Technology is revolutionizing the event planning world. As a meetings professional, you have enough on your mind, so why not use every weapon in your arsenal to ensure your event goes off without a hitch?
Each new year brings opportunities to reach new audiences and increase your organization’s impact. So, take advantage of event planning software to help revitalize your organization’s efforts in 2019. With so many different options, you may want to compile a list of potential software solutions and consider whether they are the optimal choice for your needs.
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Your event planning software should come equipped with:
- Customizable event registration forms
- Data processing tools
- Technology support consulting
Let’s dive into the essentials for planning software and get you prepared to start organizing stress-free events this year.
1. Customizable Event Registration Forms
Many event planners find themselves at a loss as they try to juggle all of the tasks that must be executed perfectly for the event to be successful. Customizable forms allow you to:
- Brand the forms to your organization
- Create custom fields, ensuring you collect all the data you need
- Provide guests with a clear, consistent way of signing up.
Whether your organization is an association, business, university, or nonprofit, your registration software should be tailor-made to ensure the success of your event.
Having software that manages registration information and provides customizable forms means you never have to worry about flipping through paper forms or making sure all forms and waivers are completed.
Good software will help your marketing team build and send digital registration forms to boost your event’s attendance and enhance your chances of success.
2. Data Processing Tools
Your event planning software should be able to manage your data for you and generate real-time reports about your event. It should also track payment data from your event’s attendees so that you can easily check to see who has paid, who hasn’t, and even refund money where necessary.
With all of your data in one place, you can easily communicate with your team members and guests about your events.
The data collected and reported will easily tell your organization what works (and what doesn’t) about your events for your own future reference.
3. Technology Support Consulting
It is one thing to have everything you need at your fingertips; it is a completely different matter to actually understand how to use it. If a software company is serious about helping you plan your events, it will provide a technology support person for you to consult should you encounter any problems.
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The last thing you want is to run into a technical glitch on the day of your big event and be unable to access any of your information. Not only can these individuals help troubleshoot technical issues, but they can also assist your team in making the most of the tools you have for a smoother event planning experience.
The stress of event planning can be overwhelming, but with the right software you can get ahead of the game. Find the perfect software for your organization with these three must-have features so you can plan perfect events without the stress.
Callie Walker is a writer in the membership management software and event registration software space at ePly.
