Tag: event management

Why Your Events Could Benefit from Multilingual Websites

Posted on by Eventsforce

Choosing which event to attend is no longer restricted by borders and time zones, as delegates are increasingly happy to travel further afield for the right event. They are spurred not only by the abundance of cheap flights and budget accommodation, but by a real desire to learn about the latest innovations, best practice guidelines and the opportunity to network and share ideas with colleagues and peers from across the world.

But are we doing enough to reach delegates beyond our country’s borders?  A study by the European Commission in 2011 revealed that 90% of Internet users in the EU, said that when given a choice of languages, they always visited a website in their own language. A similar survey by the Common Sense Advisory in the US also found that 72% of consumers were more likely to buy a product or service online if the information provided was in their native language1. With this in mind and the fact that most people now research for events online, doesn’t it make sense for your events to have multilingual websites?

Why Multilingual Websites Can Boost Your Events

Untitled design (13)Multilingual sites today present one of the most cost-effective ways of marketing your events, attracting new delegates, building relationships with them and giving your organisation an international outlook:

  • Shows You Care – It doesn’t take much effort to create a multilingual website (more below) but that extra effort shows your delegates that you care about them and are considerate of their needs, which makes them more likely to book onto your event. We all know that personalisation is important to our delegates and what could be more personal than talking to them in their own language?
  • Builds Trust with Your Delegates – Trust is an important part of doing business. Trust in an event and the event organiser is even more important if a delegate is travelling from abroad. Communicating with these delegates in their native language helps them feel secure, understand what they are buying and who they are buying from.
  • Helps You Stay Ahead of Your Competitors – Make no mistake, your event has competition. Whether it’s from other events, alternative ways of spending budgets or time constraints, your delegate needs to make difficult choices. If they only go to a few events a year, you need to make yours stand out. Offering a multilingual website will give your event a competitive edge by demonstrating to delegates that your organization thinks, works and deals internationally.
  • Improves Search Engines Optimisation – Search engines lead people to your site. While it’s tempting to view Google as the only search engine that matters, in reality this isn’t the case as in many countries, such as France, Japan and China, Google is not the default search engine. Baidu is popular in China, Acara in Japan and Voila in France. Such search engines are a key to tapping those markets unless they have access to a particular language though your multilingual event website, then your event will not be found. In addition, search engines like Google are developing the capacity to run searches in foreign languages.  Having your website available in those languages helps to ensure it will be picked up in searches.

But the Internet is in English

If you assume your delegates speak your language well enough to skip the translation step, you’re wrong. Today only 35% of the Internet’s content is in English, and this number continues to diminish. Russian, Spanish and Portuguese, for example, are continuing to trend upward with no sign of slowing down.  If you are targeting delegates who speak these languages, it is worth considering translating your content to better reach and connect with them. And while other languages like German, French and Japanese are trending down, they still represent such a large portion of the online community that it is worth thinking through your targeting approach to those markets as well1.

It’s a Lot Simpler Than You Think

Having the ability to communicate to a whole new international audience in their own language will undoubtedly bring results not only in a financial sense but also in terms of marketing and creating awareness of your event. And luckily, creating these multilingual event websites isn’t a complicated process if you consider the following basic requirements:

Make Sure Your Event Technology Supports It – Most event management or registration software these days offer a multilingual module, which allows important pages on your event website including those for registration and agendas to be displayed in several popular world languages of your choice.  By providing tools that allow you to automatically translate things like website headings, button texts, warning messages and email communication, the software helps you copy templates from one language to another in no time. Organisations like the British Council do this with their in-country events and the system has proved to be very successful.

Make Sure You Have the Necessary Staff Resources – If it’s a simple event website with a registration form that collects basic delegate information (name, country and contact details), then having staff that can speak the language isn’t entirely necessary as you can manage most of it through an online translation service like Google Translate. In most cases, however, you will need to have someone on your team who has a working knowledge of the language to oversee all translation requirements and more importantly, manage all delegate communication – from sending registration confirmation emails, making changes to agendas and managing requests.

Click to get in touchIf you don’t have the staff resources, then there are other affordable options.  You can hire a freelance translator through services like Upwork and Fiverr, that offer hundreds of talented and reliable people to work with. Alternatively, you can also use an online translation service like Unbabel, that combines artificial intelligence with crowdsourced human translation to deliver fast and high quality services to companies who want to reach international markets.

Written by Lynda Browne, Client Loyalty Manager, Eventsforce

1 Unbabel: Top Languages of the Internet, Today and Tomorrow

 

Delegate Card Payments & Security Compliance: Questions Answered

Posted on by Eventsforce

PCI COmplianceEnter registration details, make your payment and click submit.  It’s the kind of information most event websites ask for. But when your delegate makes a payment, how do we make sure their card details are kept safe? If your organisation is involved in storing, processing or transmitting any delegate cardholder data – manually or electronically – you need to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).  And that means meeting tough standards that maximise your delegate’s payment card security – or face the prospect of fines.

Unfortunately, many organisations don’t bother thinking about PCI compliance until they are due to be audited, which at best, leaves them playing catch-up or at worst, means they fail because they haven’t met the requirements. A recent report by Verizon – which assessed more than 5,000 organisations across 30 countries – found that nearly 80% of all businesses failed their interim PCI compliance assessment. More importantly, lack of compliance was linked to data breaches: Of all the data breaches studied, not a single company was found to be fully PCI DSS-compliant at the time of breach. The study also found 69% of all consumers were less inclined to do business with a breached organisation1. So the stakes of non-compliance are pretty high.

Last month, Eventsforce conducted its own survey with senior event planners in the UK and the US to assess their understanding of delegate payments and PCI-DSS requirements. The results were quite surprising.  Nearly half of those surveyed didn’t know if they were PCI DSS compliant, with 84% not being able to identify compliance requirements and a further 73% unaware of the fines for non-compliance.

So what exactly is PCI-DSS and what do event planners need to know about it? Below are six of the most common questions we come across when discussing issues around delegate payments and data security.

What is PCI-DSS compliance?

If your events are set up to accept payments from delegates via credit or debit cards, then your organisation is obligated to achieving and maintaining compliance with the PCI Data Security Standard.  PCI DSS is an information security standard for any organisation handling credit card transactions from the major card schemes, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB.  The standard was created to increase controls around cardholder data to reduce credit card fraud. It has three basic components which include analysing IT systems for vulnerabilities; patching weaknesses and deleting unnecessarily stored data; and submitting compliance records to banks and card companies (a detailed description of all 12 requirements can be found here).

In the case of events, compliance would mean ensuring that no delegate payment card data is stored unless it is necessary to meet the needs of your event or business. This applies to all types of transactions – electronic (card payments through event website) or manual (card payments over the phone or on-site). If it is absolutely necessary for you to store this information, then you need to know what you can and can’t do. Sensitive data from the magnetic strip or chip, for example, may never be stored but other information such as card numbers (PAN), expiration dates, service codes or cardholder names may be stored if the correct encryption procedures have taken place to ensure data safety (more on this further down).

Isn’t This the Responsibility for My IT/Legal/Finance Department?

 Setting policies and procedures around compliance usually is the responsibility of these departments but adherence to these policies is a shared responsibility across any department dealing with delegate card payments – including the events team. In the case of any fraudulent activity involving the payment card of one of your delegates, a bank can easily trace it back to a PCI-related breach to your organisation and hold you responsible. There are considerable fines associated with non-compliance following a data compromise; these can range from ten to hundreds of thousands of pounds. Many non-compliant organisations have stopped trading because the fines could not be accommodated.

Do I Have to be PCI-DSS Compliant?

PCI-DSS compliance does not just apply to the storage of payment card data but also to the handling of data while it is processed or transmitted over networks or phone lines. While not storing credit card data does eliminate some compliance requirements, the majority of the controls dictated by the DSS remain in effect.

ID-100354956One way of simplifying compliance is to outsource the process to one of the many PCI-DSS-certified payment gateways that meet the required standards, such as Stripe, PayPal, Sage Pay and Worldpay, among others. This makes it possible for delegates to interact with the gateway software directly so that card information never hits your own servers. However, make sure you understand how these payment gateways interface with your event management/registration systems. If your event website integrates with these gateways via an API, then you are still liable for PCI compliance since your servers capture and transmit the credit/debit card data first.

Read more: Top 5 Things to Think About When Dealing with APIs

Do I Still Need to Consider it if my Payment Gateway is Compliant?

Yes, if you take delegate/attendee payments offline or over the phone. In our event data security survey, 49% of event planners said they take credit/debit card details from their attendees over the phone. This doesn’t help with PCI compliance unless the information is directly entered into the payment gateway system. Even then, are the card details written down somewhere first?  If so, do you dispose of the paper?  How is the paper disposed and when?  Do you email these details to anyone? These are all very important questions you and everyone else on your team need to be very aware of at all times. So make sure you have the correct policies in place and that your staff are trained to follow all necessary procedures that ensure compliance.

What if I do Need to Store Card Details for Some of my Events?

Our survey found that 11% of event planners ask their attendees to fill in card details within registration forms as a form of deposit on possible extras like transport, hotel rooms, dinners, and so on. Some payment gateways like Stripe have a good way of managing this without making your organisation subject to PCI-DSS regulations.  At a minimum, PCI DSS requires card numbers (PAN) to be unreadable anywhere they are stored (the first six and last four digits are the maximum number of digits that may be displayed).  However, as a general rule, it is not advisable to use registration forms to capture credit card details as it does increase the risk of breach.

What Are the Main Data Security Guidelines for PCI-DSS Compliance?

If you do have a legitimate business reason to store your delegate’s payment card data, it is important to understand what data elements PCI-DSS allows them to store and what measures they must take to protect that data. Below are some basic do’s and don’ts for data storage security:

Data Do’s:

  • DO understand where delegate card data flows for the entire payment transaction process – from initial registration until the completion of the event.
  • DO verify that your payment applications (including third-party applications like PayPal) are PCI-DSS compliant. Have clear access and password protection policies and remember, it is your responsibility that compliance is not just met but continuously maintained. Security exploits are non-stop and get stronger every day, which is why compliance efforts should be a continuous process.
  • DO retain cardholder data only if authorised and ensure it is protected
  • DO use strong cryptography to render unreadable cardholder data that you store, and use other security technologies to minimise the risk of exploits of criminals

Data Don’ts

  • DO NOT store cardholder data unless it’s absolutely necessary – delete all data as soon as you know that you no longer need it. Never print or email this information.
  • DO NOT store the 3-digit card validation code on the back of the payment card on paper or any digital format.
  • DO NOT store any payment card data in unprotected devices such as PCs, laptops or smart phones
  • DO NOT permit any unauthorised people to access stored cardholder data

Summary

Understanding and implementing all the requirements of PCI-DSS can seem daunting, especially for those without security or large IT departments.  However, PCI DSS mostly calls for good, basic security.  Even if you don’t have to be PCI-DSS compliant, the best practices we mentioned above are steps that any organisation running events would want to take anyway to protect sensitive delegate data.

Click to get in touch

For further advice and guidance on event card payment security, please contact our friendly team on 0207 785 6997 or fill in our enquiry form here.

1 80 Percent of Businesses Fail Interim PCI Compliance Assessment

INFOGRAPHIC: How Safe Is Your Event Data?

Posted on by Eventsforce

There have been a number of high-profile data breaches over the last year and though there have been no major incidents involving the events industry, it is definitely something we need to prepare ourselves for.  Events deal with highly sensitive customer information, including names, emails, telephone numbers, employment information, disabilities and so on.  Ensuring this data is kept in a safe place is critical not just for delegates, but for any organisation storing this information.

Last month, we conducted a survey with event planners in the UK and the US to highlight some important trends around this issue.  The results have been very insightful.

The study, which was conducted across 50 organisations in the UK and the US, revealed that 80% of event planners marked data security as a top priority for 2016 yet only 40% felt they had the adequate security policies in place across their organisations.

The survey exposes key areas – like password hygiene, delegate payments and regulatory compliance – where event planners need to put greater attention to in order to prevent data from getting into the wrong hands. For example: The survey found that 81% of event planners do not change the passwords to their event management systems as often as they should (less than once a year) and a further 33% claim to have shared their passwords with other people.  This increases the risk of a breach and makes it difficult to accurately identify who has access to the system at any given point in time.

For a more comprehensive look at these insights and some of the other findings from the Eventsforce ‘How Safe Is Your Event Data’ survey, please download the infographic below:

Infographic_How safe is your event data JPG FINAL

 

60-Seconds with Allianz Insurance

Posted on by Eventsforce

Charley Jennings (Allianz Insurance)Charley Jennings is the corporate events officer at Allianz Insurance.  Based in their London offices, she works with a team of six people who are in charge of organizing a variety of events from large conferences, dinners, awards, ceremonies and team building days which can gather anywhere between 10 to 600 people at a time.

EventTech Talk had a quick chat with her to find out a little about her venues and restaurants and her biggest event nightmare.

How long have you been working in events?

Around three years in total.  I started at Allianz as a placement student, returned to university to finish my degree and applied for a job when I finished.

Where is your favourite venue for events?

The Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard in London is great for meetings and One Great George Street in Westminster for awards ceremonies.

What is your favourite restaurant?

The Hutong Chinese restaurant at The Shard and SUSHISAMBA for Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian sushi.

What would you say is your biggest challenge when planning an event?

Time – there doesn’t seem to be enough of it in the day!

What has been your biggest event nightmare? 

We held a large awards ceremony last year and there was a political protest outside the venue the night before the event. We had no idea what time the protest would finish, and if we were going to be allowed near the venue.  After a very long day, we managed to get everything ready and get to the venue before it started!

Mobile app you couldn’t live or work without?

WhatsApp Messenger.

New technology you’re looking forward to using one day?

Click to get in touchTo be able to use holograms at our conferences would be very exciting.

What has been the best piece of professional advice someone’s given you?

There is no such thing as being too organised!

Lastly, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?

To be able to freeze time!

Infographic: The ROI of Event Data Integration

Posted on by Eventsforce

We have talked a lot about data integration (Why is Data Integration So Important for Your Events) and APIs (Top 5 Things to Think About When Dealing with APIs) over the last few weeks.  It is a topic that is hotly debated across the events industry as more and more organisations try to find new ways of increasing the ROI of their event technology investments.

Integrating your event management software with other business systems within your organisation can bring a host of benefits. It can save you time by reducing manual data entry. It can eliminate errors and inconsistencies that commonly cause problems in communications.  It can cut costs and make your team more productive – and more importantly, it can unlock the true value of your event data by putting it in the hands of the people who need it.

So how does it work and what does an integrated system look like?  For a quick overview on some of the key integrations that make sense for your events, have a look at the infographic below (or click here to download):

60-Seconds with Wellcome Trust

Posted on by Eventsforce

Susan Bassam Wellcome TrustBased in London, Susan Bassam is the conference and events organiser at renowned global charitable foundation, Wellcome Trust.  Along with her team, she manages around 60 events each year – from conferences, workshops, dinners and receptions – which attract anywhere between 30-200 attendees.

EventTech Talk had a quick chat with her to find out a little about her best event experiences, favourite venues and her biggest event nightmare.

What has been your best event experience?

Organising a celebration event for the Wellcome Trust’s 75 Anniversary. It was a special occasion and involved transforming the ground floor of our headquarters in London into a glamourous event space for an evening dinner. We invited 180 people to a drinks reception, followed by dinner cooked by Albert Roux.

What is your favourite venue?

For conferences, I would definitely say One Great George Street in Westminster, London.

What is your favourite restaurant?

Le Pont de la Tour by Tower Bridge, London – French cuisine at its best!

What would you say is your biggest challenge when planning an event?

Time or lack of!  Short lead time to organise an event is our biggest challenge.

What has been your biggest event nightmare? 

The day before I was due to fly to Uganda for a conference for 70 people, we heard that there were demonstrations and national unrest in the city, and the only road from the airport to the city was blocked by protestors! After many discussions, the even had to be cancelled.

Mobile app you couldn’t live without?

Whatsapp – it is essential while travelling aboard for keeping in touch with family and friends.

Best event app experience?  

Yet to happen; but currently working on our own event app with Insight Mobile to integrate with Eventsforce.

Click to get in touchNew technology you’re looking forward to using one day (drones, holograms, AR/VR)?

Aside from our own event app, would l like to see a hologram speaking at one of our conferences!

And lastly, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?

To click my heals and instantly be transported home.

 

If you’d like to take part in our ‘60-Seconds’ series of Q&As with event managers, please get in touch at eventtechtalk@eventsforce.com – we’d love to hear from you!

 

Infographic: The ROI of Event Personalisation

Posted on by Eventsforce

Personalisation is seen as one of the hottest trends in the events industry as attendees increasingly expect both the communication of the event and the live experience to be tailored to them in some way.  At the same time, data capture tools like registration systems and event apps are helping events collect valuable information on attendees to create more powerful and customised event experiences.

But is personalisation worth the time and effort? Are we doing anything useful with all the data we’re gathering from attendees or are we collecting too much?  Are there any data collection tools that are more effective than others? And what impact will Europe’s new data protection regulation have on event personalisation from May 2018?

A new Eventsforce research study –  titled ‘The ROI of Event Personalisation’- has revealed that despite it being a growing priority for 73% of event planners, more than 50% are struggling to see how effective their personalisation efforts are in engaging attendees and building brand loyalty.  Of the 150 senior event planners surveyed, 56% don’t end up using all the data they collect for the purpose of personalisation and another 44% find it difficult to determine how much personalisation they should actually do.

Some other highlights from ‘The ROI of Event Personalisation’ study include:

  • More than 9 in 10 event planners are using personalisation around events
  • Event invites, delegate communications and personalised registration forms are the most popular methods of using personalisation
  • Top 3 most effective data collection tools include registration systems, CRM/marketing solutions, surveys and apps
  • 31% struggle to measure ROI of personalisation efforts
  • Other challenges include deciding what data to collect from attendees, getting the balance right between providing value and protecting attendee privacy and dealing with inaccurate data
  • 36% of event planners feel the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will limit personalisation efforts in the industry

For a more comprehensive look at these results and some of the other findings from the Eventsforce ‘The ROI of Event Personalisation’ study, download the infographic below:

Eventsforce will be debating the topic of personalisation, privacy and GDPR with senior event planners from Haymarket Publishing and the British Council at the annual Event Tech Live show in London on 9th November 2017.  The session titled, ‘Event Personalisation – Finding the Balance Between Value & Privacy’ will discuss the findings of the study and provide an opportunity for the speakers to share their experiences around personalisation and finding that balance.

Those interested in attending can register for the event at https://www.eventtechlive.com or visit Eventsforce at stand 216 in the exhibition hall.