Cold Chain Unbroken keeps its global event running without a hitch, with Zoho Backstage
- INDUSTRY Cold chain & logistics
- EVENT TYPE In-person
The organization
Cold Chain Unbroken (CCUB) began in 2014 as a small, purpose-driven gathering. Its founder, Satish Lakkaraju, lived and worked in South Africa, where he witnessed first-hand the advanced infrastructure for temperature-controlled medicine transportation, and wanted to bring it home to India.
Back in India, Mr. Lakkaraju created the idea of CCUB, and built it as a platform to build awareness, drive change, and bring the cold chain ecosystem together. Mr. Dhiren Sanurag Lakkaraju, Satish's son, serves as the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer for the event.
By 2024, CCUB had registered as a formal entity, Unbroken Cold Chain Services Private Limited, and for the first time, opened its doors to the full breadth of the industry. This edition drew over 350 delegates from more than 20 countries, including industries such as airlines, airports, freight forwarders, pharmaceutical companies, government officials, and policymakers. It had become, in every sense, a flagship event for India's temperature-controlled logistics sector.
The challenge
CCUB started small. Fewer than 50 people in the early editions meant that a spreadsheet and a few phone calls were enough to hold everything together. But the event didn't stay small for long.
As attendance grew and the format evolved, operational complexity increased. Organizers were now managing speakers, moderators, exhibitors, sponsors, and VIP invites, and every stakeholder had different needs, requirements, and expectations.
Manual processes created friction at every stage. Senior delegates, whom the organizers had worked hardest to bring in, often stood in long queues while the staff sifted through piles of printed badges, creating a poor first impression even before check-in was complete.
Networking among delegates was equally challenging. Participants from different countries had no way to discover fellow attendees or schedule meetings beforehand.
Behind the scenes, the organizing team faced a data challenge too. With no real-time insights into attendance or session participation, planning logistics like seating, catering, and crowd movement often came down to estimation rather than certainty.
"As we started progressing, we realized the event was growing in leaps and bounds. We had exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, moderators, special invitees—and to give them a user experience which was not there in previous editions, we started to scout for software to help us manage the event better, such as Zoho Backstage."
The solution
Satish found Zoho Backstage through a Google search; one of the top results when he looked for event management software. He filled out an interest form and the Zoho team came through with a perfect solution for CCUB.
Both teams (Zoho Backstage and CCUB) worked closely to get the website and configurations ready. Every custom request and requirement was addressed. The Backstage team also arrived on-site a day before the event to directly support the check-in process.
CCUB signed up for the Ultimate Edition of Zoho Backstage along with Jumpstart support, unlocking the platform's full suite of event management capabilities. The team built an event website featuring CCUB's history, speaker profiles, and a live agenda that could be updated in real time. For attendees, this meant they could check out the speakers, schedules, and agenda as the information was updated. For the organizing team, it introduced something they had never had before: the ability to instantly adapt the event experience as things changed on the ground.
Ticketing and payment were integrated directly into the site. Exhibitors were listed and made discoverable, allowing attendees to interact with them before even arriving. And a custom white-labelled mobile app—one of the stand out features of the Zoho Backstage Ultimate Edition—gave the event a premium, polished feel in person.
For onsite check-ins, QR-code-based badge scanning replaced the long, chaotic queues at the registration desk of earlier years. Differentiated badges and lanyards for attendees, delegates, and exhibitors could be rolled out in seconds. The networking feature within the app transformed attendee interactions. Attendees, representing more than 20 countries, could browse participant lists, discover relevant connections, and schedule meetings in advance—bringing structure and intent to networking at scale.
"The most important part that made me choose Zoho was the people—and the relationship that we built with them."
Zoho Backstage features that Cold Chain Unbroken relied on:
- A branded event website with an editable, real-time agenda
- Custom white-labelled mobile app for delegates
- Online ticketing with an integrated payment gateway
- Exhibitor listings and interactive exhibitor profiles
- Networking features—attendee directory and meeting scheduling
- QR-code check-in and check-out with role-based badge printing
- On-site support from the Zoho Backstage team
- Real-time attendance tracking and reporting
- Automated event communications to keep attendees updated
Benefits and ROI
No more queues at the door
The simple transition from manual check-ins to a smart QR code-based badge scanning dramatically reduced chaos at the registration desk. Quick scans, instant badge printing, and color-coded lanyards that distinguished speakers, delegates, and exhibitors significantly improved the arrival experience from the very first interaction.
"In the previous events, there used to be a rush at our registration counters—very senior people got upset that their badge was either not ready or they had to wait longer. With Zoho Backstage, we could effectively roll out our badges and lanyards for all categories of attendees in seconds. That was an excellent user experience."
Real-time visibility into who is in the room
With Zoho Backstage, attendance could be tracked accurately across sessions, eliminating the guesswork that previously defined event planning. The organizing team finally had reliable, real-time visibility into attendee movement and room occupancy.
That visibility translated directly into smarter operational planning—from food and beverages to seating and venue logistics.
"Every day we knew how many people were there, so we could do backend planning in terms of food, drinks, and seating arrangements. In previous events, we didn't know whether we had 300 people in the hall or 250. That visibility was a handy thing for us."
Meaningful networking at a global event
Zoho Backstage streamlined more than just registrations and check-ins; it also transformed networking at the event. With attendees joining from over 20 countries, the platform's networking features enabled participants to discover one another, browse attendee profiles, and schedule meetings in advance. What was once left to chance became a far more intentional and valuable experience.
"At a global event, there should be a feature for networking [...] a list of participants available at the event. Through Zoho Backstage, we were able to add all of these features to our website and app, which made attendees aware of all the people attending and allowed them to set up meetings."
An on-site team that alleviated pressure
Among all the benefits of Zoho Backstage, what stood out most was the Zoho team's on-site support.
The team arrived ahead of the event to assist with setup, troubleshooting, and check-in operations, allowing the organizers to focus on delivering the event instead of worrying about backend logistics.
For the CCUB team, that operational confidence became just as valuable as the technology itself.
"One of the most important things you can do as an event planner is delegate. No one person can manage everything. Zoho Backstage, as a team, brings in professionals. Let them manage your website, your app, and bring them on-site so you don't have to carry that stress. They made my life easy."
Future plans
CCUB has steadily evolved into a truly global platform for conversations around pharmaceutical cold chain and healthcare logistics. With every edition, the event continues to attract more international exhibitors, industry leaders, policymakers, and delegates from across the world.
As the scale and complexity of the event grows, the need for a platform that can seamlessly support registrations, networking, attendee experiences, and on-ground operations becomes even more critical.
For the CCUB team, Zoho Backstage has become more than an event management platform—it is now an integral part of how the event is planned and delivered. Across multiple editions, the combination of enterprise-grade capabilities, responsive support, and on-site collaboration has built a level of trust the team intends to carry forward as the event expands globally.
"Once you have used them, you know them so well; they've been so positive in taking our questions and giving us information. We will surely recommend Zoho to other players who want to host events."