuesday the 25th during Cvent CONNECT Virtual.

    We will be closing this thread, however if you want to continue the conversation be sure to post a new discussion in the Open Forum. You can search the tag #ManagingVirtualEvents to see the many great conversations focusing on virtual events and the future of hybrid events.   



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    Danni Czark
    Senior Associate, Online Community Marketing
    Cvent
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