deSingel embraces Dynamic Data Publishing for seasonal brochure creation
How can you keep all data continuously up-to-date and handle last-minute changes efficiently? This was the challenge deSingel faced when preparing their seasonal brochure. With Catena Company’s Dynamic Data Publishing Solution (DDPS), deSingel transformed this time-consuming and repetitive task into an efficient, streamlined workflow.
Seasonal brochure creation: a laborious process
Each new season, deSingel publishes a stunning seasonal brochure, a significant undertaking considering the scale of their productions. With over 250 performances, casts of up to 1,500 artists per year, and frequent lineup changes, creating the brochure is a monumental task. A vast amount of digital data must be collected and transformed into an appealing format by the premedia team. This data also needs to be continuously updated, with last-minute changes requiring time-consuming manual adjustments.
“I noticed that the creation of our seasonal brochure was a laborious process. Our premedia team worked tirelessly, yet errors still found their way in. It was clear that the process had to change.” – Pierre Van Diest, Business Manager @ deSingel
Analysis
Every Workflow Automation project starts with a thorough analysis of the current process. What data will be used? Where is that data located? Which applications are being used? Who communicates with whom? What is the most time spent on? And how do mistakes creep in?
DeSingel’s programming was managed in Salesforce, where all parameters were entered. Once the programming was complete, the premedia department was tasked with creating the seasonal brochure. The programme coordinators wrote the texts in Google Docs, while the layout of the brochure was done manually in Adobe InDesign. This required cutting and pasting data from Salesforce and Google Docs into InDesign. Whenever changes were needed, such as updates to the programming or the composition of an ensemble, the premedia team had to manually make the adjustments.
The entire programme also had to be published on the website, a process handled from Salesforce. However, after the final approval of the InDesign document, the texts had to be manually copied back into Salesforce for website publication. There was no integration between Salesforce, Google Docs, InDesign.
“The repetitive copy-paste work from Google Docs to Adobe InDesign was a clear trigger for the team at deSingel to consider automation. Our analysis uncovered additional areas for improvement, including the elimination of Google Docs altogether. To streamline the entire process, we proposed a Dynamic Data Publishing solution, with all data centrally managed in Salesforce.” – Jan Van Sprengel, Workflow Specialist @ Catena Company
deSingel building © Robbie Depuydt
Process under control thanks to Dynamic Data Publishing
The strength of a Dynamic Data Publishing solution lies in the integration of applications and the automation of data processing.
deSingel uses Salesforce as the central platform to manage all data. The reason “third-party” applications like Google Docs are often used is the lack of a direct link between systems – in this case, Salesforce and Adobe InDesign. To solve this, Catena Company created a connection, allowing the necessary data for premedia to be retrieved directly from Salesforce.
To streamline the workflow further in Adobe InDesign, Catena Company developed templates that automated the processing of imported data. Practical information, descriptive text, and images now seamlessly appear exactly where the premedia designer wants them.
Error-free realisation, in half the time
The seasonal brochure is now created literally at the touch of a button. Salesforce has become the single, authoritative source of all digital data – not only for the seasonal brochure but also for the website. Corrections and updates are now made directly in Salesforce, eliminating the need for premedia staff to manually adjust content. This ensures the brochure is always up to date with the latest information.
The link between Salesforce and Adobe InDesign is more than just a technical integration; it has improved collaboration between the administration and premedia teams. Employees in both departments can now focus on what they do best.
“We used to spend a lot of time correcting content in premedia. Those administrative tasks were quite stressful. Now, we are delighted to focus our efforts with premedia on designing and creating beautiful seasonal brochures.” – Patrick Florin, Premedia @ deSingel
“The time savings in premedia are truly impressive. Our seasonal brochure now takes less than half the time to put together. With centralised data and deep integration, including with the website, we’ve also seen significant efficiency gains in administration. Most importantly, I see the enthusiasm with which the two departments now collaborate.” – Pierre Van Diest, Business Manager @ deSingel
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