In her 12 years at event-technology firm Cvent, Allyson Keenan has risen from marketing intern to event planner to event-operations manager and event technologist. So, she has a broad and clear perspective on the benefits an event technologist can deliver to a meetings department—and she points out that the role must sometimes reside in another part of the organization.
An event technologist might have to be part of the marketing, I.T., operations, or another department to get executive approval for the position, she noted in a late-October webinar for MeetingsNet titled “Why You Need an Event Technologist on Your Team.”
From a high-level view, the ability to manage a cohesive meetings portfolio “requires technology to maximize effectiveness and minimize costs—and building and maintaining a well-integrated technology stack requires a dedicated effort” from one person, added Julie Haddix, senior director of industry solutions for Cvent.
From the ground-level view, that person must understand how technology can be used to improve the planning, marketing, execution, and results measurement for events, and also have a deep understanding of how each technology functions. This is critical both for strategic development as well as troubleshooting during events.
One other essential for an event technologist: the ability to communicate in both directions—from the meetings department to other departments and vice versa—so that everyone understands how using a given technology can help them reach their objectives, and how each technology works with others in the overall stack.
In-House or Outsourced?
Keenan pointed out that an organization might decide it needs an event technologist before and during its peak meeting season, in which case outsourcing to an events-knowledgeable technology consultant could work. On the other hand, “training someone internally can bring long-term benefits and cost savings,” including better internal collaboration, better attendee experiences, and better analysis of data collected by all technology tools in use.
As for whether you are the right person to assume the role of event technologist in your organization, Haddix and Keenan said that the constant learning required to stay up to date with technology tools means there would be less time to devote to event design and other traditional planner duties. In other words, it’s a decision planners should not make lightly.
For more lessons from this MeetingsNet/Cvent webinar, watch the full version here.
