There’s a lot that goes into putting on a successful event. In addition to the actual planning of the event, you need to drum up excitement with marketing, build an event landing page, and sell tickets (or get interested individuals registered). And that’s all before your event even happens! You’ve still got a lot to do during and after your event to ensure your attendees have the best experience possible.
With so many moving parts, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or lose track of something during an event’s lifecycle. That’s why having the right tools is so important. Event management software can help you every step of the way.
What Is Event Management Software?
Event management software (or event planning software) is a solution designed to help you with the various stages of your event, making your job as an event organizer easier. It also allows you to create the types of events your attendees want to experience and ensures those experiences are both positive and memorable.
The best event management software helps you through the entire lifecycle of your event, from beginning to end. Not only that, but it can also help you organize and execute (and analyze!) a variety of B2C and B2B events, including:
- Festivals
- Races
- Performances
- Conventions
- Fundraisers
- Social gatherings
Benefits of Event Planning Software
There’s no denying that event technology makes it easier to put on better events. Event management software is no different. Here are some of the top benefits it offers.
Organize Everything Through One Platform
Events of all shapes and sizes involve numerous components. When you have to manage them all separately, it’s easier for things to get lost or forgotten. It often isn’t until the day of the event when you realize something’s missing.
Although you might be able to handle an issue that arises from a snafu during the planning process, event management software can help you prevent these types of problems from occurring in the first place. It gives you one platform through which you can organize everything. That can save you the time and stress of trying to locate different documents (digital or physical) or accidentally forgetting a small but essential part of your upcoming event.
Organize Your Team
Your event team likely consists of people who have different roles and responsibilities. Although they may have their own tasks to manage, everyone needs to work together for your event to be successful.
Event management software can help keep your event staff organized. You can assign permission-based roles that give different team members access to data and tools that are specific to their jobs. That ensures they have the essential information they need (and avoids giving them what they don’t need).
Again, keeping everything on one platform minimizes the risk of losing documents or forgetting details. Think of it as a central hub that keeps everyone and everything organized and running smoothly.
Increase Attendance With Online Registration
Our world has become incredibly digitized. There aren’t many things we don’t (or can’t) do online anymore. The internet has made things like finding information, making purchases, and engaging with one another incredibly easy and convenient.
The internet (and your event management software) also allows you to give potential attendees the ability to register from their computers or smart devices. Instead of having to download a paper form and mail it in, they can complete the entire process on your event page when it’s convenient for them. A near-instant confirmation email lets them know that their submission was successful. There’s also the benefit of online registration being paperless. All of these points can encourage more interested individuals to attend your events.
Step Into the Future With Online Events and Hybrid Events
Virtual events have grown steadily more popular, even before the pandemic. Even as live events have started coming back, virtual events are likely to continue growing. Many event organizers are combining the two to offer hybrid experiences. That gives attendees the ability to choose how they want to attend.
Event management software can help you step into the future by making it easier to operate virtual and hybrid events, engage with potential and confirmed attendees, and drive more sales. For instance, you can create a digital event page to provide online content (or companion content for hybrid events) to verified attendees. The page gives you a place to share sponsored content, post images, and integrate your streaming service. You can even sell merchandise and branded swag, too.
Improve Your Attendee Experience
Your attendees are everything. In fact, their satisfaction is an essential metric for measuring your event’s success. Satisfied attendees are more likely to keep coming back. They may tell their friends about your events, too.
Event management software helps you create a seamless, more enjoyable experience for your attendees from start to finish. In turn, that increases their satisfaction. Satisfied attendees are more likely to keep coming back. They may tell their friends about your events, too, and recommend that they attend in the future.
Here are a few ways event planning software can help improve your attendees’ experience:
- Your event landing page and marketing efforts help generate buzz and get people excited.
- Online registration and ticket sales are made directly from your landing page, making the process of becoming attendees simple and convenient.
- Email updates provide valuable information about what to expect, event updates, and other relevant details, all of which prepare attendees for your actual event.
- Mobile check-ins help eliminate long lines, providing a positive first impression upon arrival.
Features of a Great Event Planning Tool
There are tons of event planning software options out there. Not all of them are equal, though. Some solutions only assist with one or two components of the event planning process, such as digital marketing or attendee registration. Others offer a more comprehensive solution, giving you all of the features you need to organize, put on, and analyze your events.
Let’s take a look at some of the features that make for a great event management platform.
Smooth Ticket Sales and Payment Processing
One of the last things you want to happen after getting potential attendees excited about your event is to have them give up because buying tickets is too complicated. Event management software should make ticketing and payment processing a breeze.
Your attendees should be able to provide the necessary details, purchase optional insurance, and upgrade their tickets, all from your event page. Secure payments reassure them that their credit card information is kept safe.
You might also consider offering the ability to pay in installments or provide discounts for referring friends.
Streamlined Attendee Management
Keeping your attendees engaged throughout your event’s lifecycle is vital. By keeping in touch with them, you can track their experience so that you can continue to improve. Event planning software allows you to keep all of your essential attendee information in a single location. You should be able to update information easily to ensure accurate records. That way, you can maintain contact and continue providing attendees with relevant and important information before, during, and after your events.
Simple Scheduling Tools for Event Organizers
As an event organizer, you know the importance of schedules. From scheduling social media posts to event activities, everything needs to flow.
Complicated scheduling systems only make things, well, more complicated. Event management software should have simple scheduling tools to help you stay on track and keep your events running smoothly.
Analytics for Event Planners
Part of planning events that people want to attend again and again is continually looking for ways to improve. To see what’s working and what needs work, you need to be able to analyze your events. That’s why your event management software should allow you to view and analyze essential data. For instance, you should be able to get at-a-glance insights from a visual dashboard and generate custom reports for a deeper dive. You can see:
- Which channels are the most effective for marketing
- How potential attendees interact with your landing page
- Ticket sales over time
- Registrations by ticket price
- Revenue
- Event check-ins (versus no-shows) and social media engagement
- Number of repeat attendees
You can use the information to continue making your events better, which can lead to a better experience for everyone involved.
Automated Invoices
Automated invoices come with some pretty significant benefits. For one thing, they reduce errors that may occur when you transfer information manually. Automation allows for faster invoice processing, which can save valuable time and money. And as part of your event management software, you can keep track of your invoices from a central location. That way, you don’t have to worry about juggling multiple solutions.
Ensure a Successful Event Using Event Management Software
As an event organizer, you have a lot on your plate. There are so many things to keep track of and numerous parts that need to come together in just the right way.
The right event planning software can make your job much easier by giving you a single platform through which you can organize everything. Along with keeping you on track, it also provides you with tools to help you boost ticket sales and improve your attendees’ experience.
Are you ready to improve your event planning process and organize better events for your attendees? The event management software from Events.com can help. With features like custom landing pages, data and analytics, and mobile apps for event-day management, you can create memorable events. For more information or to start planning your next event, visit Events.com today!
