Event management software tools to manage and plan events

A recent survey by a leading provider of event management software asked event managers in the UK which was their preferred tool 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 it. 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 efficiency: 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 vast amounts of data. Managing all of this data within spreadsheets can be confusing for an outsider and time consuming for all users.

lost data: Spreadsheets are only as secure as the server/system they are on. If they are saved on a computer 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 saving them regularly, there is a high risk of lost data and work.

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 admins update spreadsheets without informing other event admins that the spreadsheet has changed. If the event managers take a copy of the master spreadsheet and work on it, the master soon becomes obsolete. There are also problems 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”, removing the ability to make updates.

It is difficult to create reports to measure success: A key part of event management is the ability to analyze the success of the event. It is vital to have the ability to understand what makes a particular event successful and what needs to be measured to analyze event performance. The use of spreadsheets makes this a difficult task. Although creating graphs and tables can be easy in spreadsheets, combining and sorting data can be extremely complicated and time consuming. 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 all events can help shape event strategy going forward.

These problems create too many problems for organizations with many events to plan. For this reason, many event managers are now turning 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 range of comprehensive yet easy to use features. Common features include:

· Website Integration: Seamless integration with your website gives delegates a smoother and safer journey and ensures you stay within your corporate brand 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 target the right potential delegates with an integrated invitation management tool

· Junk mail: Powerful, integrated and fully functional email marketing tool for sending 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 complete calendar

· Integrated reporting and analytics: Ensure you can determine the true ROI of your events through a powerful suite 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 companies choose options like software as a service (SaaS) or hosting to keep costs down and internal IT involvement down. Alternatively, companies can still purchase the systems outright, but still reap the benefits of long-term, ongoing support.