How Event Diagramming Is Shaping The Event World
The American Express’ 2018 Global Meetings and Events Forecast reports that the number of industry meetings per year has increased 5.4 percent since 2009, but the number of attendees at industry meetings per year has increased 22.7 percent during the same time period.
One of the most significant technologies that has emerged in the last decade to help event planners is event diagramming -- a software package that makes it much easier to plan the geographic setup of an event such as where the exhibits will be, where the tables for guests and other seating will be, and where the amenities will be. This relatively new technology could not only help increase attendance but is cutting costs for event planners as well. Event diagramming is one of “4 Event Technology Trends Shaping the Future of Events” according to Cvent Social Tables.
“This somewhat new technology for events provides helpful tools like a drag-and-drop diagramming, 3D walk-throughs, and seating software on a single platform,” the article reports as it discusses some of the latest technology trends.
(The other three technology trends worth discovering are projection mapping, 5G, and branded multi-use apps)
Related Articles:
The newest technology in the event world
“Studies (by Enterprise Event Marketing) show event technology adoption can increase attendance by 20 percent, increase productivity by 27 percent, and decrease costs by as much as 30 percent,” the article reports.
It’s difficult to determine how much of the improvements in attendance, productivity, and cost efficiency are due to event diagramming, but the roster of companies that are using it shows it has worked for them.
MarketWatch, a highly respected business publication, reports that “more than 5,000 organizations and hospitality brands” have utilized one company, Social Tables, that it calls “the leading event diagramming, seating, and collaboration platform” to develop and plan almost 4.5 MILLION events.
Numerous other companies also provide event diagramming tools for event planners.
How Event Diagramming Works
To all veteran event planners, do you remember how event diagramming worked in the good old days?
Planners in the pre-event diagramming days could devise one plan on paper, perhaps spend an equal amount of time revising it, seek the input of the event’s exhibitors, perhaps revise it days or weeks later after one or more exhibitors objected to it, present the plan to the venue, and revise it again days later after the venue’s input.
Thanks to event diagramming software, event planners can formulate a plan on a computer screen much more expeditiously than they could on paper because the software includes numerous templates that can be adjusted quickly.
After they finalize the diagram/plan, event planners can store it and ask colleagues, venues, and exhibitors to scrutinize it.
“Bring prospects into the room virtually and help them envision the event in your venue,” is how Social Tables’ website describes this process.
More importantly, the event planners, exhibitors, and venues can work on the event plan together over the Internet so any requested changes can be made expeditiously. If the change is unsatisfactory, Plan No. 3 can be formulated minutes later. In addition, everyone participating in the planning of the event can look at diagrams of events that succeeded in the past for comparison.
The whole process can:
* Save hours of time spent on meetings and phone calls.
* Make exhibitors who often didn’t see a plan at all before event diagramming existed feel more confident about the event.
* Maximize the odds that the plan will work in the venue.
* Produce a plan weeks or months before the event.
* Give the entire team fast access to the floor plan.
* Make setting up assigned seating even easier.
“With event diagramming software, both event planners and venues are able to map everything out visually — all the way down to the mic placement,” emphasizes “4 Event Technology Trends Shaping the Future of Events.” “It helps planners and venue management save time while providing clearer communication for the whole team. In fact, the best event diagramming programs centralize communication and can materialize diagrams in mere minutes.”
There have been numerous changes in the event meeting industry in recent years. There are five listed in the Hotel News Resource article “5 Ways the Meetings Industry is Changing the Face of Events” and five listed in the TINT article “5 Event Trends That No Marketer Should Miss.”
How important have the changes in technology, including event diagramming, been to the industry?
The fact that event diagramming technology has helped event planners organize more successful events in recent years is one of the five changes listed in both articles.
”From better guest management to 3D event diagramming, event ROI tracking, and in-event additions like live polling, new apps are opening up possibilities we couldn’t have dreamed of just 10 years ago,” says “5 Event Trends That No Marketer Should Miss.”
