Building Your Tech Stack

By Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, VEIP

Earlier this year, I earned the Virtual Event Institute Professional (VEIP) certification. I found this course fascinating as I wanted to learn more about the current state of how we are meeting. As a Certified Association Executive (CAE), I made a commitment to earn all my renewal hours via education so this seemed like a great way to earn some hours and expand my knowledge base.

It was an excellent choice as it presented a deeper dive into virtual events from a global perspective, and it talked about organizing events for tens of thousands of people. Much of the knowledge from this course is transferable to other areas as it focuses on scanning, planning, implementing, and evaluating (SPIE – sound familiar fellow CAEs and CAE candidates?).

I came away with a new view of strategy, content and speaker identification, and a broader view of a hybrid event. The coordination of a global hybrid conference for thousands of people is no small feat; I was not surprised when the presenters pointed out how many contractors are required outside of your staff’s organization.

But, as a writer, I love words and phrases and I came away with one of my new favorites: “tech stack.” If you are an IT professional or consultant, you probably have known this phrase for a while, but I am an advanced tech user, so it’s new to me! I have been peppering my conversation with this phrase as often as possible.

If you are wondering “what the heck is a tech stack?” it’s a short way of saying your technology infrastructure. When you are building your tech stack for an event, you need to evaluate what you already have and decide if you need to “add to the stack” to deliver a seamless experience for your participants.

The same concept applies to your organization’s tech stack; what do you already have, is it working for you, and is it delivering the services your members and stakeholders need when they need it?

For example, you might be considering a new Association Management System (AMS). While you might think an integrated AMS is a tech stack, it’s still a building block. Your AMS might not have an integration you need for real-time event participation. Or, your AMS online payment system might not handle international payments so you need an integration. Your members may want more control over their member record and want access to update their own information; yep, there’s an app for that.

Whatever you are trying to do to best serve your members, your tech stack shouldn’t look like a game of Jenga – holes in your stack will make it fall just like this building block game. Before updating, changing, or starting from scratch, build your tech stack based on your goals and functions. Don’t get distracted by the bright, shiny bells and whistles that may not serve your mission.

Don’t miss our Nonprofit Conversation with Moira Edwards, President, Ellipsis Partners, on “Optimizing Your Technology Ecosystem.” https://bit.ly/ChattingOptimizingTechnology

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