Streamlining Real-Time Photo Management at NCMPR Conferences with PhotoShelter

Connecting at Live Events Through Captivating Images

The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) is the premier professional development organization for communication professionals working at two-year colleges. Their annual conference is a hub for networking, learning, and sharing best practices. To capture the energy and camaraderie of the event, NCMPR used PhotoShelter to provide a real-time workflow solution, transforming the way event photography was handled.

The Challenge: Overcoming Inefficient Photo Management and Distribution

Natalie Daggett, Director of Operations at NCMPR, and Glenn Carpenter, Photographer and Visual Media Coordinator at Moraine Valley Community College, were tasked with improving the photo-sharing experience at live events. Their previous system involved multiple steps that delayed the distribution of images and made it difficult to manage and tag photos effectively.

• Complex and slow workflow. Previously, Glenn faced challenges with a process that involved capturing images, downloading them to a computer, editing, and then uploading them to a storage solution. This method was time-consuming and inefficient, especially during live events where immediacy is important.
• Inefficient manual tagging process. Identifying attendees and correctly tagging their headshots was a tedious and error-prone task. Glenn emphasized the difficulty and inefficiency of the manual tagging process, stating, “I used to spend an hour to an hour and a half tagging people from a shoot, and that was just terrible, to be honest. It was time-consuming, it was fraught with errors.”
• Slow process hurting social media engagement. The slow upload and sharing of photos delayed the desire to enhance attendee engagement and extend brand reach via social media. Immediate access to event photos was essential for effective social media interaction.

The Solution: PhotoShelter Enhances Event Experience and Efficiency

The implementation of PhotoShelter at the NCMPR conference dramatically improved the photo management workflow and enhanced the overall event experience for attendees.

• Uploading event pictures in real time. PhotoShelter allowed Glenn to upload images directly from his camera via FTP, eliminating the need for intermediate steps. This change enabled images to be available instantly for social media posts and attendee sharing. Glenn found this feature transformative, noting, “With PhotoShelter’s direct FTP upload and the new cameras, we can be shooting and sending photos no matter where we are. And that’s been a game changer.”
• Auto-tagging with PhotoShelter AI. Using PhotoShelter’s artificial intelligence tool, PeopleID, streamlined the photo tagging process by automatically matching headshots with attendee profiles. Glenn praised the tool for its efficiency, “PhotoShelter’s AI is a time saver. The amount of time that it would take a digital archivist to do all of this tagging that I’m able to do automatically with PhotoShelter, is 4 or 5 times more expensive than PhotoShelter.”
• Enhanced brand awareness and engagement. The quick delivery of personalized headshots and event photos provided attendees with a memorable takeaway and reinforced NCMPR’s brand during the conference. Real-time access to photos also accelerated the distribution of engaging content on social media channels, increasing audience interaction and visibility.

“I would describe PhotoShelter to a peer as a user-friendly online platform that helps you host, organize and share visual creative assets.”

Natalie Daggett, Director of Operations

PhotoShelter Transformed NCMPR’s Conference Experience

PhotoShelter proved to be an invaluable asset during the NCMPR conference, significantly enhancing the efficiency and impact of photo management and distribution. The ability to instantly upload and share high-quality images, coupled with powerful AI-driven tagging, transformed the photographic workflow into a seamless, real-time process. This addition improved operational efficiency and enriched the attendee experience, making PhotoShelter a pivotal tool in modernizing event management for NCMPR.