In another edition of Mazévo Connect, our live, online webinar series, two presenters from the University of Iowa—Assistant Director of Reservations and Outdoor Space Kristi Finger and Reservation Coordinator Katie Martin—provide an interesting overview of their scheduling operation at the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU) and how they use the task function in Mazévo to stay organized.
Their presentation, titled “Using Mazévo Tasks to Make Sure Nothing Falls Through the Cracks,” is full of great information.
Humorous History on the Term “Tasks”
Before Kristi and Katie share their insights in the presentation, Mazévo co-founder and CEO Dean Evans—who also founded EMS Software many years ago—provides some humorous history on prior iterations of the name “tasks” and how one large, international corporation felt that the very first name was NSFW (not safe for work)!
Making the Move from EMS to Mazévo
As Katie outlines to start the session, the IMU is a busy venue with 15 meeting rooms, 5 large event spaces, and a chapel. In fact, she uses the analytics capabilities in Mazévo to provide room usage information that breaks down the thousands of events that they host by the type of space used.
As part of managing these events the scheduling team must address a continual stream of “to-do” items. Previously, the IMU used EMS for 20 years for scheduling meetings and events, and relied heavily on the reminders feature in that system. When they made the move to Mazévo, having a similar function available was essential.
Why and How Does the IMU Use Mazévo Tasks?
The events team at the IMU uses Mazévo tasks because the feature helps them track a wide range of actions that must be taken regarding events. As Katie notes in her presentation, “If something needs a follow-up, we create a task.” This includes things like:
- Event approvals
- Payments
- Room setup needs for larger spaces
- AV reminders
- Parking meter reservations
- Detailed checklists for large annual events
- And many more
The IMU has made the Day At A Glance page in Mazévo their default starting point when they access the system. One of the items available from that page is My Tasks.
Tasks can be created manually for events, or, as Katie explains, “triggers” can be used to automatically create tasks in certain instances—based on the type of event, location, etc. For example, when events are scheduled for off-campus individuals or organizations, Mazévo generates a task related to a room deposit/payment.
Tasks not only help IMU schedulers keep track of event details, but they also inform other staff members about the status of those to-do items.
Tips for Using Mazévo Tasks
To help Mazévo users that aren’t yet leveraging tasks, Kristi provides some tips for getting started. For example, she recommends defining just one or two task types initially. This allows everyone who is affected by or benefits from tasks to understand what they are and how they’re used.
She also reiterates that it can be helpful to have the Day At A Glance page—with its clear, numeric indicator of how many tasks you have—as your default start page in Mazévo. In addition, she recommends using the Manage Tasks function to see tasks assigned to others so that you can assist them if appropriate and also to get a preview of upcoming tasks.
Real-World Examples of Tasks in Action
As the presentation continues, Kristi shares her screen and provides specific examples of how the IMU uses tasks. These real-world “use cases” are valuable food for thought for anyone who is considering using Mazévo tasks or wants to get even more benefit from them.
Katie and Kristi also answer insightful questions from attendees who are eager to learn more about tasks.
Our thanks to Katie and Kristi for this excellent, informative presentation! View the recording below to see how this powerful function can help you manage events more efficiently and effectively.
You can also get more information on Mazévo tasks in our blog post on using them. And if you have questions about Mazévo in general, feel free to contact us anytime!
