Event management software tools to manage and plan events

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

Spreadsheets are a proven way to manage events – they can track budgets, monitor resources, and they 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 lot of drawbacks if event managers decide to use spreadsheets as their main event management tool. Common problems include:

Low efficiency: Using spreadsheets is not a very efficient way to manage all aspects of an event. Event managers are likely to use many different spreadsheets, all with dozens of tabs, containing a large amount of data. Managing all this data within spreadsheets can be confusing for a stranger 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’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 / stalling and unless the event manager is used to saving regularly there is a high risk of data and work being lost.

Problems keeping data up to date: Many events have multiple event managers, they all use the same spreadsheets to organize and plan various areas. Problems arise when managers update spreadsheets without informing other event managers that the spreadsheet has changed. If event managers take a copy of the master spreadsheet and work on it, the master will soon be out of date. There are also problems when more than one event manager needs to access the spreadsheet at the same time. Only one editable copy can be opened, making the others ‘read-only’, eliminating the ability to perform updates.

It is difficult to create reports to measure success: A key part of event management is the ability to analyze the success of events. It is vital to have the ability to understand what makes a particular event successful and what needs to be measured in order to analyze the performance of the event. Using spreadsheets makes this a difficult task. Although creating charts and tables can be easy in spreadsheets, combining and sorting your data can be an extremely complicated and time-consuming task. Quite often, when using spreadsheets, the activity of measuring the performance of an event 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 delegate numbers, 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, numerous event managers are now turning to professional event management software to help 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 functions. Common features include:

· Website integration: Seamless integration with your website gives delegates a smoother and safer ride and ensures it stays within your corporate branding guidelines

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

· Online payment processing: Allow your delegates to pay online in a safe and 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 for sending highly targeted email campaigns to delegates and potential customers.

· 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 analysis: Make sure you can determine the true ROI of your events through a powerful set of reports and analysis, quickly and easily, drill down to event data in seconds.

· Events survey– Create built-in, customizable, and automated surveys for effective feedback management.

Event management software tools also benefit from multiple deployment methods. Many companies 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.