How to Choose Event Management Software to Make Event Planners' Tasks More Efficient

Conducting corporate and social events post-pandemic can be different than before. The pandemic caused a change in the way event planners organize gatherings and conventions. With Covid compliance protocols in place, strict monitoring and crowd control have become a priority.

Using the right event management system and reservation booking software are keys to getting things done to plan and execute successful corporate and social events. Many factors are affecting the outcome of an event that event planners need to work on.

Event planners need to use the proper management tools, including event management software, because it increases productivity by 27%, attendance by 20%, and profit margin by 20 -30% on average.

But choosing the right event management software can be tricky. There are a plethora of options available in the market vying for your attention. With so many free event management tools online, how can you choose the right event management software to simplify event planners’ tasks? What are the key features you need to look out for when selecting the right software for your event business?

We will discuss the ways and means of arriving at the right decision in choosing the best event booking software in this article.

Common Challenges in Planning an Event

Event planners do much legwork when organizing an event, especially if it is a big event with many attendees. Before the successful culmination of the event, there are many challenges to overcome.

If you are a seasoned event planner, you can probably relate to the pressure and stress of having to pull off significant events. Meanwhile, if you are still starting as an event planner, here are common challenges in planning conferences, seminars, concerts, meetings, trade fairs, and special events such as weddings, birthdays, and social gatherings.

• Understaffing

Understaffing can pose problems during the day of the event. You may not be able to determine the extent of the problem until it happens. Most often, an understaffed event can result in a disorganized transition of the program.

Initiating a talk with the key stakeholders enables you to get comprehensive information on what they need in the event. It can also help identify critical roles to assign your staff and how many personnel required in the event.

• Overspending The Budget

Budgeting is the most critical aspect of any event. It is also the most challenging part of event planning. Changes in the budget can happen unexpectedly during the event planning process. It is necessary to keep your expenses low. Compare previous event budget allocation and expenditures.

If you are new in the company, revisit old data on event budget allocation and actual costs to determine possible budget estimates and expenses that may occur in the event. It is vital to assess all event-related requests and changes that can impact your budget and planning timeline. Inability to anticipate changes in the budget could sabotage your event.

• Not Prioritizing Networking Activities

Most business professionals consider networking activities as a significant impact on their decision-making in attending the event. Regardless of the budget, it is integral to incorporate networking activities on every occasion. For example, putting up speed networking cocktail tables at lunch, planning for a happy hour at the end of the program, and social lounges where attendees can mingle and meet new people between activities. A meeting room management tool can help you with this activity.

• Not Having Backup Plans for Bad Weather

Rain, hailstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes are just some of the challenges of having an outdoor event. Always have a second venue in mind, in case it will rain on your event day. The location should be nearby and should be somewhere you can book at the last minute.

If the event is selling tickets, event or weather insurance is beneficial if you opt to cancel the event due to bad weather. You will then have to refund the tickets. Having backup plans will help you think fast on your feet. Everyone will consider you the event superhero you already are. Having the best conference room booking software supports your plans. You can update it on the go if ever anything happens unexpectedly.

• Too Tight Scheduling

Making a timeline of the activities of the event is a critical endeavor. Planning a jampacked schedule may wear out attendees quickly, and too much free time may bore them. It is significant to prioritize which tasks are essential and urgent and which activities you can work on later. A facility scheduling system can help you efficiently manage your schedule and tasks.

• Lack of Hands-On Experience

Everyone starts as a beginner in everything but passing up the chance to learn from the more seasoned team members can be devastating to event planning. As a beginner, you may not be familiar with everything, but arming yourself with knowledge will give you an advantage. One factor that affects event outcomes is the event planners’ lack of work experience. You can start with learning about facility scheduler software, and from then on, you can use its innovative features to ease the flow of your responsibilities.

• Not Using Automation Technology

With so many aspects of an event that needs in-depth management, events scheduling software technology can help simplify the hefty tasks that an event planner has to manage. For example, using a conference room reservation screen enables event planners to figure out which spaces are available. It allows them to book the area right away without having to walk from room to room. A reservation software system can also help event planners streamline venue reservations for easier planning and access.

Top Key Software Features To Look For in Events Scheduling Software

Finding the best event booking software may be challenging because of the many software providers. This guide will help you narrow down your event management software options by providing you with tips in choosing the software features to look for.

However, it will be up to you to assess which features serve your business the best it can when it comes to making that final decision. The following features will provide you and your events business the necessary planning tools you need to succeed and thrive in such a demanding industry.

#1. Easy and Quick Online Payments

Accept online transactions and get paid in minutes rather than weeks! The events industry is no exception to the world’s transformation into becoming a digital marketplace. Accepting online transfers instead of checks will help you transact and do business with your attendees more quickly and efficiently. The reservations software offers a seamless flow of online transactions and processes.

#2. Automates Attendees’ Registration

With event management software and booking solutions, registering the names of your guests, participant, or attendees has never been easier. There’s no need for complicated IT or third-party processes. Easily share customized event information such as plans, messages, tasks, sponsors, event contacts, marketing, promotional, and more.

#3. Event Management Dashboard

It can be challenging to keep track and manage how your project is progressing, especially if you have a large event team. The software’s event dashboard system provides metrics to help you analyze the state of the whole event at a quick look. It enables you to oversee what needs less or more supervision. Using meeting room planning software, you can also plan where you want to conduct the event and what necessary steps you have left to take.

#4. Send Invites Automatically

Create, submit, and track event invites and confirmation with ease to increase event attendance. You can easily design, present, and monitor event invites with the Send Invites feature of the event management software. Sending event invitation emails to prospective guests will help you increase event registration and ticket sales. Refrain from wasting money on complicated and inefficient email marketing tools.

You’ll be submitting your personalized event invites in minutes with the software’s built-in Invite tool! You may also monitor the success of your invitations. Your staff will be able to see how well the event invitations are doing, plus you have the opportunity to supervise them. See who has an invitation, who refused, and who has accepted it. With the conference room scheduling display, the guests can check the event’s program timeline and activities during the actual date.

#5. Manage Schedules

Using the reservation scheduling software, you can create your event schedules and reservations. Share a similar program for all participants, or share different agendas with different groups of attendees.

The simple schedule builder allows you to quickly create, maintain, and share your stream of schedules. You will gain confidence knowing that your attendees are not using emails with outdated information or insufficient data again. Plus, the meeting room signage assists and informs them of which room you have booked for the event.

#6. Easier Tasks Delegation

Using equipment reservation software free, you can create and monitor work assignments. Effortlessly manage your event participants such as volunteers and event workers by appointing them to vacant tasks. Through the software, you can quickly identify and correct job issues and conflicting duties.

#7. Effective Contact Management

Bring order to your event contact list. Contacts can be easily shared with the entire staff. When you disseminate the event’s communications through many locations such as the team’s mobile phones, emails, spreadsheets, or fragmented information programs, contact management becomes difficult.

Participants’ contact information will be immediately added to the master contacts list for your event when they register. The software keeps your contact information up to date so you can have the information at hand in real-time. You can also conveniently import existing lists or manually enter your contacts. It’s all built on cloud-based storage infrastructure, meaning you can access it from any device at any time with an internet connection.

Wrapping Up

As a performance agent, you only want the best outcome for the event you and your team have prepared. Simplifying your operations with a room manager booking system offers many significant benefits. The room manager system helps you secure the details of your guests to the overall management of the event.

When you carefully choose event preparation strategies that work well together, you get more value for your effort. Using the software, you gain more time focusing on how to put on a fantastic event. An excellent event paves the way to an exceptional experience for your guests.