BW Events Tech COO Rae Malcham joins us for a conversation about tech stack. While tech stack can seem intimidating, Rae assures us it is not. In fact, managing your tech stack is something every event planner should understand for more seamless event experiences.
Full transcript
V: Hi everyone, welcome. My name is Victoria Rasmussen and I’m here today with our CSO, excuse me, COO Rae Malcham. And we are going to be having a little bit of a conversation about tech stack. Rae, welcome. Thanks for joining us.
R: Yep, good to be here. Hello, everyone.
V: So I guess to kick it off, you know, tech stack is thrown around, it can seem a little scary, right? What exactly is tech stack?
R: Yeah, I mean, that is like a big word used all over the industry and technology. But I think within events, we often hear is as your event tech stack, right? “Your event tech stack” is thrown around a lot. And [I] just want to kind of demystify what that is. It’s not scary.
I think, at the end of the day, your event tech stack is really about what tools you use to run your events and kind of knowing where your data flows and where your source of truth is. So it’s not just for, you know, enterprise companies, with lots of event technology. If you use Eventbrite and MailChimp, that’s your tech stack for your events,- all the way up to multiple systems and enterprise level.
Having that understanding of the tools you use their purpose where the data flows, and where your source of truth is, I would say, encompasses your event tech stack.
V: Oh, that’s awesome! So you mentioned it’s not just for enterprise? Are you sure I have the budget for this?
R: Yeah, I mean, really, it’s, it’s what you use already, you know, your budget. I think that actually what’s so beneficial when it comes to budget around your event tech stack is that you have a clearer picture of where your money’s going and when it’s giving you. So understanding what tools you have and what you’re using them for, can sometimes lead to discoveries that you’re maybe double paying for the same functionality with two tools. Or you could leverage a different tool to do something that you’re already looking for in the market.
And so when you have a good baseline of your event tech stack, what we usually recommend to clients, is before you go look for any other tool in the market to fix something or solve a problem, or release something new, always go back to your event tech stack that you already have, and look at what functionality already exists. Because he might be able to do what you’re looking for with your existing toolset.
V: That’s awesome! So cool! So I don’t have to go out and you know [start from the beginning]. I guess sometimes tech stack, it can be intimidating, because you think I have to go and source everything from the beginning. But it’s really cool to know that that’s not the case that it’s kind of working with what you already have.
R: Yeah, and you know, and it’s being more strategic, I think and thoughtful about what you’re bringing in to your event, like cycle or you know, as I guess, event tech stack for technology. That you have a good understanding, if you’re gonna make a purchase or make an investment in bringing in a new tool, you can feel confident that it is a gap that you can’t fill with what you currently have, and that there’s a value in bringing another set of functionality in and maybe another vendor or tool.
V: Awesome. And I guess to finish this off, what do you think, is the number one thing that BW can help with in terms of tech stack?
R: Yeah, great question. I think, you know, what we like to say is we help augment existing tools. And because we’re experts in so many tools in the markets, we know how to get creative with them. And so what we we love to do is to look at the existing tools the client already uses, and see if there’s a way to augment or use, you know, existing functionality to create a different experience that that clients are trying to look at.
So I would say often when we help evaluate a tech stack for a client, we have been able to help save upwards of over a million dollars, honestly, for some clients by looking at their tech stack and helping them consolidate tools potentially replace tools, or leverage tools for different experiences that may be out of the box isn’t obvious. But because we have the expertise, we’re able to come come help do that.
V: Creative energy. Gotta love it.
R: Yep, yep. So don’t you know, don’t be scared. Know, the tools you use, why use them and you know, we’re always here to help. Take a look at what you’re using and what you need.
V: Awesome! Well, thanks, Rae. Appreciate it and I can go forward having their tech stocks demystified.
R: Yeah, bye!
