Universities and other institutions of higher education host orientations, lectures, workshops, graduation ceremonies, alumni galas, open houses, student clubs and societies, sporting events, research symposiums, and more.
Each of these events has its own logistical, technical, and engagement challenges, and doing them well is essential. Robust event management software helps educational institutions run sophisticated events, offering virtual and hybrid components, integrated analytics, automated communication, detailed analytics, and more.
In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the best event management software for universities and explain why Eventtia is one of the most comprehensive solutions for higher education institutions in 2025.
What is event management software for universities?
Event management software for universities is a digital platform designed to help higher education institutions plan, organize, and execute events of all sizes, including:
- Academic conferences
- Student orientations
- Alumni reunions
- Career fairs
- Graduation ceremonies
Unlike generic event tools, these solutions are tailored to the unique needs of universities, which often juggle multiple stakeholders (students, faculty, staff, alumni, external partners) and diverse event formats (in-person, hybrid, and virtual). Event software for universities typically includes solutions for:
- Managing event registration and ticketing
- Creating customizable event websites
- Scheduling and agenda management
- Seamless check-in and badging
- Sending event reminders, updates, and post-event follow-ups via email, SMS, or app
- Hosting virtual and hybrid events
- Boosting engagement via networking tools, polls, Q&A, and chat
- Tracking and analyzing event performance
What features should universities look for in event management software?
Universities have special constraints and goals when it comes to managing events: multiple departments, tight budgets, compliance, hybrid formats, and the need to serve diverse stakeholders from students and faculty to alumni and external partners. Choosing the right software means looking for features that cover not just logistics, but branding, user experience, data, and communication. Here’s what to look for.
Integrated event registration and ticketing
- Flexible registration forms: Able to accommodate different attendee types (students, staff, alumni, guests), custom questions, and conditional logic (e.g., if “research track” then ask X vs if “social event” then ask Y).
- Multiple ticket types and paths: Free, paid, VIP, group registration, early-bird discounts, etc. Helps universities monetize appropriately or offer subsidized access.
- Group or bulk registrations: For departments or student groups to reduce administrative friction.
- Onsite check-in tools: QR codes, badge printing, self-service kiosks. These speed up guest flow and reduce overhead.
Marketing tools
- Email campaigns and reminders: Automate announcements, updates, and reminders pre- and post-event. Helps reduce no-shows and keep engagement.
- Social media integration: Ability to share event info, embed share buttons, and maybe even track referrals or influencer outreach.
- Landing/event microsite or web page builder: Branded pages with schedule, speaker info, map, etc. A polished web presence helps with credibility and attracting registrations.
- SEO and discoverability: Ensuring public events are easy to find via search; good URL structure; possibly directory/listing integration.
Payment processing
- Secure, compliant payment gateways: Should support credit card, possibly PayPal or similar, and comply with PCI or equivalent.
- Support for offline payments: For cases where people pay by cheque or in person.
- Flexible pricing, discounts, refunds: Ability to handle complex pricing, refund policies, promotions.
- Financial tracking and reconciliation: The software should allow you to see who has paid, outstanding balances, generate invoices or receipts, and integrate with university finance systems.
Attendee management and communication
- Segmentation: Grouping registrants by type (student vs faculty vs external), interests, or other custom categories, so you can target messages appropriately.
- Notifications and updates: Push or email updates if schedule changes, venue changes, cancellations, etc.
- Engagement features: Q&A, polls, chats, breakout sessions (especially for hybrid/virtual), matchmaking or networking tools. These keep attendees involved and satisfied.
- Mobile app or mobile-friendly interface: Many attendees expect to use phones or tablets; mobile check-in, schedule access, maps, etc.
Customizable branding
- White labeling: Using the institution’s colors, logos, messaging, and custom domain or subdomain so events look like they’re “owned” by the university.
- Custom event websites and microsites: Ability to tailor look and feel, layout, and content to the event type, whether it’s an academic conference or a student fair.
- Badge and certificate customization: Offering professionally branded badges, certificates of attendance, and other badges that reflect well on the institution.
Reporting and analytics
- Attendance tracking: Who showed up, who didn’t, and check-in rates.
- Engagement metrics: Session attendance, video views, and chat/poll participation.
- Financial reporting: Revenue vs cost, outstanding payments, event ROI.
- Post-event feedback: Surveys or other tools to collect qualitative feedback from attendees (like what worked and what didn’t).
- Dashboards and data export: Easy visualization for stakeholders; ability to export data to other systems (e.g., for institutional assessment).
The best event management software for universities
When evaluating event-management platforms for a university environment, you’ll want to consider solutions that scale, support academic and nonacademic event types, integrate with campus systems, and offer advanced functionality for hybrid/virtual formats. Here’s a look at the best-in-class event platforms for universities.
Software | Best For | Key Features | Pricing |
Eventtia | Comprehensive university event management (in-person, hybrid, and virtual) | Registration and ticketing, customizable websites, hybrid event tools, check-in, communication, analytics, | Custom pricing; request a demo/quote |
Eventbrite | Public-facing events, ticket sales, and simple registration | Ticketing, event promotion, email campaigns, analytics, mobile app | Free for free events; 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket |
Cvent | Large-scale, enterprise-level university events | Advanced registration, venue sourcing, mobile event apps, analytics, attendee engagement tools | Custom pricing |
Coursedog | Academic scheduling and event scheduling for universities | Class scheduling, room/facility management, event planning, integrations with SIS | Custom pricing |
Bizzabo | Hybrid and virtual events, large-scale academic conferences | Registration, event marketing, networking features, robust analytics, sponsor management | Starting at $18,000 per year |
Almabase | Alumni engagement and fundraising events | Alumni networking platform, event registration, donations, engagement tracking | Custom pricing |
Planning Pod | Mid-sized university events and conferences | Registration, project management tools, budget tracking, venue management | Custom pricing |
Whova | Academic conferences, research symposia, and networking-heavy events | Event app, agenda management, attendee engagement (chat, polls), sponsor tools, analytics | Custom pricing |
Eventcube | White-label student or alumni event ticketing and memberships | Ticketing, membership management, virtual events, customizable branding | Starts at $125/month, custom plans for enterprise |
Eventtia
Eventtia is an all-in-one event management platform that supports the full event lifecycle: registration, promotion, check-in, data and reporting, virtual/hybrid delivery, and networking. It is intended for organizations running repeated or complex events across multiple formats.
Key features
- Custom registration forms, group registration, and attendee segmentation
- On-site check-in, QR codes, badge printing, and mobile check-in tools
- Build custom, branded event pages and run email campaigns
- Virtual and hybrid event support (event app, streaming, engagement tools)
- Attendee networking, matchmaking, and one-on-one meeting scheduling
- Reporting, dashboards, analytics, post-event feedback, data export
Pricing
- Essential plan (starting at $1,500) for registration, event marketing, check-in, and reporting
- Premium plan (starting $2,250) adds virtual event platform, event app, and more advanced features
- Networking tier (including matchmaking and one-on-one meeting capabilities) starts $3,500
Note: Exact pricing often requires contacting sales. Request pricing info from Eventtia.
Why Eventtia is ideal for university events
- The mix of in-person, hybrid, and virtual support makes it suitable as universities increasingly run blended events.
- Networking and matchmaking features are useful for academic conferences, career fairs, or alumni meetups.
- It supports departmental sub-events under a unified platform, enabling faculties or student groups to operate under the university umbrella with consistent branding.
- The balance of price vs features tends to be more accessible than enterprise-level tools for many mid-sized institutions..
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is one of the most well-known ticketing and event registration platforms. It’s primarily focused on simplifying event publishing, ticket sales, and basic promotion tools. It also operates a marketplace or discovery engine for public events, which can help with visibility for open university events.
Key features
- Event creation, customizable registration forms, multiple ticket types, waitlists, and promos
- Integrated payment processing (handled by Eventbrite)
- Email campaigns, social integrations, built-in audience tools, and marketplace listing exposure
- On-site check-in and organizer mobile app, QR code scanning, badge printing (for paid plans)
- Reporting and analytics of ticket sales, attendance, and order breakdowns
Pricing
- Free to publish free events, no fees for free tickets
- Paid plans for increased email limits, support tiers, and promotional tools start at ~$15/month
- No fixed, large license cost for basic usage; cost scales with ticket volume
How Eventbrite compares to Eventtia for university events
Eventbrite is a solid choice for smaller or public-facing events at universities (lectures, open houses, and student group events) but may lack the depth and control for full-scale institutional use across many types of events.
You won’t have advanced features like matchmaking, complex hybrid event workflows, deep integrations, departmental control, or control over branding. Plus, for large or recurring events, per-ticket fees quickly become expensive.
Cvent
Cvent is a mature, enterprise-level event technology platform designed for complex, large-scale events, conferences, trade shows, and multi-event portfolios. It supports in-person, hybrid, and virtual events, with deep functionality across venue sourcing, budgeting, marketing, exhibitor/sponsor management, analytics, and attendee engagement.
Key features
- Full-featured event registration, branding, custom workflows, session tracks, and conditional logic
- Venue sourcing: Access to extensive venue catalogs, RFP tools, and comparison workflows
- Mobile event apps, agenda management, personalized schedules
- On-site check-in, badge printing, attendance tracking, and lead capture tools
- Exhibitor/sponsor management and portals, floor plans, and booth logistics
Pricing
Cvent does not publish fixed pricing publicly. Much of its pricing is custom or enterprise-tier.
How Cvent compares to Eventtia for university events
According to reviews from Capterra and G2, Eventtia has strong customer support and is easy to use. While Cvent performs well in technical areas like event setup and integrations, Eventtia earns a higher overall score (89%), making it a solid choice for teams looking for a user-friendly and reliable platform to manage their academic events smoothly.
Coursedog
Coursedog is an academic operations platform that combines class scheduling, curriculum, catalog, and event scheduling in one system. Its “Event Scheduling” module is tailored for higher education and aims to unify campus space usage, approval workflows, and public event calendars.
Key features
- Real-time visibility into room and resource availability to prevent double booking
- Custom event request forms and approval workflows
- Public event calendar or public events site
- Contracts and invoice generation for events
Pricing
Custom pricing, contact sales
Bizzabo
Bizzabo is an “Event Experience OS” aimed at large-scale conferences and event portfolios. It emphasizes providing a unified experience across registration, content, networking, analytics, and engagement.
Key features
- Full registration and ticketing workflows, with dynamic registration, promo codes, etc.
- Website, agenda builder, and event microsites with branding control
- Mobile event app, push notifications, and attendee engagement and networking
- Sponsor, exhibitor, and speaker management portals
- Analytics, dashboards, reporting of ROI, attendance, and engagement metrics
- Virtual and hybrid event support, streaming, webcasting, etc.
Pricing
Starts at $18,000 per year, which includes unlimited events, registrations, and basic features.
Almabase
Almabase is primarily an alumni engagement, fundraising, and advancement platform that includes event management capabilities as part of its suite. It’s designed for educational institutions to manage alumni events, donor events, reunions, etc.
Key features
- Custom registration and event pages, branded to match institutional identity
- Ticketing, discounts, sub-event registration, integration with CRM
- Check-in and offline registration support, event check-in tools
- Segmented marketing and communication tools inside the platform
- Reporting, payment tracking synced into CRM, and capacity planning
Pricing
Varies, contact sales for a quote
Planning Pod
Planning Pod is an all-in-one event planning platform that offers tools across project management, event resources, CRM, contracts, budgets, floor plans, and more. It is used by event planners across industries and can be adapted for university contexts.
Key features
- Attendee and registration management, ticketing, check-in, and badge tools
- Floor plan/layout and diagramming tools, room and venue mapping
- Contract, billing, invoice, budget management, and vendor coordination
- Task and project management workflows, collaboration among event staff
- Surveys and feedback tools, data reporting, and analytics
- Integrations with systems like Salesforce, Mailchimp, Zapier, and accounting tools
Pricing
Contact sales for a quote
Whova
Whova is a full-featured event and conference platform that supports in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. It emphasizes attendee engagement, mobile event app functionality, abstract management, and event community features.
Key features
- Online registration, customizable forms, discounts, and add-ons
- Mobile event app, attendee networking, polling, community boards, matchmaking features
- Abstract, speaker, and session management for conferences
- Reporting, analytics, and engagement metrics
- Exhibitor and sponsor management modules
- Hybrid/virtual event support, streaming and virtual session hosting
Pricing
Contact sales for a quote
Eventcube
Eventcube is a ticketing and event registration platform that markets itself as a flexible and scalable ticketing engine, suitable for both simple and complex events.
Key features
- Online ticketing and registration, multiple ticket types, and discount codes
- No monthly fixed fees at entry level
- Pro and Enterprise tiers include lower transaction rates and additional features
- Event management dashboard, analytics, and reporting
Pricing
- Starter (free) plan for basic ticketing and registrations
- Pro plan: $125/month
- Custom pricing for enterprise clients
Benefits of using event management software for universities
Implementing event management software offers universities a wide range of advantages, including:
- Streamlined operations: Centralizes registration, scheduling, communication, and payments in one platform, saving time for staff and student organizers.
- Improved student engagement: Interactive features like polls, Q&A, and networking tools foster stronger connections during events.
- Professional image: Custom branding, sleek event websites, and automated check-in create a polished experience that reflects well on the institution.
- Data-driven decisions: Analytics and reporting provide valuable insights into attendance, engagement, and ROI, helping universities improve future events.
- Cost efficiency: Reduces administrative overhead and minimizes errors, freeing resources for other priorities.
- Enhanced accessibility: Hybrid and virtual event capabilities make it easier for remote students, alumni, and faculty to participate.
- Seamless integration: Syncs with existing university systems (LMS, SIS, CRM), ensuring smooth workflows across departments.
- Scalability: Handles events of all sizes, from small workshops to large-scale graduations or academic conferences.
Key takeaways: Plan and execute better university events with the right software
Universities and higher education institutions juggle countless events every year, including orientation programs, academic conferences, alumni reunions, and fundraising galas, just to name a few. Without the right tools, these events can become difficult to manage, draining staff resources and leaving attendees less than impressed.
Event management software changes that by offering a centralized way to simplify planning, improve communication, and deliver memorable experiences. The key is choosing a platform that aligns with your university’s unique needs.
Solutions like Eventtia stand out for their ability to provide universities with robust features, scalability, and the flexibility to manage everything from small student workshops to major graduation ceremonies. By investing in the right platform, your institution can not only streamline operations but also strengthen community engagement and enhance your reputation.
Schedule a demo today to see how Eventtia can help your university plan smarter events.
