Integrated Event Systems: An Elevated Experience

Association meetings are some of the most visible elements of the member experience. For many members, this is the only annual face-to-face experience with the association staff and their peers. Particularly post pandemic, with time and budgets becoming more compressed, these events take on an even more heighted importance.

As association management professionals, my team and I are always looking to maximize profits while elevating the member experience.

Widening our view of the attendee experience—from the first marketing element through post event communication—led us to take a hard look at our technology systems. Wanting to create a barrier-free process to bring in registrants while capturing all the critical data needed to refine the next year’s event, led us to the question:

How can we make this event memorable for all the right reasons?

1 Seamless user and staff experience

In the past, our registration system and website, onsite check in and mobile apps were all on different platforms. While this provided a slight cost savings, it required custom patches or in some cases manual data imports and exports.

Having all elements in the same platform suite reduced staff time by eliminating manual data manipulation, which was a cost savings for the client and allowed staff to focus on other key meeting elements to provide a positive customer service experience.

Registrants were able to be notified in real time of openings for workshops or social events, updated attendee lists for networking or setting up advance appointments.

2 Consistent design elements

While the design elements such as logos and colorways may be the same across platforms, off-the-shelf templates are not. This can make for an inconsistent visual experience. Utilizing a platform suite allows for more consistent visual branding across vehicles – website, mobile app, onsite check in.

3 Better data for future events

With multiple platforms,  association staff spend time compiling data for pre- and post-event reports from different systems.  Manual data sharing is an opportunity for error and can be a source of frustration for staff and volunteers alike. The ability to have accurate, seamless data pulls for registration demographics, session and social event data, event polls is critical for future planning.

While there may be marginal increased costs to utilizing a platform suite, the overall savings of staff time and quality of data are often offset. Not to mention the elevated member attendee experience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, optimizing the attendee experience through a unified platform suite not only enhances member satisfaction but also streamlines operations for association staff. By integrating all event components—from registration to post-event reporting—associations can reduce manual tasks, minimize errors, and present a cohesive brand. While there may be initial investment costs, the long-term benefits, including time savings, better data for decision-making, and an improved overall event experience, far outweigh them. Ultimately, it’s about creating an event that’s memorable for all the right reasons, ensuring that both members and staff have a seamless, engaging experience.

Partnering with an experienced association management company like AMR Management Services can provide the expertise to optimize your association’s event experiences. Our comprehensive services and proven track record in association management can help your organization move to the next level. Please contact AMR for more information.