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Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

  • 1.  Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Cvent Staff
    Posted 05-13-2020 10:07
    Edited by Danielle Czark 05-13-2020 16:20

    Hi, everyone!

    It's time for another edition of Tip of the Week, and this time we're discussing all the best data tags to leverage – especially when thinking about event changes. In the past few months, almost every planner has had to go through the process of cancelling or postponing their events, which requires a lot of edits to email communications and registration sites. This is where data tags become essential players in easing the process. Data tags are associated with your event information already inputted within Cvent, which allows these tags to pull these details directly into your emails and registration sites. In other words, no need to re-type your entire event name in every email – instead, just use the data tag {[E-TITLE]} to automatically pull the title anywhere you need it! Keep reading for some of the best data tags to save your time and sanity.  

    The Basics: These are your essential tools and should be utilized with every event. With lengthy event or session names and time changes, these data tags will help to ensure you don't have to manually edit the 10 different communications you already have drafted.

    • Title {[E-TITLE]}
    • Event Start Time {[E-START TIME:TIME FORMAT]}
    • Event End Time {[E-END TIME:TIME FORMAT]}
    • Session Name {[SS-SESSION NAME]}
    • Session Start Date {[SS-START DATE:DATE FORMAT]}
    • Session Start Time {[SS-START TIME:TIME FORMAT]}
    • Add to Calendar {[E-CALENDAR URL]}

    Modifications: These data tags are key for any external facing communications. More than just saving time not having to retype titles or times, these data tags are critical in pulling attendee specific information for all emails.

    • My Agenda {[C-MY AGENDA:ST,CF,SC]}
    • Contact Confirmation Number {[C-CONFIRMATION-NUM]}
    • Modify Registration URL {[E-MODIFY REG URL]}

    Travel: Does your event require attendees to travel? These data tags will ease the attendee experience, providing them their travel and accommodation information right in one place. This is especially helpful with cancelled or postponed events, so attendees can make the process of rebooking flights and hotels just a little more seamless.

    • Hotel Confirmation Number {[C-HOTEL CONFIRM:LAST]}
    • Hotel Reservation Details – Primary {[C-PRIMARY REGISTRANT HOTEL DETAILS]}
    • Air Actuals – Primary {[C-PRIMARY REGISTRANT AIR ACTUALS]}

    General Tips & Tricks:

    • Can't keep all these data tags straight in your head? Don't worry! As you build out your event site or emails, you can select the info icon next to each data tag for a brief description.
    • Do you find yourself using the same data tags over and over again? You can favorite your most used data tags for easy access, no need to remember all those specific names.

    Do you have your own data tag tips and tricks? Or ways you've used the above? Maybe you've used custom data tags – we want to hear it all!

    If you found this tip helpful, be sure to hit "Recommend" so others can learn too!

    #CventTip
    #Event(Flex)
    #Flex-Creating/ManagingEvents

    ​​​
    #Classic-Creating/ManagingEvents
    #Flex-Creating/ManagingEvents

    ------------------------------
    Bianca Cruz
    Meetings & Events Coordinator, Cvent
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    User Group Member
    Posted 05-14-2020 10:41
    Bianca,

    Thanks for these great tips!

    I can only seem to see favorite data tags (and recently used tags) when working with emails. Is this an option during website design?

    We didn't use custom tags for our event cancellations due to coronavirus, but in hindsight I wish we had. We needed to change the wording at least twice across all of our events and it was very time consuming and there was always the chance we would have missed an event. If we had instead inserted a custom data tag on each event, we could have updated the postponement/cancellation language in one place and it would have automatically populated across all events.


    ------------------------------
    Todd Leister
    Assistant Director for Officer-campus Programming
    Bucknell University
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Posted 05-14-2020 14:49

    Hi Todd,

    I am glad you found Bianca's tips helpful and can plan to use data tags in the future as a great time-saver! You are correct that in Flex the ability to favorite a data tag is only available in emails. I just reached out to our Product team for more information for website data tags, and will follow up here when I hear back.

    Best,

    Danni 



    ------------------------------
    Danni Czark
    Lead Client Success Advisor
    Cvent
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Posted 05-14-2020 12:46
    Great Tips!

    I am guilty of using the same data tags over and over. My most used are are {[E-Title]} {[C-FIRST NAME]} and {[EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE]}. {[E-MODIFY REG LINK]} has been extremely helpful with modifying nametags for our physical events. With all of the virtual events coming up I wonder which data tags you would recommend to be most helpful? 



    ------------------------------
    Amy Jones
    Assistant Conference and Event Coordinator and Marketing
    Georgia Southern University Division of Continuing Education
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Posted 05-14-2020 14:34
    Hi Amy,

    Glad to hear you already have some great uses of data tags! With the shift to virtual, data tags can absolutely be an important player to save you time while making your event updates. From the list Bianca outlined, I would definitely call out the session-specific tags, as well as the Add to Calendar. It is going to be more important than ever for a registrant to be aware of their agenda since they will be joining the event from their homes. :) 

    Take a look at last week's tip on Registrant Information and Session Emails, where additional features and data tags are discussed, as well.

    Please let us know if you have any additional questions! @ Cvent users, please feel free to chime in with any particular data tags you have been using for your virtual events that you have found valuable. 

    Best,

    Danni

    ------------------------------
    Danni Czark
    Lead Client Success Advisor
    Cvent
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Posted 05-14-2020 14:34
    I use as many data tags as possible!  The main reason is for consistency.  If we need to change a date somewhere, we can make sure it's been changed everywhere on a website.  It's also great for things that you need to auto fill (confirmation numbers, contact information, etc.).  One of my favorite Cvent features!

    ------------------------------
    Kayla Sisco
    Convention Coordinator
    Impact XM
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    User Group Member
    Posted 05-15-2020 06:16
    In addition to contact information datatags, we use the {[E-INVOICE URL]} and {[E-MY REG URL]} in confirmation emails to allow registrants to directly print their invoice or easily access their registration confirmation page.  I have also started using custom data tags more consistently and this helps in so many ways - efficiency in pulling emails together, updating event marketing information as needed post-launch, consistent language (for example, an accessibility statement) - I am just sorry that I didn't start using them sooner!

    ------------------------------
    Heather Darrow
    Conference Coordinator
    Cornell University - Department Of Animal Science
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    User Group Member
    Posted 05-15-2020 09:44
    Hi,
    We use data extensively as well! We actually use Event Custom Content Data tags in legacy quite often too for items such as parking info, meal info, compliance,etc. Which is not available in Flex. Not having this feature has deterred some of our users from moving forward with Flex. Is the text widget supposed to replace custom data tags because you can duplicate onto other pages? I recall if you wanted to remove from one page you had to delete it, but that would delete from all pages. Has that been updated with a "hide" option instead of delete?

    ------------------------------
    Nadine Demyanovich
    Marketing Systems Analyst
    Illumina, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Posted 05-15-2020 14:02
    Bianca,

    Thanks for posting this, the information is helpful. I'm getting started with learning how to use data tags. I'm going to copy this into a Word document to save as a "cheat sheet" for when I need it in the future.

    ------------------------------
    Bouran Qaddumi
    nft
    Cajun Operating Company d/b/a Church's Chicken
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    User Group Member
    Posted 05-15-2020 22:28
    Thanks for all these tips Bianca. 

    I love using data tags and having this full list will be a great reference when setting up future events. I have book marked the data tags I use most often so I can easily add them to my events. I will certainly be adding more of the tags you shared to my list of go-tos!

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



  • 11.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Posted 05-19-2020 16:52

    Thanks for these great and helpful tips, Bianca! Data tags are time savers!

    I bookmark the Data Tag Cheat Sheet article on my web browser  to use as reference when I forget. Another great data to use is the account Custom Data Tags – this is super convenient especially when you have common content used widely in your events such as disclaimers or cancellation policies.  I did realize that custom data tags do not work in event emails – is that correct?



    ------------------------------
    Wendy Chang
    Registration and Housing Coordinator
    Vituity
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Posted 05-21-2020 12:18
    Thanks for the tips Belinda!

    I haven't used this tip yet in Cvent but I use it for an in-house database and think it would translate really well to some Cvent users. This is mostly used for sending out emails that you want the reader to feel like you are sending an email to them personally and not just a mass mail out:

    In our contact database, we have a custom field called "Personal greeting" where we write in something like "I hope all is well in Chicago and you are enjoying some warmer weather!" or "Howdy y'all! Hope the Texas heat isn't getting to you this week..." - We use other contact fields to pull a group of people (State, city, position in company, Type of company etc) and then update the "Personal Greeting" field for everyone in that group using a mass edit option. 

    When we are sending emails that need that personal touch, we can start is with:

    Hi  {[C-FIRST NAME]}
     
    {[C-PERSONAL GREETING]}

    Regular email text....

    You can easily export contacts, bulk upload the greeting (winter/summer themed etc) and re upload them. For press emails especially, this has been a game changer for the amount of responses we get.  

    Again, I don't use this trick in Cvent just yet but there's no reason the idea couldn't translate. 


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



  • 13.  RE: Tip of the Week #6: Data Tags for Event Changes

    Community MVP
    Posted 05-21-2020 16:23
    I don't know if this will work in flex, but we have been cloning out classic events for a few years. I have a data tag C-HEADER.
    C-HEADER is the header graphic that gets changed out each year. Since I'm cloning the emails, I only have to edit the header in one place. Our emails generally don't change that much.

    ------------------------------
    Steven Schlossman
    Jack of all trades. Master of none.
    BMW Car Club of America
    ------------------------------