If you’ve ever been in charge of organizing a group of people, no matter how small, you know how challenging it can be to get all your gears going in the same direction. Add in the need to hire entertainment, work with vendors, and coordinate the roles of others, and you’ve got quite a challenge on your hands. A challenge that is best met by using technology.
Technology, especially networking and application technology, has made it possible for event coordinators to organize and present massively successful events without the struggle of having to manage everything manually.
With the near instant communication provided by some of the tech tools used by these coordinators, events can stay organized in a way that can’t easily be managed by hand. This means organizations spend less time fussing with the details and more time out in the world creating (and throwing) their event.
Here are four ways technology can give organizations the upper hand when it comes to the success of their events:
1. Real-time photos and video provide a virtual experience
Social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram allow event coordinators to post real-time photos and videos, and share information about the event as it’s happening in real time. This significantly adds to the overall marketing exposure of an event.
Better yet, in 2012, YouTube opened up its live streaming option to all organizations enrolled in their non-profit program.
Posting real time videos on YouTube Live can make people feel like they’re really there experiencing the fun. And if they’re local, they may decide to run out to the event – or buy tickets for the next one.
2. The internet brings more people together to support a cause
The internet, online discussion forums, and online groups designed for specific causes allow fundraising events to reach a much wider audience than they would reach through direct mail. Technology provides direct access to the people who care about the cause being supported by these events.
Take the Deering Estate Foundation, for example – a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of a 444-acre environmental and historic landmark in Florida. This preservation allows Floridians to experience daily tours of historic homes and lush, natural resources, along with the opportunity to examine archaeological remains like prehistoric tools. They even have an entire educational program for kids.
The Deering Seafood Festival, one of Miami’s top culinary events, has supported this educational organization for thirteen consecutive years by bringing in attendees from all over the world. And, with an attendance rate of over 8,000 people per day, the event does extremely well.
Without technology, it would be difficult for people outside of Florida to learn about and attend this event. But thanks to the internet, marketing efforts can reach people all over the world who support the preservation of natural resources and education.
3. Tickets can easily be sold in advance
Online payment processors, like Paypal and others, allow events to sell tickets well in advance so they can not only save time from having to manually process each order (and pay staff to do it), but it gives the organization a heads up about how many attendees will be there well in advance. Under certain circumstances, it also allows them to put a cap on the number of people who can attend.
When people buy tickets online ahead of time, as opposed to just paying cash at the door, it gives the organization a serious edge in their marketing efforts. When people purchase tickets online, they give the business their mailing address, their email address, and sometimes even their phone number. This makes it easy for the organization to market to their customers through direct mail in addition to email.
4. Hosted programs prevent data wipeouts
Computers are wonderful tools but can be subject to malfunction. And when you’re planning an event, the last thing you need is a hard drive crash, causing your data to disappear right before your event.
Thankfully, technology has evolved to allow for hosted applications that can prevent a data wipeout disaster. With your data being backed up continuously, you don’t have to worry about losing your work. Your event will go on, and you can breathe easy.
As humans, we’re extremely social creatures, and events are a necessary part of what gives our lives meaning. We connect well with organizations that support the causes we identify with, and are happy when we can make a difference.
And the technology today of social media and internet marketing just makes the process a whole lot easier.
