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here are so many tasks to be done when planning and hosting an event it”s a wonder that anything gets done in time. The last few years have seen a rise in the number of online planning tools. These tools are essential for event planners looking to save time and money.
Here’s a rundown of eight great tools to help you plan, monitor and share your next event.
1. Eventbrite
If you’re running an event that requires online registration and ticketing, then Eventbrite is a must. It allows you to create an event sign up webpage that can be accessed on any device, with inbuilt functionality to accept online payments, marketing tools and easy to use analytics packages to monitor event registration.
2. Evernote
Evernote is a fantastic note taking application that works across multiple devices, allowing you to store text, images and videos all in cloud storage, accessible (and easily searchable) anywhere. It’s a great place to put all those random notes that you suddenly realise you need the week before your event but can never find them!
3. Wikis
Another great way of organizing notes and ideas is to set up a wiki. The great thing about wikis is that they are collaborative tools, so multiple event planners working on the same event can all add ideas to the same wiki, ensuring everyone is, quite literally, on the same page!
4. Doodle
This tool is useful for small events where you already know who will be invited, but need to find a date that suits everyone. It allows you to select a range of potential dates for your event and send an email to invitees, where they can then jump on Doodle and mark the dates that they are available.
5. Virtual Venue Visit
Finding a venue for your event can be time consuming, taking days out of the office to scope potential event spaces. Virtual Venue Visit hosts video tours of major event venues, allowing you to get a great perspective on a venue without leaving the office.
6. Google Analytics
Take care of event registration through your own website? Then Google Analytics will allow you to track all successful sign ups, giving you detailed data on exactly where your delegates are coming from. This information will help to refine your marketing strategy, targeting only the channels that are driving registrations.
7. Ustream
What to do when potential attendees are too far away to attend your event? A decade ago this would have been a problem that couldn’t be solved. Now, with increasing levels of bandwidth online, live streaming is a feasible option and a great way to spread your content further afield. Ustream allows you to stream your event online for free and also allows viewers to interact with your video through social recommendations.
8. Slideshare
If your event utilizes presentations and speakers, then Slideshare is a tool that allows you to gather all these presentations in one place and invite attendees to view after the event. This is a great way to cement the knowledge sharing that was taking place during your event and extend the attendee experience beyond the event.
