What is SnowWhite, and what industry need does it address?
SnowWhite is an EventTech SaaS – a piece of cloud-based software that encapsulates the variety of work processes that surround the production of an event from the perspective of the organiser. It is a software that serves as common platform for all the needs of those planning and producing events.
What are the main benefits to the end user?
SnowWhite brings superior efficiency to an industry that is still lagging behind many others when it comes to use of technology behind the scenes. It’s widely known that the events industry is one of the worst when it comes to work-life balance, with massive burnout rate. One way to achieve a better work-life balance is by making the working environment more efficient. So, we are aiming to elevate efficiency not only for the sake of a more economically sound model, but also for the sake of wellbeing in the industry.
Where did the idea come from, and how was it developed?
The idea came about while we were running back-to-back virtual events for months during the COVID-19 pandemic. We went from sitting in a room together and working things out to suddenly requiring a lot of data exchange through remote channels, and we had trouble managing the flow of information.
Coming out of the pandemic, we reflected on the projects we had done and realised that we had developed more efficient methods and workflows with one downside they all lived in generic office software. We began to realise that the tech we used was the biggest hurdle on the way. Two years of fiddling around later, we now have a functional wireframe prototype ready. We demoed this prototype to potential users in the Middle East, Europe and USA and got super-encouraging feedback.
What kind of issues could SnowWhite improve?
There are many. However, using the example of booking talent for an event, SnowWhite streamlines all manner of processes, from talent booking, travel arrangements, to hotels, catering, plus ones, technical requirements, stage setups, freight, logistics, and special requirements. All these things are consolidated in one data set and integrated into the event budget, which leads into the accounting system. All the data is archived, meaning that next time the same speaker is required, there’s no need to go through endless emails to dig up old information.
Every aspect of a gig is incorporated, so when one thing changes, there’s no need to waste time maintaining Excel structures and manually looking for possible impacts and loose ends. Everything from ideation to planning and from organisation to production is covered. We are approaching thisin an onion-like model coming from generic event information to venue, talent, crew, suppliers, guests,logistics, travel, agenda, running order, setup, rehearsals, rundown, derig and audit. This includes sales and procurement processes linking back to accounting software as well as a huge emphasis on collaboration and work management. All these aspects are linked, so if there’s a change on one point, everything below the line will be updated automatically, or the user will be alerted to ‘loose ends’.
Are there any potential barriers to success?
People have got used to their way of working, even if it is inefficient. SnowWhite is a comprehensive software package that is made to be as simple as possible for people to operate, but there’s always going to be a learning curve, and it will take time for users to learn how to utilise it best for them and their company. That makes it crucial for us to offer customisation services and training as part of the package when a client purchases the software as well as support services after rolling out.
The other more immediately pressing matter is the fact that SnowWhite is now at wireframe stage, and we’re seeking investment to fund the next stage of the project, which will allow us to onboard users in around a year’s time after programming. This is atypical for startups, which are usually on the market as quickly as possible. However, we want to achieve a high level of functionality and stability before going to market because we understand that we are providing a business software that clients will need to rely on from the start.
What is the long-term ambition for the company?
That is connected to where we started. We spend an immense amount of time trying to understand the data structure and complexity of planning and producing an event, and with SnowWhite, we now have a structure that will in time allow us to work in a context of sector-specific and private AI. Once we have accumulated enough data, it can be used for machine learning and developing a better AI solution that fits the sector and is specific to the company, possibly the user. Within three years, we want to have an event AI module up and running that works on this level.
Photo: 7 Dwarfs
