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Alliance Tech gives SAS valuable insight in real-time

From managing conference content to RFID tracking, Alliance Tech gives SAS win-win for annual users group conference

AUSTIN (May 12, 2006) — Technology companies are tough to please, and that’s something Austin-based Alliance Tech knows very well.

As a company that offers clients revolutionary solutions that make conferences and events ultimately more rewarding for attendees and the company hosting the event, we’re demanding customers.

But that’s exactly why leading technology companies like SAS chose Alliance Tech’s entire cadre of services for its recent SAS Users Group International (SUGI) conference in San Francisco. Alliance Tech’s dedication to stellar events that deliver tangible results – and save both money and time – is clear.

According to the CMO Council, large information technology companies spend 15 to 22 percent of their annual marketing budget on events, but actually measuring the value of those events isn’t easy to quantify – until now. The applications that Alliance Tech offers to companies like SAS are tipping those odds in their favor.

“We have a suite of tools that really saves SAS resources, and also helps them do their jobs,” says David Soto, national accounts manager for Alliance Tech. “SAS uses our full product line for SUGI, and takes full advantage of everything we do.”

Tools for Success

For the most recent SUGI conference, those advantages encompassed software applications for conference content management, including a Call for Papers, tools to manage sessions and exhibitor information, and event highlights; plus Networker, a unique application that encourages attendee networking and meeting before, during and after the conference.

SAS also used Messenger, a complete electronic conference messaging tool used onsite, as well as Lead Manager to capture, qualify, report, export and manage lead information in hours, not weeks, for prompt and professional follow-up.

Other Alliance Tech tools like Message Board, an extension of Messenger that lets attendees know they have messages waiting; Now and Next plasma session monitors that tell attendees what’s going on; and downloadable PDA event guides that help attendees best manage conference time without dragging around heavy agendas were used to make each attendee’s SUGI conference experience the best possible.

“Everything we do is driven by what attendees are there for because we understand that those are the big issues for the conference manager,” says Soto. “Our job is making the conference more meaningful for attendees, because that’s what is important to SAS.”

The Ultimate View

The most valuable tool for SAS, however, was RFID tracking. Used for the first time at this year’s SUGI event, RFID gives executives a 30,000-foot view – from the very top. One might call it the “Mt. Everest” of ultimate conference management.

“At previous events, there was no was no way for executive management to know how attendees were participating at the event – what worked, what didn’t,” says Soto. “RFID told them what their preferences were, what interested them, and what was important to them. That’s huge.”

Via a simple tag on the back of an attendee’s conference badge, Alliance Tech’s RFID (radio frequency identification) Attendance Reporter can easily capture, track, and analyze the traffic patterns of conference attendees. SAS knew immediately, via a quick glance at a daily report, which exhibitors, sessions or products were most popular – and which won’t be making an appearance next year.

Attendee information is strictly private, since no personal information is actually stored on the tag, and SAS has an incredibly accurate way to measure conference ROI and the effectiveness of the SUGI event. The end result is that SAS can plan even better conferences in the future.

“The information that Alliance Tech gives SAS enables them to tailor their conferences to attendees, which makes them much more successful for the company,” says Soto. “It’s a non-invasive way to get attendee information, and it’s an always-on technology, so you don’t miss your counts.”

Determining what’s really important

Companies like SAS also save a considerable amount of money and time using the kind of leading technology that Alliance Tech offers because they don’t have to hire temporary workers or rent barcode scanners to find out what people really value in a 5,000-plus attendee users conference.

“That’s the value we bring to SAS and other companies – giving them insight they didn’t have before,” says Soto. “They’re impressed with what we offer, but we’re as much consultants as their technology vendor, so we can really work as a collaborative partner to give them the products and services that best meet their needs.”

Of course, a huge users group conference like SUGI doesn’t end when the last monitoring device is packed away. Rather, Alliance Tech is delivering valuable real-time data and post-conference reports to SAS through its analytics software – offering customized reporting, results, metrics and much more. After all, you’re only as good as your last conference.

“We start planning for next year’s SUGI just two weeks after the previous one ends,” says Soto. “It’s about gathering data and being able to mine that to see if we’ve achieved the event’s goals. From the customer feedback we get from SAS, we’ve met those goals.”

About Alliance Tech, Inc.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Alliance Tech is a leading provider of marketing performance measurements for the meetings, conference and events industry. The company was the first to offer a complete integrated event management solution that includes online attendee networking, RFID attendee tracking, lead tracking, event content management and event analytics. Alliance Tech solutions give companies the ability to measure event effectiveness, understand attendee behavior and, deliver more qualified leads. Customers include IBM, SAS, Dell, Cisco, NCR and  Redken. Alliance Tech is a privately held company in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.alliancetech.com.