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Budget cuts, global instability, and rising operational costs have forced many associations to rethink their approach to events. Traditional, in-person gatherings—once the cornerstone of member engagement—are now often cost-prohibitive or logistically challenging. As a result, virtual and hybrid events have transitioned from short-term solutions into long-term strategies for growth and resilience.
For associations looking to maintain value, increase reach, and reduce the burden on staff, adopting a modern, integrated event tech stack isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. That’s where Cadmium’s Eventscribe and EthosCE platforms come in, offering a seamless, scalable way to manage the full lifecycle of events from start to finish.
To see this in action, look no further than the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), a small-staff nonprofit that delivers high-quality continuing education to mental health professionals. ISSTD successfully transitioned their entire event strategy with the help of Cadmium tools, creating a blueprint that other organizations can learn from.
ISSTD’s Strategic Pivot: A Digital Transformation Story
In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down events across the world, ISSTD was finalizing plans for its annual conference. Within hours of hearing the news, the organization had to cancel the event and pivot. Rather than pause operations, ISSTD took it as an opportunity to accelerate their digital transformation—one that had already been planned as part of a five-year initiative.
Their objectives were clear: reduce staff workload, consolidate fragmented systems, improve the attendee experience, and bring continuing education management in-house. Most importantly, they wanted to future-proof their operations by creating non-dues revenue streams and increasing the longevity of their educational content. With Cadmium, they found a trusted partner to make all of this possible.
From Abstract to Archive: How ISSTD Manages the Entire Event Lifecycle
Abstract Management: Setting the Foundation
The event planning cycle for ISSTD begins nearly a year in advance with a call for abstracts. Typically launched nine to ten months ahead of the event, the submission window remains open for about 45 days and yields between 100 to 150 proposals. Once the call closes, a 20- to 30-day review period begins, with input from 25 to 30 designated reviewers. ISSTD maximizes the quality and fairness of this process by using blind reviews and matching submissions with specialty reviewers to ensure alignment.
Pro Tip: Use a scheduling tool to pre-build your session lineup before sending out decision letters. This helps streamline the entire speaker onboarding process and prevents unnecessary delays.
Speaker Management: Streamlining Communication and Tasks
Once submissions are accepted and the session schedule is set, ISSTD transitions into speaker management. This phase begins approximately eight months before the event. Each speaker receives a task list tailored to their responsibilities, with tasks staggered over time to ease the administrative burden on staff. Final deliverables are generally due two weeks before the event, allowing for a thorough final review.
Pro Tip: Create staggered deadlines for different categories of tasks. Assign specialized responsibilities—such as uploading handouts or submitting CE questions—to only those who need them. Always include buffer time to accommodate last-minute issues.
Poster and Exhibitor Management: Supporting Engagement
While ISSTD’s in-person exhibit hall remains small and manageable, they have effectively used Cadmium’s ePoster Gallery to enhance engagement during hybrid events. Poster judges are given early access to review submissions, allowing them to arrive at the event fully prepared with questions and discussion points. This not only elevates the quality of judging but improves the experience for presenters.
Pro Tip: Reach out to fellow Cadmium clients to discover how others are optimizing the ePoster Gallery and Exhibitor Portal. You’ll likely pick up a few ideas to enhance your own approach.
Quizzes and Evaluations: Planning for CE Before the Event Begins
In the final few months leading up to the event, ISSTD focuses on creating and testing quizzes and evaluations. Using Cadmium and EthosCE, these assessments are developed and uploaded before the event’s live date. While the back-end work is completed ahead of time, attendees are only given access on the day the event begins—ensuring secure, timely distribution.
Pro Tip: Gather quiz questions from presenters as early as possible, and assign a second staff member to verify that the upload process is accurate. Also, make use of registration codes to segment access and personalize the attendee experience.
Turning Live Events into Lasting Value with EthosCE
One of the most powerful parts of ISSTD’s event strategy is what happens after the event concludes. Using EthosCE, they transition live sessions into enduring content—giving their members ongoing access to valuable education.
For webinars and single-stream events, setup often begins before the live date. For more complex, multi-stream conferences, the transition to on-demand occurs afterward. ISSTD typically allows about 30 days post-webinar or 120 to 180 days post-conference before flipping content into its enduring version. This gives their team enough time to finalize quizzes, evaluations, and CE tracking within EthosCE.
Pro Tip: Give your speakers a pre-formatted template for quiz questions in advance. This saves time later and ensures content can be uploaded quickly and correctly.
Building Revenue and Loyalty: ISSTD’s Online Learning Center
In October 2021, ISSTD launched its Online Learning Center using EthosCE, and it has since become a cornerstone of their educational offerings. The platform now houses over 400 hours of content. As an added member benefit, any content older than three years is made available for free to members. Newer sessions are offered at a discounted rate, providing both educational value and a steady stream of non-dues revenue.
The Online Learning Center has quickly become one of the most highly rated member benefits, playing a critical role in retention and engagement.
The Takeaway: Integrated Technology Drives Sustainable Success
ISSTD’s story demonstrates that with the right tools in place, even a small team can deliver polished, high-quality virtual and hybrid events while maintaining control over operations and increasing long-term value.
Cadmium’s Eventscribe and EthosCE platforms don’t just make virtual events possible—they make them strategic. By supporting every stage of the event lifecycle, from abstract collection and registration to CE tracking and on-demand content delivery, these tools allow associations to simplify workflows, unify the attendee experience, and expand their reach.
As the event landscape continues to evolve, associations that invest in comprehensive, scalable platforms will be best positioned to adapt, grow, and lead.
Ready to take your event strategy to the next level? Schedule a demo to learn how you can transform your next event—from planning to post-event learning.
