Ergo Consulting is an event management company based in Cochin, India. Launched in 2003 as an audio-visual firm, the company has evolved into a 360-degree event management and consulting solutions provider. Ergo strives to deliver event experiences using a unique blend of cutting-edge technology and new innovations in event production.
"Cvent has helped us shift from a manual dependent to a more technology-driven ecosystem. We were able to break away from conventional processes and stand out from the crowd."
Ergo started its journey with UST Global in 2017 by extending check-in and badging services for UST Global’s largest Annual Developer Conference - D3. This is one of the biggest tech conferences held in southern India and brings together 2,000 people from UST’s various offices in India and the US. Ergo found check-in and badging at the event to be a major challenge as the participants were arriving from multiple locations and most attendees were arriving closer to the event’s start time. Since they didn’t have the capability to print badges in-situ, the Ergo team had to pre-print attendee badges at Cochin and ship it to Trivandrum in advance. This necessitated finalising the attendee list two days prior to the event, while ensuring accurate attendee details with no scope for error. It not only led to instances where the badges were found missing for some attendees, but also prevented spot registrations for new attendees, since printing of new badges wasn’t possible on site and arranging badges for such cases was a time consuming and laborious affair.
Adding to their woes, Ergo found that the large inflow of attendees during check-in generated a lot of error in the data captured from the RFID-enabled attendee badges — which Ergo was using to monitor their entry to the venue and also for providing other data to the client. This ultimately led to them ending up with erroneous data which affected the post-event analytics.
Overall, the Ergo team was fed up with the primitiveness of the check-in process and the high level of manual intervention it required.
Why Cvent - Chasing Event Troubles Away
“Our experience of check-in and badging during D3 2017 made us partner with Cvent for UST’s 2018 conference”, says Rajeev Gopinathan, Director at Ergo, adding, “The hands-on experience provided by the Cvent system helped us decide on going ahead with the partnership. The support provided by the Cvent team was very promising.”
The new onsite check-in tool from Cvent brought in the much-desired transformation in the check-in and badging process. It simplified the check-in, which significantly enhanced the experience for attendees. By entering their names on an iPad at the venue, the participants could instantly get their badges printed in-situ. What took them 90 seconds a year ago to check in per attendee now took them just 20 seconds. With a highly efficient and smooth check-in process, Ergo could now safely claim that their days of pre-printing and transporting badges were over. “Event in Box was really helpful as well in sourcing the best hardware and thermal paper for badging”, adds Rajeev.
Cvent’s mobile app proved valuable with features like the Click game that helped keep attendees engaged prior to the start of event. UST also leveraged the app by interfacing it with a LED wall and pairing it with Cvent’s SocialWall to project attendee posts on it, which helped generate a lot of buzz and curiosity for D3 2018. Apart from increasing the attendee engagement, the event app also ensured a more digital and eco-friendly experience.
Results-Breaking Conventions
With no pre-printing of badges, a hassle-free check-in process and an engaging event mobile app, the Ergo team is very happy with their experience using Cvent solutions. The removal of pre-printing of badges largely reduced their workload and the manpower involved. “We deployed only 3 members from our team for handling the badges, instead of the 10 last time”, adds Managing Director Rajesh Gopinathan.
The reduction in manual interventions led to a more efficient and less stressful process and an increase in productivity for Ergo. “The Cvent system was more reliable compared to conventional onsite registration process. Badging and check-in were also seamless. It added to the overall value of the event”, says Rajesh, adding “We were able to showcase our technical expertise in providing a one stop solution for all event management requirements right from the registration process.”
To no one’s surprise, they received extremely positive feedback from the UST leadership. Ergo Managing Director Rajesh Gopinathan summarised their whole experience by saying, “Cvent has helped us shift from a manual dependent to a more technology-driven ecosystem. We were able to break away from conventional processes and stand out from the crowd.”.
