Trimble provides fully integrated supply chain solutions that help customers maximize operational efficiency, safety, and compliance. Trimble recently incorporated three separate companies into one brand, launching their in.sight User Conference and Expo in 2016. The four day event brings together the previously separate businesses, as well as more than 2,200 customers and 90 sponsors and exhibitors. They offer over 350 educational sessions for their customers to understand the breadth of Trimble solutions. In just a three years, in.sight has become the largest user conference in the industry.
Bringing People Together through Technology
Though Trimble has used Cvent for more than a decade, Event Marketing Manager Emma Bica knew they needed to scale technology use to keep pace with their events. “The conference wouldn’t be possible without the use of event technology,” she notes. “We were having two completely different teams come together in one conference, so having one central platform that data was gathered into and having a way to automate processes wouldn’t have been possible without the use of event technology.”
Emma notes that when she first began as an intern in 2010, Trimble only used the basic functionality of Cvent's Event Management tool. The team relied on manual processes to gather attendee data, manage room blocks, and communicate with attendees. Emma knew integrating the full Cvent platform would eliminate manual headaches and improve efficiencies.
Ensuring Ease of Attendee Management
To manage room blocks, the team relied on daily phone calls and emails with multiple hotels. “We’d have to run a report from the hotel, and then run a report from Cvent, and try to figure out if there were any gaps,” Emma says. With Cvent Passkey, the team can now access on on-demand reports to seamlessly manage room blocks. Attendees can self-edit their registration and the data will automatically update in Passkey. “With the flexibility of Cvent Event Management, we were able to handle any changes with ease, giving us a handle on our attendee list while also quickly adjusting to meet our attendees’ needs,” adds Emma.
Emma knew in.sight needed to reflect a technologically-advanced brand. “By partnering with Cvent to use these technology pieces, it makes us look good and showcases that we’re fully invested in giving our customers the best that is possible with this evolution of technology,” she explains. To impress attendees, Emma’s team integrated Cvent’s OnArrival into their tech stack. “Gone are the days of having to alphabetize and stuff name badges before the conference starts, trying to find them and being unable to make changes for attendees,” she says. “By utilizing OnArrival, it has completely transformed our check-in experience." Her team saw an impressive 85% reduction in check-in time as a result.
Maximizing the Power of Mobile
Emma's team has optimized their use of CrowdCompass over the last five years to better engage attendees. Gamification, push notifications, and live polling ensure higher engagement levels. With over 69,000 engagements and 177,000 minutes spent in the app, they saw an impressive 89% adoption rate in 2018.
Given that in.sight is the largest gathering of customers within the transportation industry, Trimble wanted to increase networking opportunities for a more personalized experience. CrowdCompass not only allows attendees to network directly within the app, but to also easily navigate the expo hall to facilitate partner appointments for better exhibitor relationships.
Increasing mobile app adoption has created valuable savings for the organization. “The creation of items such as printed agendas or other materials became a thing of the past as we moved to a fully digital experience," notes Emma. "This was not only to impact the attendee experience but also allow us to be more efficient in how we allocated budget." In their first year going paperless, the mobile app saved over $30,000 in printing costs.
Ensuring ROI for All
To ensure sponsor and exhibitor satisfaction, Emma’s team recently introduced Cvent’s LeadCapture solution. Emma notes, “For the 90 exhibitors we have attend, their participation and financial contribution is very important to the overall success of the conference. Second to our customers, we want to make sure our partners have a quality experience so they continue to come back year after year.” By using LeadCapture to guarantee quality and timely lead generation, Trimble has enhanced exhibitor relationships. “We provide exhibitors with the ability to better facilitate post-event conversations and demonstrate tangible ROI from exhibiting at the show,” she adds. “From a planner perspective, I’m also then able to have visibility into how many leads were gathered from our total exhibitors. The more data I’m able to share, the more I’m able to sell other sponsorships.”
Guaranteeing attendee satisfaction is another key priority for Trimble. To meet the KPI of achieving an 80% satisfaction score, the team relies heavily on survey data. By using CrowdCompass to facilitate feedback engagement, Trimble saw 1,672 survey responses in 2018, a 45% increase year over year. Emma also notes that their comprehensive blend of Cvent solutions has “allowed us to reach and surpass our attendee registration and revenue goals when compared to years past.”
Moving Towards a United Future for Trimble
Looking forward, Emma sees the success of the Trimble brand directly reflected by the growth of in.sight. “I started as an intern in 2010, and never would have imagined that I’d be sitting here now in the position I’m in," she says. "Seeing that evolution from being an intern to now being manager for this in.sight conference of 2,200 people has been really special and important to me.” As her team has grown from two to ten people, they have added Salesforce and Marketo integrations to their tech stack. Emma adds, “I think the organization has recognized the importance of events, and they’ve seen how that really fits into the overall success of the organization.”
By leveraging a technology-first approach, Emma’s team has been able to position in.sight as a cornerstone of the industry. Her team believes the power of technology will only further support the importance of events. “I think people are getting more cost-conscious, so I think people are weighing more heavily on the value of meetings and events,” she insists. “I think, really more than ever, it’s important for event planners and marketers to be able to prove that ROI or that return on experience.” In bringing an even better in.sight to a growing attendee base, Emma finds that leveraging event technology is key. She explains, "Through our mix of Cvent tools, we were able to create a unified user experience so that our attendees have a cohesive, organized engagement with us from the moment they registered until they attended their last educational session.”
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