When it comes to event planning software, we lack understanding. We may often think that purchasing a digital tool is more of a fancy decision than a powerful solution that will help us boost the planning process.
In fact, you most likely ignore everything that has to do with event planning software. Your reasons are multiple: it costs money, it’s difficult to choose one, your entire event depends on the event planning software running effectively, etc.
No doubt, these thoughts are legitimate. Yet, let’s put aside these reasons and dive in deeper.
There’s one real and valuable benefit you’ll gain from using event planning software.
It’s called time.
Apart from leveling up your game, good event planning software exists for one reason: to help you automatize different tasks to save you precious time.
Think about it for a minute: How many hours or even days do you waste on logistic-related assignments? What could you do with this time instead?
Let me guess:
- Develop a powerful communication strategy;
- Search for more sponsors;
- Leverage the creativity of your team;
- Promote your event better;
- (the most important one) Have more time for yourself and your family …
“Is this even possible?” you might be asking.
Yes! Good event planning software takes care of the unpleasant logistic stuff so that you can focus on the fun part of managing and running an event.
How?
Forget about wasting time on mass mailing
How long it takes you to send save-the-date or event invitation emails?
Just think about it. First, you have to make a list of potential attendees. Then you have to design the email, insert an illustration to make it more attractive (not an easy task), and copy/paste the email addresses.
Afterward, you have to execute the mass mailing in several steps, running the risk that your letters will end up in the spam bin. And finally, you don’t even know if people actually opened these emails …
What if the only time you spent on the mailing campaign is on crafting the message … and that’s it?
Event planning software makes it possible by providing efficient mass mailing options. You just have to set up your mailing list and click Send. Moreover, when you’ll have to send other emails (follow-ups, event related indications, and tips, thank you notes, etc.), you’ll have access to the pre-established configurations, so you’ll spend (almost) zero minutes on building strong and continuous communication with your attendees.
Make real-time updates in just a few seconds
There’s just one constant when planning an event: everything changes with the speed of light. To keep up with these changes, you need a system to help you execute real-time updates.
Let’s suppose that one of your attendees sent you a last-minute message telling you that his or her flight was canceled. Instead of wasting time on emailing or calling the event booklet designer to make this change (or worse, instead of knowing that you can’t update the information because the booklet design was already sent to a printing house or has already been printed), you can do it yourself within a few seconds using event planning software mechanisms. Another good thing is that by using event planning software, you can go paperless and save money.
Set up an event website with just a few clicks
Your event needs a website and you know it.
How many times have you struggled to set up a WordPress site that looked like a beginner’s blog? How many times have you changed the site theme until you discovered the least lousy one? How many times have you tried to draft a web structure to explain to your designer what the site should look like?
Event planning software will save you a great deal of time when setting up outstanding websites. There are event management platforms that allow you to build a landing page or a full website with a drag-and-drop editor. Using it, you’ll be just a few clicks away from a high-quality event page.
Throw away the networking spreadsheets
You already know that organizing one-on-one meetings between your attendees is the most efficient way of running meaningful networking events or sessions. Yet, you have to preschedule all of those meetings by understanding each attendee’s goals, as well as what they have to offer.
How do you do that? Our experience shows that people usually do it manually, using multiple spreadsheets. This takes an incredible amount of time (sometimes even weeks) and it’s not as efficient as it should be. Using event planning software that has a B2B matchmaking built in transforms a week-long headache into a task that takes just a few minutes.
Generate and print badges in less than one minute
How many times have you gotten home very late at night because you were stuck at work preparing all of the attendees’ event badges? If you are still preprinting badges, you must know how tiring and never-ending this activity is. How about automatizing the process and saving your time? Event planning software will help you with that.
Wrap up
Time is the scarcest resource, especially for event planners or managers. Your responsibility is to use it wisely and find ways to automatize certain logistic tasks and get back hours (or even days) of your life. You can use this precious time for tasks that can level up your professional game, or spend more time with friends and family. However, you can’t do it without using proficient event planning software. So the next time you try to convince yourself why you don’t need a digital tool to plan an event, remember the time you’ll gain by using it.
