Are you using an event management platform?
Learn how Cvent can take your events to the next level
The Need for Event Management
For many event planners and group organizers, managing events involves using a number of different platforms and strategies. There may be one platform that houses data, one that sends event updates or emails, and another that houses the actual registration website. Additionally, promoting the event involves different levels of creative and company branding for needed assets. Many event planners and event marketers take hours out of their days to manage these different platforms with outdated practices. A lot of these people do not even think about how technology can enhance both their management experience and their customer’s experience. In today’s world, user experience is incredibly important in avoiding page abandonments and customer complaints. Further, having solid records of attendance at your events can increase re-engagement and make customers feel more involved in your company.
Planning an event is a complex task that can take months or even years to complete. There is a contract component, budgetary constraints, market research, and much more. Once you get past planning stage, comes the advertising, marketing, and recruiting people to come to the event. As the event gets closer, it is important to be in communication with attendees on what to bring and what to expect. In addition to the logistics and early communications, you need to start creating the event content and agenda as well. When the big day(s) finally arrives, you need to have a clear check-in procedure, get guests any last minute materials, and make sure it goes off without a hitch. Then, once the event is over, you can breath for a second, but you need to analyze the event and get feedback only so you can start the process again.
So what happens when an event planner constantly goes through this process and starts asking “how do I get more people to come to my events” or “how can I better communicate with my event attendees?” With technology changing constantly, customers know that there must be a solution that ties all of their planning needs together in one place. At this stage, customers know that they want a more streamlined approach to their company’s event management system. They see the time, energy, and disjunction that their current system entails and they begin to wonder, how they can solve this. As customers look for a solution, they will soon come to realize that the there are a number of different solutions. Event management websites have been proven to save time, resources, and provide a one stop shop for all of a company’s event planning needs. Additionally, they make for a seamless customer experience that will increase the reputability of your company.
Learning the Event Management Market
As customers arrive at this point in their search, they are likely feeling optimistic about what is to come. Hey, every business wants to increase efficiency and enhance customer experience. Plus, having the opportunity to segment event types, collect data, and house metrics is key to understanding a company’s customer base. At this stage, customers want to know “what app/software can I use to register people for my event,” “how can I best re-engage my event attendees at future events,” and “what event management platform has the most features.” For event management platforms, this is where it is key to show the customer what your company offers…why you are better than the competition. Customers want to see, not only who can offer these tools, but what else they can bring to the table. They’re also probably starting to get a little bit greedy and want to see what else you can provide for their business. These platforms, must have good data and show why they are better than the competition.
One of the key players in this industry is Cvent. Cvent is an event management website that essentially serves as a one stop shop for pre-event planning (including event registration, event marketing, meeting organization, payment, and lodging), day of event organization (check-in, data collection, ticket collection, and live communication), and post-event communication (follow-up, reengagement, and future event invitations). Event planners have relied on Cvent to organize and launch over four million events since its inception and currently has over 300,000 licensed users. As one of the top event management websites on the planet, Cvent is guaranteed to increase your company’s reach in the event space.
The appeal to Cvent is vast and can cover almost any event field or type, but it certainly is not the only player in this industry. Customers are sure to compare the platform to similar-minded companies and also begin checking out what actual users say about the platform. This is a great opportunity for customers to check out Cvent’s event management platform for free. It is also a good opportunity to reach out for more information and begin to look at pricing. This is also where event managers may begin to analyze whether or not it is worth it to purchase this platform and try to understand where something like this fits into their company’s structure. It is key for the customer to understand the platform and what it can do, this is also the point where Cvent can and must close the sale.
In addition to learning more about Cvent, customers will also want to learn about its competition. Companies like EventBrite and Bizzabo are two of Cvent’s top competitors, but based on your required features, there are countless other companies in this space. Things like cost and ease of use, easily lend itself to company’s like Eventbrite. Likewise, for companies putting together smaller events or only host events once in awhile, this may be the best option. On the other hand, Cvent remains at the top of its class for larger organizations who host numerous events of all sizes. For these types of company’s, Cvent’s end-to-end user experience will standout amongst the competition.
In addition to looking at competitors and learning more about the program, potential customers must also look at reviews of both Cvent and other companies. A quick look at different review sites, show that Cvent satisfies its customers needs. On Softwareadvice.com, Cvent has racked up over 600 reviews and has 4.43 stars. Customers rave about the CRM integration and end-to-end user experience. The complaints tend to revolve around it being complicated to learn because of its numerous features and more complex processes. Again, this shows that Cvent lends itself more toward the larger-scale event planning enterprises who truly need all of these features.
Why Cvent Stands Apart
As a top software company each year, Cvent is a star in its field and customers will certainly recognize this. They will also recognize the smooth setup of its website and the vast number of tools that the platform offers. Additionally, the network of Cvent users for in-person events and current tools for virtual events/webinars add to Cvent’s strength. After deciding to purchase Cvent and enhance your company’s event management systems, it will be imperative to fully understand the platform and have support from the Cvent training team to become fully onboarded. There will certainly be a learning curve to fully understand all of the platform’s features. Further, you will need to scale the platform to your current company’s needs and evaluate new opportunities. You will want to assemble a plan for how your company will use Cvent internally and how you can transition your current customer data into this platform so that your company does not miss a beat.
Once you transition to Cvent and become comfortable with the platform, your work isn’t done. What will you do with all of this newfound data and company efficiency? As a company, you must think about reengagement and constantly run reports on what worked and what did not. Seek feedback from your customers, and constantly refresh yourself on what works and doesn’t work with this platform. Cvent constantly comes out with new upgrades and features to fit your needs. Likewise, your business’s needs change constantly, so having a powerful event management solution can grow your business immensely. This is also a good time to evaluate how you reach out to customers and how you track clicks, registrations, and purchases through the platform. Your company now has a one stop shop for all things event management and e-marketing. The sky is truly the limit.
