Download our guide to harness the power of software to save your organisation time and money

  • COVID-19 has smashed head-first into our industry
  • We want to help you survive and emerge more sustainably
  • Here we scrutinise different areas of your operations to identify where big savings can be made

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Introduction by Managing Director, Peter Ward

Normally when writing an introduction to a white paper, my job is to get the reader excited and enthused about the benefits they will get from the following pages. Whilst I hope this is still the case, there is no denying that the backdrop to this paper is a bleak one for the events industry.

For an industry that was thriving, the downfall has been swift and, mostly, terrible. COVID-19 and events really do not mix well and until mass gatherings are allowed again, they will remain ghosts of what they were and could be. 

Saving costs is always important, but is now imperative. Our focus is not only to help our clients survive but to help them emerge with a more sustainable business.

I hope you find the articles, facts, and opinions in this guide interesting. Wishing you all the very best over the coming months.

Peter.

Make gains across your organisation

Scrutinise your operations and harness the power of digital, software and data.

The SaaS sector is enormous and you should use it to improve your operations

The SaaS sector is full of affordable, secure and easy-to-use systems that will help you to achieve what you want, whether you're an international major event or a local sporting venue. 

And with plenty of frightening statistics to demonstrate the cost of operational inefficiencies, it's time to ask - where could you make gains in your organisation?

 

Every year, poor communication costs small businesses with under 100 employees $420,000 and companies with over 100 employees over $62 million (The State of Project Management in 2020)

 

There are more statistics of this ilk within the white paper: keep diving in as we identify parts of your operations that could really benefit from harnessing the power of SaaS.

criteria for purchasing saas

Full article: Make gains across your organisation

Four reasons why your organisation should be making data-led decisions

It's easy to think we know what's best (see Ford and the Edsel!), but harnessing available and useful data can really boost your organisation's operations.

What does 'data-led decision making' look like, and how can it work for you?


  1. Report and learn lessons to be constantly critical: reports can and should be more than a necessary evil of simply passing information up the chain!
  2. Ensure continuity through operations year on year: continue to evolve and learn as you go.
  3. Define objectives to measure against: KPIs are vital no matter what, even if you're not dealing with numbers.
  4. Get ahead of the game by analysing trends: how can you harness machine learning and more sophisticated trend analysis to boost your organisation's operations?

But - beware the known of pitfalls of data!

You'll find it all in our piece. Combine a critical interpretation of data with your own thoughts and you'll be led by data without being beholden to it - a great base to improve your operations and save you time and money.

data driven decision making stat

Full article: Four reasons why your organisation should be making data-led  decisions

Combine multiple software systems to save time and money

SaaS is playing an increasingly essential role at your organisation, but the volume of subscriptions can be expensive - make big savings in a number of areas by combining subscriptions.

The more software elements you combine, the more efficient you are and the more time and money you'll save.

 

  1. Save money on license by purchasing a system in bulk. Keep related parts of your operations aligned.
  2. Discounts for large usage and for large number of products within the same system. Essential for consistency and efficiency too!
  3. Save on training costs with similar UI. Cheaper, quicker and better training, leading to greater returns from using the software.
  4. Useful data transfer through phases - a huge efficiency gain, as information is not only useful in one place at one time.
  5. Integrations. Align different aspects of your operations for improved continuity.
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Full article: Combine multiple software systems to save time and money

Six reasons why project management systems might fail - and how to help them succeed

The change to project management software is meant to drive efficiency, collaboration and communication - so follow these steps to make sure it does!

There are huge rewards to using project management software - so make sure you don't get confusion and wasted time!

  1. There isn't enough buy-in: really commit to the change. You've identified a change that will help your organisation, so drive it forward.
  2. There's a stubbornness and resistance to change: be open-minded. Businesses don't progress by standing still.
  3. The longer-term strategy is unclear: be clear with your team. If your team know the benefits, they'll want to make them reality.
  4. There's a lack of uniformity in how the new software will be used: draw up some rules of engagement. Provide training and guidelines and get your team aligned.
  5. The system isn't bespoke to your needs: pick one that you are confident will suit you. The project management needs to be your bread and butter.
  6. The system is too complex for your needs: be clear on the required functionality. Extra functionality is only great if it's simple and useful!

66% of companies using project management software completed projects within their original budget, compared to 47% without (The State of Project Management in 2020)

The change to a new project management system is often the right one - but be thorough in your search, justify it to your team and commit to it long-term to make it a success.

Full article: Six reasons why project management systems might fail - and how  to help them succeed

Four ways tech can save you time and money by reducing travel

Travel is and always has been expensive of your time and money. How can operations software help you to cut it down?

Big savings to be made

  • Time wasted by working in silos: reduce the need for catch-up meetings and manual report creation, and bring people in on tasks where they can support.
  • Time spent in meetings and following up: make your meetings super-productive with live updates into a system.
  • Cost of working with or integrating externals: facilitate your entire suite of operations by getting everyone you work with involved digitally.
  • Time spent managing your venue: gain oversight of your site without needing to be present on location. This leads to much better communication and tasking without needing to be face-to-face.

saas reduces email and meetings

Operations software can drive the automation and collaboration that results in big savings whilst cutting down travelling, commuting and on-site hours.

Full article: Four ways tech can save you time and money by reducing travel

Manage risk early and well to save money

The biggest risk is to deal with risk poorly - so you need good practices and good tools.

We recommend two practices: define an organisational risk management approach, to ensure coherence and collaboration; and hold an initial risk workshop, with unconstrained thinking, to record all possible uncertainties.

Risk management software enables those processes, saving you time and money, and reducing risk by fostering coherence, collaboration and efficiency. Here are five areas where a risk and issue management system could help you make serious improvements to your operations.

  1. Categorise your risks: sort, prioritise, analyse and report in useful ways.
  2. Assign owners: to bring responsibility to your risk management operations.
  3. Develop action plans: create trackable mitigation and contingency steps that directly respond to the dangers.
  4. Report and audit: automated reporting and indelible audit trails mean you learn lessons and meet regulations.
  5. Exploit opportunities: be ready to change risk strategies if an opportunity to benefit might arise.

cost of risk over time-1

The psychology of risk management that risk management software enables: be open, transparent and accepting about risk!

Full article: Manage risk early and well to save money

Use tech to manage event risk

Tech can enhance your risk management by driving consistency, transparency and collaboration, aligning projects and risks, and encouraging good practices.

Peter Ward shares his ideas on the risk management process and the role of tech within it.

You don't need to use technology to record and manage risk - but you have to work harder to ensure good practices otherwise.

 

70% of senior managers said they were moving towards managing risk digitally (The future of risk management in the digital era, McKinsey, 2017)

 

Tech tools let you drive consistency, transparency and collaboration. Align your risk register with your project plans for full visibility on how risks affect projects and tasks. 

Full article: Use tech to manage event risk

Use ops software to save on headcount at major events and venues

...and redistribute jobs elsewhere. Where could you make big savings and where could you give more?

Make your planning and delivery more collaborative and more efficient, freeing up labour on the coordination and management side - and plug those gains into other areas.

Better project management means less admin, better oversight and automatic notification means less checks-and-balances work. Then, with savings in tow, what's next?

This point is a tricky one. Whilst it is true that staff are often a company's greatest cost, we would never want a system to replace a team of talented event profs. Rather we aim to free up their time to do more of the things that software can't replace and instead, replace the unnecessary work.

Full article: Use ops software to save on headcount at major events and venues

Conclusion by Head of Customer Success, Rob Davison

We're all seeking efficiencies in our operations and SaaS tools can help

Any successful organisation will have a strong planning and communications framework behind it

Knowing who is doing what, when it's happening, and what to do when things don't go to plan are key for event organisers. SaaS tools like WeTrack can help facilitate this planning and communication activity. More importantly though as an industry we must ensure we are thinking laterally and reacting to the new challenges that are facing us.

That's why we wanted to share some of our thoughts on strategies and tools. Likewise we would love to hear from you on the challenges you're facing and what you're looking for in the SaaS solutions you choose for your business.

We wish you all the best in the coming months, and thank you for reading.

Rob.

How WeTrack can save you time and money

If you'd like to learn specifically how WeTrack can save you time and money, we'd be very happy to have a chat. In the meantime, why not take away this short brochure that introduces our products and what we can do for you?

If you're just here for the white paper, the download button you want is just below.

Download our guide to harness the power of software to save your organisation time and money

  • COVID-19 has smashed head-first into our industry
  • We want to help you survive and emerge more sustainably
  • Here we scrutinise different areas of your operations to identify where big savings an be made

Keep this in your inbox!