Cvent is a leading cloud-based enterprise event management company, with more than 15,800 customers worldwide. It offers software solutions to event planners for online event registration, venue selection, event management, mobile apps for events, email marketing and web surveys.
At 2015 Connect, its annual user conference, Cvent’s goal was to deliver an incredible experience for attendees, as well as create an event that delivered true, measurable ROI. The extra challenge was that 2015 Connect was the most ambitious conference in Cvent’s history.
An event on a different scale
In 2012, the company’s inaugural conference hosted just over 240 corporate meeting and event planners, but over the next three years, the conference grew significantly and it launched a separate event dedicated to hoteliers in 2014. Due to growing demand, Cvent saw the opportunity to create a user conference that would bring the entire meetings and events industry together – planners and suppliers – for networking, collaboration, thought leadership and educational sessions.
The vision was a five-day conference that would bring everyone together in a single event, providing an opportunity for attendees to interact with one another, network and share best practices. The goal was 2000+ attendees.
The company’s team of inhouse professional event planners, content specialists, creative designers and marketing personnel were dedicated to executing a perfect event. So, Cvent’s marketing team faced the initial challenge of building and improving on an event for event planners – no small task – while ensuring it was a unique experience. On top of that, it decided to use the event to launch its new brand.
Planning and sourcing
Choosing the right venue was critical. The perception of a brand changes after events; 74 per cent of attendees have a more positive impression of an organisation, and events allow lead generation, customer and prospect engagement, and brand building. A badly run event, on the other hand, can be hugely damaging in terms of brand perception.
Using its own event management platform and supplier network, the Cvent team was able to secure a location, the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. With a venue CASE STUDY A conference brought to life with technology in place, it was time for logistics planning. Using housing tools, the team reserved room blocks for all attendees and staff, connecting data within the system in a matter of minutes.
Cvent’s planning team then used its event management software to build the Cvent Connect website and create branded email invitations to begin registration. The team saved considerable planning time by using the tool, as it didn’t have to rely on disparate systems.
In order to meet its 2000+ attendance goal, Cvent sent out a targeted series of email campaigns, providing the team with a robust engine to market, track and measure opens, clicks and registrations. After an integrated campaign that included social media, blogging and website promotions, the attendee goal was set. But the goals for Connect were far from complete.
The attendee experience
It’s one thing to attract big numbers, it’s another to deliver on the promises made. Seamless check-in is vital at a conference of any size, and a poor first impression can set a poor tone for an attendee. Cvent used
OnArrival, a self-service event check-in app, to enable planners to manage their attendees on site. Staff searched the list of their current registrants by quick alphabet navigation and/or scanning a barcode. The data then synced seamlessly and automatically with the Cvent’s event management system, and check-in was complete.
When it was time for educational sessions, the planning team employed OnArrival’s wireless laser scanners to help ease the flow of attendees trying to join sessions. This dropped barcode scanning times below one second, and eliminated long queues. This also gave planners the ability to track who attended which sessions.
Additionally, the company’s mobile app helped guide attendees throughout their several-day stay, keeping them connected to updated information, aiding them when they wanted to change sessions or set appointments, and giving them a rundown of ‘don’t miss’ moments throughout the conference.
The results
Cvent aimed to attract more than 2000 attendees at Connect 2015, and it surpassed that goal. The company was able to generate more than $1.8 million in revenue in less than six weeks. Additionally, Cvent had a 95 per cent download rate of its mobile app, with attendees driving the story throughout the entire conference. Social media metrics were also impressive, with 6400 social media posts and more than 600 new followers earned.
With 95 per cent of attendees indicating they would return the following year, 2016 brings high expectations, as Cvent has plans to host close to 3000 attendees at Cvent Connect, including clients, prospects, partners and employees.
