When shopping for an event management software solution, what should I look for? There are many solutions on the market, but some are more complete and technically advanced than others. Event managers must ensure that the investment they make is future-proof; In other words, the software must be able to grow and adapt as the organization grows and technology develops. More specifically, the particular features that make a quality event software solution include:
Integration into back-end office systems
Being able to integrate event software into the solutions used within the business already makes the package more efficient. Business systems such as CRM solutions, finance packages, and HR solutions contain data that will need to be updated with each event. Customer data in the CRM solution will need to be updated with their latest activity, the financial system will need to process any payments, and the HR solution will need to update employee records if the event involves staff attendance. Automating this process through integration eliminates any errors and makes the process of upgrading from other platforms much more efficient. Effective event software solutions will have a flexible technical architecture, allowing them to integrate with all of your current and future systems.
Integration of the event software into the organization’s website means that not only does the delegate get the benefits of a familiar website, but event organizers can maintain full control over the content and branding of the registration page . Customizable booking forms should be easy to create. The booking forms will be integrated with the office’s administrative systems, updating records automatically as soon as a delegate registers for an event.
Event management software can also make it easy to organize repeatable events, by storing booking forms and other event tools as templates, ready to be used again and again.
Comprehensive email marketing tool
The event management industry is now heavily dependent on email marketing. Emails are used to:
- promote events
- Send invitations
- Update delegates on event changes/developments
- Reach out to delegates for post-event surveys
The email marketing tool that comes with the event software should be technical enough to be able to track the main KPIs. These include the number of email opens and clicks, unopened emails, deleted emails, most popular links, etc. This level of measurement helps event managers to constantly improve their emails, which helps increase the response rate of delegates with each communication.
However, many email solutions can go a step further. The integration of the email tool with the event software means that the registration process can be further simplified. Prospective delegates can receive an email invitation, click the link and be taken to a registration page where their details have already been entered into the booking form; this allows for a two-click registration process: one click to get to the registration web page and a second click to confirm the information is correct and register for the event. This ability dramatically increases the number of delegate registrations, which is a key measure for many events in this current economic climate.
Reports and analysis
Improving the quality and attendance of events can only be achieved through the measurement and analysis of each and every event held. This can be a complex and time consuming endeavor and is often something that gets pushed to the side as the next event is right around the corner!
Event management software makes it easy to analyze and report events. Comprehensive OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) can automate standard reporting and should be part of all event software packages. These reports are based on the individual requirements and needs of each organization; Not all organizations give weight to the same KPIs and results. Understanding what is important and what affects the success of an individual event is key to creating appropriate reports.
As organizations grow and transform, it’s important that event software can grow with them. OLAP reporting functionality makes it easy for event managers to create ad hoc reports and new report templates when needed.
Event software OLAP reporting tools can also measure other event metrics, such as:
- Expense to Income Ratio (E:R)
- Conversion rate of invitations sent vs. delegate records
- Delegate records vs. Wait
- Quality and quantity of delegated leads
- Sales Cycle and Opportunities
Other key features event managers should look for in an event management software solution are:
- Website Integration – Seamlessly integrate with your existing website without the need to redesign or rebrand
- Online Registration: Fully customizable online booking form ensuring your online registration process captures the most relevant information from your delegates
- Invitation management: comprehensive and easy-to-use integrated invitation management tool
- Email Marketing Tool – Powerful, integrated and fully functional email marketing tool that allows event managers to send highly targeted email marketing campaigns to the relevant delegate audience
- Badge creation – produce custom delegate badges before or during the event simply through event management software
- Ease of Resource Management – Simply manage and allocate all resources through a comprehensive calendar feature, giving you full control of all aspects of the event management process.
- Secure online payments: Allow your delegates to pay securely online with confidence, providing ease of automation
- Integrated reporting and analytics suite – Powerful reporting and analytics suite that allows you to simply and quickly drill down into event data in seconds
- Survey: integrated and automated feedback management tool
