How automation can transform event management and seriously streamline your workflow

Events connect and create community, and can help bring a little bit of magic into our lives. But they are not created with a simple wave of our wand and a spell - they require a lot of planning, some complex tasks and some serious coordination skills.

That’s why event automation is such an incredible development for event organisers. There is now a range of tools out there to help create event magic while streamlining the planning process. From registration, to drip email campaigns to be able to collect data from your guests, some of the things that were once super annoying are now a breeze.

Here at Humanitix, we believe technology is here to help us. That’s why we put together this guide with some of the best automation tools to help make your life as an event host just that little bit easier. Magic, huh?

What is event management automation?

Event automation is any product, tool or service that helps make a task that was once done manually automatic. Whether that is sending emails to potential guests, or asking for feedback via a post-event survey.

Over the last decade, software companies have been making it easier for a lot of different products to work seamlessly together. They save you time and use data sets you already have, rather than requiring you to create whole new accounts and lists every time you want to use another product.
To make the most of automation tools, choose products that have great integrations. This means that data gets shared across different platforms and software products, and can automate a lot of processes you may have had to do manually in the past.

How can it benefit you?

Automation can help organisers make every aspect of collecting and organising information about your guests easier. Whether it is registration, marketing and promotion or gathering feedback, automation can make managing all of this information much more streamlined.

Simplify

Automation simplifies processes, especially when it comes to managing information. Instead of having to remind yourself to send a follow-up email, you can automate emails to remind guests about registering, providing information, and giving feedback, among other things.

Lessen your workload

To paraphrase media theorist Marshall McLuhan, automation is going to be the age of ‘do it yourself. As an event host, this means getting guests to enter their own information, instead of you need to do this across different platforms and products.

Optimise event marketing

By automating email marketing (such as by setting up an email drip campaign, you can enhance marketing efforts. Automation tools help make sure you are reaching out to the right people at the right time with information about your event. You can also ensure that data you collect from customers is used to further enhance your marketing efforts, like by recommending events based on purchase history.

Make database management easier

Having a great database is a valuable tool for event hosts and marketers, and the better the data the more enhanced the events analytics.

Data is king when it comes to organising events

For event organisers, collecting data about your guests is one of the most important processes that can be automated. Whether you need to update everyone’s dietary preferences, want to be able to migrate and update emailing lists, or use data for customer insights and marketing. Below, we take you through a few use cases for how you can use automation, all drawn from features available through Humanitix.

Collecting data after check out

You know that feeling when you have a full cart and click purchase only to get a long list of questions? Well, for a lot of people who buy tickets, being asked to fill out these details can be enough to make them give up on the purchase altogether.

By asking additional questions after check-out, you can collect the ‘nice-to-have’ information, but won’t make customers click away. They only have to enter the absolutely essential information to make a purchase. You can then customise a list of questions that get sent to them automatically after check-out.

If they don’t answer it at that point, we also have an Email Campaign tool to send out a reminder later on.

Use Case 2: Getting extra information for gala dinners and awards nights

Organising a gala dinner and awards night comes with a whole extra set of the important information you need to collect: dietary requirements and seating arrangements.

Say someone wants to book a table of 10 for their company. But they aren’t even sure who is going to attend the event yet, let alone all their dietary requirements. They just want to buy the tickets now, and figure it all out later. It’s easy to see how this can lead to a bit of an administrative mess - meaning a host will need to just sell a table as one ‘unit’, and collect these details manually at some later point.

But with our 1-Click Ticket Manager, this whole process can be automated. The person can purchase however many tickets they need, and later on they can input data including dietary requirements for guests, and requests to be seated at the same (or separate) tables.

And the best part is that these can be sent to each individual attendee - lessening the admin for event hosts and the person in the company who has to buy all tickets. The attendee will get a notification that a ticket has been purchased, but they won’t be able to access it until they fill in the additional requested information.

Ready to transform your event management and sell some tickets to your epic event?

Humanitix can help you list your next event. In as little as two minutes you can make your event live, delight your guests, and change lives through supporting education projects.