In a previous article, we explored the mentality of using apps as a method to cut through valuable time and money. In the digital world there are so many digital tools that claim to cut through the noise when in fact digital tools and applications have become the noise! I’ve decided to feature a few digital tools in the upcoming months that are buzz-worthy in the conference room yet need a little exploring. After reviewing digital dashboard tools the biggest question is less about who benefits and more about which tool to select.
The event industry work culture is built around a build and burn philosophy. Because events have a timeline, everything leading up to the event is a build and everything after the event is a teardown. This quick-paced work culture often gives us the opportunity to bypass the part where we debrief projects, so often we are on to the next. Adding a digital dashboard to the beginning and end of a project is a great way to capture all your hard work and show off some sexy visualized data with digitally generated charts and graphs!
There are loads of digital dashboards on the market, we dug in on what tools give you the most bang for NO BUCK. I found the most success in Dasheroo and Cyfe as starter tools.
One of the best things for a beginner with visualizing data is the suggestion of templates to use together. Dasheroo has templates that allow users to plugin their data and then give you results that every project wants metrics on. Once you start to see how the dashboard helps you get results you need, you’ll become creative in creating dashboards that are unique to your business or event needs. There is a big push around teams commenting and sharing data, I’ve found that unless your team has an expertise in strategic business development, there is very little collaboration from others. In fact, it’s best to determine contributors ahead of time.
Data can be cumbersome, mining for data just sounds so tedious! Most people understand the benefits, it’s just understanding how to get from a bunch of numbers to visualizing the data that matters to your business, partners and clients. Cyfe is a data analytics tool that is more focused on visualizing data for businesses and clients. The best feature from Cyfe is the plug and play widgets. There is a pre-programmed widget section that has popular digital tools such as google or salesforce already built-in, you just have to pop-in the proper login information. Once again this is more targeted at business development, the widget section is focused on audience, lead and sales management tools. Cyfe is a bit more of a hybrid tool in terms of pricing, they offer a free version a paid version and the ability to white label the tool, that is they offer you to brand the digital dashboard as your own for a fee.
Let the digital dashboard empower you! Happy planning friends with love from Plans App.