Events generate a lot of paper. A LOT.
Agendas, presentations, notes, surveys, receipts, tickets, banquet event orders, invoices, attendee lists, certificates, flyers, postcards, nametags, announcements, registrations, memos, newsletters, thank yous, the list goes on and on.
The task of going paperless seems daunting, but at the same time, for the right event, it should be a requirement. It saves time and money and reduces waste. WIN-WIN! Done right, attendees will be more engaged and the event will certainly be more “user-friendly.”
SO HOW, you may ask?
At Meetings Northwest, we’ve taken advantage of technological advances to keep our events current and convenient, with the added benefit of reducing paper consumption. 97% of our event registrants register online. Notices and announcements are digitally posted instead of printed. Internal printing is done on recycled paper. But, for some of our events, we are pushing to do better.
Last year, at the 2015 National Rural ITS Conference, we entered the world of conference/event apps. It was a resounding success. Attendees networked using the app. We, as meeting planners, could push notifications such as schedule changes or an alert for a lost iPhone to the entire group or specific individuals. The app was handy and well received. But, we didn’t really eliminate anything.
How do we use the app to reduce waste?
This year, I want to take it a step further. According to the Pew Research Center on Internet, Science and Technology, 64% of Americans own a smartphone and they use their smartphone to access the internet as much as they use their smartphone to actually make a phone call. I’d venture to guess (unscientifically) that 99% of our conference goers have a smartphone that is very accessible throughout the conference (i.e. in their hand). Therefore, it only makes sense, that attendees could easily view all the conference material on their phone thus eliminating the need for paper, eventually. Realistically we know we cannot eliminate all forms of physical conference materials in our first year with an app.
But we are going to try . . .
Recently, I explored going paperless with the planning committee for the upcoming ITS Heartland Annual Meeting. Kudos to them for embracing the change. Several of the committee members have attended conferences that were almost entirely paperless. And they loved it. The Heartlanders recommended the event app Yapp. In the next few weeks, I’ll be learning Yapp and how to make the ITS Heartland Annual Meeting much more paper-free. The group has already decided to eliminate the printed attendee list and I have a hunch they’ll eliminate more. We’ll still print the program but we’ll have it on the app as well.
What all can an event app do?
Really the possibilities are endless, but come with a cost. Here is a comprehensive list of the most popular event apps out there right now. What we are looking for is a simple, cost-effective app that includes event directions and information; connects our attendees, sponsors and vendors; includes speaker bios and appropriate links and images; posts a comprehensive and an at-a-glance agenda; posts & pushes alerts and updates to attendees; connects to social media; includes important event contact information; includes logos and links for our main sponsors; includes an exhibitor map, pushes course surveys and an overall event survey at the conclusion of the event to our attendees; most of all is user-friendly for both the end user and app manager; and available free in our attendees App Store of choice. Once all of these things are met, we can eliminate a lot of the paper that goes into an event.
Will the Yapp App do all this for us? Check back in May and I’ll share the results.
About the author:
Amy Lucke decided long ago, she would never stray far from the mountains and rivers of Montana. She loves sharing the outdoors with her two kids and spends most summer weekends in a 3-person tent with her four person family. She feels fortunate that she gets to write, create and collaborate with the smart and talented women of Meetings Northwest. Little known fact: She once traveled for 4 months on an around-the-world plane ticket.
