Discovering Key Takeaways on Reunions and Homecomings for Alumni: A Summary of the Higher Ed Hub Session on September 12, 2023

This month, our Client Success team provided Higher Education customers with personalized networking, brainstorming, and inspiration opportunities through the Higher Education Hub- Fall Office Hours. The topic of discussion was Homecoming and Reunion events, as these are currently a priority for universities. Attendees were able to share ideas and ask questions related to their current builds, including topics such as invitation lists, umbrella events, onsite check-in, event navigation and building, and virtual engagement. Unable to join? Don't worry! Below, you can find a summary of the questions that were asked and answered during this session.

1. What are the best practices for managing invitation lists, particularly in regard to segmenting people out in the address book and creating unique lists for different events?
   • A best practice for this would be to limit the number of invitation lists that are utilized. It can help to simplify the invitation management process, reduce the risk of errors, and ensure that each invitee receives the correct information. Additionally, limiting the number of invitation lists can help to avoid confusion and ensure that the event runs smoothly.

2. What is the process for a school to organize a larger reunion that involves multiple events happening simultaneously? Once these events are set up, how can attendees check into the smaller events?
   • The best way to achieve this is through an Umbrella Event. An umbrella event is actually a group of events with a single overarching registration process. When the only differences between your events are place and time, like a bi-monthly training or a conference that tours multiple cities, combining them all in Cvent will make selecting the right one easier for invitees. More information can be found in our Knowledge Base: Creating an Umbrella Event
   • When creating an Umbrella Event, you will set up your smaller events as individual sessions. With OnArrival Premium for Onsite Check-In, you have the option to check attendees into the event and/or individual sessions. For an umbrella event, it is recommended to check the attendees into the individual sessions to mark them as participants.

3. To save time during the event build process, what is the most effective way to navigate events and locate tasks that need to be completed?
   • Event search is a new feature that is planned to be released by the end of the year, which will enable you to search for different items like Sessions, Speakers, Attendees, Discounts, pages within navigation, features, and more from any page within an event. This will allow you to complete tasks more efficiently and quickly.

4. How can we increase virtual engagement?
   • There are many ways to increase your virtual engagement utilizing Cvent! A few of these best practices can be found in this blog post: Crafting an Engaging Virtual Event Experience.

Our team recognizes the importance of staying up to date in Higher Education and is thrilled to continue offering these opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills. We hope you didn't miss out on this fantastic opportunity. If you did, don't worry, as we will continue to offer this on a quarterly basis. Our next session will be occurring on December 5^th at 2pm ET. Registration for this event can be found here: Higher Education Hub.

Want to connect with Higher Education users prior to our next session? Check out the Higher Education Community User Group, and introduce yourself under the Discussion tab.

We can't wait to hear about your event ideas and share ours with you. Let's continue to make your events the best they can be!