For a good reason, hybrid events are the new kids around the block. They are an exciting way to save cost as they cater to two audience types -in-person audience and virtual audience- simultaneously boost your business as it endears your brand to your customers and creates an avenue for seamless engagement. Every way you look at it, it is a win-win for brands looking to bridge the gap with existing and would-be customers.
But you only get these benefits if you pitch your tent with the right company offering access to the right software to manage your event. This takes some consideration when you realize there are many companies and software to choose from, each having the edge over the other.
So how do you choose? With the help of this article.
It explores all top-of-the-line event management software at different pricing levels, explores their features, and what industries they thrive in while ensuring you get the most value for your money.
4 Best Hybrid Event Management Software
1. Eventtia
Website: https://www.eventtia.com/en/home
Summary
Industries: Enterprises, Agencies, Nonprofits, Education, SMBs
Clients: Coca-Cola, Nissan, Nestle, FedEx, Cartier, HSBC, Kaspersky, Exxon Mobil
Pricing: Not available on the website
Integrations: Zapier, Stripe, PayPal, Slido, SparkUp, etc
Demo: Yes
Free Trial: Yes
Overview
Eventtia is an event-planning juggernaut with nearly a decade’s worth of experience. This experience has translated to quality service and the ability to preempt what their users might need. This is a company that is not only dedicated to putting a smile on the client’s face but leaving the earth better than it met it with a mission to plant as many trees as they have active clients monthly.
The company is very popular with enterprises, small and midsize businesses, agencies, nonprofits, and the education sector, where they have provided solutions for hybrid, in-person and virtual events. It has been able to achieve this recognition with this range of exciting features:
Features
- Online Registration
Eventtia’s online registration feature is seamless and easy to use, making registration of would-be attendees a walk in the park. But that’s not all; it takes registration to an unprecedented level. It allows you to create different registration forms for different groups of people, who can then be checked into different virtual rooms for unique experiences.
You can also validate participation and determine who can register to attend the event. Upon successful registration, you can send confirmation emails with all the information they need for the event.
- Mobile Application
An event management software with mobile application functionality is a no-brainer. But you do not need one that just ticks the box to prop up the number of features on offer but one that works and immerses your attendees with the full-on experience, which is what you get with the Eventtia mobile app.
It works seamlessly on tablets and mobile phones, providing the same excellent features and functionality they will get on their computers. You can customize the app to feature branding and, at every glance, provides information for your audiences to participate fully in the event.
- Ticketing
People generally prefer to avoid attending events because of the hassle of having to queue at booths to purchase tickets. You can cut this fear off with Eventtia, as it allows them to order as many tickets as they can from the comfort of their homes.
Being able to sell tickets around the clock boosts revenue. You also have the option to create tiered plans for different event experiences, and you can create discount codes to incentivize your audience.
- Resource Center
There’s much to unpack with this software, much more than can be fitted in this review. Some would see it as getting value for money, while others might consider it confusing and overwhelming. But Eventtia already thought about this and created a comprehensive resource center that provides in-depth knowledge on using the platform and success stories to inspire you.
Pricing
There is no pricing information on the website. Depending on your use case, you will need to chat with the company for a custom quote.
2. Cvent
Website: https://www.cvent.com/en/event-management-software
Summary
Industries: Agency, Association & Non-Profit, Financial Services, Higher Education, Life Sciences, Technology
Clients: Siemens, BBYO, Olympus, FIS
Office locations: North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific
Pricing: Not available on the website
Integrations: Hubspot, Salesforce, Oracle, Webex, Jifflenow, Google Analytics
Free Trial: Yes
Demo: Yes
Overview
When it comes to hosting and managing all types of events, hybrid, in-person, virtual, or webinars, it takes some serious doing to meet the excellent standards Cvent has established in the industry. The company takes charge from start to finish as it offers services to plan and promote your event, engage your attendees, create a budget for the event and provide actionable information from the event.
Features
- Venue Management
One thing many event organizers and event management software providers take for granted that Cvent does not is the provision of the venue. It understands that the venue would not materialize out of thin air, and choosing a physical venue can be daunting.
This is why it invites you to look through its network of nearly 300,000 venues. See photorealistic floor plans and determine the seating arrangement for your in-person audience.
- Exhibitor Management
Managing exhibitors and exhibitions is no breeze. At least it wasn’t until Cvent made it cake with its easy-to-use exhibitor management dashboard. The dashboard allows you to manage logistics and skip the back while smoothing out communications among the invested parties.
- App Marketplace
One area that makes it evident that Cvent looks out for its customers is the marketplace. Here you can find all applications and integrations you would need to make your event a success. The applications range from accessibility and transportation, insurance, networking tools, sales and marketing, and hospitality, to name a few.
Pricing
You can access a demo and free trial, but no pricing information is listed on the website. You will have to request a custom quote.
3. Hopin
Website: https://hopin.com/
Summary
Integrations: Kahoot, Hubspot, Slido, MailChimp, Figma, GoFundMe
Free trial: Yes
Demo: Yes
Pricing: $0 – 800/month
Overview
From the many several reviews online, it is no doubt that Hopin is one of the favorites, and you see why immediately you log on to its website. The animations show the ease with which you can use the software, and the web copy describes the amount of work that went into developing this management software that comfortably thrives in all use cases.
Features
- Enterprise Grade Protection
One thing you doubly need to worry about when organizing a hybrid event is security. Because you must protect your in-house audience, simultaneously, you must ensure that the network and data of people logging on virtually can not be hijacked.
You make sure of either when you use Hopin’s software. It features enterprise-grade protection to ensure confidentiality is not breached when data is shared during your events.
- Virtual Stage on Another Level
You want an exciting event. You are trying to organize the event of a lifetime, one that your customers will not soon forget, and what you need is Hopin’s level of stage customization. Everything can be tweaked to taste, allowing for a virtual stage guaranteed to elevate the entire experience.
The virtual stage also allows for unprecedented immersion as members of your audience can network one-on-one, narrowing the gap to and mirroring the in-person expectations.
- Intentional Designs
Hopin ticks the functional boxes and has made great strides to ensure the aesthetics are also noteworthy. It is powered by Canva, which makes for exciting content options, colors, and interactive animations that keep your audiences glued and entertained.
Pricing
You have four subscription packages to consider: the Free package, the Starter package at $99/month, the Growth package at $799/month, and Advanced plans require you to chat with a representative for a quote. You can get 15% off these packages if you pay annually.
4. Hubilo
Website: https://www.hubilo.com/
Summary
Industries: Corporations, Institutions, Associations, Event Management Companies
Integrations: Captello, Hubspot, MailChimp, Slido, Salesforce, Vodium
Demo: Yes
Free Trial: Yes
Pricing: Not available on the website
Overview
Hubilo is simple to use. It does not woo you with flashy colors, but it guarantees quality. It is one of the newer brands, so it is yet to set roots in the industry, but it is growing, and news of its excellence continues to spread like wildfire. Hubilo’s event management software is perfect for marketing and internal events, conferences, and education seminars.
Features
- Engagement
The most important thing you need to have on lock when organizing an event is engagement, and Hubilo has hacked it. The company has developed a system that keeps your audience’s attention with live chats, contests, group discussions, and one-on-one meetings.
- Event Marketing
You might have the event of the century mapped out, and it would end up falling beyond expectations if you cannot adequately get the word out there. With Hubilo, you won’t have to worry as it gives you state-of-the-art tools that ensure your target audience receives your invitation.
These tools include a customizable landing page that can be branded to taste and carry all the necessary information to participate in the event, personalized messages, and targeted ad campaigns.
- Ticketing & Registration
Now that you have gotten their attention with a search engine-optimized landing page, you want them to commit to attending the event. One way to ensure this is to make ticketing and registration the easiest possible. Hubilo achieves this with online registration and allows you to create tiered ticketing for different groups of attendees.
Pricing
The Hubilo Plans and packages are available on the website, but you will need to chat with a representative for a quote.
Considerations when choosing hybrid event management software
Your choice of event management software is not one you want to make in a vacuum. Selecting the wrong one can take its toll on your business and the brand identity you have expended resources to build.
When deciding on management software for your hybrid event, you must come to terms with the following considerations.
Branding Options
The most important consideration is how much branding the software allows. It would matter very little if you could pull off the hybrid event of the century, and no one even knew your brand was in charge of the event.
An ideal software would allow you to brand the registration page or web app with your logo, brand colors, slogan, or motto. Anything that instantly makes your brand recognizable should be fixed on the broadcast page and possibly the entire virtual event ecosystem.
Customized Experience
The major selling point of hybrid events is how you can create unique experiences for your virtual audience, utterly different from your in-person audience. Your pick of software has to allow you to take advantage of this potential.
You can do this by synching their experiences but with minor differences. You can have the host welcome the in-door audience while you present your virtual audience with a pre-recorded video explaining how they can contribute to the event virtually before converging both experiences when the event kicks off.
Attendee Tracking
This is a piece of important information that lets you know how effective your marketing campaign for the event was and allows you to do better for future events. Software with attendee tracking lets you better profile your current customers and, in turn, reach out to other people that fit the description.
It would help if you prioritized software that automatically tracks people attending your sessions and distinguishes between people who participated virtually or in person. This way, you can create unique surveys and targeted messages for the different audience types.
Exhibitor Booths
If you have sponsors for your event, chances are they will have goods or services they want to exhibit at the event. Typically, you will only be able to set up physical exhibitor booths for your in-person audience; now, you can set up virtual booths for your online audience.
This means more exposure for your sponsors, which makes for an exciting incentive in situations where you need multiple sponsors.
Also, it allows you to advertise multiple types of products. You can set up booths for physical goods for people to physically test, and digital services can be broadcast to your online audience.
Content Options
You can get the most value from event management software by considering one that gives you multiple ways to pass your message.
The popular method is a live stream where they can watch events from the physical event, communicate with an online moderator, and in some cases, among themselves.
Other content options include a live feed where participants can post texts, photos, and videos and get people to engage with these posts. You also have the option of using pre-recorded videos to condense information that might be tasking to pass across to your online audience.
Live Chat and Social Media Functionality
People lean towards in-person events because of the opportunity to socialize, network, and meet people with similar interests. This is often lost or challenging to achieve with virtual events, but possible.
Some companies offer event management software with live chat and social media functionality that can recreate social interactions that happen at physical events. This further blurs the line between audiences and ensures everyone participating gets a premium experience.
Analytics and Reporting
Businesses and brands that dominate the market understand their customers. It is not enough to know their names; you need to know their preferences, the type of devices they use, their preferred method of engagement, and the type of documents they share, to name a few.
This information allows you to better convey your message and create custom provisions for different customers. You can get this information and much more from specific event management software that reports all the happenings in the event and provide in-depth analytics.
The Future is Now
The future of event management is not a couple of years down the road; it is now. The advent of hybrid events has found a way to handshake the virtues of physical events and virtual events. It allows both audiences to enjoy unique experiences while being a part of the collective.
In one fell swoop, you can cater to the needs of people who would rather leave their homes and those who won’t, and it all starts with your choice of management software, with the finest listed above.
