Marketing groups are subsidising live events more than ever before. The power of a live event, particularly a hyper-personalised in-person event, lies in the potential it provides to meet with a core demographic in person. Despite technological advancements, there is really nothing more beneficial than that.
They provide a way for businesses in all sectors and industries to showcase their knowledge, position themselves as experts, and produce a source of quality content. Importantly, they can assist you in moving leads down the sales funnel and closer to buying a product.
The overall goal of any business-to-business marketing event should always be to provide a positive impression of the company and what it might be like to collaborate with you. Every aspect will speak volumes about you, so make sure that everything goes smoothly and properly from beginning to end. That includes everything from the moment you begin publicising the event to communications, event content and delivery, attendee registration, and contact management afterwards.
This is where specialised event planning software comes in. It can assist you with the planning and execution of an event. Just as events can come in all sizes and shapes, so can event management software.
Before we dive into different event planning platforms, let’s cover some background.
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What Is Event Planning Software?
In a nutshell, event planning software is a solution that helps event organisers drive success in all aspects of their events, from event promotion to reports to attendee registration to event check-in and much more.
Some providers claim to provide event management software when, in reality, they only provide software that addresses a single pain point. Some software, for example, specialises in event registration or event check-in. These systems have their uses, but their functionality is limited.
The best event planning software combines all the tools and features that an event organiser will need into one, neatly-packaged platform. The platform should be easy to work with, secure, fast, and in real time.
What Event Types Is Event Planning Software Used for?
Generally, event planning software is used for business-to-business and business-to-consumer professional events. These events can include, but are not limited to the following:
- Trade shows
- Networking events
- Professional trade conferences
- User conferences
- Exhibits and expositions
- Internal company training
Events such as live shows or concerts aren’t the best fit for event planning software. These events are primarily focused on pushing ticket sales.
Professional business-to-business and business-to-consumer events, on the other hand, must support attendee communication and engagement. They must also contribute significantly to event strategy development, which requires detailed analytics on event outcomes. These metrics can then assist event organisers in demonstrating the return on investment and overall effectiveness of their event strategy.
What Should Event Planning Software Do?
The core components of event planning software should serve as a start-to-finish solution for all of your event needs.
Event planning software should enable event organisers to easily create a branded website without learning and utilising coding or complicated interfaces. The software should also offer the ability for users to add custom CSS, HTML, and embeddable widgets.
Event management software should also include a tool for event registration that allows event planners to create multiple ticket types, each with its own unique parameters.
Event planning software should include a host of marketing tools tailored to specific events and target audiences. Email marketing features should enable you to filter attendees for unique, targeted messages. The software should allow you to easily build and customise branded emails.
Excellent event management software should include some type of engagement app or feature for attendees to communicate with each other, network, and take part in the events you organise.
Event analytics can allow you to view data, resulting in more efficient business decisions. Event planning software should show revenue and ticket data and enable event organisers to track sponsor and speaker engagement, attendee interaction, and compare event data for multiple events.
What Are the Benefits of Utilising Event Planning Software?
The main advantage of using event planning software is that it allows you to boost the number of registrations while reducing the manpower required. Once you’ve created an event on an event planning platform, you can simply press a button and let it take care of the rest, leaving you to focus on event promotion. This is especially useful when managing multiple or recurring events.
Most processes can be automated with the help of excellent planning software. Online payment and registration tracking are among the features offered by event planning platforms such as Seatlab. You will also be able to see everything in action, such as registrations, payments, and so on.
Platforms for event planning can also save time and work during communication sequences. Send customised emails thanking participants for attending an event or informing with a single click.
Another benefit of event planning software is that it adds professionalism to the overall management process. Nothing will be overlooked, so the interaction will run more smoothly.
Event management software will also include marketing engagement tools. You are aware that client engagement is at the heart of all marketing. Event planning platforms will give you the tools you need to assist all participants at each stage of the planning process. It can also aid in the analysis of your total overall engagement strata.
Precisely focused marketing is the most powerful and effective method of attracting and retaining customers. You will be able to customise your event and all affiliated advertising strategies with the help of excellent event planning software. You will create distinct client and email lists and send targeted email marketing based on particular parameters.
Ultimately, event planning software can act as a hub, integrating all aspects of event planning. It can help keep everything in sync, from the timetable to the participants, presenters, and sponsors.
Disadvantages to Be Aware of with Event Planning Software
There are a few common criticisms found with event planning software.
One of the most common criticisms directed at event management software is that its user-friendliness frequently comes at the expense of customisability. The design options available can be very rudimentary and limited. Some are really not as user-friendly as customers would like. The simplest way to test it out is to see if a special offer or comprehensive demo is available. Examine your options, examples, and the broader scope of tools and features available through various software.
The cost can also differ tremendously, with the most advanced and highly regarded systems generally being the most expensive. Before making a decision, it is crucial to assess precisely what you require and expect from any software. Even if a Google search implies that one solution is excellent, it does not necessarily imply that it is the best choice for you and your company.
You will always be dependent on the value and attentiveness of the customer support given alongside any software you choose. You must be comfortable knowing that any interruptions will be kept to a minimum and that you will be able to obtain assistance if necessary. There is often a massive learning curve when using new software, so look into what is available to assist you through that phase and beyond.
Top Eight Eventbrite Alternatives
Eventbrite is an online ticket and event software application that assists businesses in organising and selling tickets online and helping individuals discover events that boost their passions. Eventbrite hosts events of all types and sizes, from seminars to music events to forums to world-renowned music and film festivals. The robust platform of Eventbrite, which can be accessed through the Internet or via mobile applications, scales from simple registration and ticket booking to a fully functional event management platform.
Event organisers can use Eventbrite’s self-service event planning tools, including email invitation development, RSVP tracking, and ticket sales. Ticket sales can be managed online through the ticketing website or through interconnection with social media sites such as Facebook, and real-time sales data assist event planners in determining attendance and profit.
There are numerous event planning software options available on the market today, with new platforms appearing frequently. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular and reliable event management software platforms available on the market right now:
1. Seatlab
One of the best Eventbrite alternatives, Seatlab is a cloud-based event planning software with a white label. Designed to assist companies, arenas, and stadiums in managing seat bookings, transactions, sales prices, and booking fees on a single platform. Seatlab enables firms to develop and sell multiple ticket types directly via their own website.
Administrators can monitor booking profits, client demographics, ticket sales per event, and other business metrics on our reporting dashboard. Management teams can also create customisable reports, establish tailored booking fees for particular events, use templates to print tickets, and assign voucher codes to foster sales.
Businesses can use Seatlab to check QR codes on tickets to verify attendees’ arrival and safely store client account data and financial information per the GDPR. To facilitate payment processing, the software also incorporates Stripe.
2. Socio
Socio is a business app builder that allows users to create programmable apps with features such as an agenda planner, presenter list, networking platforms, communication channels, announcements, and more. Socio’s goal is to make it simple for event planners to develop branded, highly customisable mobile event apps for events of any and all sizes.
3. Monday.com
Event planning teams can control every aspect of upcoming events, from attendee registration to customer feedback on a single, flexible, codeless platform.
4. Event Temple
Event Temple is a venue planning platform developed to help venues of all sizes increase profits with increased bookings, revenue, and sales without extra advertising.
5. Raklet
Raklet is a content development platform that includes unrestricted contacts, automated emails, contactless transactions, event ticketing, auditing, personalised forms and webpages, and more. Raklet can be accessed from any Internet-enabled mobile or desktop device.
6. Submittable
Submittable will help you manage your next event from beginning to end. Gather requests and registration information from attendees, presenters, exhibitors, and volunteers/staff, and keep all communication and follow-up in one place. Your team can quickly work collaboratively, review, and approve data from any location.
7. Whova
Whova is cloud-based event planning software that allows companies, universities, vendors, and governmental entities to interact with participants, produce name badges, manage registrations, and broadcast video conferences.
8. Events Wallet
EventsWallet is a complete event management solution for in-person, online, and fusion events. The platform enables organisers to run a successful event by keeping attendees engaged with simple event planning and communication web and app tools.
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