Monday Buzz: Save Money on Event Tech

You may have big aspirations for a tech-savvy event—but perhaps not the budget to match.

How do you work around a problem like that? Event Manager Blog has a few ideas  (opens in a new tab). In a fresh post, the site argues in favor of thinking creatively about how you implement technology—whether by working out partnerships with vendors, using affiliate marketing programs, relying on cheap-but-flashy technology, or considering where it makes sense to cut corners—as well as where it doesn’t.

In the latter case, the post uses the example of wireless.

“There are a number of options for low-cost WiFi for your event, but know that if your event has a couple thousand attendees, WiFi isn’t something to skimp on,” the post states. “You want your tech to be budget-friendly but not at the cost of the user experience. Know what you can skimp on and what you can’t.”

Check out the site  (opens in a new tab) for more thoughts and suggestions.

Back to Basics

7 Tips to Increase Association Membership – INTEGRAM #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) https://t.co/8sA6CpAl0u  (opens in a new tab)

— Greg Melia, CAE (@gmeliaCAE) March 20, 2017  (opens in a new tab)

Growing membership within your organization is important, but sometimes you might get ahead of yourself with advanced strategies when a more bare-bones starting point might be the way to go.

On Integram’s blog, the company makes a case for considering some basic steps to juice up membership, including membership cards, thank-you gifts, members-only resources, and regular reach-outs. But, most importantly, be sure to ask why you have the member base you do.

“Evaluate why members joined initially, and use this as a narrative in your communications,” the company writes in its post  (opens in a new tab). “It’s important that you don’t just assume you know the answer to this one.”

Other Links of Note

Data and decision making: At CMS Wire, contributor Lori Alcala discusses the importance of process consistency  (opens in a new tab) when using data.

Skype getting long in the tooth? Capterra Content Manager Rachel Burger highlights a few useful alternatives  (opens in a new tab) to the long-popular video chat platform.

Even the makers of popular chat apps acknowledge there are times when email wins. Over at Fast Company, HipChat’s Oji Udezue makes the case for email  (opens in a new tab) in a few limited cases.

(Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock)