YOUR EVENT, YOUR WAY: Opening Doors & Venues

Opening Doors and Venues is an independent Professional Conference Organiser specialising in 360° project management that can include venue finding, delegate recruitment and registration, marketing strategy design and the development of creative and engaging content.

Over a seven-year period, the company has put the EventReference platform through its paces and their requirements have helped develop some of the key features which now other event organisers enjoy. So, we talked with Madalina Marincas, Director and PCO, to get her take on why EventReference has worked so well for her event registration requirements.

Why did you choose to use the EventReference cloud-based registration platform?

The platform worked perfectly for us because it is straightforward to use and simple to understand for both us and the delegates when booking. With the added benefit of full access to the back-office, the no-nonsense approach or hidden costs was exactly what we were looking for.

EventReference has grown with our registration needs. We can count on the secure, supported registration system, which is so important for GDPR compliant data. What's more, the system accommodates our complex requirements with integral theme design facilities, payment portals and invoice issuing, web-badging and scanning, customisable content pages and more.

“It is flexible, and there's no bedazzling to confuse the user. Straightforward and no-nonsense”

What challenges did you have that the platform overcame?

At the start of our relationship with EventReference, we had small hurdles to overcome, such as:

1. We needed to create the illusion of multi-page temporary microsites for some events, and we discovered the platform to be customisable enough to achieve this.
2. We also needed to allow group booking payments and issue group invoices while sending out individual confirmation emails to all those in the group. Initially this was a challenge but the tech team at EventReference developed a solution that worked perfectly.
3. We wanted delegates to pick and choose certain courses to attend, in the form of a shopping cart. Again, this was an easy solution for the EventReference team to implement.
4. And finally, the butterfly badges were not the easiest to peel and stick together to start with, ripping quite easily. The team was on the case and the new improved stock is now so easy to use. May not seem a big deal, but for us it showed how efficient the team is in tackling any issue.

How do you feel EventReference solved these challenges?

Importantly for us, there is always someone at the end of a phone or email to advise us and deal with problems. The EventReference team always encourage our feedback, good and bad. If we encounter any hitches or if we have stumbled on a different way of using the features rather than what they were intended for, they want to know! This is a great approach to sustainable development.

If we ever raise a question or suggestion that is not viable, they tell us. So, rather than raise our expectations, we know we can count on their full honesty. That's the kind of supplier relationship we like.

What features or services, in particular, successfully delivered your needs?

Various things occurred over the years. Notably the introduction of customisable theme features aided our need to present content pages in multi-page microsite fashion. It allowed us to customise registration pages per attendee type and in line with client brands to create seamless transitions from a client company website to the conference site and registration portal.

The introduction of workflows was crucial in allowing us to send out multiple emails to individuals in group bookings and in addition, we discovered other uses for it along the way that made our processes more efficient.

The introduction and development of the payment portal meant we were able to migrate a complex course booking system from a different system that didn't really do the job. We felt the team took our suggestions into account and created the facility to meet our needs.

“EventReference does what it says on the tin”

What do you love about EventReference?

That's easy to answer. EventReference does what it says on the tin! It is flexible and you can always find solutions. There's no bedazzling to confuse the user. It's straightforward and no-nonsense!

What if anything didn't go so well? How did we overcome this to your satisfaction?

Once, for an early start event requiring on-site badge printing, the system collapsed. Even though it wasn't a high-volume traffic event, we hadn't made a back-up plan, so it did cause some stress. I was able to get someone on the phone who investigated it, kept us informed and fixed the issue before our delegates arrived.

Would you recommend EventReference, and why?

Definitely, and we already have! The fit of course must be right and we know what RefTech brings to the table. We know the system is reliable. The assurance that data is kept secure, especially with the sometimes-sensitive information from our clients and delegates, means we trust the great team of people at RefTech.

Opening Doors & Venues

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