… or how to allocate seats to guests.

Seating – or seat management – often resembles a big puzzle. Whether it’s row seating in plenary sessions or gala tables for dinner, allocating guests to defined seats is usually a manual and therefore laborious process.

Different requirements often have to be harmonised when allocating seats. These can be political or protocol aspects, but also affiliations to certain participant groups or categories. Accompanying persons, guests who may be honoured or “just” have a birthday must also be taken into account.

Unfortunately, optimal seating is not static, but is subject to a high degree of dynamism, especially in the last days and hours before the event. Cancellations at short notice or name changes have to be processed in the same way as late registrations, additional accompanying persons or other changes to the seating or the schedule. Last but not least, the question always arises: how and when does the guest actually find out where they are seated?

The G1 seating module, which can be integrated into the GuestHub admin area on request, helps event organisers to maintain an overview. Seating plans can be created quickly and flexibly in graphic form. Even a large number of tables or seats in the plenum is no problem – for a better overview, these can be divided into different maps and then jumped to individually for distribution.

Guests to be seated can then be searched, filtered and selected in the guest list according to various criteria and placed in the desired seats with a mouse click. This applies to individual guests as well as selected groups of guests. The system also includes automatic filling of free seats, thus enabling individual seats to be filled very quickly.

The G1 seating module also accesses the live check-in information. Guests who are already present are colour-coded in the seating. As guests only receive their actual seating information at check-in – either as a seating card or printed on the name badge – they can be quickly and flexibly re-seated until they arrive.

We will be happy to advise you on the specific possibilities and show you examples from various events.

A regular occurrence at many events are guests who have registered but then fail to turn up – so-called “no-shows”. These no-shows are annoying as they cost the organiser a lot of money. Food and drinks are provided for these guests, as well as furniture, service staff and giveaways. Even booked hotel rooms are usually charged at 100% in the event of last-minute cancellations.

Of course, there are reasons for cancellations or no-shows at short notice – illness, train or flight cancellations or other urgent appointments cannot always be avoided. However, it is important to reduce the number of “no-shows” to a minimum in order to avoid the unnecessary costs listed above. Good participant management can help with this.

Stay in contact with your guests

A professional participant management system allows you to communicate with guests easily, quickly and continuously. Regular reminder or info emails provide the latest details about the programme, arouse curiosity about the event and help to keep the date and the event in the minds of the guests. Invitations are often sent out early, guests confirm an event in three or four months’ time and then forget about it if they are not kept up to date in the meantime.

Make it easy for your guests

Good participant management solutions offer a so-called re-login for guests. The online registration remains open even after the initial confirmation – the guest can edit or change their registration at any time until the final registration deadline. Each of the mailings listed above should therefore include the access data for online registration so that the guest can return to the registration platform with a single click. A simple cancellation or change link at the end of the email also helps the guest to edit their registration with one click if necessary.

Use a guest hotline

Many events also have a telephone hotline for guests to call with questions about the event or the programme. Use this hotline to proactively follow up with guests, especially those who do not get back to you.

Continuity and transparency – after the event is before the event

Especially for recurring events, participant management improves with repetition. This starts with the invitation, which is often sent out “with a watering can” or the previous year’s mailing list is used. However, the participant behaviour of previous years is usually not taken into account, mostly because this information is no longer available.

A continuous participant management process provides the necessary transparency and analyses – even over several years and events. Participants who repeatedly RSVP and never turn up can be identified and excluded from future invitations.

These are just some of the aspects with which we, as a participant management specialist, can minimise the number of “no-shows”. We would be happy to discuss the topic for your specific event and advise you on the possibilities. Get in touch with us today!

On 19 September at 9:30 a.m., the free ToolTalk “Event Management Solutions” will start. The one-hour digital format is organised by Katrin Taepke, who has successfully run the blog  “micestens-digital.de” for many years. Katrin Taepke is an expert in participant and event management software and systems. In ToolTalk, she will present three selected providers and their solutions.

On 19 September, we will share the stage with our colleagues from ALOOM and colada. Participation in ToolTalk is free of charge. All you need to do is register briefly at: https://www.micestens-digital.de/tooltalk-event-management-loesungen/ the access data will then be sent to you by e-mail. We are looking forward to an exciting talk and many interested spectators.

The market for participant management software and platforms is more than confusing. Countless providers offer different solutions, and the Corona pandemic has spawned further – in some cases new – service providers. Over the last few years, so-called “all-in-one” platforms in particular have come onto the market. Large, all-encompassing systems, with countless functions and integrated apps, usable for any event format – whether live, digital or hybrid. Quasi the famous “eierlegende Wollmilchsau” …

All in one solutions

There is no doubt that there is a need for such fully integrated platforms, but all systems have one thing in common: for the majority of projects that are to be implemented with them, they are simply too overloaded with functions and too complex to operate! High costs, time-consuming installations and configurations, and poor support create additional challenges for customers and make them look for alternatives.

Event specific solutions

An alternative are flexible and modular “building block systems”, such as our G1 GuestHub. In the process, a solution is configured very specifically to the event-specific needs. The customer gets (and pays for) only those functions that he actually needs for the implementation of the project. There are no limits to the scope of services – numerous modules, such as hotel or workshop management or seating, can be adapted and implemented as required in a very short time.

So before deciding on one solution or another on the market, it helps to take a look at your own event formats and the associated specific requirements for attendee management. If you mainly implement online or day events, then you usually do not need an elaborate hotel management. Group registrations or waiting list functions also play no role in a large number of events.

TIP: Base your requirements list on the 90% standard events, not the special case that only comes up once every two years!

Supplementary services

You should also pay attention to possible additional services that may be required as part of the event organization. For example, many of the major providers offer no or limited on-site services. These services do not scale; instead, you have to maintain the appropriate personnel and technology for them. The question here is what level of service is desired. If a smartphone app for guest check-in is not enough and you do not want to deal with third-party providers for on-site accreditation, then it is also advisable to look for a specialized full-service provider who can also guarantee comprehensive on-site support.

Intelligent mood barometer makes event efficiency measurable

Artificial intelligence is making its way into the event industry. Based on Artificial Intelligence, Guest-One offers its customers a remarkable add-on. Using technology known as Ethical Facial Analysis, it is possible to measure the mood of an event.

Artificial intelligence (AI) – for many people, this sounds like the distant future – like uncharted territory. But this is not correct. Long before smart technologies made it into the headlines of relevant gazettes, machine learning was already changing people’s lives. In many places, the benefits of artificial intelligence are a completely uncontroversial part of everyday life. Contrary to popular belief, machine learning is not a one-way street. In most cases, both sides benefit – provider and user. In many cases, classic win-win situations even develop.

An example from everyday life illustrates this: On the one hand, multimedia platforms and streaming services such as YouTube, Spotify or Netflix use the possibilities of artificial intelligence to create so-called suggestion lists. The individual visual behavior serves as the basis for this. The quality of these lists is amazingly high – and even increases over time. The machine learns. The user benefits from attractive new offers and previously unknown possibilities.

On the other hand, this information provides multimedia players with a wide range of information that is an important basis for decision-making in the context of financing issues, for example. Artificial intelligence can be used to reliably assess which investments and productions are profitable in certain markets – and which are not.

Measure event efficiency

The example illustrates that the use of AI changes many things. Especially in the professional environment, machine learning is creating a sense of optimism. ChatGPT adds to the hype. The prototype of a text-based dialog system has brought artificial intelligence to the attention of a broad public. It is not yet clear what role AI can play in the event industry. But the fact is that opportunities and possibilities are being explored in many places. Guest-One, the Wuppertal-based guest and attendee management company, is already one step ahead in applying AI to events. “We already offer our customers a solution that makes it possible to analyze faces and moods,” reports Thomas Küfner, who as Guest-One’s managing director is responsible for development, technology and innovation. In technical terminology, this is referred to as Ethical Facial Analysis.

Parameters such as age group, gender and mood are analyzed, taking into account all data protection regulations. “Personal data is explicitly not collected,” says Küfner, wiping any data protection concerns off the table in advance. “Nor could the system.” Guest-One was able to demonstrate the possibilities offered by Ethical Facial Analysis at an event organized by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce to kick off the year 2023. The speeches of different speakers were analyzed. On the basis of the recorded parameters age group, gender and mood, the tension and attention curve of the contributions could be impressively traced. The Ethical Facial Analysis was very attentive to a guest speaker known from TV, and the atmosphere was excellent.

Objective mood barometer

The fact that the visitors followed the appearance of the prominent speaker attentively on the whole is not surprising. After all, he enjoys nationwide fame as a meteorologist, author, and weather and climate expert. Nevertheless, it is worth taking a look at the details of the data obtained, because: When the weather presenter spoke about the consequences of the climate crisis and reported on necessary restrictions on individual mobility, the Ethical Facial technology registered a significant drop in mood among the male audience in the age group over 60. And in real time.

“What conclusions are to be drawn from this information in detail is a matter of interpretation,” says Küfner. However – and therein lies the added value of the Ethical Facial technology – the system has detected a drop in mood in the specific group of people as an objective fact. “This would not have been possible by any other means.” By using Ethical Facial technology, Guest-One offers customers real and unfiltered added value. Surveys as an alternative to the use of artificial intelligence, on the other hand, often deliver distorted or embellished results.

This small practical example gives a foretaste of how this AI technology can work beneficially in all directions in the event environment in the future. Ultimately, the guests also benefit from this, because: After all, the attention values underline the importance of the guest speaker for the event.

Real-time evaluation of the data

The fledgling experience gives an indication of how artificial intelligence can be used at events. Thomas Küfner’s thoughts, meanwhile, already go beyond the realm of Ethical Facial Analysis. The technology can also be used in the context of classic attendee management and in the area of guest organization. For example, automated badge scanning and the evaluation of certain features using QR codes are conceivable. Artificial intelligence also offers new options for important networking. The details of what these will look like have yet to be worked out. Küfner has no doubt that the use of modern technologies based on machine learning will come.

With a view to profitability, Guest-One’s positive outlook is all the more valid. In technical terms, artificial intelligence – especially the field of Ethical Facial Analysis – does not make exorbitant demands. A small device the size of a set-top box and conventional video cameras suffice as analysis hardware. AI also makes no special demands in terms of personnel deployment. The real-time evaluation of the data is fully automatic. Only for the interpretation and conclusions to be made on the basis of dense information, a little time is required. But this investment directly benefits the efficiency of the next event.