{Ask the Techxperts} @SocialTables and @ConvIndustry Launch New Pocket Planner App

This series is dedicated to learning from event experts on various topics. We cover event technology, meeting design, and much, more more! Today, we are pleased to interview DAN BERGER, CEO of Social Tables.

I have heard all about the new Pocket Planner. PLEASE – tell our readers all about what Pocket Planner is all about.
The Pocket Planner is a free event and meeting calculator from Social Tables and the Convention Industry Council that uses CIC standards to recommend food, beverage, service and safety quantities for events based on attendance.

Additionally, planners are able to purchase a copy of the CIC Manual for use in studying for the CMP, and for reference in day-to-day operations. The CIC is actively working on a mobile version of the manual, which will be added to the Pocket Planner App once it is released.

This is the first time an event tech company has partnered with an organization like CIC. How did this come about and what are your goals for the app?
In speaking with planners throughout the hospitality industry, we found a shared frustration as it pertained to scaling product and personnel quantities to attendees. As a company that has been shaped by feedback from our customers, we knew we had to provide a solution – that’s when the idea of an app hit us.
​ After we identified how we could help (the calculator), I realized we needed to add an educational component, so I reached out to Karen Kotowski, CEO of the CIC. There is no better organization to partner with on industry thought leadership than the Convention Industry Council.​ Our goal is that the app add value to a planners day. It’s a free tool that we hope will offset some of the more tedious tasks, allowing them to focus on the strategic view that they should be focused on. It’s about increasing efficiency. ​

What type of planners will find this app most helpful?
​All planners! Directors of Catering, Sales Managers, Event and Meeting Planners, parents planning a birthday party for 20 friends – that’s the beauty of this app – it helps everyone it touches.

In other news, what are your other favorite apps?
For business, I love Sunrise – a robust calendar app. Tie b/w Asana and Yammer. Asana let’s me make sure I and others are on task and Yammer helps me stay connected to my teammates from anywhere.

If people want to download Pocket Planner, what do they need to know?
​The Pocket Planner is available in the App Store and Google Play. Click here to download!