Planning Tyler Connect With Julia Manheim

Tyler Podcast Episode 42, Transcript

Our Tyler Technologies podcast explores a wide range of complex, timely, and important issues facing communities and the public sector. Expect approachable tech talk mixed with insights from subject matter experts and a bit of fun. Host and content marketing director Jeff Harrell – and other guest hosts – highlights the people, places, and technology making a difference. Give us listen today and subscribe.

Episode Summary

How do you pull off an event that helps your clients maximize the value and efficiency of their solutions when you’ve got thousands of users using many different solutions in many different areas of government? Well Tyler Connect is the Tyler Technolgoes user conference and we are going to get a sneak peek behind the scenes of this outstanding event because our guest today is Julia Manheim. Julia is the manager of event experience here at Tyler, and an amazing wealth of insight and information. You'll enjoy this interesting peek behind the curtain on how to pull off an event totally focused on create the best possible experience for clients.

Transcript

Julia Manheim: When I think about in person events and we've all kind of gotten into the Zoom fatigue world, where we're in virtual. And I know I've personally gone to a couple conferences now and meetings where it ranged from 10 to 15 people, up to one that was recently about 10,000 people, and there's just something about being in person that you cannot replicate. There's an excitement. There's a buzz. Everyone is very excited to be back in person, to network, see their peers who they haven't seen in almost over two years for some industries. So, that I think is first off the biggest exciting thing is we are back in person

Jeff Harrell: From Tyler Technologies. It's the Tyler Tech Podcast where we talk about issues facing communities today and highlight the people, places, and technology, making a difference. My name is Jeff Harrell. I'm the director of content marketing here at Tyler Technologies and I'm so glad you joined me. Well, here's the problem that we are looking at today. How do you pull off an event that helps your clients maximize the value and efficiency of their solutions, when you've got thousands of users, using many different solutions, in many different areas of government? Well, even saying that out loud makes me a little tired and the task seem quite onerous.

Jeff Harrell: Well, Tyler Connect is Tyler Technology's User Conference, and we are going to get a sneak peek behind the scenes of this outstanding event because our guest today is Julia Manheim. Julia is the manager of event experience here at Tyler and an amazing wealth of insight and information. You're really going to enjoy this fun and informative look behind the curtain. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Julia Manheim. Well, I'm super excited to have Julia Manheim here with us. Julia, welcome to the Tyler Tech Podcast.

Julia Manheim: Thanks, Jeff. Happy to be here.

Background on Julia Manheim

Jeff Harrell: I'd like to start out just at the beginning. Tell us a little bit about you and in your background in events.

Julia Manheim: Yeah. I am currently the manager of event experience here at Tyler. I've been in this role just for a few short months. It's actually a new role we've created on our team, but I've been with Tyler for three years now and before that worked at another software company on their events team. We had a Connect Conference as well. And then before that worked with an association, so had a little bit on the trade association background. Most of my events previous to Tyler were anywhere from a couple hundred, up to about 2,000. So, moving to Tyler was a fun, big jump for Connect.

Jeff Harrell: So that's a lot of events and I think in the event world, are there certifications and things like that as an event planner?

Julia Manheim: Yeah. I've actually got two certifications. One is a CMP, which is a certified meeting professional. It is basically the gold standard in our industry. It requires a lot of studying, a three hour exam that you go through that's proctored. And again, it's really the mark of someone who knows their stuff in the events industry. Then another designation is the DES, which is digital event strategist. That one's really become very prevalent as we've been in the pandemic because it focuses on the virtual. So, working on those digital events, focusing on the strategy behind that, how to really put on a good virtual event.

Jeff Harrell: Oh, that's awesome. That comes in very handy during a pandemic, I'm sure.

Julia Manheim: Yep.

Why Tyler Connect?

Jeff Harrell: Well, I know we wanted to focus on Tyler Connect because that's our biggest user conference of the year. It is a big conference and I think one of the things when we heard from some of our Tyler Tech Podcast listeners is, "Hey, it would be fun to understand how that happens. I know there's a lot to it." As an event goer, you show up and everything's already done and you just experience it. But there's so many things that happen or have to happen way ahead of time, months ahead of, sometimes even years ahead of time to make an event like that happen. I'd love to focus on Tyler Connect and really start with the why. Why does Tyler put on Tyler Connect? What's the biggest goal as an event planner that you want to accomplish?

Julia Manheim: That's a great question, Jeff. So for us, the biggest, why, is our clients? We are looking to provide the best training, the best networking and the best growth opportunities for our clients, so they can continue to serve their communities and serve them well. Connect is really where we bring it all together, training, networking, networking with your peers, networking with Tyler's staff, and then that thought leadership piece, all into one place. It's truly fitting that the name is Connect, because that's what we're really trying to do is connect our clients.

Jeff Harrell: I love that and I know I've been to Connect many times and as an event guy, I've been to other events as well. As I mentioned before, you show up, you see the event, you experience the event, but for someone that's not an event planner like yourself, I'm sure there's lots of things that you've got to think about when putting on event, especially of this size, that those of us that are not in the event space wouldn't even think of. What are some of those things that you have to take in into consideration?

Julia Manheim: That's a good question. I think one of the biggest things that people don't really realize is how long that planning process is starting with our destination selection. That is actually done years in advance. We're currently booked through 2025 and actually through 2027, I should say. And so that in and of itself is a huge piece of figuring out where we're going to go getting those projections and finding that home of where Connect's going to go. But you know, once we're getting into the real nitty gritty, once we finish up Connect, usually April-May, we immediately start planning the next one. I think there's a lot that goes into that timeline, in and of itself, that a lot of people don't realize. And beyond that, there's a lot of details. There's tiny things from the number of chairs in a room, to where we even place the buffets, that we have a rhyme and reason to it all. So, if you see something there's probably a lot that went into the decision to have it.

Feeding the Masses

Jeff Harrell: Getting to see a little bit of a glimpse into Tyler Connect. I know when you guys finish an event, finish a Tyler Connect, it's almost like the next week you are started on next year's version of that. So it's not like there's almost even a time to catch your breath a little bit before you're you're right on into the next one. Because again, like you said, the goal is to make sure it's a great experience for our clients. I love that. One of the questions I've always had specific to this is I look at the number of people that you have to feed at one time. How do you pull that off

Julia Manheim: Industrial kitchens, I will say. I joke that luckily I'm not the one back there or we would probably have spaghetti and meatballs for every single meal. But in all seriousness, our partners at the convention centers and the hotels that we work with are truly amazing. They are the true professionals at getting everything done and there is a lot of pre-work that goes into that. So, we're choosing our menus well in advance, weeks, if not months in advance of the conference. We go in and when we do our site visits months before, we'll do tastings with them so that way we know what the quality is and we are not hesitant to push back and say, "This isn't up to our standards. You guys really got to keep working on a certain menu item or completely scratch it." There's a lot that goes into that menu planning meal planning and it's tough, but when it's a finely tuned machine, it really is a site to behold.

Jeff Harrell: Is there some meals or food that you wouldn't serve because it's harder to keep fresh? Or I would imagine there like some things maybe can last a little bit longer? Does that narrow the menu down a little bit, thinking about how many people you have to feed at one time?

Julia Manheim: Oh, for sure. There definitely are certain items that some groups, it all kind of depends on your group profile. So, if I've got a group of say truck drivers coming in, clearly this is not for Connect, but that's probably going to be more of a meat and potatoes group versus a yoga team, they're going to be into the salads and things like that. So knowing your group's profile and demographics is going to be key to making sure you're choosing something that can fit their needs. And as well, we've got a ton of dietary restrictions that we try to accommodate. So, whether it be gluten-free, or dairy-free, celiac, things like that, as well as, making sure we've got options for our vegan, vegetarian.

Jeff Harrell: Yeah. So, it sounds like really understanding who it is you're feeding really is an important ingredient, so to speak, in what you come up with from a food perspective.

Julia Manheim: Yep, exactly.

Choosing a Location

Jeff Harrell: Julia, you mentioned earlier the location and I know you've got locations planned out through 2027, I think you said. What are the consideration when you think about places to go for Connect, what are some of the things that you have to think about when you're choosing a location?

Julia Manheim: Yeah, there's a ton that goes into our decisions for our site selection. So first and foremost, when we're looking at Connect, we've got to look at logistically who can hold over 7,000 people, both in meeting space and hotels, because you'll find some destinations that have plenty of meeting space and say it's exhibit space, but they can't necessarily hold the number of breakout rooms we need. Or, they may have that meeting space but the actual hotels in the area can only hold, say like two to 3,000. So, there is a fine line of finding that mix of who can hold this many people. And again, I mentioned we hold over a hundred concurrent breakouts, so finding space that can fit our groups that need a classroom that's only 20 people in that space, or can hold up to 300, 400 in that space for a breakout. So, that's probably our biggest initial consideration. And from there, there's a bunch of other factors that we look into. We look into where we've been in the past. What is the airlift, which is how easy it is to fly in and out of a destination? And then look at the profile of the city and what it has to offer our attendees. Is it a safe destination? Is it somewhere that has good infrastructure for our attendees and is going to make that experience an enjoyable place to go to?

Jeff Harrell: I love it. I didn't think about it, but I think probably our event, Tyler Connect, there's a lot more breakout in other conferences and they may have four or five different breakouts any one time. We have probably close to a hundred because the number of solutions that we have, so I didn't think about that being such a big factor in eliminating, maybe some areas we might want to go, but just can't because of space.

Julia Manheim: Yeah. Yeah. It certainly does put limitations, but it's worth it to have all of our teams together and the more and more we realize our connected community's vision, the more and more we're going to have crossover into those concurrent sessions.

Jeff Harrell: Any fun stories on scouting locations or any kind of unique things that have happened as you've scouted different places that we might go?

Julia Manheim: Yeah. It's funny, you ask that. I think when people hear about meeting planners and event planners, and they think about those site visits, they really kind of have this idea that it's a wine and dine and these glamorous trips. I'm here to bust that myth and tell you that it is truly nonstop working from dawn till dusk. What it is that when we do these site visits, we are coming in with a bit of a critical eye from the start, so anything from how is the airport? How is the drive from the airport to the hotel or convention center? Looking at how many restrooms are in a facility? Where are they located? I know, especially for women making sure there are enough stalls in a bathroom can be a very important thing. Looking from an accessibility standpoint, do we have mother's rooms available? Quiet spaces, things like that. So the scouting you're always on, and you're always kind of taking a look, seeing how it would impact your attendees when we're doing these site visits. As for any fun stories, it really depends on the destination. I will say you always come away with a story if you're going to Vegas and even for work, that is no different. But I can't think of any that really come to mind right now.

Jeff Harrell: Well, nor can you share them if they happen in Vegas. They have to stay here, right? So you can't share it anywhere. Well, what are some of the things as a planner that keeps you up at night?

Julia Manheim: The things that keep me up at night, it's really just making sure that we have done our due diligence to make sure what we're putting out is what the attendee needs are and it's that it's meeting our goals and objectives, as well as safety. Safety is always going to be top of mind, whether it's physical safety, mental safety, that is always something that is peak and key in whenever we're building events.

Joys of Planning

Jeff Harrell: Kind of conversely, what's your biggest joy when you put on an event? I'd imagine that there's things that happen, ups and downs, good and bad. What's some of the joys that you get to experience when you put on an event?

Julia Manheim: Oh, there are a lot. I always like to say my favorite part of event planning is actually when we're on site. We get to see all of our hard work for a year plus coming together and just seeing it all come to fruition. All the things you've been conceptualizing, strategizing and putting it and seeing it in person is really just something to behold. I would say that's definitely the greatest joy and just seeing people come to together for a common goal, and it can be multiple goals, but seeing people come together, that's really a beautiful thing.

Jeff Harrell: I know one thing you guys do really, really well is ask for feedback, have that feedback loop. I know you ask for feedback from every a attendee and I'm sure there's positives and negatives. With an event that big, there's going to be some things probably that don't go like you necessarily planned, but I'd love to know what's some of the best feedback that you've had.

Julia Manheim: Yeah. This is a great question. It's hard to just pinpoint one, so I'll kind of generalize. The best feedback we get is when attendees let us know that what they came in to do was accomplished and then some. We're always looking to exceed expectations and provide ways that surprise and delight, where you didn't even know this was on your goal list of when you came to this conference, but you found a way to really take home more than you anticipated.

Learning Moments

Jeff Harrell: Of course, I've got to ask on the other side, Looper reel kind of stuff. What are some of the things that maybe haven't gone right or necessarily you've learned from, you've had to kind of tweak as you go along? I'm sure there's a little bit of nature of a triage, having to kind of figure out some things to do to make sure that you avoid some of those crisis.

Julia Manheim: Oh yeah, yeah. We are planners, so our minds are always rolling with, what haven't we planned for? What are potential crisis? How severe are they? We've dealt with things from massive flooding, like we had in Nashville, I think it was 2010.

Jeff Harrell: Wow.

Julia Manheim: To smaller things where there was a fire drill at the property and so we all had to evacuate. Still, a very serious thing, but minor in terms of impact. So what we try to do is we try to plan as best as we can. We have crisis planning that we do. Risk management. We take a look at everything. But the wonderful thing about being human is you can't plan for everything. There's always going to be something that is out of your control and it's just kind of how do you approach everything, making sure you've got great communication chains set up, so that way everyone who needs to know. We can triage as quickly as possible. I've seen from just from previous experience, we've had to get like FBI involved with some bomb threats and things like that. So, there's tons that can go wrong. A lot is out of our control, but that's where having a real solid crisis and risk management plan is key.

Jeff Harrell: I think I've heard this too, and this doesn't apply necessarily just to event planning, but I know it applies to the team that we have here at Tyler, which is, you can't always know what's going to happen, but you can control how you react to it. I think...

Julia Manheim: For sure.

Jeff Harrell: You guys do such a great job when something does happen, that you couldn't foresee or plan for. How you then rally to handle it, keep stay calm, and just kind of think through. I think that's probably makes up a good event person when you can have that kind of frame of mind and that calmness about you to be able to go, "Okay, well can't control what happened, but we can control how we react and what we do now."

Julia Manheim: Yeah. I think what's great about our team is we take every experience and we learn from it. Were there things we could do better? Were there ways we could have prepared better? And as a team, we are all very open and we share that information, so that way, if we're even talking smaller events at Tyler, we have that wherewithal to handle any challenges that come towards us.

Jeff Harrell: Well, I want to ask about Connect specifically, because you guys are in the midst of planning for Tyler Connect 2022. It's going to happen in May. What are some of the things that maybe you could share? I know you can't share a whole lot about it, but maybe some of the things you can share if someone's thinking about going. What are some of the things that you can share that might help them decide?

Julia Manheim: Yeah. This year we're so excited first off, to be back in person, to bring everyone together. There's no other place like it. When I think about in person events and we've all kind of gotten into this Zoom fatigue world, where we're in virtual, and I know I've personally gone to a couple conferences now and meetings where it ranged from 10 to 15 people, up to one that was recently about 10,000 people. And there's just something about being in person that you cannot replicate. There's an excitement. There's a buzz. Everyone is very excited to be back in person, to network, see their peers who they haven't seen in almost over two years for some industries. So, that I think is first off, the biggest, exciting thing is we are back in person. But you know, specifically for Connect, the training is irreplaceable. We've got over 800 sessions that are going to cover things from basic software training to going in depth with our labs. We're super excited to bring our labs back in person this year. And then looking at our thought leadership with our featured speakers. We were so excited to continue this series and in fact, we're planning on having our friend Jason Dorsey, join us again to talk about that generational research and leadership, so we're super excited to bring in some old speaker friends and some new ones to increase that thought leadership, those very specific industry topics, that are going to help everyone kind of grow, serve their communities and look towards the future.

Julia Manheim: Then networking. I kind of talked about it a little bit earlier, but a huge reason why Connect is Connect, is for the ability for our clients and attendees to talk to each other, you share those best practices. How are they doing things? How did they handle things during the pandemic and creating those relationships that truly last outside of the event itself.

Jeff Harrell: Julie, I was going to ask you know, Hey, no, one's listening. Give us a little hint, little nugget about and you just gave us one. Jason Dorsey. If you haven't heard Jason Dorsey speak, he is the absolute expert on the generations. We did a study with him on how the four generations want to and are engaging with their local government. It is fascinating work, so I'm excited to hear that Jason's coming back. There's a couple others. I know you can't tell us about yet, but I think if you're listening to this and you're thinking about going to Connect, you'll want to go, because there's a couple of really big surprises. Is that right?

Julia Manheim: Yeah. Yeah. We do have some and a very exciting lineup and again, I can't speak too much to it, but I did want to drop a little Easter egg that our client event, which we always do a fantastic job of providing that kind entertainment value with the conference, is going to be someone who is one award away from the prestigious E-GOT, the Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar, Tony. I don't want to call it trifecta.

Jeff Harrell: Whatever that is.

Julia Manheim: Yeah, yeah. They are entertainment for that evening, so it's really going to be next level.

Jeff Harrell: You're probably going to have some sleuth listening right now that are going to try to figure it out. I love it. Love it. Love the Easter egg. Well, I want to finish with a couple other questions, Julia, maybe not necessarily completely related to Connect, but I'd love to know this is just more inquiring minds want to know. What's the coolest location that you've ever done an event at?

Julia Manheim: The coolest location I've ever done an event at? It's probably one of my favorites is actually Hawaii. It would be a dream to bring Connect there but I don't think our attendance would be

Jeff Harrell: A little bit cost prohibitive, I think.

Julia Manheim: Yeah. Yeah. But you know, that's one of the places where when we get to do those fun, exotic destinations is always my favorite. But you know, looking at destinations for Connect and things like that in terms of cities, I love Indianapolis where we're going for Connect 2022. I had never been there before 2019 and I was just blown away by that city. Some of the friendliest people. Very clean, very safe, very friendly and so much to do. I really enjoy Indianapolis and I'm so excited to share it as a destination with all of our clients.

Jeff Harrell: Yeah. It's going to be fun. I've been there a few times and had a great visit every time. Like you say, they're friendly. It's easy to get to. It's easy to get around in town as well. And yeah, I think it's not just because we're finally back in person, but I think because it's also in Indianapolis this year that we are all so excited about Connect 2022. Can't believe it's only say a few months away. It's what about four or five months away when this episode drops? So, it's not too far down the path and we're super excited. Well, Julie, anything else that you wanted to cover before we close up the interview?

Julia Manheim: No, I just want to thank you for your time, Jeff, and really hope we get to see everyone in person in Indianapolis, in May 2022.

Jeff Harrell: Awesome. Well, Julia, thanks for all that you do, all the hard work that you put into planning these events. I know during the event, you don't get a lot of sleep, but it's always... I'm sure you always feel like it's worth it because it is such a great experience, not only for our clients, but for the Tyler staff as well. So, thanks for all the hard work and expertise that you bring to the table as well.

Julia Manheim: Thank you, Jeff.

Jeff Harrell: Well, Julia is excellent at what she does and I hope you enjoyed getting a better understanding of what goes into pulling off an event, totally focused on creating the best possible experience for our clients. Well, thanks for listening to the Tyler Tech Podcast. We drop a brand new episode every other Monday, so please subscribe. And if you enjoy the podcast, we would love for you to leave us a review. Well until next time, this is Jeff Harrell, Director of Content Marketing for Tyler Technologies. We'll talk to you soon.