The Challenge
Before using RainFocus, Autodesk had an unmanageable number of event templates, making routine maintenance difficult. For every template change, the global event team needed to manually update details like emails and copyrights within each template. Branding was an even bigger challenge. Without a way to lock approved designs, the global event team found that individual event managers frequently changed the templates’ look and feel, interfering with brand consistency. Meanwhile, the demand for events continued to grow.
“We decided to evaluate RainFocus to see if it was a good fit, and we haven’t looked back since. The work we’ve done together to define RainFocus’ templates has really been a game-changer for us.” — Pier-André Maynard, Event Platform Manager
The Goal
As Autodesk added more events, the team needed the ability to more easily scale their event program and work effectively with event templates. They set a goal of increasing user governance and decreasing the manual work required for the global event team.
The Solution
Autodesk selected RainFocus for its scalable framework and unified reporting. Working with RainFocus, Autodesk reduced 15 templates to just six: one for their larger, more custom events; one for their premium events; and four for their smaller, basic events, including virtual and in-person variations.
Each template was designed for repeatability, with a varying level of setup depending on the template’s needs. For example, within the premium template, 60% of event branding and setup is completed beforehand, compared to 80% for the basic template.
“When we decided to move forward with RainFocus, it was a fresh restart. We were able to keep the manual work to a minimum by defining what would work for most of our needs and locking that down. Now it’s really efficient to turn events around.” — Pier-André Maynard
To ensure consistency across every event, Autodesk and RainFocus assembled various stakeholders to form a unified board of governance. The group’s global hub manages organization-wide settings. They oversee all content, branding, and sponsorship changes. Individual event planners now have fewer permissions and can modify only certain event-specific settings.
Onboarding and Support
RainFocus onboarded Autodesk’s vast event team with a consultative approach. After RainFocus and Autodesk had aligned on a strategy, dedicated solutions architects helped decide which settings individual users should and shouldn’t be able to modify. Together, Autodesk and RainFocus provided users with relevant content and training. For additional support, the solutions architects trained Autodesk’s marketing services team to help event managers with their templates.
“Seeing what we can do with our fairly small team warms my heart. It feels good to collaborate with our internal stakeholders on a single platform and know that we are setting them up for success.” — Pier-André Maynard
Measurement
Autodesk’s final key to scaling their events was achieving a standardized data set. The board of governance agreed on a select number of attributes (including attendee, session, and exhibitor attributes) and questions for their event templates to keep data consistent for cross-event reporting.
The team uses RainFocus’ global event dashboards and reports to monitor combined event engagement and keep key stakeholders informed. This enables the board to forecast results and demonstrate event ROI.
Results
Using RainFocus templates has significantly reduced Autodesk’s time to launch registration. Having common attributes in place improves reporting and allows Autodesk to scale their event program.
Specifically, using global event settings to apply changes to multiple events at once saves Autodesk hours of work each time. Moreover, with complete control of what event managers can and cannot edit, the board of governance can confidently assure that every event accurately represents the company’s brand.
