We’ve worked with Sitecore to deliver their annual European user group conference – SUGCON – for several years. Previous destinations have included Berlin, London, Budapest and Malaga. 2024 will be at Croke Park in Dublin.
This is a paid for event moving from city to city each year, so the brief is always the same – to find a budget conscious venue in a desirable location with accommodation close by. The venue must allow external AV and sponsor stand providers and offer good internet capabilities.
SUGCON also has a strong focus on sustainability and a tight budget, so we are always looking for the best solutions.
This is a paid-for event with a goal to break even, so our client is particularly budget conscious while still needing us to deliver an exceptional event.
As a paid event, the dropout rate is very low, but the registrations come in slowly and build up. We need to find flexible venues and suppliers who will allow us to flex numbers and add on extras later than normal.
And, like so many user group events, it is run by committee. We love you SUGCON, but it can take much longer to make decisions, despite the best efforts of our two great contacts there.
Last year, we negotiated with the venue on the closing dates for final numbers, and for release dates on holding accommodation, so that the client wouldn’t be financially exposed.
Historically the client has used costly on-demand registration software and rented badge printers using single-use plastic badges.
We saved them money by using our in-house badging system which also improved sustainability by using recycled badges that could be further recycled. It also allowed for colour coding to reflect attendee type and improve registration.
Continuing the sustainability theme, we encourage the client to choose a selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes that the venue could serve with much less food waste. We provide jugs and water butts rather than individual plastic bottles, with food served on chinaware rather than single-use disposable crockery.
Our facility to store materials for our clients has real benefits for avoiding waste. For example, we avoid putting the date or location on any generic signage and branding, such as registration desk and directional signs, so that it can be reused year on year.
Items like floor stickers are produced from recycled material that can be fully recycled post event and in place of pull up banners we use cardboard totems.
Each year, we source speaker gifts locally as a thank you for those people who gave up their time for the event, and as a memento of the location. In Malaga the package comprised a tapas recipe book, saffron and a terracotta olive dish.
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