Take your events online using Salesforce and Blackthorn Events

Businesses and organizations are looking at utilizing online events for the foreseeable future after canceling in-person events to combat the spread of COVID-19. While we know folks are dealing with more than just events right now, we want to do what we can to help make the process easier. If your organization is exploring or using online events to host webinars or group meetings and need a solution that allows online event logistics to be done entirely in Salesforce, we’ve got a solution. And for those who are facing temporary budget cuts, we’re offering extended free trial times and the ability to use our solution for an extended period at a significantly reduced rate.

We’re all using conferencing tools like Zoom or GoToWebinar to run online events like webinars and group meetings. But, one big problem for Salesforce users is the need to transfer registrant and attended status information between Salesforce and that conferencing tool. While some have integrations, only limited data get synced. We’ve made it so you can eliminate data transfers by inviting, registering, and updating registrants and their attendance status all in Salesforce. Here’s how it works:

• No data imports/exports: Bypass attendee registration forms and data exports from online conferencing tools. While Salesforce integrations might work for simple needs, you might have to import specific registrant and attendee data manually before and after the event. If attendees use Blackthorn’s registration forms in place of the conferencing tool form to register events, the registrant’s information gets automatically logged into Salesforce. No need to move data.
• ‍One confirmation URL: Once someone registers, a confirmation page appears with a video screen linked directly to the online webinar or live-stream event. Watch the video immediately if it’s a recording, or come back to the link when it’s time to tune in live.‍
• One-person access: To reduce link sharing to people who don’t register, only one person can view the event using their unique link.‍
• Auto-updated data: Once the attendee views the confirmation page, their event status in Salesforce updates to “attended.”‍
• Supported services: Right now, we’re working on integrations with BlueJeans, GoToWebinar, Pando, Webex, Webinaris, Vimeo, and Zoom.‍
• A lot more coming: Our goal is to expand on these features, so stay tuned for more updates.

If you’re interested in learning more or talking about a plan for your organization, reach out to our team today.

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If you need a quick way to move basic data from a conference tool to a CRM…

If you’re looking for a quick way to move data from the conferencing tool to your CRM, here’s an example of how one of our customers did it using our solution, Zapier, and a GoToWebinar integration, prior to having our updated solution.

‍IVL is a Swedish organization focused on solving environmental challenges by bridging the gap between science and society. Check out their webinar event example and how the team used a GoToWebinar integration.

Another great example is The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is an advertising organization that develops industry standards, conducts research, and provides legal support for the online advertising industry. IAB is moving its New Fronts annual event to be streamed online via gated content due to the COVID-19 Crisis. If you use a Salesforce Community or your own portal, this is an excellent example of how you can use iframing to place Blackthorn-provided event landing pages and registration forms directly on your website.

Tips for Running Smooth, Personalized Online Events

We’ve also got some great tips for running smooth online recruitment events for higher education admissions teams that also work for other industries. Read them here.

For current Blackthorn Events customers, we’re happy to alleviate some of the costs associated with event planning. We can credit any affected registrations to your account, and if you have a gap in time created by canceled events, we’ll extend your subscription out for the number of days in that gap. Contact us at support@blackthorn.io.

We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time.

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