Investing in new technology to improve ROI & raise the bar for attendees following a two-year hiatus from in-person events.
The National Institute of Building Sciences is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization that supports advances in building science and technology. NIBS was established by the U.S. Congress in the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, Public Law 93-383. Congress recognized the need for an organization to serve as an interface between government and the private sector – one that serves as a resource to those who plan, design, procure, construct, use, operate, maintain, renovate, and retire physical facilities.
NIBS brings together experts from throughout the building industry, design, architecture, construction, and government and leads conversations to ensure our buildings and communities remain safe, and works to seek consensus solutions to mutual problems of concern.
Following a two-year hiatus from in-person events,NIBS seeks to invest in new technology that will support the return of their annual conference, Building Innovation.
The event will take place this September in Washington D.C.--bringing together thought leaders in the built environment to discuss key topics across resilience, sustainability and technology.
With a goal to drive profitability and raise the bar for the in-person experience by attracting top notch speakers–NIBS’ Senior Director of Membership and Development, Sarah Swango, was eager to find a speaker management platform that could replace a full time employee.
That’s when she discovered Sessionboard.
Pivoting back to the in-person experience, Sarah felt more pressure to deliver a compelling event that exceeds the expectations of their members.
“We were virtual the past two years, now I’ve found getting people to come back out in this industry has been more challenging. Budgets have been cut, attendees are more cautious and we had such high quality speakers and sessions virtually–I want to maintain that as we return to in-person this year.”
Sessionboard will drive internal efficiencies to save time that Sarah can invest back into creating a forward-thinking event that keeps members coming back:
“My #1 focus this year is creating the best attendee experience in a post-pandemic world. We’re always raising the bar for quality content and Sessionboard will give us back the valuable time we need to focus on what really matters–the member experience.”
With nearly 100 speakers, 20 sessions and 300 attendees–the need to simplify and streamline communication was a must-have in a solution like Sessionboard:
“The biggest challenge I’ve found coming back in person is driving authentic attendee engagement. Getting the right speaker talent to attract the right audience.”
The journey to get there is complex and happens over the course of months, across endless email chains and spreadsheet tabs. Sarah wears a lot of hats and using such fragmented systems to manage the process became a major bottleneck in her day-to-day role:
“I oversee a lot of moving parts–I am responsible for sourcing all talent, grading abstracts and building out the event agenda. It’s also my job to drive revenue for the conference, and how the exhibitors, sponsors and content contribute to the profitability of the event itself.”
With Sessionboard, Sarah can centralize these systems–eliminating the constant back and forth of emails with speakers by automating the time-consuming communications keeping her stuck in the weeds:
“Our speakers are very cerebral but not the most proactive - the process requires a lot of follow up. Sessionboard will really help streamline it all so I don’t have to dedicate a majority of my job wrangling speakers and can focus on driving a compelling event.”
With the administrative work off her plate, Sarah gains back valuable time and energy to focus on producing a top notch experience for speakers and attendees alike:
“I’m in charge of membership for NIBS and events like this can be a major factor to keep members engaged and renewing. I’m wanting to make sure they feel comfortable, and provide an event that is worthwhile,” says Sarah.
“For many, it’s their first in-person event in two years and I want them to leave with an unforgettable experience that will help them advance in their careers.”
With Sessionboard, Sarah saw opportunity to offload time consuming manual tasks that distract from producing an event that delivers as much on experience as it does on profitability:
“Last year we hired a consultant as a full time speaker point person–but this year, that role is gone. We’re using Sessionboard to supplement the lack of that full time resource,” says Sarah. “This year we want to be lean and mean - it’s my goal to profit from our conference.”
Communication and production will be transformed, so Sarah can stay nimble and deliver events that exceed attendee expectations:
“Since the pandemic began, we’ve shifted our focus toward smaller scale, micro events. I’m enjoying it because it’s less of a headache, and more of a quick lift. Since our industry is education focused, it’s crucial that our members back away with a lot of value. These smaller events allow us to deliver these niche experiences and avoid more general topics or sessions,” says Sarah.
The National Institute of Building Sciences is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization that supports advances in building science and technology. We were established by the U.S. Congress in the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, Public Law 93-383. Congress recognized the need for an organization to serve as an interface between government and the private sector – one that serves as a resource to those who plan, design, procure, construct, use, operate, maintain, renovate, and retire physical facilities.
We bring together experts from throughout the building industry, design, architecture, construction, and government. We lead conversations to ensure our buildings and communities remain safe, and we work to seek consensus solutions to mutual problems of concern.
A balanced blend of public and private financing supports NIBS' mission. Private sector contributions, membership dues, events, and publication sales are augmented with contracts and grants from federal and state agencies. These funds support programs that have brought together the nation's finest expertise to identify and resolve issues affecting the building process.
Sessionboard is a next generation speaker and content management platform that helps conference and meeting organizers save time, relieve stress and get their event content to market faster.
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