EHL revolutionizes event management with HubSpot

EHL: a leading international business school in hospitality and service management

The EHL Hospitality Business School, based in Switzerland since 1893, is internationally recognized for its high-quality teaching. It has been ranked No.1 hotel management university in the world by the QS World University Rankings since 2019. The school attracts students of over 120 nationalities. Its aim is to train the future leaders of the hotel industry and, more generally, the service industries.

Challenges

The school organizes "Open Days" on its 3 campuses, Lausanne, Passugg and Singapore, to recruit future students. The management of these events and registrations was fragmented between different systems: EventBrite, Zapier, HubSpot, the EHL website and an internal platform.

• Centralize the data: Registration data came from two different interfaces. This fragmented process complicated data management, affecting system maintainability and causing synchronization errors. EHL wanted to consolidate all registration flows onto a single platform.
• Analyze profitability : EHL lacked clear visibility of their event figures. Knowing the number of registrants and its impact on arrivals at the school was crucial to optimizing their marketing actions. The EHL team needed to report on its performance.
• Making the participant journey smoother: The École Hôtelière de Lausanne is committed to offering a personalized, premium experience to its future students. From the moment they register until the day of the event, participants must be guided through their journey.

To simplify their process, the solution EHL sought had to enable them to efficiently manage an event via their CRM tool.

The solution: partially recreate EventBrite in HubSpot

We wanted to combine the features of event platforms with those of HubSpot to get the best of both worlds. This was essential to transform physical and online events into a real business asset for EHL.

Step 1: data mapping according to specific properties

Two custom objects were created within the CRM platform. One, called "Event", groups together properties related to the event itself, the other, named "Registration", concerns details relating to the registration. Via a webhook:

• The "Event" custom object is linked to a registration
• The "Registration" custom object is linked to an event and a contact

With quality information in their HubSpot CRM, it's easier for EHL members to analyze event ROI.

Step 2: customized workflow integration

We implemented 16 workflows to create a single registration process accompanying participants every step of the way. Among them, 11 generic workflows have been developed, as well as 5 specific to each type of event. These workflows manage registrant information and send personalized e-mails.

Using a template developed by the Make the Grade team, the EHL recruiter creates an event via a HubSpot form. He then works with the agency to design the registration landing page. This template will be used for each occurrence of this type of event.

All event data is automatically recorded in the CRM thanks to HubSpot forms.

A lead submits a form and chooses the session they wish to attend.

As the number of places per session is limited, an external webhook calculates the remaining places with each new registration. This information is displayed directly on the form. Registrations are blocked once the limit has been reached to avoid disappointment.

A QR code unique to each registrant is generated using an API and saved in a Registration "QR Code" property.

An automatic mail is sent to the registrant with a dedicated QR code that will allow him/her to access the event on the day.

The QR code is scanned by the EHL team on the day of the event.

If the participant shows up, the registration is annotated "Attended" within the CRM. Scanning the QR code triggers a webhook that will come and set the status of this visitor's registration to "Attended".

If the attendee doesn't show up, the registration is annotated "Attended" within the CRM.

If the attendee doesn't show up, their registration is annotated "No-Show".

It was necessary to repatriate all this data to HubSpot, so that all 8 EHL teams could access it simply. Workflows guide participants through each step of the registration process, providing an efficient and effective experience.

The HubSpot system is now available to all EHL teams.

Step 3: synchronize data streams with 3 different APIs

As EHL operates with QR codes at its events, we used 2 bespoke APIs to facilitate information feedback.

An API used to create webhooks for:

• Associate event registrations
• Generate unique QR Codes
• Scan QR Codes, to record the number of actual participants
• Get number of places remaining per session
• Cancel registrations

A HubSpot API for:

• Associate the "Events" custom object with the "Registrations"
custom object.
• Have the ability to update object properties
.

Thanks to the data available in CRM, EHL can personalize its communication to enhance the attendee experience. In addition, the integration of QR Codes enables EHL to measure the success of the event.

Results: a human-centered process

Every step of the way, EHL is committed to offering its students the most enriching experience possible. The same applies to future students wishing to join the school.

1. A more fluid participant pathway

EHL has observed a general satisfaction among participants. This is thanks in particular to the QR Codes and personalized emails that make the course simpler and more intuitive.

2. Data centralization

With a more comprehensive system, the school can now pilot the entire process from its CRM. From the creation of the event to the arrival of future students on the big day.

3. The ability to make more informed decisions

They now have an ROI vision that will enable them to make more informed decisions for future events. Here are some statistics from the latest Lausanne Open Day managed by the HubSpot system:

• Almost 80% participation rate
• 54% of students expressed their wish for admission for the start of the 2024 academic year

The story between EHL and Make the Grade is not over. Our teams continue to collaborate to work on other types of events. The eventual idea is to integrate all their events on HubSpot CRM.