The One-Click Principle: How Event Managers Can Combine Their Data Into One Seamless Integration What is data integration and why it is so critical to the success of corporate events?

The One-Click Principle: How Event Managers Can Combine Their Data Into One Seamless Integration

Technology plays a major role when organising events and bringing people together at large corporations.

Many large companies use a variety of different tech tools and platforms as part of their daily operations. However, if these tools do not integrate with each other, this can lead to mayhem and disaster. For an event to be a success, order is needed. This means that every tool has to work well together within a company's ecosystem.

A lack of integration between the different systems that companies use can lead to data silos—meaning, updates are not shared between various software platforms and tools. This can lead to event invitations not being sent out correctly or teams in different departments being unable to access important information. It is one of the major reasons that companies are increasingly seeking software integrations that work seamlessly with their existing ecosystems.

In this article, we will outline what integration is and why data integration is so critical to the success of corporate events. 

What Is Integration?

Integration happens when all of the different tools and software that enterprises use work seamlessly together as part of one unified system. These tools can include CRM systems, registration platforms, payment providers, email marketing software, and literally every other software that is used. 

Data sharing between these tools is an important part of integration. When data flows seamlessly between all of these separate platforms, event planners obtain the business intelligence necessary to deliver successful events. 

Why Is Integration Important?

For an event to be truly successful, there needs to be a reliable way to capture the leads generated and follow up with them afterward. Integration between the different tools used to connect with leads facilitates the delivery of the services that businesses need.

However, if data does not flow freely and accurately between the different tools enterprises use, engaging with attendees and accessing relevant insights becomes an uphill battle.

A lack of integration can also pose more serious problems, such as significant service delays, privacy breaches, and inaccurate data.

Challenges Caused by Lack of Integration

It is common for large enterprises to use several tools and databases to store information. However, if these tools are not integrated, getting a complete picture of how a business is performing becomes more challenging, slowing down decision-making in the process. It can also make important information inaccessible to other relevant parties. This is because storing information in separate places creates barriers to information sharing. When this happens, the quality of data suffers and leads to inaccurate, duplicate, or unusable data. 

A practical example can be seen when creating events with different pricing for members and non-members. If the tools used do not sync with the company database to identify participants properly, it will be difficult to differentiate between members and non-members and apply the correct pricing. 

Poor data governance can also result in privacy breaches if the data is insecure, making it difficult for event planners to understand who has access to what data. Having several different databases that don’t "talk" to each other may also result in serious errors or leaks, in which information ends up in the wrong hands. 

If businesses are unable to comply with privacy laws, retain accurate data access journals, and submit reports to the relevant authorities, they may be in breach of regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). 

Benefits of Integration

When data is integrated well between different tools and platforms, event managers don’t have to waste time manually transferring data from one platform to another. This can save significant time in the long run. 

For example, by identifying customers from the CRM, the registration tool can automatically categorise them and subsequently assign these customers to tailored price points or sub-events.

Integration between event management software and the CRM can help prevent data duplication and minimise errors. Creating detailed invitation lists also becomes easier. Event planners can then use the data gathered from these systems to extract insights that allow them to understand the value of their events.

Those additional insights help ensure that attendee details remain up to date and that data access is restricted to authorised participants only. This helps maintain privacy and prevent data breaches. 

Using event management software that integrates with the other systems that businesses use can enable event planners to gain a better understanding of where data is stored. It can also provide a more in-depth understanding of how data is used and comply with privacy regulations. 

How Software Integrations Can Consolidate Data and Analytics

Nearly every large corporation will move data between systems, which will store data in different ways. However, to consolidate data and gain actionable insights from it, data mapping is necessary to ensure that information is transmitted and stored in the right locations.

This mapping process should include a very clear outline of which systems need to talk to each other. It is also important to understand which data fields need to be updated before initiating the software integration process. Having a clear roadmap of exactly how data will flow between systems helps bridge the difference between systems and ensure accuracy.

Once a system is integrated, event planners can more quickly understand how different datasets relate to each other. These additional insights can be used when segmenting leads, creating future events, and collaborating with other organisations.

Software integrations enable event managers to look at the bigger picture and understand a company's scope, size, and structure. These insights can then be used to deliver events and services that are more closely aligned with a company's needs. 

Fostering Ease of Integration Across Different Markets

In today’s connected world, many large enterprises operate in multiple geographical locations and countries, with divergent privacy and data protection laws. This can impact the various tools and systems that are used within these enterprises. 

For example, GDPR rules in Europe may prevent someone working for the same enterprise from accessing client data if they are based outside of the EU. A unified, integrated system makes managing access rights and compliance a breeze.

One company that plays a pivotal role in supplying software that integrates with various tools and ecosystems across different markets is idloom. Idloom’s software has limitless integration possibilities and works like a charm with the existing tools that companies already use (CRM, ERP, BI email marketing tools, etc.).

For example, if an event planner wants to link certification to an international training program, idloom.passport  does just that. Plus, it gives event planners complete control over access rights and data management—all while complying with local regulations and privacy requirements.

This enables event planners to share information with other departments or companies across markets while maintaining privacy and anonymity. 

Helping Large Enterprises Stay Better Connected 

Thanks to technology, it's simpler than ever to hop onto a meeting, conference, or training program at the click of a button. As a result, large corporates can expand their customer base and form powerful partnerships with other businesses. 

However, idloom’s event management software takes innovation one step further by removing the challenges associated with navigating different systems and numerous regulations. Instead, its solutions sync with the leading tools on the market, making it easy to manage the entire process for online, live, and hybrid events. While there are other suppliers that provide software that integrates with existing tools, idloom's solutions go much deeper in the personalisation and customisation of these integrations. 

idloom understands and truly adapts to their client's existing processes and plays a key role in helping ensure that data flows freely within their ecosystem.

idloom also automates many event management processes so event managers don't waste time switching between different systems or updating information on various platforms, boosting overall efficiency.

Find out more about how all of this works by booking a demo today.