This document discusses how event technology can help assistants become more productive and achieve better outcomes. It suggests that technology allows events to become more complex while meeting people's increasing expectations. Event management is now seen as a professional role. Technologies like automation, paperless systems, and data collection can help with tasks like confirmations, invoices, reports, communications, seating, and gaining feedback. Specific software mentioned includes Eventbrite, Cvent, Trello, and Social Tables, with Social Tables allowing for floor plan creation, layout sharing, check-ins, and attendee allocation.

1. how event
technology supports
assistants
to be more productive and achieve
desirable outcomes
Emma Cartmell
CHS Group

2. Events have changed
• Become more complex: Curate content, connect people,
audience engagement
• People expect information at their fingertips, increasing the
need for cloud based systems
• Event management is a professionalism (not just part of
your role); technology allows you to demonstrate your
professionalism

3. experts use
toolsand so should assistants

4. What should
technology do for you?
• Helps you automate many of your current tasks
• Helps you go paperless
• Helps you collect data/feedback and therefore aids better
decision making
We’ll look at all of this in more detail, but first, what kind of
events do you organise?

5. 1. automation
• automate confirmations and joining instructions
• automate invoices and automatically drop income into
budgets
• automate sending of reports to our boss and other
stakeholders
• automate delegate communications by email and by social
media
• automate the selection of stands / tables / slots on the
programme

6. 2. go paperless
• kill the delegate pack!
• eliminate the bulky exhibitor brochure
• drastically reduce queues at registration
• be more sustainable

7. 3. collect data/Feedback
• Make it open for others to interpret and use
• Helps slot into “big data” used in other tasks or by other
departments
• Makes data truly meaningful
• It becomes a valuable and worthwhile task
• Help you to make decisions (in real time or for future
events)

8. What
technology/software do
you currently use?
(Including Word and Excel!)

9. event / project
management platforms
helping stay on top of complicated
projects, like events

10. • Event Registration (Event Brite, Amiando and Cvent)
• Meeting/Agenda (Agendas.app)
• Marketing/Promotion (Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, Cvent)
• Advocate Marketing (InGo.me)
• Seating Plans and Floor Plans (Socialtables.com)
• Gaining feedback (Survey Monkey and Mobile Apps)
• Sharing information/Agendas (Mobile Apps/Cvent)
• Tasks/To do lists (Trello.com or GoogleDocs)

11. social tables summary.
www.socialtables.com
• create to scale layouts from small training events to large exhibitions
• it may be that someone has already set up an event in the space you are using
and you can simply copy that layout!
• multiple team members (including your Exec) can check out the floor plan and
they have different levels of interaction (view or amend)
• grant admin rights just for one table - ideal for groups or sponsors so they can
make their own amends to their table
• you can share the layout quickly and easily with your venue, speakers, guests or
exhibitors
• integrates with Eventbrite
• you can easily check people in at your event using the social tables app
• allocate attendees to specific tables and seats
• easy export of attendees for printing place cards or badges
• render the floor plan in 3D!