Tag: integration

Top 8 Security Questions to Ask Your Event Technology Provider

Data Security

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of you have read the scandalous stories we saw in the headlines last year regarding major security breaches at companies like Talk Talk and the Ashley Madison dating site.  Cyber hackers raised their game with millions of people having had their private data stolen and national governments scrambling to combat the growing threat of cyber-attacks. Now imagine your organisation’s systems got hacked and exposed the personal details of the hundreds (or thousands) of delegates attending your events each year.  Doesn’t really bear thinking about, does it?

Events deal with highly sensitive customer information, including names, emails, telephone numbers, employment information, disabilities and other confidential details. The wealth of information we collect from our delegates is a gold mine for hackers.  Safeguarding this data is critical and more and more organisations are starting to see the importance of this issue. Our new data security survey found that 80% of event planners marked data security as a top priority for 2016.  Surprisingly, however, only 40% of them felt they had the adequate security policies in place across their organisations.   In fact, according to MPI members at last month’s MPI European Meetings & Events Conference, event planners were said to be lacking awareness on the topic of cyber security despite the global terrorism threat1.

So how do we address this issue of event technology security?

Most event planners these days deal with some form of event registration technology that helps them manage all their event and delegate data.  The software captures, manages and stores a lot of the sensitive data we mentioned earlier – so it makes sense to start there. Have a look at the data security policies of your event tech provider.  Are you confident they have the right processes in place to safeguard your data? Are they doing everything they can to minimise the risk of breach?

Here are the top 8 data security questions you should be asking your event tech provider today:

How is My Event Data Protected?

Maximum protection of your event data should probably be your event technology provider’s top priority.   You want to ensure that your event data is fully secure and protected by a comprehensive recovery system.  The first step in achieving this is the use of strong industry-standard encryption, like HTTPS and AES, which helps protect your data from prying eyes and can provide you with assurance that it hasn’t been modified in any way. Find out how your data is encrypted both at rest (when stored in servers) and in transit (when accessing data from your event management system over an Internet network). ID-100354956

What Data Security and Safeguarding Policies Do You Have in Place?

Find out where your database is stored, how it is stored and how often they back it up – the more often, the better so that no changes can be lost from your database if restoration is required. In the case of a breach to their own servers, find out what response plans they have in place to protect your data.  Find out what security policies they have in place within their organisation – how do they protect their own data and how do they meet regulatory and legislative requirements?  Who has access to client data, how do they handle authorisation and what happens when someone leaves? How do they share client information (email/phone) and where they do they store this information?

 How Can I Ensure Secure Access to my Event Management System?

All major event management systems manage access via username and password authentication.  However, you can also manage access using an external authentication service, which can restrict access for certain individuals to particular functions (e.g. abstract reviews) or particular events. Find out if your event tech provider can integrate your event management solution with a Single Sign-On (SSO) system. This will allow you to sign in using your company’s existing corporate authentication infrastructure – so passwords are never submitted to your event system and access can be controlled centrally by your organisation. If someone from your team leaves their job, then their access to all systems can be cut off from one place.

SSO improves security by giving you the choice to restrict event websites and registration to internal personnel or selected individuals or groups, effectively making them private. Only people chosen to view the event website or register for the event will be able to do so and invitations cannot be shared – useful if you have an internal awards event going on involving confidential company information.

Where is my Event Data Stored?

As mentioned above, this is something that should be outlined in the security policy of your event technology provider. It is worth noting, however, that if your event management software provider is storing your data in US-based datacentres and you deal with delegates from the EU, then you need to ensure that they comply with the newly announced Privacy Shield agreement. This replaces the old Safe Harbor agreement, which allowed US companies to legally transfer European citizens’ data to America, provided the location it was being sent to had the security and privacy conditions that met EU standards.

Read more: New EU/US Data Sharing Deal: What Event Planners Need to Know

If you are using a web-based system, find out the physical location of their cloud servers and whether or not they adhere to EU Data Protection regulations. Find out who has access to these servers and what kind of security procedures they have in place.

Do You Own My Data?

This is an important question as some event management technology companies have a legal right to use your data for their own marketing purposes, which means it’s highly likely that they store this data somewhere other than your company’s database on their client servers.  This increases the chance of breach so again, you need to find out what data protection policies they have within their own organisation, how they manage access to this data, what do they use it for and how long they keep it.

Are You PCI-DSS Compliant?

Our survey revealed that almost 50% of event planners who took payment from their delegates didn’t know if they were PCI-DSS compliant and a further 73% were unaware of the fines for non-compliance (ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000).  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 (more info here).  One 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. However, make sure you understand from your event tech provider how these payment gateways interface with your event management/registration system. 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. Equally, if your event management system uses its own payment gateway or processes payments on your behalf, make sure that their systems have the correct level of compliance and that they are not permanently storing your delegate payment card data on their servers.

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

What Security Precautions Do I Need to Take?

If your event management system is integrated with other third party systems (CRM, event apps, finance packages), your event management software provider may have issued you with an API key for any integrations.  Often used instead of usernames and passwords, the key allows your event app and other third party applications access to your event data, and vice-versa. Remember that anyone who has access to this key has access to your data – so you need to make sure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.  You can minimise the risk of breach by asking your event tech provider to issue different API keys for different functions – for example, use one key to connect your system to the delegate section of your event app and another to connect it to the exhibitor section of your event app. Also, if you’re integrating with more than one system, ask for separate API keys for each integration (event app, CRM etc).  This way, if one of your API keys gets lost or exposed, you can revoke the key (which disables the integration) and set up a new one.  If you have one API key for all your integrations, then a data breach would lead to far more serious consequences for you and your organisation.

How Long Do You Keep My Data For?

In our survey, 54% of event planners said they use their event management systems as a permanent storage space for all their event data.  If you’re happy with your event tech provider’s data security policies, then keeping your data in the system after your event is complete is a good idea – especially if you don’t have adequate procedures to safeguard this data within your own organisation. Find out how long they keep this data on their servers, whether it is moved to other locations or servers and whether or not they delete it after a defined period of time.

Conclusion

Click to get in touchThere is no such thing as 100% security when it comes to safeguarding your data.  However, following best practices and taking the precautions outlined above can help you understand the risks involved and minimise the chances of a data breach.

To learn more about event technology security and how Eventsforce’s systems keep your data safe, read the related posts below or get in contact.

Written by Steve Baxter, CTO of Eventsforce

1 C&IT: Event Planners Don’t Understand Real Threat of Cyber Hacking

 

Delegate Card Payments & Security Compliance: Questions Answered

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?

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

 

Infographic: The ROI of Event Data Integration

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):

Top 5 Things to Think About When Dealing with APIs

shutterstock_43720780Many experts are predicting 2016 will be the year of APIs and integration for the events industry.  The concept has been around for a while but is gaining momentum as more and more organisations see the benefits of integrating their event data with other systems. If you’ve already worked with APIs, then you know why they are important. But some of us may well be wondering: What are APIs and why should I care about them?

Simply put, an API – or Application Programming Interface – is a way for two pieces of software to talk to each other and exchange information. For example, when making a purchase online, the website sends your credit/debit card information through an API to another application, which confirms that the details you have provided are correct. You can think of it as a piece of software that functions as a door or window, if you want. From the perspective of an event planner, it’s the mechanism that allows your event management system to share data with your event app. Or it’s what allows your registration software to share delegate details with your Salesforce.com CRM system. Or even payment confirmations to your finance package.

Top 5 Considerations When Dealing with APIs

Integrating your event management software with other business systems within your organisation will bring you a host of benefits (see our blog post: Why is Integration So Important for Your Events).  A well designed event app, for example, is one that integrates with your event management system to offer real-time accurate content, not just during the event, but before and after as well. Central to this design is figuring out which systems needs to talk to each other, which fields within the app need to be updated and how often this needs to be done. And this is where APIs come in.

1) Putting the Right Data in the Right Place

When integrating your event management system with other applications, you need to decide how the API will pull and share information between the two systems. So if you’re integrating your registration software with the Salesforce.com CRM solution, you should decide which questions from your registration page (names, address, telephone numbers) should be updated in Salesforce and vice versa. This ‘field mapping’ process is important as it ensures that the right data goes into the right field of each system.  So your event app, for example, may use ‘preferred names’ for addressing delegates but your event registration system records first, last and preferred names. By mapping the ‘preferred’ name field between the two systems, the API ensures that the app addresses the delegate as his preferred name ‘Johnny’ – instead of his full name, John Smith.

2) Choosing the Direction of Your Data Flow

The next thing you need to decide is whether this sharing of information is a one or two-way process.  With event apps, the flow of information is usually one way where data from the event management system – like event agendas and delegate schedules – is pushed into the event app. With CRM, finance or membership systems, it makes more sense to synch data in both directions.   So you’ll be able pull invitations lists from your Salesforce directly into your event management system – similarly, any changes to a delegate’s profile will automatically be updated in Salesforce.

 

3) How Much of Your Data Should You Share?

Another thing to consider around your API is the filtering of your event data. By default, your API may expose all your data to the integrated systems.  Your finance team, for example, may want access to all your event data but your event app may only need access to data around one particular event. You may want to create one app for your exhibitors and another for your delegates – by setting the right filters within your API, you can make sure that only relevant event data gets shared with your other integrated systems.

4) How Often Should You Synch Your Systems?

This is an important question that can determine your API ‘pipeline’.  Mobile apps, for example, consume a lot of data from event management systems, especially on the day of the event.  That data needs to be constantly refreshed to ensure delegates have access to up-to-date information around the event.  Finance or CRM packages, on the other hand, have a low but constant usage of event data. Data synching in this case can be set for once a day. Your event tech API provider may charge you for the amount of data you are consuming between your different systems or they limit the amount of data you are running through your API – so make sure you choose one that won’t limit your data use.

5) Determining Data Access & Security

Once you have decided which systems to integrate with your event management solution and set the parameters of your API, you (or your system administrator) can obtain an API key –  often used instead of usernames and passwords.  This key is one way of enabling integration by providing your event app and other third party applications access to your event data, and vice-versa.  It comes in the form of a computer-generated password that can be revoked (changed) if lost or compromised. If you don’t revoke it, your event data is vulnerable as it is left exposed to anyone who has access to this key.

Make sure you know who has access to your API key and try and limit the numbers.  When you do need to share it with other technology suppliers (like an event app provider), do so by phone instead of email, as it’s more secure.  Also, if you’re integrating with more than one system, make sure you have separate API keys for each integration.  This way, if one of your API keys gets lost or exposed, you can revoke the key (which disables the integration) and set up a new one.  If you have one API key for all your integrations, then you break all the integrations at the same time, which can result in some costly downtime until you’ve sorted it all out.

Conclusion

Click to get in touchTaking time to make these key decisions around your APIs will determine the success of your integration. While most event tech vendors provide APIs for their software, many also have established partnerships and API integration capabilities with tried and tested software solutions (Salesforce.com, Sage, Insight Mobile). This is helpful as you’ll be able to get things up and running without investing the time and money into any coding work that allows data to be pulled from one system to another.  And if these API relationships don’t exist, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. By making sure your suppliers can provide you with the necessary advice, recommendations and workflows for integration means the whole process can take as little as a few days at a fraction of the cost.

Get to know Eventsforce’s integration and API system, plus how it can unlock the true value of your event data, by clicking here.

Written by Paul Harris, Eventsforce

Why is Data Integration So Important for Your Events?

Data IntegrationIDC recently quoted ‘No Chief Marketing Officer can be a good marketer unless they become a good technologist’1.  And that’s somewhat true for the event planner – it’s difficult running a good event these days if you’re not good at technology.   At least understanding what technology can do for you.  Event managers today are becoming more and more tech savvy as technology continues to play a critical role in all aspects of an event.  From simple registration systems to sophisticated event management tools. From social media and event apps to new technologies like iBeacons and augmented reality.   More importantly, event managers are starting to look at how technology can help them evaluate event data. Traditionally done at the end of an event, it is now possible to acquire information as the event unfolds, through the real-time collection of actionable data.

The data we get from our events is incredibly valuable and the more you make of that data, the more valuable it is for your organisation. But what happens when you integrate your event data with some of the other business systems within your organisation? What if you could cut out the hundreds of hours spent re-entering event information into other systems? What if you could stop the painful process of chasing payments with your finance team? What if you could automatically update your sales team on new delegate information?

Sound good?  Let’s explore in more detail.

What is Data Integration?intro_tech_to_assn_congress

It may sound slightly technical but the concept is really quite simple.  In fact, data integration is one of the most important IT concepts for any business and it isn’t new.  Companies have different databases to capture different types of information – whether it’s sales, marketing, events, finance, memberships and so on.  Pooling this data together to create a data ecosystem that the business can function in is where data integration comes in.  Businesses can make better use of their data by linking their systems through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which allow different software applications to pull and share information with each other.

The lack of integrating these different types of data can be the source of a lot of frustration.  To illustrate this in a practical example, I recently called up my mobile operator to inform them of a change in my billing address. Even though the customer service representative I spoke to updated my records, I still get promotional materials from their TV and broadband departments coming to my old address. Why?  Because the change was only recorded in the mobile division’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and not the system used by the other business units within.  If the two systems had been integrated, my details would have automatically been synched with the other system and all correspondence from that company would have come to my new address.

Why is It Important for Your Events?clock

Integrating your event management software with other business systems within your organisation will bring you a host of benefits – from increasing your staff’s productivity to improving the overall efficiency of your operations. It will also help you make better use of your data.  For example, integration with a CRM system like Salesforce.com will allow you to automatically pull invitation lists from Salesforce directly into your event management system.  Similarly, any new registration activity or changes to a delegate’s profile will automatically be updated in Salesforce, making sure your sales team are up to date with valuable lead information. If these two systems worked independently of one another, registration information for each delegate would be typically collated into a report, printed and manually entered into the Salesforce system.  By integrating the two systems together, you can eliminate the hours of work spent in manipulating spreadsheets and updating records in an effort to organise and track delegate information.

There are other business processes where data integration makes sense for your events too. Integration with your back-end booking systems will help you merge the process of booking flights into your registration forms. Similarly, integrating with a finance package will allow you to automatically update delegate payment details into your finance system and vice versa. Event invoices, credit notes and received payments can be all be generated and sent from either system. This saves time and more importantly, provides the event manager access to important and accurate financial information.

Common Misconceptions of Data Integrationshutterstock_79727680

Integrating your event management system into an existing data ecosystem is fast becoming a cost-effective and achievable solution. Many solutions come with built-in API (Application Protocol Interface) functionality, allowing event planners to easily integrate it with their existing systems.  We are already seeing a lot of event managers integrate their systems with things like payment gateways, badge printing tools and mobile event apps.  Integration with big back-end systems though is still in its infancy – but long overdue.

A common misconception in data integration is that it should fall under the responsibility of the IT department. Many event planners feel that dealing with APIs and integration models may be somewhat technically challenging.   But don’t be bamboozled by technology.  As long as you understand the top level concept and what you want to achieve, then your event technology provider(s) should be able to help you with the details.

Another misconception is money. It all sounds great but how much is it going to cost?  Integrating two pieces of software together is no longer a £40,000 commitment. Ten years ago, a project like this would involve a lengthy process of setting objectives, designing the systems and writing code.  Decent event management software these days, however, uses generic communication tools (such as Java, APIs and REST) that make it simple to consume data from the platform and post data to it. This makes life a lot easier, which means you don’t have to pay a third party IT company to sort out all the integration. Having an event technology provider that provides all the relevant support and expertise means the whole process can take as little as a few days at a fraction of the cost.

Data Integration Makes Business Sense

Click to get in touchThe bottom line is that data integration makes business sense. It saves you time by reducing manual data entry. It eliminates errors and inconsistencies that commonly cause problems in communications.  It cuts costs and make your team more productive – and more importantly, it unlocks the real value of event data by putting it in the hands of the people who need it.  If you’re already doing it, then you’re ahead of the curve. If you’re not, then your first step is to ensure your event management software can integrate easily with your current and future business systems.  That way you can truly maximise the return on your investment.

Eventsforce offers solutions based on your business. We look at your data, existing workflows and timing to provide software and recommendations to help you achieve event success.

Schedule a call with us today to learn more.

Written by Paul Harris, Eventsforce

1IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Chief Marketing Officer Advisory 2016

 

Event Technology Integration is a Top Priority for Associations

Dan_image_for_webTalking tech today is… Daniel Slavin, Business Development Manager at Eventsforce

Daniel is well known and respected for being able to shape association events and conferences through the intelligent and accountable use of event technology. With valuable experience helping associations meet their organisational goals, Daniel demonstrates to associations how event technology can maximise the value of their conferences and how associations can effectively measure their conference ROI using the reporting data that matters.

You recently attended Technology for Associations Congress – is it fair to say all of the associations in attendance were keen to learn about how technology could help them?

Yes, and this is an understatement! The very nature of the event brought technology to the forefront. There was a clear understanding amongst the attendees that technology is essential to helping a progressive Association succeed, whether this is by expanding their membership, understanding existing members better, or putting on even better conferences. The reason behind all of this is to enable them to deliver the best possible service to their members who form the backbone of any Association.

As someone who has worked with Associations, helping them use technology in an intelligent and cost-effective way, their enthusiasm for the technology available wasn’t a surprise to me at all and it was great to see so many Associations showing keen interest in the solutions that we are able to offer here at Eventsforce.

Some people believe that Associations are technology averse – what would you say to these people?

I’d say that in the past these sort of views may be true. In some Associations any sort of investment is seen as a ‘cost’ but this cost is often viewed without the corresponding ‘benefit’. Technology is placed in the same bracket. Yes there is a cost to technology, in terms of both time and resource, but this doesn’t exceed the benefits offered such as the time-saving elimination of admin and repetitive tasks, making processes faster and more accurate, enhanced reporting for real conference understanding. There is also the peace of mind in knowing that all of your systems are comprehensively and securely integrated. But things are changing, and this change has been driven by the Associations themselves.

As I mentioned previously, it’s all about the members.  In all areas of their lives they want ‘more’, ‘better’ and ‘faster’ They rightly ask, ‘Why shouldn’t our Associations give us these as well?’ The Associations I work with have embraced technology as a solution to meet these challenges head on, and the more technologically averse are being dragged forward whether they like it or not simply because they can’t afford not to.

Were there any particular topics that the Associations were keen to focus on?

The interest in technology was wide, but I noticed three topics emerging that seemed to be of key importance to Associations in general:

Understanding conferences better to demonstrate ROI and deliver better service: 

Associations wanted to understand their conferences better, moving beyond the basic metrics such as how many people attended or what their anecdotal feedback was. The reason for this, and I make no qualms about stressing this point again, is because they want to deliver the best experience to their members. If they don’t understand what worked at a conference and what didn’t then it makes it much harder to learn and improve, or show that the conference delivered real ROI. Remember, Associations aren’t exempt from having to justify their expenditure and prove ROI! The key to this understanding is effective reporting. Associations need to be able to create and manage reports on a wide range of conference data, and they need to be able to do this quickly and easily. Saving, sharing and scheduling reports are also a ‘must-have’ as is security and restricted access.

Integrating new technologies with existing systems

Just because an Association is interested in procuring new technology doesn’t mean it isn’t currently already using technology or intends to discard existing technology. A new solution needs to integrate with existing systems such as CRM, Finance and Marketing systems, or mobile apps, and it needs to do this with a minimum of hassle and disruption. APIs, which allow one application to query and manipulate the data within another application, are key to this and must be ‘two-way’ to allow the flow of data in both directions. An effective API makes integrating new technologies with existing systems a relatively simple task, and can never be overlooked when choosing a new technology to make use of.

Improving their abstracts management process 

Continuing the theme of integration, I heard from many Associations that they were keen to not only improve their abstract management process but also integrate this with their conference registration systems. They needed a way of integrating papers and registrations whilst at the same time managing submissions, reviewing and distributing, with the end goal being saving time, reducing errors and improving organisation. This was great to hear for me as I was able to talk to them about Eventsforce Abstracts, which is the ideal tool for these requirements.

Click to get in touchWhich technological challenges do you feel Associations will face in the future and how will these be resolved?

In the future, the question won’t be if Associations are using technology – they will be. The question will have moved on to how they are using it and if it is meeting their expectations. Associations will place greater emphasis on finding the right technology supplier, one that will be there for the long-term, adopting a partnership approach. Usability will also be high on the agenda forcing technology to become easier to use and easier to integrate.

To learn more about associations or any other event-related matter, contact Daniel using the details listed here.