The big day’s finally here, the culmination of all your planning and preparation. Sometimes it can feel like there are 101 things to remember on the day of the event, but there are ways to simplify the process.

First, make sure you’ve got enough staff and that they all know what they’re meant to be doing throughout the day (see point 1, below). Effective delegation is key.

Then, automate as much as you can, but for the best results, keep it integrated. For instance, when Fintech Week London launched in 2021 as a hybrid event, it relied on a range of free but separate technology platforms, using different software to manage processes such as ticketing and email. 

But it was clunky when changes needed to be made – for instance, if a speaker wanted to change their bio or picture, the organisers needed to go through three or four different systems to correct it on the app, website and printed show guide.

So for the 2022 conference, which was fully in-person, CEO Raf De Kimpe approached Cvent to build and integrate all the processes. Cvent took care of everything, including building the event website, managing the registration process and speaker onboarding, and making a branded white-label app for the event. 

Fintech Week London 2022 ran seamlessly, more than doubling its in-person attendees, growing its international audience and press presence, and tripling its number of partners.

Tips for smooth on-the-day management:

1. Keep a checklist

Write everything down on a timeline and make copies for everyone who needs one. Allocate jobs such as putting up decor, arranging furniture, setting up tech equipment, liaising with moderators, speakers, photographers and VIP guests, organising the bar and catering, and so on…

2. Make check-in easy

Make sure you’ve got enough trained staff on the door to prevent long queues, and utilise technology to make the process seamless – for instance, Cvent OnArrival deals with scanning tickets (even providing self-scanning machines if needed) and on-demand badge printing.  

3. Integrate, integrate, integrate

At Fintech Week London 2022, Cvent took care of the registration, appointment scheduling, event app, event website, check-in, lead capture, virtual networking and on-demand content. The event’s Hubspot CRM was also integrated into Cvent. With everything automated in the same place, the organisers saved time and the whole process was so much simpler.

4. Focus on your participants’ needs

Raf from Fintech London knew that his attendees were keen to network post-pandemic, so they were able to book appointments via the event app. “We also incorporated a lot of time for meetings in the event agenda,” said Raf. “That, combined with the vibrancy of London’s fintech community, made the meetings very fruitful and efficient.”  

5. Include virtual attendees too

Fintech Week London 2022 was so successful that it sold out of in-person tickets, but organisers were able to use registration paths to enable latecomers to participate virtually, further extending the event’s reach. This year, they’re expanding the event’s virtual aspects, says Raf: “While we feel that there’s no alternative to in-person connections, a focus for us will be ensuring that the event experience is consistent across both in-person and virtual attendees."

6. Keep building for the future

Keep a note of what didn’t go so smoothly so you can solve the problems and make improvements for your next event. Raf wants to further develop the use of registration paths, saying: “We used discount codes to allow our speakers and exhibitors to bypass the need to pay for a ticket, but it would be more customer-friendly to build a bespoke registration path where they are never even prompted for payment.” 

Read the full case study and discover how Cvent can streamline your event management.