Organising an event is never an easy task, but you can minimise a lot of headache by investing in a good event management software. While issues of logistics and costs persist with every event, they can become more pronounced when you need to organise a large-scale corporate event or business conference. For any event organiser, an error or oversight on their part for a critical event involving various complexities could even sound the death knell for their professional career.
In such cases, a good event management software can be a godsend for event organisers. These software integrate multiple functionalities within a single tool, thus providing a one-stop solution that deals with each aspect of event management — from planning and shortlisting venues to user registration and check-ins, as well as providing analytics for attendees’ satisfaction and event’s ROI.
With burgeoning technologies that claim to provide ease of convenience and data-driven solutions, and a plethora of offerings available in the market, it can become an arduous task to select the best software for event management. So which parameters should you consider before making your final selection?
Here are the top 10 questions you must ask before buying the best event management software:
1. Does it fulfill my goals?
What is the type of event that you are planning? Is it a corporate meet? An academic conference? A tradeshow? Different software cater to different events. Something more suited for a business conference might not work for simpler events because the complexities would differ. Align your goals with the software that best suits your needs.
2. Is a free demo available?
Despite all your painstaking research, your efforts to find the best event management software could prove futile if you don’t have a hands-on experience with the product. A free trial can help you make a more informed decision, so look for providers that offer the option of a demo. The more you get acquainted with the platform, the better you will be able to link it to your goals.
3. I am not a tech-savvy person. Is the UI of the platform too complicated?
Though we live in the age of smartphones and rapid technological advancements, simplicity is core to the success of every project. A team of event planners comprises of people from diverse backgrounds, and it is not necessary that all of them have a quick learning curve when it comes to technology. The UI of the software for event management should be simple such that a layman could also navigate with ease. Usually, any good event management software integrates multiple functionalities, so if it is too complicated and becomes overwhelming to use, it would likely create several issues.
4. How will the software contribute to my company’s branding?
Any event is an opportunity to boost your brand presence. The event management software should provide the requisite functionality to promote your brand. For example, creating an event website, customisable email templates, or a branded event app.
5. Does the software offer integration with marketing automation or CRM platforms?
An event management software can be successful only when it offers smooth integration across various platforms, such as:
- CRM
- Business Intelligence
- Social media
- Customer analytics
Consider this – for the human body to function properly, different organs like the brain, heart, nervous system, lungs, liver, bladder, kidney etc have to integrate with each other as a whole. In the same way, an event management software can work properly with optimal results only when it syncs well with other platforms!
6. How efficient is the support service of the software?
A complete event management software that provides 360-degree solutions comes with a robust support service. No matter how good a platform is, there is always the chance that a technical glitch could pop up. To solve any potential customer query in real-time for prompt resolution is an essential requirement of any software for event management.
7. What add-ons/paid features are included with the base price and what specialised benefits do they offer?
To ensure the success of a large-scale event like a major tradeshow or academic conference, planners usually go the extra mile. If the event management software includes some additional paid or customisable features that offer a specific functionality to add value to your event, then it is certainly a benefit you can avail of.
8. What is the USP of the software?
Does the software has something unique (which could be free) that sets it apart from other similar software?
9. What analytics does the event management software provide?
For an event planner, lead generation, attendee satisfaction, and ROI are some of the key factors that make them select a software. In this data-driven world of today, we need more solutions that can track analytics so that different metrics can be quantified for feedback and improvement.
10. Is the software GDPR compliant?
User privacy is one of the most sensitive topics today and any breach of personal information can lead to disastrous consequences. Any software for event management should be GDPR compliant in order to establish a sense of trust and credibility.
Check out our Buyer’s Guide to learn what you need to consider in order to select the right event management technology provider for your organisation.
