Pholeo

$ associations --lean-team --annual-conference

“It’s just me. We eliminated six positions last February. I can’t do another planning cycle like 2025.”

An association planner, on a Spec Sync call

Two to eight people. A flagship conference with F&B for thousands, a dozen workstreams and a board that wants the budget by GL code. Pholeo is the operating layer those teams use to run the logistics without adding staff, with a planner from our side alongside yours.

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A lean team of three event planners stand shoulder to shoulder facing an enormous convention centre with banners and a crowd of thousands.
  • “All the different vendors and the logistics of it all, and not a big team. There’s a lot going on.”
  • “We’ve got a divide-and-conquer plan and there’s only two or three of us. But for annual conference…”
  • “We haven’t moved everything over as an association. This is not shared, it’s just a regular Excel.”
  • “Those all have to get entered by hand. There’s no way to pull that in.”
  • “We’re a nonprofit. We don’t have a huge budget for these things.”
  • “For the first twenty of them, I did all the specs out of an Access database I created.”
Jack Voorhees

Case study · URMIA

“For 25 years I was stuck translating spreadsheets and mail merges into something venues could understand. Pholeo changed that.”

A lean association team centralized its logistics in Pholeo, cut the Excel and PDF version confusion, and cleaned up the venue conversation without adding staff.

Jack Voorhees

Senior Director of Events, URMIA

Read the story

What a lean team gets back

One record for the conference, a venue that works from your sheets, and a planner from our side.

  1. 01

    One source of truth

    Specs and budgets together, for the whole program.

    Every function with its room, menu, counts, AV and money. The version problem goes away because there is one version.

  2. 02

    The venue conversation

    Hand the hotel a function sheet they can act on.

    Standardized specs mean fewer rounds with the venue. URMIA’s team describes the event order arriving with no confusion.

  3. 03

    Continuity

    The event survives a staff change.

    When the planner changes, the event does not leave with them. The record, the history and next year’s starting point stay with the association.

  4. 04

    Support that is operational

    Spec Sync, then build-with-me sessions through the cycle.

    Every package starts by building your real specs into Pholeo with you. The higher tiers add a monthly cadence and embedded workstream support for the busiest seasons.

See it on your own spec

A Spec Sync builds your first board from one real BEO or function sheet.

“It’s faster. It’s more accurate. And I don’t have to chase the details anymore.”
Lauren Koleszar, CMP

Lauren Koleszar, CMP

Meetings Manager, ASIS International

Jack Voorhees

Case study · URMIA

“For 25 years I was stuck translating spreadsheets and mail merges into something venues could understand. Pholeo changed that.”

A lean association team centralized its logistics in Pholeo, cut the Excel and PDF version confusion, and cleaned up the venue conversation without adding staff.

Jack Voorhees

Senior Director of Events, URMIA

Read the story

FAQ

Questions planners ask about associations.

Straight answers. If yours is not here, ask it on the Spec Sync.

We are a team of two. Is this too much platform?

It was built for that team. One record for the conference, the venue working from your sheets, and a planner from Pholeo who builds the first board with you. The lean teams in our case studies did not add staff.

How does Pholeo sit with Cvent or our registration platform?

Behind it. Registration keeps managing attendees; Pholeo manages the specs, BEOs, F&B, space, budget and the onsite plan. Nothing has to be replaced to start.

What happens when our planner leaves?

The event stays. The record, the history and next year’s starting point belong to the association, not to a workbook on someone’s laptop.

Our board wants the budget by GL code. Can it do that?

Yes. Cost centers carry your GL structure, and the same numbers roll up by area for the team and by code for finance.

What support is included?

Every package starts with a Spec Sync. The higher tiers add a monthly working session and embedded support for the busiest season. It is operational help from people who run conferences, not a ticket queue.

Is pricing per user?

Per conference, in three published packages. Members, vendors and onsite staff are not counted per seat.

Keep exploring

Bring the event out of your head.

Share one spec and we will build your first board with you.

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