Event management software tools to manage and plan events

A recent survey by a leading event management software provider asked UK event managers what their preferred tool was for managing and planning their events. By far the most common tool was event management software with 67% of the votes. In second and third place were spreadsheets and “other”, respectively.

Spreadsheets are a proven way to manage events: they can track budgets, monitor resources, and can be an effective way to create and manage lists. The main benefit of spreadsheets as an event management tool is the low cost associated with them. Most event managers have access to spreadsheets and they are a widely accepted document format.

However, there are a host of drawbacks if event managers decide to use spreadsheets as their primary event management tool. Common problems include:

poor efficiencyNote: Using spreadsheets is not a very efficient method of managing all aspects of an event. Event managers are likely to use many different spreadsheets, all with dozens of tabs, containing a vast amount of data. Managing all this data within spreadsheets can be confusing to an outsider and time consuming for all users.

lost dataNote: Spreadsheets are only as secure as the server/system they are on. If they are saved to a computer’s hard drive, there is a risk that all data will be lost if something happens to that computer or laptop. Spreadsheets are also prone to freezing or crashing, and unless the event manager is charged with regularly saving them, there is a high risk of data and work being lost.

Problems keeping data up to date– Many events have multiple event managers, all using the same spreadsheets to organize and plan various areas. Problems arise when administrators update spreadsheets without informing other event administrators that the spreadsheet has changed. If event managers take a copy of the master spreadsheet and work on it, the master soon becomes outdated. There are also issues when more than one event manager needs to access the spreadsheet at the same time. Only one writable copy can be opened, making the others “read-only” which removes the ability to make updates.

Difficult to create reports to measure success: A key part of event management is the ability to analyze the success of the event. Having the ability to understand what makes a particular event successful and what needs to be measured to analyze event performance is vital. Using spreadsheets makes this a difficult task. Although creating graphs and charts can be easy in spreadsheets, combining and sorting the data can be an extremely complicated and time-consuming task. Very often it happens that when using spreadsheets, the activity of measuring the performance of events is forgotten or discarded.

Lack of management information.: Similar to the difficulty of creating reports to analyze performance, there is also a lack of management information in general. For companies that organize many events a year, it is important to be able to have a clear picture of these events as a whole; Understanding the number of delegates, budgets, and other KPIs across events can help shape future event strategy.

These issues create too many problems for organizations with many events to plan. For this reason, many event managers now turn to professional event management software to help them manage their events. These software solutions have been specifically designed for the event management industry and contain a comprehensive yet easy-to-use range of features. Common features include:

· Website Integration– Seamless integration with your website gives delegates a smoother, safer journey and ensures you stay within your corporate branding guidelines

· online registration: Creation of fully customizable online booking forms on your own website, capturing the most relevant information from your delegates

· Online payment processing: Allow your delegates to pay online in a secure environment

· Invitation Management– Make sure you’re targeting the right potential delegates with a built-in invitation management tool

· Junk mail: Powerful, integrated and fully functional email marketing tool to send highly targeted email campaigns to delegates and prospects

· production badge: Save time by producing custom badges quickly and efficiently

· Resource management: Simply manage all your resources through a comprehensive calendar

· Built-in reporting and analytics: Ensure you can determine the true ROI of your events through a powerful set of reports and analytics – quickly and simply drill down into event data in seconds.

· event survey: Create integrated, customizable and automated surveys for effective feedback management.

Event management software tools also have the advantage of multiple implementation methods. Many businesses choose options like software as a service (SaaS) or hosting to keep costs and internal IT involvement low. Alternatively, companies can still purchase the systems outright, but still reap the benefits of ongoing long-term support.