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Thursday Buzz: Put Event-Planning Goals Before Tech Ones

There are many tech options for events, but what's really necessary from a planning standpoint? Plus: Why printing out PDFs is a waste of time.

All the decisions required when putting together an important event, conference, or convention—including deciding what event-focused technology to use—can be overwhelming.

Eventbrite’s approach? It talked to a couple of leading minds in event technology: Sli.do’s Juraj Holub and blogger Liz King.

King noted that the event’s objectives matter more than the technology itself.

“Too many planners evaluate tech before they’ve evaluated their event and set their goals,” King told Eventbrite.

Holub, whose company creates audience-polling software, agreed.

“Selecting the right event tech tool will impact how well it will be used and how much it will help you achieve your event objectives,” he said.

Oh yeah, one more tip: Holub also suggests checking making sure the Wi-Fi meets your tech’s needs, because nothing’s worse than finding out you’re underequipped.

Infographic of the Day

How do you handle documents? Do you print out PDFs you get via email to sign them? That approach could cost you hours, if not days, of your time.

Not using digital services is costly in terms of worker productivity, according to a new study from Nitro and the PDF Association highlighted by Virginia Backaitis of CMSWire.

The study alsofound that 81 percent of those surveyed worked with the wrong version of a file, shared an outdated draft, or lost files in their inbox.

Adopting digital services such as corporate file-sharing tools and e-signatures are critical for increasing productivity.

“And while digital signatures aren’t new or bleeding-edge, there’s only a 42 percent adoption rate despite the economic evidence that should mandate their use,” Backaitis writes. “E-signatures can reduce turnaround times by 80 percent and increase customer loyalty.”

Check out the infographic above to get an idea of the issues at hand.

Other Handy Links

Need to revamp your SEO strategy? Socialfish published seven internet marketing tips by Leapfroggr’s Dennis Seymour to increase your organization’s links and brand mentions.

Is it time to improve your work-life balance? Kivi Leroux Miller shared some notes on her session at the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Austin, Texas. Check out this document for her handy tips.

“Having the will to prepare is as important as the will to win,” so says Duke University’s head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. Patrick Allan of Lifehacker says that’s a relevant lesson for anyone trying to achieve success in career and life.

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Patrick deHahn

By Patrick deHahn

Patrick deHahn is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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