Event planning is a complex and dynamic process that requires a lot of planning, coordination, and execution. Thus, it can be very challenging, especially for the inexperienced.
With the increasing demand for events, event planners are facing new challenges and are expected to deliver high-quality events that meet the needs and expectations of their target audiences.
This is where event management software can help event managers to tackle these challenges and make their job more manageable.
However, with so many options available on the market, it can be challenging to choose the right event management software for your needs. Each event management solution has its own features and capabilities, and if you don’t know where to start, comparing these different solutions can be quite a daunting task.
This article will provide an overview of the top event management software options and key considerations when evaluating them.
By the end of this guide, you should have a better understanding of the features and benefits of each solution and especially how to choose the right solution based on your needs.
How do we evaluate event management software on this list?
Most event management solutions offer similar core functionalities. However, different solutions also offer unique features and functionalities—as well as different price tags—to differentiate themselves from competitors.
With that being said, when comparing different solutions to include in this list, we evaluated the following criteria:
- Event management capabilities
The software should have a range of features to support all aspects of event management, including event creation and customization, registration and ticketing, attendee management, scheduling, and more. Additionally, the software should have the ability to integrate with other tools such as email marketing, payment processing, and social media.
- Scalability and flexibility
The software should be able to accommodate a range of event types and sizes, and should offer the ability to customize and integrate as needed.
- User experience and ease of use
The software should be intuitive, have a user-friendly interface, and allows easy navigation. Additionally, it should have good availability of training and support resources to help users get the most out of the software.
- Security
The solution should comply with industry standards for data protection and privacy and must especially offer secure payment processing and data storage capabilities.
- Reporting and analytics
The event management solution should have the ability to track and measure key event performance metrics, such as attendance and ticket sales. It should also have the capability to export data and offer customizable reporting options.
- Mobile friendly
An ideal event management software should be mobile-friendly and have a mobile application that allows attendees and event managers to access the solution on the go.
- Customizable branding
Some solutions may offer customization of branding. This can be valuable for events involving sponsors or trade shows with multiple brands.
- Integration
Whether the solution offers integration with other tools (third-party or otherwise) such as social media tools, email marketing software, payment processing, etc. Buyers should especially assess
- Automation features
Not a must-have feature, but most good event management solutions offer at least basic automation functions of tasks, such as alerts/notifications to team members and attendees and automated email reminders.
- Cost
Last but not least, cost. Not that the more affordable solution is always better, but we’ll evaluate whether the pricing and plans offered are reasonable. The solution should offer good value for money in terms of features and capabilities.
Top 5 Event Management Software in 2023
1.Eventtia
Overview:
Eventtia is an all-in-one event management software offering a range of features to help event planners plan and execute any type of event (in-person, virtual, or hybrid) of any size from A to Z. Very versatile and scalable, Eventtia is also easy to use despite the robust set of features offered.
Key Features:
- Ticketing and registration: Easily create different ticket types (with different prices), manage ticket sales, and manage attendees’ registration information.
- Event creation and customization: Easily create and customize your event plan. Intuitive interface for setting up event details with different ticketing options and registration forms.
- Attendee management: Various attendee management and tracking features to help you easily manage attendees, including ensuring seamless registration (on-site and virtual), tracking attendance, monitoring activities, guest list management, and so on.
- Scheduling and agenda management: create and manage your event’s schedule, keep track for different tracks and responsibilities in an intuitive dashboard
- Payment processing: seamlessly processes payments for ticket sales, registration fees, and other transactions before and during the event.
- Communication and marketing: Eventtia has tools for communication and marketing, including email marketing, social media integration, and tools for promoting events.
- Analytics and reporting: advanced analytics and reporting functionalities, track various key metrics and event KPIs in an intuitive dashboard
- Mobile compatibility: Eventtia’s app is mobile-friendly, and there’s also a dedicated event mobile app that allows attendees and event managers to access the software on the go.
- Access control and Badge printing: intuitive access control features and badge printing tool to help event planners easily manage attendees’ entry and exit. Event badges can also be used for branding/promotion opportunities.
- Customizable branding: you can customize Eventtia’s software and mobile app to accommodate your branding. This can be useful for events with sponsors or multiple brands.
- Automation: Facilitates automation of repetitive tasks to save time and improve productivity, such as sending notifications/alerts and replying to emails.
- Integration: Seamless integration with other platforms and solutions, including email marketing software, social media management software, and so on.
- 24/7 Support: 24/7 customer support, which can be very helpful for event planners who are dealing with last-minute issues.
- Scalability: Eventtia can “follow” your organization’s growth and your event’s complexity as you grow bigger
- Multi-language and Multi-currency: multiple languages and currencies support, making it a great option for events with international and global attendees.
Pros and Cons of Eventtia
Pros:
- Offers one of the most robust features but, at the same time, easy-to-use with an intuitive interface. Great choice, even for non-technical users.
- Supports virtual events with live streaming/webcasting, virtual stage, and virtual exhibition halls.
- Great analytics and reporting features, easily track performance and ROI of your events
- Seamless integration with various third-party CRM, marketing, and payment processing tools, among others.
Cons:
- Relatively expensive, not the most affordable option around
- Limited customization option for the event website builder
- Steep learning curve for certain advanced features
Pricing:
Eventtia offers several different plans and pricing options for its event management software. The specific plans and pricing may vary depending on the specific needs of the customer and the size of the event. However, generally, Eventtia offers the following pricing plans:
- Express (Starting at $300)
- Unlimited events
- 12-month access
- 3 admin users
- Landing page
- Online registration
- Attendee control
- Payment
- Ticketing
- Check-in app
- Mailing campaigns
- Reporting
- Surveys
- Digital (Starting at $300)
- All features in Express
- Mobile app
- Virtual stage
- Engagement
- B2B/Networking
- Sponsors
- Enterprise (contact for price)
- Unlimited attendees
- All features in Digital
- SSO & White label
- Audit logs
- Unlimited API calls
- Data Lake integration
- Custom event portals
- Role-based access
- White glove support
- SLA support
15-day free-trial program available
Our verdict:
Eventtia’s user-friendly interface and wide range of features make it a good option for users of all skill levels and for planning all kinds of events. Eventtia checks all
The 24/7 customer service and support are also excellent. However, some users may find pricing is on the higher end compared to other event management software.
Overall, Eventtia is a solid choice for event managers looking for comprehensive and user-friendly event management software, and it is definitely worth the money, provided you have the budget.
Our pick for the best event management software in 2023.
Overview:
Eventbrite is more famous as an event ticketing platform, but it also offers a robust event management platform with a rich set of features to help event planers create, manage, promote and sell out their events via Eventbrite’s ticketing platform.
Key Features:
- Event registration: great event registration features allowing you to easily set up registration forms on a custom event website
- Ticket sales and payment processing: fully-fledged event ticketing platform, enables you to sell tickets online, set up discounts, and manage registrations/payments.
- Attendee management: various tools and features to manage attendees and track their activities during event
- Analytics and reporting: detailed analytics and reporting to help event planners track the event’s performance to make data-driven decisions for future events
- Marketing and promotion: various marketing features to help you promote your event through various channels from email marketing to social media marketing, among others
- Mobile app: fully-fledged mobile app to facilitate attendee interaction and engagement on their mobile devices
- Integration: seamlessly integrate with a variety of other solutions, including a wide range social media platforms, payment processors, and CRM solutions.
- Custom branding: customize the look and feel of your event website and app to facilitate brand consistency.
Pros and cons of Eventbrite
Pros:
- Widely used all around the world, huge community that you can interact with, and large network to sell your tickets to.
- Intuitive and easy to use interface
- A rich set of features to help you manage all aspects of your virtual and in-person event
- Excellent 24/7 customer service and support. Can be especially helpful for users who are new to event management and planning.
- Professionally designed mobile event app
Cons:
- The ticketing platform is widely used, so it might be flooded with similar events.
- Expensive with ticket processing fee model
- Some advanced features are not available
Pricing:
Eventbrite offers a variety of pricing plans to suit different event types and sizes. The plans are divided into two categories: self-service and professional.
Self-Service plans:
- Free: This plan is free to use and includes basic features such as event creation, registration, ticket sales, and basic reporting. However, Eventbrite charges a fee per ticket sold, which ranges from 2.5% + $0.99 to 5% + $1.99, depending on the ticket price.
- Essentials: This plan costs $29 per month and includes all the features of the free plan, plus access to advanced reporting, integrations, and customization options. The fee per ticket sold is reduced to 2.5% + $0.99.
- Plus: This plan costs $79 per month and includes all the features of the Essentials plan, plus access to priority customer support, custom branding, and event management tools.
Professional plans:
- Professional: This plan is designed for professional event organizers and includes all the features of the Plus plan, plus additional features such as on-site check-in and scanning, access to Eventbrite’s professional services team, and more. Eventbrite charges 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket and 2.9% processing fee per order.
- Premium: Offers all features of the Professional plan and more, including custom payouts ahead of time. The cost for this plan is not fixed, and it depends on the size and type of event; contact Eventbrite for more information.
Eventbrite’s pricing plans are flexible and can be tailored to fit the needs of different events, so it’s important to check the latest information on their website or contact them directly to see if they meet your needs.
Free trial available for Professional plan.
Our Verdict:
Eventbrite offers a robust set of features that help you plan, manage, and especially sell your event via Eventbrite’s powerful ticketing network.
It’s an easy-to-use event management software that also offers good customer service and support; and a mobile app for on-the-go event management.
Eventbrite is also widely used, which can be helpful for users who want to access a large user base and community. However, some users may find that certain features are lacking or that the software is not as robust as they need it to be. Additionally, the pricing plans can be on the higher end compared to other event management software.
Overview:
Cvent is a versatile and scalable event management software, suitable for events of all types and sizes from small virtual meeting to large in-person conferences and trade whos. Highly customizable with various customization and branding options, Cvent facilitates your event to look and feel like totally your own.
Key Features:
- Event registration:easily create and customize registration forms, manage multiple ticket price/types with different discounts
- Event website builder: intuitive, easy-to-use event website builders with functional and customizable templates
- Event planning and management: a wide range of tools to help you plan, manage, and organize your events. Facilitate event budgeting, scheduling, and agenda management.
- Event marketing: a variety of marketing tools to help you plan and promote your event and increase attendance, including email marketing, social media integration, and audience targeting.
- Event analytics: allowing detailed reporting and analytics, easily tracking key metrics so you can make data-driven decisions.
- Mobile app: Customizable mobile app to facilitate attendee engagement during event, and/or for event planners for mobile event management
- Integrations: seamless integrations with third-party popular software like Salesforce, Google Calendar, and more.
Pros and cons of Cvent:
Pros:
- Cvent offers a wide range of features to help you plan, promote, and manage your events, making it a one-stop-shop for all your event management needs.
- A variety of website templates and customization options, allowing you to create a professional and engaging event website.
- Detailed reporting and analytics to help you track key metrics and make data-driven decisions.
- Cvent offers a mobile app for on-the-go event management and easy attendee engagement.
- Integration with other popular software like Salesforce, Google Calendar and more.
Cons:
- Relatively expensive, especially for smaller event planners. More geared towards enterprise use
- A steep learning curve can be overwhelming for some users.
- Some users have reported that customer support can be limited, and not always responsive to inquiries or issues.
- Limited design options for website templates
Pricing:
Cvent’s pricing for its software is not publicly available on its website, and it is usually quoted based on the needs of the customer after a consultation.
However, Cvent generally caters to enterprise-level clients and is considered a more expensive option compared to other event management software.
You can contact Cvent directly to get the most accurate pricing information and see if it fits your budget. They do offer a free trial of the software, which allows you to test the features before committing to a plan.
Our Verdict:
Cvent is not the most affordable event management solution available, and its pricing is not publicly available. However, it does offer an excellent set of features, especially for enterprise events. Definitely worth considering if you do have the budget.
Overview:
Bizzabo is a complete event management software that offers all the tools you need to plan, promote and manage a successful event. From custom event website templates, registration management, advanced networking features, analytics, and integrations.
Key Features:
- Website builder and templates: Bizzabo offers an intuitive website builder complete with a range of customizable templates. Easily create a professional and engaging event website.
- Advanced networking features: various tools to facilitate networking, help attendees connect and engage with each other, including a built-in networking platform and matchmaking features.
- Event registration and ticketing: online registration forms and the ability to manage multiple ticket prices and types. Effectively manage your event ticketing and registration
- Integrations: integration with other popular solutions and tools, such as Salesforce, Marketo, and MailChimp. Use Bizzabo with your existing solutions and workflows.
- Virtual Event: fully fledged virtual event platform and other features to help you easily plan and execute your virtual events
- Mobile App: a functional mobile app for attendees to access all event information and networking options on their mobile devices
- Event Automation: automation features to help you automate repetitive tasks to save time and increase efficiency of your team.
- Onsite management:onsite management features to help you manage your in-person or hybrid event, such as check-in management, lead retrieval and real-time data analytics/reporting.
- Analytics and reporting: various features to facilitate detailed analytics and reporting. Easily track key metrics and make data-driven decisions to improve your events.
- Marketing features: various marketing features, including social media integration, email marketing, and lead capture tools to help you promote your event.
Pros and cons of Bizzabo
Pros:
- Intuitive event registration/ticketing features, making it easy for attendees to purchase tickets and manage registrations
- Advanced event networking features including attendee matchmaking, real-time messaging, and other interactive features for in-person and virtual events
- Great website builder with a variety of usable and customizable templates. Easily create professional and beautiful event website in minutes
- Detailed analytics and reporting, keep track of key metrics and make data-driven decisions.
- Seamless integrations with many other popular solutions
Cons:
- Customer support can be limited, and not always responsive to inquiries or issues.
- Bizzabo pricing is relatively higher than other event management software.
- The free version of Bizzabo is limited in terms of features and functionalities.
Pricing:
Bizzabo’s pricing plans include:
- Essentials: This is the basic plan, and it includes features such as event registration, ticketing, and a customizable event website. The pricing for this plan starts at $499 per event.
- Growth: This plan includes all the features of the Essentials plan, plus additional features such as networking, analytics, and integrations. The pricing for this plan starts at $999 per event.
- Scale: This plan includes all the features of the Growth plan, plus additional features such as onsite management, virtual event platform, and lead capture. The pricing for this plan starts at $1,999 per event.
- Enterprise: This plan is customized to meet the specific needs of large organizations and offers additional features such as a dedicated account manager, API access, and advanced analytics. The pricing for this plan is available on request.
Free-trial available for all plans.
Our verdict:
Bizzabo is a solid event management solution offering a robust set of features for both in-person and virtual events (making it ideal also for hybrid events.) A great choice for event planners looking to streamline the planning process and execute a successful event of different types and sizes.
Overview:
Eventleaf stands out as an all-in-one event management software that can help you plan ,manage, and execute your next successful event. With all-in-one features for both in-person and virtual events, Eventleaf is a solid choice to streamline the entire event planning process.
Key Features:
- Event registration: create customizable registration forms, manage multiple ticket types/prices and manage attendee information in a single dashboard.
- Event website builder: build a customizable event website to promote your event and act as a central hub of information about the event schedule, speakers, and sponsors.
- Event ticketing: create and manage different ticket types, sell tickets, and keep track of sales.
- Event marketing: various tools and features to help promote the event through social media integration, email marketing, and other marketing channels.
- Event scheduling: easily create and manage your custom event schedule, keep track of sessions, speakers, talents, and sponsors with ease.
- Event analytics: advanced and real-time analytics and reporting tools to help event organizers track event KPIs and make data-driven decisions.
- Event management: various features to help you manage the logistics of your event, including attendees, vendors, and speakers. Als facilitates on-site check in and performance evaluation.
- Mobile App: mobile app for attendees to access information, schedule, and other details of the events.
- Virtual Event Features: fully-fledged virtual event platform, as well as other features to help you plan, manage and execute your next successful virtual and hybrid events.
- Integrations: seamlessly integrates with various third-party platforms like Zoom, Google calendar, Mailchimp, Salesforce and more
Pros and cons of Eventleaf
Pros:
- User-friendly interface and easy to navigate
- Comprehensive and all-in-one solution for in-person, virtual, and hybrid egents
- Customizable registration forms, event websites, and mobile app for attendees
- Virtual event platform and integrations with popular platforms like Zoom, Google Calendar, Mailchimp, Salesforce and more
- Flexible pricing options suitable for both experienced event planners and beginners
- User-friendly interface and easy to navigate
Cons:
- Limited customization options for certain features
- Occasional bugs and glitches
- Customer service/support could be better
Pricing:
Eventleaf does not publicly disclose its pricing information. You can request a quote on Eventleaf’s website or sign up for a free trial.
Our Verdict:
Eventleaf offers a versatile and solid option with a wide range of features for events of different types and sizes. While it’s not the most affordable option and it doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing and plans, it is definitely a great option for all sorts of event planners, beginners and experienced alike.
Wrapping Up
While choosing the right event management software can be a daunting task, the information provided in this guide should allow you to be better equipped to make an informed decision.
Whether you’re a beginner event planner or a business owner, the event management software options listed above should be able to help streamline your event planning, management, and execution processes, allowing you to make your next event a success.
Remember to consider your specific needs and requirements and take advantage of free trials before committing to a particular software.
