6 sharing economy sites that are great for event planners
The sharing economy is here to stay. According to BizBash, it is forecast to generate $235 billion dollars in revenue in the next two years. Companies such as Uber, Airbnb and Task Rabbit have taken the consumer world by storm, and the wave is slowly making its way to the B2B marketplace.
What is the Sharing Economy?
Rachel Botsman, a thought leader in the sharing and collaborative economies, describes the sharing economy as an economic movement that harnesses “the power of technology to unlock the social, economic and environmental value of underutilized assets.”
The advance of technology has unlocked resources by empowering individuals and businesses to share idle goods and services. Event planners have felt the impact of sharing economy sites as a growing number of attendees have started using Airbnb and Uber.
In fact, almost every industry has been impacted—and those that haven’t are likely to be, and sooner rather than later. Many are embracing sharing economy tactics, but there are a few objections, mostly from those being negatively affected by the movement.
How Can Event Planners Leverage the Sharing Economy?
Partner with Uber
Leisure travelers and Friday night partygoers love Uber’s sleek smartphone app, but there are perks for the business world, too. Uber for Business is an easy way to curb employees’ travel expenses. Forget reimbursing cab fares one by one—Uber bills your business directly. Uber also partners with several conferences and events to provide discounts to attendees. Speak with an Uber representative about available offers and incentives for event attendees in specific cities.
Use Ridevu
Ridevu is a ride-sharing website that connects event participants who are interested in carpooling. If you are planning an event that relies on regional or local attendees, this is a great way to boost your numbers. The process of posting an event is extremely easy, and communication between event participants is super-streamlined. Simply mention Ridevu in your email marketing campaigns or on your website to gain visibility.
Hire entertainment through Gig Salad
Gig Salad has been connecting event organizers with professional entertainers for several years. Its search functionality is robust: Only results that are relevant to your location and entertainment needs are served to you—and they’re served within seconds. Instead of going through a booking agency, submit your request and receive quotes from individual performers directly. Gig Salad has hundreds of different entertainment categories, so finding the right match for an event setting has never been easier.
Rent equipment through Kwipped
Kwipped is an online marketplace for all types of equipment rentals. Events require a plethora of audiovisual gear and other equipment, and sometimes you don’t want to buy it. Kwipped covers more than 17 industry verticals, including A/V equipment and lighting, allowing you to source all of your equipment needs through one online marketplace.
Kwipped’s marketplace model drives ease, efficiency and competitive pricing and offers two ways to rent equipment, driving ease of use, efficiency and competitive pricing:
–Rent your equipment automatically through the RentNow feature.
–If you don’t find the exact equipment or pricing you need, submit a request to the supplier network. By submitting a request for a quote, you’ll receive multiple pricing options alongside product choices.
Use Instacart for last-minute grocery needs
Instacart recently emerged in the sharing economy scene. It promises groceries to be delivered in an hour or less. If Instacart isn’t currently delivering in your event location, check back often, as it is rapidly expanding. When you don’t have a trusty intern at your side, making grocery runs to ensure food requirements are met can be frustrating and time-consuming. As many planners know, last-minute food requests (or demands) often pop up. Cue Instacart.
Hire a tasker through Task Rabbit
Still don’t have that personal assistant? Or need a second one for a short time? Regardless of whether your event is in your local community or elsewhere, hire a “tasker” from Task Rabbit to assist you during your event. In addition to event-related tasks, you can ask them to handle personal errands (pick the kids up, take the dog out, etc.) that you can’t lean on an employee to take care of. Many taskers specialize in event-related duties, including bartending, serving, building props, decorating or even installing equipment. Having an extra person by your side can make all the difference.
Technology and the sharing economy model offer some valuable, cost effective resources to help make your job easier and more efficient. Leveraging the sharing economy and one or more of these great services to plan your next event can take a huge weight off your shoulders.
