No matter what size or type of event you’re planning, you’ll most likely want to explore how event planning software can help ensure your event’s success. There are a number of tools available for your consideration.
Two of the most popular are Whova and Eventbrite. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each.
Event planning software: The key to your event’s success
Strategic event planning software is designed to assist event organizers in efficiently managing all aspects of event preparation and execution. It can serve as a central hub where organizers can streamline various tasks, from handling ticket sales to post-event customer relationship management, and collaborate seamlessly to ensure a successful event.
While each event is unique, event organizers will typically encounter a number of common challenges. Event planning software is designed to help address many of those challenges by
- Automating time-consuming manual tasks
- Managing and organizing event-related data
- Facilitating attendee engagement, event registration, and interaction
- Budgeting and tracking finances to manage expenses and track revenue
Robust event-planning software should offer a wide range of capabilities to simplify the complexities of event management.
Whova: Features, functionality, and pricing
Whova offers a comprehensive suite of tools to cover everything from event planning and registration to attendance and participation metrics. Its apps have been on the market since 2014, providing a number of individual solutions aimed at different aspects of event management and attendance.
Attendees can use Whova to get a deeper, richer, and more convenient experience during an event. Floor maps and image galleries help attendees navigate the venue and find their way through your event’s offerings.
For event organizers, Whova offers a wide variety of function-based solutions:
- Creation, design, and management of an event website: The website builder is simple to use, requires no coding, and can help you feed updates to your site to provide the most current, factually accurate resource.
- A top-rated mobile app for your event: Save money on printed materials, increase vendor revenue, and improve attendee engagement with an event app.
- Registration management: In addition to issuing and managing name badges and check-in tools, Whova offers functionality such as discount codes, group tickets, and other advanced features.
Whova also integrates with customer relationship management (CRM) tools, which can help your nonprofit organization or your business make a great impression and build solid relationships with new prospects. Whova features also include attendance and ticket sales metrics and tracking, as well as contactless check-in for attendees through QR codes.
Whova’s registration tool is free to use if your event is also free to attend. For events with paid tickets, organizers can choose to pass the fee on to attendees and pay nothing themselves. The fee Whova charges per ticket is straightforward: It’s 3.0 percent plus $0.99, which is somewhat less than Eventbrite and other tools. For more information on total costs for paid events, you’ll need to contact Whova for a quote or more detailed pricing information.
Eventbrite: Features, functionality, and pricing
Founded in 2006, Eventbrite is a popular self-service web-based event management and organizational tool. Although it can handle a wide variety of event types, sizes, and purposes, it’s most often associated with entertainment events (e.g. festivals, concerts, etc.).
Eventbrite offers help with ticketing and registration, including embedded checkout functionality on your own site to maintain branding and URL consistency. In addition, you’ll get access to event promotion and marketing resources, attendee management tools, and analytics and insights to help make the most of events.
Eventbrite charges those buying tickets a slightly higher rate for ticket fees (3.7 percent plus $1.79 per ticket) as well as a payment processing fee of 2.9 percent on every order. Organizers have the option of absorbing the ticketing fee. There’s no fee for event organizers for free events or for small events up to 25 total tickets. For paid events, Eventbrite offers three paid plans: a Flex plan for $9.99 per event, a Pro plan for $29 per month, and a Premium plan with custom pricing.
Jotform: A powerful alternative
If neither Whova nor Eventbrite quite suits your needs, or if you’d just like a third option, consider Jotform! While it’s not specifically an event management or planning app, it has lots of easy-to-use tools that will help busy organizers keep all the necessary balls in the air and meet their deadlines.
For example, Jotform’s fully customizable event registration form templates can handle registrations for virtual and in-person events. Jotform Tables can help you track those registrations, while event-planning integrations and a no-code event-management app template round out the tools that can help you host a successful event.
Even better, Jotform’s drag-and-drop user interface simplifies the process of customizing and branding your forms. With five pricing tiers, including a free option, you’ll have the freedom to choose a level of access that meets your event and budgeting needs.
Photo by Asia Culture Center
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