Outsourced Events would like to present to you our ‘In Focus’ articles in which we will take the time to reflect on our experience with the virtual event platforms, specific tools and technologies available.* We hope that these articles will provide you with some more information about the technologies and us as a company. In this article we would like to take a look at the platform training management software platform Arlo.
Arlo: InFocus
Last year’s Royal College of Occupational Therapists’ (RCOT) Annual Conference 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic, so RCOT decided to go virtual this year and for the fifth time they chose Outsourced Events to support them.
Historically, the most challenging aspect of the RCOT Annual Conference has been the registration management due to the number of attendees, pricing model and the level of information required, this year we opted with Arlo for the following reasons.
Registrations
With Arlo you can customise the registration form with ease and add/remove fields to capture all the required delegate data. You can create a basic event or multi-stream event with different prices depending on the clients requirements so delegates can choose which sessions they would like to attend. Compared to our previous platform, it’s much easier to amend a registration, apply a discount code and send an amended invoice with a click of a button.
Integrations
Arlo can integrate with various other software packages/apps like Xero, Zoom, Moodle, Survey Monkey, Stripe and Google Analytics etc., to streamline the processes and to minimize manual work. In line with this year’s RCOT virtual event we have integrated the Stripe payment platform into Arlo, so delegates can securely enter their card details without having to share the details over the phone or via email. You can easily process a refund through Arlo which will automatically get processed on Stripe.
Financials
On Arlo you can add your own invoice/credit note template and upon registering, the delegate receives a copy of the invoice to the email address provided. Invoices can easily be amended and resent. For a more complex event like RCOT where prices vary for different types of delegates, you can set multiple criterion to discount the price based on the type of delegate selected. You can also create manual voucher codes to meet specific client requirements i.e. free or discounted tickets for a select few.
Arlo offers both credit card and BACS payment methods. For BACS paying delegates the invoice includes a payment link, so if they change their mind they can easily click on the link and pay via credit card instead and Arlo will update the invoice status automatically.
Communications
Communicating with the delegates has never been easier, with a small additional payment to Zapier you can seamlessly connect Arlo to your other business apps i.e. Microsoft Outlook. You can send various reminders, amendments and other communications to the delegates with ease.
Reporting
Arlo offers a wide range of reports which can be customised as required. You can add as many conditions to the reports and include/remove different fields to obtain the required data. Reporting can include Delegate Data Reports, Detailed Financial Reports, Discount Reports, Contact Reports and Communication Logs. All these reports help us provide accurate real-time information to clients, with a click of a button.
Security
Arlo is fully GDPR compliant and all data is securely stored in the cloud with Amazon Web Services. The data is regularly backed up and is encrypted with a unique key for each customer. Data is stored in AWS data centers in AU, IE and Canada, depending on the legal jurisdiction. Therefore, delegates and clients can be reassured that their personal information is securely stored and won’t be compromised.
*Disclaimer: This article was not paid for and is not a full review of the platform, but our opinion of the platform based on our experiences.
