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Invitation to Better Things

Acteva Spurs Growth of Multiple Events with Online Solutions

Challenge    Utilize technology to increase attendance, reduce administrative workload

Solution       Incorporating multiple options to grow events, gather feedback

Results         IInstantly improved attendance at multiple events

Background

As an independent event planner, Jennifer Rae is always looking for cost-effective ways to grow her business and - most importantly - to increase attendance at events. Her company, Invitation to Better Things, has managed event registrations on behalf of corporations, associations and other organizations for nearly 25 years. Simply put, her role is to do the 'blocking and tackling' in organizing events so that everything runs smoothly. "I like to stay in the background so the event itself is the focus for attendees," Rae says.

Business Challenge

Utilize technology to increase attendance, reduce administrative workload

For many years Rae simply ran her event planning operation the 'old fashioned' way. "Just about everything was done by paper and snail mail," says Rae. "In regards to business development, I'd make phone calls and send out mass mailings by hand." Her business was in dire need of a more comprehensive, streamlined solution to make the process simpler for her as well as her attendees. "As a one-woman show working out of my home office, I really needed to add an all-inclusive online registration and payment solution. I knew there was technology available that I wasn't accessing."

She also lacked an efficient way to gather feedback from attendees both before and after events. Being able to determine what attendees liked about an event, from food selections to accommodating to speakers, had become very difficult to track using email - if it was tracked at all. "I've had my own website since 2001 and I know Excel inside and out," she says. "But it really wasn't sufficient anymore when it came to managing data with the immediacy and accuracy I needed," she says.

Acteva Solution

Incorporating multiple options to help grow events, gather feedback

After hearing about Acteva from a colleague and attending a Webinar, it didn't take long for Rae to figure out that it was exactly what she was looking for in an online registration solution. "For starters, I was able to get my account set up in just a few minutes," says Rae. "I could then send emails to potential attendees with a link to my branded registration page. At that point I'd just sit back and watch my attendee list grow."

Branded registration pages

For each event, Rae creates a custom-branded registration page to closely match the look and feel of her website. In just minutes, she's able to create a user-friendly page that promotes the professional image she's looking for. "I don't think people can tell they're on the Acteva registration page because it resembles my own page or my clients' page so closely," adds Rae. "And it really looks like a professional designer created the page. All it takes is a corporate logo and the right colors and you're on your way."

Questionnaires

Out of the multiple customization options offered by Acteva, Rae chose to include a mandatory questionnaire to help her gauge attendee preferences and provide an overview as to who's attending. "It's most helpful in determining things such as meal choices, how many people will be attending, and whether they're returning or first-time attendees," says Rae. "And I love that the questions I ask are determined by me." She even has the option to make questions mandatory or optional as well as utilize open-ended or multiple choice questions. "It's entirely self-service which is what I love the most."

Even though she typically works on behalf of other organizations, such as software companies and rotary clubs, she usually has the authority to choose which questions to ask. "They respect the fact that I have a lot of experience as a meeting planner," Rae says. "But Acteva helps me to leverage my skills since the questionnaires are ultimately determined by me."

Service exceeds expectations

When it came to getting advice on how to get started or to get quick response to her questions, the Acteva Service Team was there for her. "I'm not the most technical person and questions arise periodically in regards to how I can get the most out of Acteva," says Rae. She notes that when she requested help in creating her initial branded registration page, an Acteva service representative walked her through the process step-by-step. "The best part about working with Acteva's Service Team? They're technically proficient and they're always there when I need them."

Results

Instantly improved attendance at multiple events

Rae considers her decision to use Acteva to be one of the better ones she's made in more than two decades as an event organizer. "Acteva is a simple-yet-professional service that gets the job done, and then continues to exceed my expectations. You guys are great at what you do."

Acteva has not only helped Rae increase attendance at the various engagements she organizes, it's also allowed her to take on more business. She gets more done in less time, and the most time and labor-intensive aspects of her job have been eliminated altogether. As Rae sums it up, "The manual aspect of event planning has been eliminated altogether. Acteva is an intelligent solution that makes my life so much easier. And in the future, I look forward to even better things."

Experience that counts

Acteva is the trusted leader in online event registration, ticketing and payment management services. Since 1998, over 14,000 customers have used Acteva to manage more than 260,000 events and process more than 4.6 million registrations. Acteva's customers include Bausch & Lomb, Pfizer, SAP, Girl Scouts of America, Whole Foods, Craigslist Foundation, BMW/MINI, NASA, VMware, Apple, DHL, PG&E and thousands of small to large-sized businesses and organizations.