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One of the most common blockers for event organisers who’d like to acquire event management software is the cost. Given the number of solutions that abound in the market today, this apprehension towards paying premium rates should now be a thing of the past since most providers now price their products competitively.
In this blog, we will give you tips on how to look for the most cost effective solution for your event management needs. We will also delve into basic characteristics that you must look for in a platform in order to maximise it.
Registration Product
A common tool to acquire for events is a dedicated registration solution. When looking for a provider, try to check the method by which you are charged.
Will you be charged per registration?
Is there a flat fee to pay?
Will the system be commision-based?
These are questions you have to ask any potential vendor since there are different pricing schemes available for varying requirements. Apart from looking into how much you’re paying for each registration, you must also try to check whether the solution covers all of your needs.
Starting with the most basic requirement, can you integrate any payment gateway so that you can sell paid tickets? Eventscase, for example, can be integrated with Stripe, PayPal, and PayFort.
Take note that transactions may also be charged by these payment gateways so you would need to look for a payment gateway that has lower service fees.
Other requirements to look out for would be the ability to add taxes, activate invoicing, create promo codes, etc. Try looking for a provider that offers global solutions for the most common registration pain points. Should you need a bespoke solution, you may also look into commissioning an event management software provider to make customisations for you.
Website Product
What usually goes hand-in-hand with a registration tool is a website. All-in-one event management platforms would allow you to build a website and seamlessly incorporate the registration process in it.
When it comes to the cost, this would largely depend on what type of website you are trying to achieve. If it’s a one-pager website with basic event information, it is very likely that you will be charged just the minimum.
If you’re aiming to create a website with various pages and a custom design, you may potentially look into paying thousands of dollars.
In order to save costs, try looking for a provider that allows you to use ready-made templates. This means that you won’t have to start from scratch and you’d simply need to provide basic event information. This is not only cheaper, it would also allow you to save time since a website can possibly be built and launched in a matter of hours. You may also try to look for a website builder that operates on modules.
An Eventscase-powered website is modular; this means that you have the freedom to add, edit or remove modules in any page with ease.
Event App
Moving on to the next product, another common acquisition for event organisers is the event app. While we cannot give you a comparative analysis of how much event apps cost in the market, we can offer you tips so you’d end up with the most cost-effective solution for your events.
Foremost, you must take into consideration whether the app provider builds native apps or if they are simply web-based container apps. Native apps would trump web-based apps since they allow you to personalise the design from the app icon, the splash screen and up to many other components of the app.
Native apps, such as those for iOS and Android, would also have offline functionalities since they are not dependent on the internet. On the other hand, web-based apps are hosted on generic container apps and all of their contents would be coming from the web. This means that attendees must be online at all times to view specific information such as the agenda, speakers, sponsors, etc.
Apart from the type of application, you must also look into the possibility of securing a multi-event app as opposed to a single-event app. In Eventscase, we offer native multi-event apps which event organisers can use for various events. This means that only one app is developed and various events can be connected to it.
This is especially useful for corporations which organise similar events in the same calendar year. In terms of the attendee experience, it’s also more convenient for them since they literally just have to download one app but are able to access different events from it.
Badging and Check-ins
Last but not least, you may also factor in the cost of badging and check-ins for physical events. Badges are staples when it comes to conferences and other events where attendee networking is a priority. Look for a tool that works seamlessly with the registration solution. This would allow you to simply generate badges for registered attendees. If you use a separate solution, you may need to manually export and import data which can be a hassle for event organisers who’re trying to save time.
Make sure that badges also contain QR codes which can be easily scanned for check-ins. At Eventscase, we offer a check-in app at lower rates allowing you to track the attendance and flow of attendees during a physical event. You may check-in people at the venue entrance or at checkpoints for specific sessions. This will later give you analytics which you may simply view and download from the software’s control panel.
How much does event software cost? Conclusion
If you are an event organiser looking into the prices of different event management solutions, you must compare prices and actively look into the different unique selling points (USP’s) of each of them.
You must never treat the cost as the be-all and end-all when it comes to making decisions since functionality is what matters most. At Eventscase, you can rest assured that we offer a global solution for event organisers with all our products and services. If absolutely necessary, we are also open to negotiate software customisations.
