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Humans are a cautious bunch. We don’t like diving into things unless we’re fully prepared or at least aware of what to expect.
That certainly applies when searching for the right event management tool, where a poor decision can lead to a significant waste of time and money.
As a provider of event management solutions, we’re more than aware of the countless options available on today’s market. The increased level of choice has made it difficult for organisers to separate the good from the bad. Every solution is promising the world to their prospective users. And in reality, very few can deliver to the required standard.
The pressure of choosing the best event management tool from tens of potential options has opened the door for short-term, often single-event contracts. These appear to bring the luxury of testing the waters, but on further inspection could actually create more problems than they solve.
Reminder: free trials are available
You don’t always have to sign an official contract to open the bonnet and take a good look at what you’re working with. Product demonstrations give you the chance to learn all about your event management tool and ask any questions that spring to mind.
Once you’re happy with the solution after being guided through the process of creating a dummy event, you should be confident of testing it in a real-life scenario. Naturally, this will involve some form of contract, where we arrive at our point of contention.
Event Management Tool
While short-term deals bring an air of flexibility, there are legitimate reasons why it pays to look beyond one or two events.
Reason #1 – Technology requires commitment
It takes time to learn about new platforms, so don’t expect to instantly become a master of your new solution. We’d be hard-pressed to come up with an estimate for hours or days but let’s assume it’s more than one event.
Short-term contracts give you a glimpse into what you can expect. However, only through experience and a healthy amount of trial and error can you actually make the most from your investment.
Reason #2 – Relationships power technology
Given the amount of tools at your disposal, it makes sense to have someone that can advise on the best ways of using them. Account and project managers are the saints of our industry. They devote their time to making sure you’re totally happy with your investment.
Jumping from platform to platform will not give you the space to build ties on a personal level, which inevitably has an impact on the results you drive. Creating time for a relationship to flourish is definitely a step in the right direction.
Reason #3 – The temptation to look elsewhere
As the old saying goes, “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side”. Short-term contracts provide an easy way of switching providers. Nevertheless, you have to wonder if it’s clouding your focus.
Teething issues are all part of the onboarding process and should be expected regardless of which provider you opt for. A longer commitment removes the inclination to look elsewhere and saves having to start from the beginning with another, potentially inferior solution.
Reason #4 – Value
Finally, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that multi-event deals often come cheaper than their short-term counterparts.
If you’re sure that a technology can give you what you need, why not ask for their single-use ratio? That is, the amount of customers that only use the solution for one event. If you like what you see, you can then look to get even better value through a longer contract.
Unsure of how event platform pricing works? Explore your options by reading our latest blog.