Can you Manage a Venue without Paper?

mobile event technology
Go paperless: Managing a venue using iPad

Going paperless and opt for document processing solution, such as Doxim eDocuments, is one of the best things you can do for your business and the environment. However, if you think about it, one of the most important tools in the arsenal of any venue manager is a very old technology – paper. You need paper to print schedules, issue work orders, book spaces, document procedures, provide maps, and for almost any other communication to both your staff and event participants.

This traditional method is still in use, even in the digital age. One might think that software, my field of expertise, would make paper obsolete, but this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, some have argued that software has made the demand for paper increase. This is because it has become even easier to print. Is there a change to a schedule or menu? Just print the updated information and pass them out. If you have any doubt, take a look at how many trash bags full of paper are produced after each event.

Paper is still an important tool in venue management because of its inherent portability and low cost. This is also why there is so much paper waste. Is there a way to manage a venue without sacrificing so many trees? With the advent of new mobile technologies for event management, there is hope for trees and a “greener” world.

Mobile event technology can allow for a virtually paperless event. Do you need to make a change in room assignments? Do you need to make a staffing change? Are there new work order requests?   With mobile technology, you don’t need to print up a new set of documents; people can simply check their mobile devices and have the latest information. Think about it: managing a venue can be done successfully without using a single tree.

Mobile event technology also offers efficiency advantages over this older technology (paper, I mean). Because mobile apps can inform people instantly of changes or the latest information without having to personally find them in the labyrinth of your venue. It also saves your staff time. Rather than dedicating someone to print up and distribute hundreds or thousands of new documents for one small update, they can instead be focused on operations or actually helping customers and visitors of your venue.

I didn’t become a Director of Product Management at a leading event management software company with the intention to save the planet, but it’s nice to know that the latest in mobile event management solutions can play a small part.

About the Author: Brian Woodrick is the Director of Product Management at Ungerboeck Software International – a worldwide provider of mobile event management software for conferences and venues.