What is TEP/EPD?
TEP stands for Total Events Program which encompasses all types of events and their various formats which can be managed within Cvent. EPD stands for Event Program Design and is more of a focus on the processes with which events are created, managed, and then executed from start to finish which can also be managed within Cvent. Both are core aspects to the event planning process and play a daily role in decisions that event planners make.
Background on The Ohio State University – Office of Advancement
The Ohio State University – Office of Advancement began their onboarding journey with Cvent during January 2023. The Cvent and OSU teams met on a bi-weekly basis to ensure timelines were on track and that actions items were being completed. This helped form a strong partnership from the start.
Initially our focus was on the administration side of the platform to ensure the fundamental building blocks of their events program were in place such as Custom Contact Fields and a REST API integration with their database. While it may be tempting to solely focus on your first event when onboarding, it is also important to take a step back and look at your Events Program as a whole. Ask yourself, what is an inherent need for all of our events? What data will we need to capture? What is our process for collecting event information? Taking this step back can help set you up for success and streamline your Events Program processes.
We then transitioned to creating their first event, Senior Toast, which solely used Registration. This helped the OSU team get a feel for how Registration in Cvent worked and how the data flowed into Cvent. After this, we launched their next event, Alumni in Government Luncheon, which leveraged Registration and OnArrival Premium with Event in a Box for onsite check-in and badge printing. This was a huge success and began the evolution of their Events Program in Cvent as they saw how they could leverage more aspects of the Cvent platform to boost their events.
Discovering TEP/EPD Opportunity
Through our strategic conversations, the OSU team had expressed an interest in bringing more events onto the Cvent platform. The Cvent Account Team looped in Lauren Donaghue from our Event Solutions team to talk through their Events Program. There were many requests coming to the OSU team to build more events in Cvent, but who was going to build all these events with such a quick turnaround time? An opportunity was discovered, and this led to a conversation on utilizing a Dedicated Solution Builder whose sole role is to build out multiple events for Cvent clients to their specifications. Having a Dedicated Solution Builder changed the game as the OSU team could now focus on the planning aspect of their events while the Dedicated Solution Builder built and managed their events in Cvent saving the OSU team time and money.
Results
Since June 2023, with the help of their Dedicated Solution Builder, OSU has launched 9 more events within Cvent and achieved 2,000+ registrations. This is an incredible feat and OSU has received glowing feedback on their events, especially the check-in process for their events utilizing OnArrival. It’s been an incredible experience to work alongside the OSU team and watch how their Events Program has been integrated with the Cvent platform and the overwhelming positive feedback they’re receiving from attendees.
Key Takeaways
Thinking about your Events Program holistically and what is needed to meet your goals is an important first step. While it is tempting to jump right into your first event, you will set yourself up for success in the long run when planning for all of your event types and formats in advance. The Cvent platform is a perfect fit for any Events Program, and we will be there with you every step of the way to ensure you have the support and solutions needed to achieve success.
