How the CRCHUQ Increased Collaboration and Visibility Across the Research Community

When Aline stepped into her role as Event Coordinator at the Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec (CRCHUQ), she set out with a clear mission: improve accessibility, communication, and collaboration across the research community.

With 7 to 8 annual events to manage — including scientific days, provincial conferences, and recognition galas — Aline knew she needed a solution that would simplify processes and empower her team. The answer came from an unexpected source: students.

Without Fourwaves, organizing our events would be significantly more expensive and far more complicated. The platform gives us autonomy, efficiency, and a professional presence.

Aline Dumas

Event Coordinator, CRCHUQ

Challenges Before Fourwaves

Before adopting Fourwaves, managing events internally at CRCHUQ was costly, inefficient, and heavily reliant on internal IT services. This led to:

• High operational costs, internal management could cost up to 3x more, making some events nearly impossible to organize.
• A lack of autonomy, depending on IT delayed timelines and limited flexibility.
• Manual processes, abstract submissions, registrations, and payments were time-consuming and prone to errors.
• Inconsistent event experiences, especially for recurring events like the provincial conference rotating between hospitals.

Aline needed a user-friendly, flexible platform that could professionalize CRCHUQ’s events while giving her team full control.

Why CRCHUQ Chose Fourwaves

It was a CRCHUQ student — familiar with Fourwaves from past experiences — who recommended the platform. Once Aline explored it, the decision was easy.

Here’s why Fourwaves stood out:

• Low learning curve: Quick to adopt, allowing focus on high-value tasks rather than micromanaging logistics.
• Professional image: Fourwaves elevated the look and feel of CRCHUQ events, making them more accessible and appealing to participants.
• Cost efficiency: Reduced event management costs by a factor of three compared to internal solutions.
• Flexibility: Use only the modules needed, whether for scientific days, galas, or large conferences.
• Autonomy: No more waiting on IT, Aline and her team could manage everything independently.
• Consistency for recurring events: The ability to clone events simplified organizing annual conferences shared across four hospitals.

How CRCHUQ Leverages Fourwaves

Since adopting Fourwaves, CRCHUQ has transformed its approach to event management across a variety of formats:

• Scientific Days: Dedicated to different research areas, fostering collaboration among students and researchers.
• Recognition Galas: Celebrating achievements within the research community.
• Large-scale Conferences: Including the CHU de Québec, Université Laval Research Days with up to 800 participants and 300 abstract submissions.

Key Features Used:

• Streamlined abstract submissions: Simplifying peer review for hundreds of student presentations.
• Automated registration and payment processing: Reducing administrative workload and ensuring smooth participant management.
• Event cloning: Ensuring consistency and saving setup time for recurring events.
• Name tag generator: A small but crucial tool that saved hours of manual work.
• Flexible module usage: Tailoring each event setup based on its unique needs.

Measurable Results and Real Impact

Adopting Fourwaves delivered immediate and tangible benefits:

• Up to 3x cost savings compared to internal management solutions.
• Significant efficiency gains, freeing time and energy to focus on event content and participant engagement.
• Enhanced autonomy, eliminating delays tied to internal IT dependencies.
• Consistent, professional events, improving participant satisfaction and reinforcing CRCHUQ’s reputation.

Fourwaves gave us the freedom to manage events quickly and efficiently, without sacrificing quality. It’s become an essential part of how we operate.

Aline Dumas

Event Coordinator, CRCHUQ

Looking Ahead

CRCHUQ plans to continue expanding its use of Fourwaves across diverse event types. With ongoing updates, responsive support, and unmatched flexibility, the platform remains central to their strategy for delivering accessible, professional, and efficiently managed events.

Whether it’s a scientific day, a provincial conference, or a celebratory gala, Fourwaves ensures that CRCHUQ events run smoothly — year after year.

About CRCHUQ

The Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval is one of Canada’s leading health research centers, fostering innovation and collaboration across multiple disciplines to advance medical knowledge and improve patient care.