Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome back to Eventful Encounters, the podcast where we talk all things events. And today's topic is quite a technical one. My guest is Johnny martin Martinez, Head of Events and Partnerships at Crowdcoms, a company that sits right at the heart of events technology, working with planners and organizations to build the digital foundations that events run on.
Speaker: And today we're going to have an honest conversation about all of that, the genuine transformation that technology that the right technology can bring, mistakes the teams can make, and how the chase china how i why sorry they chase the shiny new thing without asking whether it solves the problem.
Speaker: So, welcome to the podcast, Johnny. Hello. Thank you for having me. That's all right. Quite excited for today's chat, but do want to start by telling us who you are and how you ended up in the events tech world?
Speaker: Was it accident or was it like most of us? Did you just fall into it? um and My name is Johnny Martinez. I am, as you said, the head of events and partnerships is a shiny new job title and is a recent recent development. and Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Well, it means they're not getting rid of me anytime soon. That's a good thing.
Speaker: and Definitely. um But yeah, I'm aware of many hats. um And yeah, i don't know I don't know if people will be seeing my hat during this podcast. and Probably not. Unfortunately not, know no. No, no, no, no.
Speaker: They'll be missing out. and But yeah, I do get involved in different initiatives within the industry. um I am the also the immediate past chair for the Apex Commission at the Events Industry industry Council.
Speaker: ah where we and issue and develop ah practices and guidelines for everyone in the industry. So um that's actually um ah very interesting thing.
Speaker: And to your question, how did I end up in the event tech sector? um I am a Nepo baby. good And what that means is that, you know, my dad was in this industry before me. Yeah.
Speaker: yep um And I remember going to conferences um with my dad um when I was a child, really. I remember my first conference and in Geneva, in Switzerland, probably when I was about 11.
Speaker: and my dad took me to the registration booth to help sort out you know the badges. And, you know, greet people and do all that.
Speaker: So I guess. And that's where all started. Yeah, I guess you could say events have been in my DNA for a while and I am still here. Wow. So did you deliberately choose the industry? Did you always know that that's the path you wanted to take or was it just coincidence that you kind of followed that same path?
Speaker: I studied um economics, politics and international studies at uni. Completely different. Yeah, my interest was really around helping people.
Speaker: and and and And how to really do that in practical ways, you know, the the forces that are out there, you know, sort of moving the strings. um And I've always had this, you know, sort of,
Speaker: global approach to um everything i do. and And yeah, events in a way, you know, they they allow for that sort of, you know, global curiosity because, ah you know, events happen everywhere, thankfully.
Speaker: um But yeah, it was and my dad. After uni, I worked for the BBC for a while. um And then my dad said, oh, you know, why don't you come, you know, help me out, you know, just just for a little while. And, you know, we ended up working together for 10 years. You never left.
Speaker: Correct. So for anyone who hasn't come across Crowdcoms before, how would you describe what you do and what's a typical kind of week in the life of?
Speaker: Crowdcoms is an end-to-end solution. Yeah. For event organizers. covers... online registration, batch printing, mobile app, virtual hybrid platform, live streaming, attendee tracking, lead capture and community platforms for community-based or message-based. Basically all of the techie side of our events. Organizations. You could say so, and but we don't do it all. You know, we, I think one of our,
Speaker: Strong points. One of our USPs is our capacity to integrate with other solutions, and with other players in the market. Yeah. um You know, we don't do abstract management, for example, so we integrate with Oxford abstracts for that. We don't do multi-language. and captions and oral interpretations that we um integrate with companies like Interprefy. That do that.
Speaker: Correct. And from where you sit as kind of head of partnerships, how would you describe the current mood around events tech? Are people excited, overwhelmed, or kind of somewhere in between? i know AI has been a really big talking point over the last few years kind of what that changes in the industry.
Speaker: Yeah, I think it's a mix. Mm-hmm. you know, certainly you find the people who need it yeah to, you know, go about their day to day to save time, elevate, you know, experiences, focus on the important stuff, which is their attendees.
Speaker: um So we I do say, you know, that there there is a need for these solutions. And I think AI in a way, either amplifies um the need and and supports um you know the processes ah for people in different ways.
Speaker: But I can also see people heavily overwhelmed because you know there are a lot of options out there. yeah And with when you're when you're trying to design, what is the best solution for me?
Speaker: um And you just look at what these companies offer on their websites. It just looks very similar. um So how do you go about deciding who is the best provider? who is Yeah. and I think, you know, that's the tricky bit. And when you're a small team, you know, with not many resources and with a very lean team, you you really need to make good use of your time.
Speaker: Do you really want to be contacting, you know, 10 providers? Are you going to sit on that many demos? and That is the bit. you know most Yeah, you don't want to go through all that over and over again, of course.
Speaker: So what does great events tech actually enable um nowadays that wasn't possible maybe five or even 10 years ago? Yeah, that's and that's a good question. I think
Speaker: in many ways, of course, i there are two goals yeah around... events and around event tech implementation, two main goals that I see. Number one is content distribution.
Speaker: And that includes agenda, program planning, sessions, speakers. The other one is ah connecting people.
Speaker: yeah And anything around networking, around engagement, and you know, making sure attendees and exhibitors, you know, are matched correctly and that sponsors, yeah you know, are getting, are getting the value from it. Um, but one, um, aspect that I think not a lot of people talk about is using event tech to generate money. Um, using event ta as a revenue stream.
Speaker: What do you mean by that? What I mean by that is that event tech, and I mean, first of all, as I said earlier, you know, all want to reach efficiency.
Speaker: And in that process, you're saving time. Time is money. and And so in that sense, there is a lot of value that you can get back by implementing event tech, ah simply by, you know, saving your resources, saving your time, right yeah yeah and allowing your team to do more focus on the right stuff.
Speaker: at At the same time, there are facilities now that allow you to engage sponsors, industry, ambassadors, you know, and and individuals.
Speaker: So you really engage your entire ecosystem and there is, ah you know, an overall return on investment.
Speaker: And that way people are more willing to spend, you know, more, you know. Yeah. Makes sense. So delegate expectations are high.
Speaker: Do you think event planners fully appreciate how much attendees accept tech to work and how frustrated they get when it doesn't work seamlessly?
Speaker: and So if if suppliers are aware of how frustrating This is for organizers. Is ah is ah is that the question? Yeah. um No, I don't think they are aware.
Speaker: um I think it's tricky to prescribe advice, you know, consult on certain things if you don't put yourself in the other person's shoes. that she Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker: So it's really hard to to walk the talk if you haven't been there if you haven't been an event organizer. um And that is the reason why, i mean, as head of events, you know, within CrowdComes, I oversee um all of the commercial initiatives, but really all of the events that we um deliver internally while, you know, implementing our technology, while showcasing our platform and showing organizers how this is going to save them time, how this is going to solve
Speaker: you know, their, uh, their issues, the challenges, but also how this is going to present, you know, um, uh, an opportunity for, for them and the stakeholders.
Speaker: And I think more event tech providers, they need to inform themselves a little bit more about these challenges.
Speaker: Yeah. um through the work I, do currently with the events industry council I've become aware of certifications you have we all have access to and try yeah just like like I don't know if you've heard of the CMP I hope they have is is that's the certified meeting planner right okay accreditation and the EIC issues
Speaker: this accreditation bird, if you're a PCMA member if you're a member of one of the other industry, global industry associations, you can um actually sit the CMP exam and, you know, it takes you through all the details, all the challenges, all the different scenarios you may face as an event organizer.
Speaker: um And at the end of it, you know, if you're, of course, successful um in the exam, you you you qualify as a CMP. And I i just encourage, you know, more people, not not just event organizers, suppliers to, you know, sit the exam and, you know, go through the experience of what an event planner has to do.
Speaker: So there's um what i would call a shiny object problem in the industry. People often adopt things just because it's new and they want to get involved if they don't want to miss out, but it doesn't always solve the problem that they have. How often do you encounter that and what do you think about it?
Speaker: Yeah, God. um that's I want it because they've got it and they've got it over there. It's true. Yeah, it's true. I think that's that's ah certainly an an ongoing concern.
Speaker: I think we you know we we tend to compare ourselves to other people and, oh, you know my event should should have that because you know I've seen my friends implement um And as you're saying, just because a lot of people have it, or maybe i need to have it. And we need to be really aware of our objectives and our priorities in in that same process.
Speaker: If you are, you know, delivering a medical conference, yeah know you know, certainly ah the the wealth of, you know, the scientific content and making sure that content is relevant, but also that it has been vetted. So, you know, everyone, every doctor, every researcher, every scientist in that event,
Speaker: you know can read it and say, oh, you know, I find value in this. um But also, you know, of course, networking. um But, you know, we need to, I use that example because medical conference tend to be quite stuck in their ways.
Speaker: um Yeah, i can imagine. Yes, you can imagine. and It is is similar with, you know, lawyers. and so So I talk about these sectors that require transformation in a way, um do you know, because we need to we need to make way for ah new content formats. Yeah, yeah. yeah You know, serve the you know the new and future generations um and so forth and so on. I think many times, you know, when a new person, and an organizer comes in and and and, you know, sees, you know, that that an event needs transformation, they want to change things immediately.
Speaker: And i think gradual change um you know tends to be what I prescribe and for that kind of event. who you know if if If the event has been traditionally held in person for however many years and you want to now introduce introduce a virtual component or you know make it hybrid, um how do we do that in ways that, oh, you know we can engage ah
Speaker: you know, new audiences and expand the reach while also looking after, you know, the attendees and the senior delegates that continue to attend year after year.
Speaker: um So I think it's key to think about that balance and make sure how you implement change in a way that everyone feels comfortable about it.
Speaker: which flows quite nicely out to my next question. So with all this new tech available, why does the human element still matter? And what is it that people can do that technology simply can't replace?
Speaker: we We, well, number one, we can't replace people. It's that personable touch, isn't it? Yes. um And with people, you can't re replace the conversations,
Speaker: Yeah. You can replace um the nature of of the connections. You know, at at the end of the day, you know, all of the tools we see are there to improve and elevate the experience.
Speaker: I always say they're never there replace replace you know, what we feel, what we see and and and the things we talk about.
Speaker: All of these things need to be facilitated by by us humans. Yeah. and
Speaker: and And one thing that I think we we often think, you know, you said it yourself, the shiny objects out there, you know, they're all great.
Speaker: But often we forget about the basics. Yeah, definitely. Such as just asking the right questions. Yeah, I agree. ah Collecting ah feedback that we can then review and say, oh, we're going to implement these changes in the coming six months, in the next year. in the next two years, in the next three months to show people that, oh, we've heard what you had to say and this is what we're going to do about it. um I think that element of legacy and yeah you know the strategy behind how you know we're going to maintain this community, make it better and make sure
Speaker: it continues to drive value is is is something that we have to think about. of course, yeah. and The technology will be there to to to you know improve. help that, yeah. Exactly, some of the processes, but at the end of the day, we decide what we want that dream to look like. Yeah, of course.
Speaker: So keeping that in mind, what does a well-built event tech stack actually look like? If someone's starting completely from scratch, what are kind of the non-negotiables that they need to have?
Speaker: Yeah, someone that was starting from Can you imagine? um Yeah, so
Speaker: I'd say anything, first of all, you want to think about yourself and your team.
Speaker: here And in that sense, it really depends on, you know, scale and volume.
Speaker: If I am a smaller agency, a smaller association as well, yeah i want look at ways to probably automate a lot of the work that I'm doing.
Speaker: And i always I always think about the Eisenhower matrix and when you know when I approach the basics. I don't know if heard about the Eisenhower matrix.
Speaker: It's things that you have to do in the first quadrant, things that you have to do immediately in the second quadrant. things that you have to schedule, you know, they they they're still important things that you have to work on like strategy, but is not so urgent.
Speaker: Yeah. And then you have things that you, um that are probably more urgent, not so important. They don't have to be done, but they don't have to be done by you you know, comes past somebody yeah think things that you can, you know,
Speaker: and We think about templates, we think about data capture forms, we think about automated notifications,
Speaker: we think about and you know facilities that will help me engage with and my community it without me having to send every single message.
Speaker: Yeah, course. So, and then, you know, on on the last quadrant, we have things that we should stop doing. It's bit of waste of time.
Speaker: Correct. Anything that contributes towards um procrastination. And that for me, ah you know, that that really provides the basis for, okay, this is what really what I need to do.
Speaker: And now I'm going to think about how the technology is going to help me. you know, meet, you know, each of these tasks. um I use, I talk about the Eisenhower matrix, but um I've been having a lot of conversations with um like procurement led versus founder led organizations.
Speaker: um I mentioned that because procurement led organizations tend to be very, oh, we've been told to use this. So yeah. So yes we just need to get on with it. Whereas founder led organizations, that
Speaker: they own a little bit more the decisions and and the implement. behind them Correct. And the implementation. um So I think there is, I think if you if you if you do work in a procurement led organization, you need to be asking the users, the ops people,
Speaker: What are the pains? Yeah. What unique? People are doing every day. Correct. There needs to be that that internal communication. Agreed. And yes.
Speaker: and And in many cases, the good the good thing about procurement-led organizations is that they they do tend to think about the future and what will happen in, you know, one, two, three, five years.
Speaker: Yeah, they're... because they need well they need to they need to prove value to the stakeholders and the people at the top need to you know please the investors. So because of that, you're constantly thinking about and the long term. um Founder led organizations while they have more flexibility and you know you own your roadmap a little bit more, and also you you also remain a little bit more flexible. um
Speaker: when we think about things like customization, um sometimes making, you know, a a what what what we but we consider a simple feature shit change in a procurement led organization might take more time because it's more rate, more rate, more people.
Speaker: Processes to get through, yeah. Correct. you You need to get through, you need to get that approval. and That's not the case. We found the led organizations, but of course they tend to lack the infrastructure to make long-term decisions you know they're often thinking about oh you know what is the next thing we need to solve um and i think that is the you know sort of existential uh situation you know and these different organizations find themselves in and you know depending on where you are you have to ask you have to ask yourself these questions
Speaker: course. Well, thank you, Johnny. Thank you for joining us today. so where can people find you where can they find out more about Crowdcoms? can, Crowdcoms, you can go on our website, crowdcoms.com. If you would like and to find out more about us, and you can reach me on LinkedIn, maybe.
Speaker: Mainly, sorry. And... and and what What events, was just thinking, what do we have? What events do we have coming up? if We're going to be at um Evolve Grow on the 10th of July, supporting this lovely community for in-house um association event professionals.
Speaker: um And we're also going to be at Event Tech Live at the end of the year in November. If you want to find out about Event Tech, not just to see us, but you know, to see other partners, other companies in the, in this sector, um you know, come check out Eventic Live in November. It's a great show.
Speaker: Thank you Johnny. Thank you for listening to Eventful Encounters. As always, step date with all things Eventful Encounters. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and you can catch Eventful Encounters on all your usual podcast platforms.
