OLMA Trade Fairs St.Gallen

Olma Messen St. Gallen - SGKB Halle - Hero Image

Evaluation of Event Platform & Support for Implementation Project

diselva, together with Olma Messen St.Gallen — one of Switzerland’s leading trade fair organizers and a true St.Gallen institution — evaluated the new event platform and is supporting the implementation project up to go-live in key roles, ensuring continuity throughout the project.

Impact

Selection of a tailored software solution to enable the ambitious business case

Enhancement of internal skills with external expertise in key roles during evaluation and to ensure continuity throughout implementation

Preparation of relevant decision-making materials for executive management and the board

What did we do?

Phase 1: Context & Target Vision, RFP Process Consulting

Olma Messen faced the challenge of evaluating a new CMS. A detailed analysis revealed that the task was not about comparing different CMS products, but rather about comparing alternative approaches.

Creation of a context and target vision including CMS, CRM, ERP, ticket shop, login, marketing automation, and gastronomy booking
Definition of different approaches: Greenfield with headless CMS, cloud migration & modernization of the existing CMS, use of a dedicated industry solution
Evaluation of approaches based on key criteria in technology, cost, and service providers
Recommendation and preparation of next steps for an RFP

Phase 2: Event Platform Evaluation

After deciding to use a dedicated industry solution, the next step was to find the right software for Olma Messen’s specific situation.

Creation of target vision & development of evaluation sheet
Challenging longlist and shortlist selection of vendors
Vendor evaluation and recommendation, including deep dives with vendors and internal stakeholders
Preparation of decision-making materials for executive management and the board

Phase 3: Implementation Project Support

To ensure continuity and compatibility of the preliminary work results, and to guarantee implementation within the tight timeline and in accordance with Olma Messen’s requirements, diselva was engaged to support the implementation process.

Support for implementation setup (internal Olma team and vendor coordination)
Contract creation and negotiations
Solution architect integrated into Olma’s team
Representation in project steering

Why diselva?

Comparing different approaches is like comparing apples and oranges, requiring expert knowledge

diselva’s proven evaluation methodology combined with experience from numerous evaluations ensures quality

Alignment of business needs and technical requirements to enable the right decision

Implementation support in key roles: targeted and impactful

Key Takeaways

Apples cannot be compared to oranges, yet this often happens in evaluations

Conceptual preparation and a deep understanding of the client and their requirements are essential to achieve comparable results in evaluations.

Expertise from the conceptual pre-phases and the evaluation ensures continuity throughout implementation.

«With diselva as our experienced partner, we were guided through the process of selecting software and service providers. Their alignment of business and technical requirements from surrounding systems was extremely valuable and led us to make the right choice.

Their expertise continues to complement our internal team during implementation, providing the continuity we need.»