# Grant Thornton Events Management System
URL: https://www.associativetrails.com/work/grantthorntonevents/
Client: Grant Thornton
Type: Event management
Summary: Cutting edge events — Full lifecycle event management - attendee registration, mailshots, table plans and name badges.

A bespoke system for managing staff events.

The full event lifecycle is covered, from building the guest list, event website and registration form, mailshots and table plans.

Integrates with Wufoo, a powerful online form generation service that we have used to help build event registration forms. The system imports Wufoo data and records RSVP responses and dietary requirements.

## The challenge

Grant Thornton (https://www.grantthornton.co.uk/), a global independent assurance, tax and advisory firm, have thousands of employees that require regular professional training. A programme of regular internal events helps them support their staff, and managing these events is an important duty for support staff.

The software they used to manage these events was difficult to use and customise, and Grant Thornton approached us to build a system that was powerful yet easy to use and didn't require regular calls to Helpdesk support.

## The solution

After a requirements capture exercise that included the iteration of a paper prototype (https://www.associativetrails.com/about/intranetdevelopment/#paper-prototype), we set to work building a bespoke web application with the following features:

- Sophisticated management of the full event lifecycle - manage guest lists, invitations, mailshots, registrations, name badges, table plans and record attendance.
- Content management functionality to build a website for each event, allowing attendees to register and see venue information, timetables, travel and accommodation information and dress code.
- Integration with Wufoo allows sophisticated registration forms to be built and the responses used to assign attendees to workshops, send mailshots, etc.
- The ability to bulk upload invitees and export lists of guests in CSV format
- Send event invitations using a well-designed email template, and send mailshots to all or a subset of attendees
- Print out badges or labels for attendees in PDF format sized to fit a standard stationery layout. Badges can include individual attendee QR codes that event organisers use on the day of the event to scan with their smartphones and record attendance.
- Manage table plans and workshops by assigning attendees to different groups - table plans and workshop lists can be exported in PDF format for printing, and assigned tables/workshops added to individual name badges.
- View an individual's attendance history - which event have they been invited to, how did they respond and did they attend?
- An image library for logos, maps, etc. means standard images can be used in event websites, mailshots and badges - the images are automatically resized and optimised.
- A document library for PDF handouts and mailshot attachments means there is a central place to keep documents that are regularly used
- Secure administrator access via a web browser - with the ability to set up unlimited administrators.

> “I just want to say that you have done an amazing job developing the system and I appreciate all the work you have put in.” — Sophie Whitelock, Events Coordinator, Grant Thornton

## The outcome

The new system has been tailored to Grant Thornton's needs and is successfully managing internal events. Having an interface that is easier to use and requires little training has meant more staff can be involved in managing events, taking pressure off key individuals.

Technologies used

Adobe Coldfusion, Microsoft SQL Server, HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Bootstrap, URL Rewriting, automated PDF and QR code generation.

## Screens
- Sophisticated event management system: The system manages the full event lifecycle, from guest lists and invitations to mailshots, badges and table plans.
- Template-driven event websites: Each event gets its own website, built from a chosen layout and logo, where attendees can register and find event details.
- Bulk upload invitees: Invitees can be bulk uploaded from a CSV file and immediately assigned one of several invitation mailshots.
- Manage and filter guest list: Guests can be filtered by office, role or response and assigned to tables and workshop sessions from the same list.
- Print attendee badges - including QR codes to record attendance: Badges can include a QR code that organisers scan on the day to record each guest's attendance.