More Team Productivity With Podio

E-mails and Excel no longer suffice in managing event team collaboration. Here at Converve we use the Podio tool – find out here why and how.

There are many possibilities to organize communication in event organizing teams. E-mail is still far from dead, with some companies increasingly moving more towards messenger services like e.g. WhatsApp.

However, e-mail and messenger services have clear disadvantages:

• Different versions of documents are in circulation
• If someone isn’t copied in, they’re not informed
• The inbox is difficult to search through
• The topic of data protection with regards to messenger services is still unclear
• Event planners are literally battered with an endless influx of e-mails and important information gets lost.

It is therefore no surprise that there is a wealth of web-based services offering better event team cooperation organization. Offers from Trello and Slack, 5PM, Basecamp, Yammer, to Evernote @Business are being used more and more frequently in event planning. Mark Zuckerberg also focusses on this topic and has recently started offering the social intranet service Facebook Workplace. 

Here at Converve, we have been using the Podio online platform for a long time for our internal communication and exchange with our customers. We searched long and hard for the right tool and we’re very happy with Podio.

Why?

First: Flexibility through Workspaces

When we offer our customers event matchmaking services, each project has its own characteristics. Of course there are standard elements, but the integration into existing systems, the customer’s project management structures or project scope often vary. 

Podio allows us to set up an individual workspace for each project. Each contains all the exact features required for the respective task(s) – and nothing else! This also means that customers that haven’t yet worked with a project management tool can be introduced to the online platform very easily and don’t need a long training/familiarization period to get to grips with the tool.

Suitable workspaces can also be set up to meet the demands of event teams.

Second: All Documents in One Location

The time-consuming search for version 13.5.6.7 of a particular document is completely eliminated. Podio ensures that our customers, as well as we ourselves, have access to the current version of important documents, artwork or pictures at any time.  

Podio seamlessly integrates other file sharing or collaboration services such as Evernote, Dropbox or Google Drive. The system works effortlessly with good old e-mail too, allowing documents to be uploaded simply by e-mail that are then available for all project participants. 

Third: Easy to Use Social Intranet

Communication, chats and comments are indispensable in event project management. Podio offers all these features in one, clean, clear design. That way, all project staff members and customers are always up to date with the latest information and can exchange about drafts.

Even for those that still swear by e-mail are well satisfied: you are informed via e-mail about new developments, even if you are not logged in to Podio at that time.

In the personal profiles you can save a social media profile, giving you another way to network with each other.

Fourth: Expandability through Apps

Podio offers its own market place for apps . This allows you to add any applications to your workspace in the event of a particular assignment. The spectrum spans from Gantt diagrams (chronological presentation of project steps) and time planning tools, backup apps, to the integration of Google Maps. This is an exciting feature when you use Podio for the planning of event locations. 

Should the searched app actually not be there, you can also create your own apps without much effort required. We did this in our “Converve Online Marketing” web space in order to display our Personas and content planning in Podio.

Fifth: Works on all Platforms, Online and Mobile

These days, a project management tool needs to be able to work both on Windows and on macOS. You also need to enable access to the most important features at any time via a mobile device – event planners are after all often on the move and expect to be kept updated on their smartphones.

This works on Podio flawlessly and, due to the mobile app being so clearly designed, you are able to enjoy collaborating in the team on the go – you have your open-plan office with you at all times in your pocket!

Bottom Line

We love Podio! The mixture of flexibility, security and, last but not least, value for money has made Podio an important tool for Converve in collaborating with colleagues, customers and freelancers.

The company, an established startup from Denmark (Podio was taken over by Citrix in 2012) constantly thinks how to ease collaboration in teams and easily keep up with solutions from providers such as Salesforce or SAP.