Post-Event Survey Questions to Ask (+ Email Best Practices)

Event Management News

May 9, 2024

Some may think an event is over when the guests leave the venue, and the doors are shut, but event managers still do much more work. Part of the work is to gauge attendees’ satisfaction and measure the event’s success. Today, we will share some best practices to help you create effective event surveys to measure this success.

What Are Post-Event Surveys?

Post-event surveys are used to gather feedback and insights after the conclusion of an event. These surveys typically consist of questionnaires designed to capture the opinions and experiences of participants, attendees, and stakeholders involved in the event.

Why Are Post-Event Surveys Important?

The information collected through post-event surveys serves several important purposes:

Evaluation of Event Success

Post-event surveys help organizers assess the overall success of the event. Participants’ feedback provides insights into what aspects of the event went well and what areas need improvement.

Understanding Participant Satisfaction

Surveys gauge participant satisfaction by capturing opinions on various elements such as content, speakers, venue, logistics, and overall experience. They serve as a means to engage with attendees and show that their opinions and experiences are valued.

Marketing Insights

Post-event surveys can provide valuable insights for marketing purposes. Understanding what aspects resonated with participants allows organizers to highlight these elements in future promotional efforts.

Improving Future Events

Feedback obtained from post-event surveys guides organizers in making necessary adjustments and improvements for future events. It allows them to tailor upcoming events based on the preferences and expectations of the audience.

Best Practices for Post-Event Survey Emails

Email Timing

When discussing follow-up survey emails, the earlier is always the better. You should never wait more than 24 hours after an event to send a follow-up email. That’s because people will remember their experience better and share their feelings more accurately right after the experience happened. For this reason, it’s important that you have your follow-up emails ready to be sent and preferably scheduled to be sent automatically. Having an email marketing tool will be key to providing you with scheduling capabilities so your emails are sent automatically at the time of your choice.

Audience Segmentation

By segmenting your audience, you are able to ask questions that relate to each group in addition to being able to isolate the results for each of the audiences surveyed. For example, instead of getting a total average satisfaction rating among the entire audience, you can analyze how each segment felt about the event. Some audiences you may consider general attendees, VIP attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, etc.

Email Message

When sending a feedback survey, don’t forget to add a personal message to the email with the survey link to thank them and share a personal note of your perspective of the event. This will keep things human and genuine so you can build a long-lasting relationship with each person. The message may vary according to each audience you are messaging.

Survey Design

Regarding feedback surveys, the design would translate into both email design and the survey webpage. Your current email marketing tool should take care of the email part, but keeping that consistency across the survey page is also important. Tools like EventUp Planner can help you keep that design consistent while allowing you to manage all these moving parts straight from one unique platform.

Best Practices for Post-Event Survey Questions

Most post-event surveys will focus on what worked (so you can repeat) and what didn’t (so you can improve next time). In order to gather the information and analyze it, you should consider what types of questions to ask.

Types of Post-Event Survey Questions

Objective questions are easier to measure. For example, rating the overall event experience from 1 to 10 or answering yes/ no questions. These types of questions will be easier to translate into a chart so you can better visualize and understand the data.

On the other hand, open-ended questions may be helpful at times. If someone rated the event as “poor,” you will want them to share what made them feel that way. So, it is necessary to balance objective and open-ended questions to get enough data to analyze and decide for your next event.

The best practice is always first to capture your Net Promoter Score (NPS) question. That’s because the person responding to your survey can share their overall sentiment after the event without being influenced by other questions you may ask throughout the survey. Other survey questions may induce a rating that is worse than what you would normally get simply because you reminded them of less-than-stellar experiences that were not top of mind to start with.

Download Our Event Reporting Guidebook

25 Example Post-Event Survey Questions

NPS Example Questions:

1. How would you rate the event from 1 to 5 (or 1 to 10)?

This question provides a quantitative measure of overall satisfaction to help organizers gauge the success of the event and identify areas for improvement based on the average rating.

2. How likely would you recommend this event to a friend/ colleague?

This question offers a quantitative measure of overall satisfaction and provides insights into the potential for repeat attendance or referrals for future events.

Objective Example Questions:

Here are some examples where you can use a dropdown or a checkbox style of question and add a field for “other” if the attendee wants to add more information. This way, you can capture both qualitative and quantitative data:

3. How did you learn about the event?

Understanding the channels through which attendees discover events is essential for refining marketing strategies and allocating resources effectively to reach target audiences.

4. Why did you decide to attend this event?

This question uncovers attendees’ motivations, informing organizers about the aspects of the event that resonate most with the audience and guiding future programming and content decisions to align with these interests.

5. What were your favorite sessions/ speakers/ exhibitors?

Understanding attendees’ favorite sessions, speakers, and exhibitors provides insight into what aspects of the event resonated most with them, enabling organizers to tailor future events to better meet attendees’ interests and preferences.

6. How would you rate the venue, food, attractions, etc.

Rating the venue, food, attractions, and other amenities helps organizers gauge overall satisfaction with the event experience and identify areas of improvement for future events.

7. Did this event meet your expectations?

Assessing whether the event met attendees’ expectations offers valuable feedback on the event’s effectiveness and helps refine event planning and execution to better align with attendee expectations in the future.

8. If you have no barriers, would you like to attend this event again next year?

Exploring attendees’ willingness to attend the event again offers a gauge of overall satisfaction and informs organizers about the event’s potential for long-term success and attendee loyalty.

Open-Ended Example Questions:

Lastly, you should always have at least one open-ended question to gather additional feedback:

9. Was there anything you disliked about the event?

This open-ended question allows attendees to express concerns or grievances not captured by structured questions, providing valuable qualitative feedback for addressing specific pain points and improving future event experiences.

10. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?

By inviting attendees to share additional thoughts, organizers can uncover unexpected insights, positive experiences, or suggestions for innovation that may not have been covered by predefined survey questions.

Ideal Post-Event Survey Length

One thing to remember is that the longer the survey, the lower the conversion rates will be. Aim to have no more than ten questions for better conversion rates. Multiple choice, radio buttons, and other objective questions demand less effort and can win higher conversion rates than asking too many open-ended questions. So try only to ask what you absolutely need. You can also offer incentives to motivate people to provide feedback, such as a discount code for the next event, a cash/ gift card incentive, or a draw-entry to win a prize.

Social Media Listening for Post-Event Feedback

Another way to gauge event performance, especially for larger events, is to listen to what people share on social media. Social listening tools will be able to create reports to filter messages using your event hashtag, talking about you and your event, and, more importantly, analyzing the overall sentiment during and after the event. That means analyzing the words used in relation to the event and defining them as positive or negative experiences. You can also analyze a word cloud to learn the most used words around your event.

Gauging Event Success with Post-Event Surveys & EventUp Planner

You got the answers to your survey; now what? Tools like EventUp Planner (formerly Attendease) can help you visualize your survey data so that you can analyze results and make better decisions for your next event. In addition to creating unique surveys for all your audience segments, you can also compare survey results from different events to determine which events perform better and why. We live in a data-driven world, so we must listen before taking action to thrive. Follow-up and surveys are where it starts.

Do you need a tool to help you with email marketing, survey capabilities, and data analysis? Check out what EventUp Planner can do for you.

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4 Easy Ways to Boost Event Registration by 20%

Event Management News

May 7, 2024

You’ve spent countless hours and resources planning an amazing event. But what happens if no one shows up?

Event registration can make or break the success of your event. A seamless event registration process leads to more attendees and higher revenues. A leaky process, on the other hand, leads to missed opportunities and diminishing ROI.

Let’s examine an often overlooked but important source of attendees for your event: incomplete registrants AKA the people who stalled midway through your event registration process.

The Baymard Institute found that abandoned cart rates averaged almost 70%, sometimes going as high as 84%. Event planners, that’s a lot of lost registrants for your event!

Fortunately, with thoughtful retargeting and a series of strategic emails, you can boost attendance to your event—gaining back as many as 20% or more of your event registrations that stalled along the way! Event registration platforms can help you get there. Keep reading to learn how.

Let’s Do The Math on Incomplete Event Attendees

Let’s say your event ticket is $100. If 400 people begin the registration process, but only 70% of them follow through, that leaves 30% incomplete—which translates to $12,000 in missed revenue. Yikes!

If you successfully revived even 20% of those prospective event attendees (24 people), that would be $2,400 with a little effort on your part. You just have to know what you’re looking for.

If you don’t believe this could have a massive impact on your event strategy, plug in the numbers from your own registration statistics, and see what that missing revenue would be—you might be surprised!

You’ll likely find that the potential revenue is well worth the minimal time and effort it takes to set up a retargeting campaign. Event registration software can streamline the process.

GET THE FREE CHECKLIST: Take the guesswork out of designing an event registration strategy that drives your customers to buy!

4 Strategies to Boost Event Registration

Ready to increase your event registration numbers with minimal time and effort? Explore the following 4 strategies:

Run an automated email campaign

When it comes to event registration, event analytics are your friend.

First, navigate to the registration module of your event management software. Once there, you should be able to compile a comprehensive report that will identify all of the partially completed or incomplete registration forms.

Next, you can set up a series of automated yet personalized emails to go out to these people who have abandoned their registration process, regardless of where in the funnel they dropped out.

Did you know that registration abandonment emails typically have much higher open and click-to-open rates than other marketing emails? That’s because prospective attendees are already familiar with the event and just need a little reminder or encouragement to complete their registration form.

By creating an email campaign filled with engaging event content, keynote speaker highlights, or even a discount for your prospective attendees (more on this below), you can increase your event registration revenues considerably.

Catch registration problems early in the game

Sometimes people drop out of the registration process due to design flaws in your event registration forms. Other times prospective attendees may have questions about some of the required information, or concerns about data security. Or they may have simply become distracted before they were able to complete your form.

You can set up an automated email to go out to these potential registrants as early as the same day as a registration form is abandoned. The email should be a gentle reminder that they have not completed the registration process, along with an invitation to contact you for technical assistance if necessary.

If you think it might apply, you can also include some reassuring language that directs prospective attendees to your event’s legal policy or terms and conditions. The tone should be friendly and lighthearted. Here are some great examples of effective emails to inspire you.

Send a reminder about an upcoming registration milestone

If your event invitation contains an early bird discount, you can use the upcoming deadline as a reason to send another email reminder to your incomplete or abandoned registrants.

Make sure you send it at least a few days, if not a week before the deadline, in order to give them adequate time to take advantage of the opportunity. Sending another one the day before the deadline is not taboo, either.

Remember, these are people who have already shown interest in your event. They just need a little nudge.

When all else fails, offer a special deal

You’ve already sent out as many as two emails, and no response yet.

We don’t recommend sending more than three well spaced follow-ups in total, as too many may be considered aggressive. On your last attempt, make it count—your incomplete or abandoned registrants might need a small incentive in order to convert.

After your traditional milestone deadlines have passed, try offering a special discount or incentive, either at or just under the early bird rate. Clearly communicate that this offer is for those prospective attendees who have initiated the registration process earlier on.

With event registration software like EventUp Planner by Tripleseat, you can even provide unique promo codes to manage this process.

Sometimes price is the main barrier for prospective attendees not having completed their online registration the first time around. Offering a slight savings may be just the motivation to help them make up their minds and commit, once and for all.

LEARN MORE: Not sure how to effectively price tickets to your next event? We’ve got you covered with our in-depth ticketing guide.

Boost Your Registration with a Powerful Event Registration Platform

Event registration can make or break your next event. Fortunately, you don’t have to master this process alone.

EventUp Planner by Tripleseat provides powerful event registration and ticketing software that makes it easy to customize a seamless experience for your attendees.

It’s never been easier to:

Manage pricing categories, promo codes, and group passes
Create unique registration forms for specific pass types
Save registration forms to use again in future meetings and events
Schedule your fully branded registration experience to go live at any time you’re ready

For more information on how we can help you boost your event registration, get in touch with us to book a demo.

Simplify the Complexity of Managing Your Meetings and Events with a Powerful Suite of Tools

Make your attendees gather with ease. From small to large and complex events – plan and manage all of your events in one flexible platform – EventUp Planner.

Learn More!

Healthcare Event Planning: 5 Best Practices for Advocacy Events

Event Trends

May 2, 2024

With corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the rise, one of the ways your healthcare organization can spread the word and generate support is through CSR events—specifically advocacy events!

By partnering with local businesses and other for-profit enterprises looking to make an impact, you’re opening your organization to receiving support and much-needed funds.

Advocacy events are important for your healthcare organization because they help spread awareness of your mission and bring the community together. These events can also double as advertising, making them extremely valuable for your local business partner(s).

In this article, we’ll cover 5 best practices for running a successful advocacy event for your healthcare organization. Let’s get started!

Set clear goals for your advocacy events
Personalize all promotional communications
Center the attendee experience
Consider virtual or hybrid advocacy events
Measure the support generated

Healthcare Events and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Perfect Fit

Did you know that consumers are more likely to purchase goods and services from socially responsible companies? That’s why corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are often used to differentiate businesses from their competitors.

These initiatives allow businesses to give back to the community, make a difference, and build a positive brand image that resonates with consumers.

And what’s an initiative that most businesses can get behind? Healthcare.

So whether your organization has been around for years or it’s just starting out, healthcare event planning can make a huge impact on your fundraising efforts.

You never know until you ask. Plus, you might be surprised by just how many local businesses are eager to partner with your healthcare organization to create mutual benefit and impact.

5 Tips for Planning Healthcare Advocacy Events

Convinced that CSR can help your healthcare organization broaden its reach? Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when planning your next advocacy event.

1. Set clear goals for your advocacy event

It’s common to set goals for fundraising events and to set additional goals if your event is focused on advocacy.

Ask yourself the following questions to kickstart the process:

How many conversions are we aiming for?
Are we planning on funneling attendees toward becoming donors, volunteers, or both?
How long do we want our new relationships to last?
Will there be media coverage, and what do we hope to gain from it?

Consider these goals in the context of the type of event that you plan on hosting. A peer-to-peer event such as a swim-a-thon is suited to advocacy and fundraising, as supporters will share their fundraising pages, spreading awareness and bringing in donations. That means that advocacy goals for this type of event can be higher than those of, for example, a bake sale fundraiser.

You’ll want to communicate with your local business partner about their event goals so that you’re on the same page.

LEARN MORE: Need fresh ideas for your next healthcare event? We’ve got you covered.

2. Personalize all promotional communications

You’ll want to help your local business partner promote your advocacy event by creating promotional communications they can use. These communications can go to their employees and customers, as well as to your organization’s members and their networks.

You can personalize these messages by:

Using the recipient’s preferred name. Some individuals want to be addressed by their first name or a nickname, whereas others will be more receptive if you use their title and last name, so make note of these preferences.
Leveraging employee and customer interests. If your local business partner knows that some of their employees or customers would be particularly interested in an event, make sure to address that in your communications to them.
Examining the recipient’s advocacy history. If your partner’s employees or customers have a history of volunteering, advocating in the community, donating to healthcare organizations, or attending healthcare fundraising events, they will be more receptive to attending advocacy events for your organization.

You can make personalization easier by segmenting employees and customers into groups based on common interests and characteristics. This helps you send more targeted communications, resulting in a higher chance of success!

LEARN MORE: Review our top tips for streamlining your healthcare website to better communicate about your upcoming events.

3. Center the attendee experience

Although the event’s primary goal is to increase awareness of your cause, it’s still important to ensure attendees have a positive experience. Center the attendee experience by doing the following:

Make registration easy. You’ll want to make event registration simple and convenient to encourage more people to attend. You can make the registration page mobile-friendly and have a simple ticket purchase system.
Choose an event that supporters would enjoy. Consider both your supporters and your event partner’s employees, and decide on an event that both groups would be happy to attend. You can even survey supporters and employees to determine what events they’d enjoy.
Keep presentations short and sweet. Presentations are often held at advocacy events to educate attendees on your cause and operations. However, these presentations can distract from the main activities of the event. Keep them concise so attendees can absorb the information and go back to enjoying the event.
Pick interactive activities. Games, performances, virtual reality experiences, and other interactive activities keep attendees engaged throughout the event!

Remember that just because the event is meant to help your organization doesn’t mean the attendees your event partner brings can’t have a great time. Communicate with your event partner to brainstorm events that all attendees would enjoy and fit into their CSR initiatives.

4. Consider virtual or hybrid healthcare events

Hybrid and virtual charity events are becoming more popular in today’s increasingly technology-focused world. These events have many benefits when compared to traditional in-person events, such as:

No distance limitation. Since the event is virtual, supporters from all over the country or world can attend.
Greater outreach. Because individuals from different locations can attend your virtual event, your local business partner will be able to reach a wider audience.
Convenience. Supporters can attend your virtual event from their homes, making it a convenient option.

To ensure that attendees have a positive event experience, make sure to add interactive virtual activities, use music to set the mood, and interact with the attendees using the chat function. That way, you get all of the benefits of a hybrid or virtual advocacy event and the connection of an in-person event.

LEARN MORE: Engage more supporters and grow your audience with virtual fundraising events.

5. Measure support generated

After the event is over, help your local business partner out by measuring the support generated from their employees and customers. With this data, you can help them quantify their impact on your organization—and use this information to improve the future events you run together.

Take a look at the following metrics:

Newsletter sign-ups
Volunteer registrations
Donations

These metrics all represent some form of conversion from attendee to supporter. By watching these metrics, you’ll be able to assess how successful the event was in advocating for your cause and gaining supporters. You’ll also help your local business partner understand the impact they helped create, which they can use as part of their marketing materials!

Event software for healthcare makes it easy to measure success from pre- to post-event.

Simplify the Complexity of Managing Your Meetings and Events with a Powerful Suite of Tools

While advocacy events can create a large impact for your healthcare organization, there’s no need to be stressed about making sure that the event runs perfectly. Simply implement the best practices above to make the most of your advocacy events, allowing you to foster a positive and mutually beneficial relationship with your local business partner!

Eager to streamline your healthcare event planning? Look no further than Attendease by Tripleseat. From small to large and complex events, it’s never been simpler to plan and manage all of your events in one flexible platform. Book a call today and discover how Attendease by Tripleseat helps you optimize your event management.

Simplify the Complexity of Managing Your Meetings and Events with a Powerful Suite of Tools

Make your attendees gather with ease. From small to large and complex events – plan and manage all of your events in one flexible platform – Attendease.

Learn More!

5 Best Practices for Hosting a Virtual Fundraising Event

Event Management

March 28, 2024

If your organization is looking for a savvy way to engage more supporters and grow your audience, look no further than virtual events, which have become a staple in the nonprofit sector. In fact, event organizers rank virtual events as having increased registrations, greater ROI, and greater attendee engagement when compared to in-person events.

We recommend hosting a few virtual events annually to leverage these benefits for your organization. And what better purpose do those events serve than helping your organization raise more funds?

Whether you need help with your virtual fundraising event’s marketing strategy or selecting the right technology, this guide is here to help. In it, we’ll help you carefully plan your virtual event by going over five best practices. Through proper preparation, you’ll be able to push forward your event with confidence and meet your goals.

1. Select the type of virtual event

Just as there are many different types of in-person fundraising events, there are various virtual event ideas that you can use to maximize participation and secure donations for your mission. A few of them include:

Gala
A-thon style events, like a virtual walk-a-thon
Charity auction
Panels and webinars
Online workshops
Fundraising challenges

When choosing which virtual fundraising event to host, consider what your audience of supporters and potential donors would be interested in. For example, if you are on the team of an animal shelter nonprofit, your supporters might be excited about a virtual walk-a-thon, as it’ll allow them to exercise with their pets. On the other hand, if you run a medical association, your audience might be more interested in a formal affair, such as a virtual gala.

If you’re unfamiliar with virtual events and don’t feel confident about removing the in-person element entirely, don’t worry—consider hosting a hybrid fundraising event instead! When done correctly, these events give you the best of both event formats.

2. Choose your event technology wisely

After you’ve decided on what type of virtual fundraising event you’re hosting, you’ll need to purchase technology that facilitates a smooth planning and hosting process.

At the very least, you’ll need a live-streaming tool, as most virtual events require some form of software that allows attendees to watch event proceedings. Additionally, depending on your organization’s needs, you may also need an application that allows attendees to stream themselves as well, such as for an online workshop event.

Other popular types of software you may find helpful for a virtual event include:

Nonprofit database or constituent relationship management solution
Virtual fundraising software
Mobile bidding tools

Be sure to properly vet any new technology before you invest in it. Do this by checking reviews, reading testimonials, viewing case studies, and scheduling demos with the provider. Prepare a list of questions about the software ahead of time, and be sure to get them answered during your meeting.

3. Strategically market your virtual event

One of the core advantages of virtual events is that attendees are not limited by their geographic location. Another benefit is that your attendee limit is not limited by your venue. That means that you can host a much larger number of attendees than if you were hosting an in-person event. As a result, you must make the most of your marketing efforts to get as many people to attend as possible.

As you determine how you’ll promote your virtual fundraising event to potential attendees, be sure to use marketing channels that allow for maximized visibility, such as:

Your website. Your nonprofit’s website is the first stop for any individual who wants to learn more about your organization and what you do. Take the opportunity to add links and call-to-action (CTA) buttons to your event information and registration pages to encourage supporters to attend.
Email. If you send email newsletters to subscribers, be sure to include details about your upcoming virtual fundraising event. Your email subscribers have already demonstrated their interest in your organization’s success and are therefore more likely to attend a fundraising event.
Social media. Promote your event through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to maximize your outreach. Add the links to your event registration page within your post or directly on your social media profile so visitors can easily register to attend.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your established supporters through their preferred methods of communication as well! Direct mail and text messaging are also popular and valuable marketing channels that you can leverage to increase registrations for your virtual fundraising event.

4. Keep supporters engaged throughout the event

Although virtual fundraising events have great potential for keeping attendees engaged, you’ll need to work a little harder than with in-person events. There’s a level of separation between you and your attendees, and you’ll have to creatively overcome this barrier to keep your attendees’ attention.

During the event, use the following strategies to keep attendee engagement high:

Gamification, such as leadership scoreboards or fundraising thermometers
Audience participation, such as creating breakout rooms
Interactive content, like polls and surveys
Live attendee chat systems

If you’re struggling to keep attendees engaged, do your research to find additional tried-and-true methods employed by experts. Elevate recommends you do this by reading fundraising books, which impart a wealth of knowledge and can inspire your nonprofit with fundraising and engagement ideas.

5. Follow up with attendees after the event

To maximize the value of your event, don’t forget to follow up with attendees afterward. Thank your long-time supporters for their continued support, and steward any first-time supporters. Plus, show your gratitude to those who made a gift during the event.

This is also a great time to solicit feedback on your fundraiser. MemberClicks recommends including the following questions in your post-event survey:

Overall, how would you rate the event?
What did you like most about the event?
What did you like the least about the event?
How could this event have been improved?
How likely are you to recommend our event to your peers?

The answers to these questions are especially valuable if this is your first time hosting a virtual fundraising event. They’ll provide a springboard for you to make valuable changes that improve future events.

Although virtual fundraising events may seem intimidating, they are similar to in-person events on a basic level. You need to plan thoroughly, attract attendees, delight them during the event, and strengthen your relationships after your event. Be sure to evaluate your virtual fundraising success through key performance indicators and your feedback survey so you can continue to grow and fulfill your mission.

Simplify the complexity of managing your meetings and events with a powerful suite of tools

Make your virtual attendees gather with ease. From small to large and complex events – plan and manage all of your events in one flexible platform – Attendease.

Learn More!

The Role of Technology in Event Management for Associations

Event Management

February 8, 2024

Using event technology to its full potential allows associations to provide enriching, personalized experiences to members. The right tools can track and consolidate event data, adapt to members’ needs and preferences, and use automation to eliminate administrative tasks.

CRMs, association management software, and event planning platforms go beyond managing member data and event planning. These tools empower your association to fulfill the commitments and value promised in its membership offerings without increasing staff workloads.

In this guide, we’ll explore how your association can leverage technology when planning and promoting events.

What technology do associations need for events?

Associations rely on software for effective membership management, data collection and tracking, financial record-keeping, and much more. These tools also assist in the event planning process to optimize promotion and facilitate smooth interactions with attendees.

The following systems and tools work together to support successful events:

Customer relationship management (CRM) system: This tool stores information about your members, identifies prospects, records interactions, and nurtures relationships with current and potential members. Track event metrics such as total attendance and attendee feedback using your CRM. Integrate your event management and marketing tools with your CRM to ensure this data is visible across every system your association uses.
Association management software (AMS): Your AMS platform may be used to facilitate attendee registrations, process payments for tickets, manage event promotions and other communications, and leverage data from your CRM to personalize the event to each member.
Event planning and management tools: Event planning software is designed with specialized tools to simplify event management. Streamline event schedules, set up various ticketing options, and quickly access reports to track your association’s progress.

Because each system has different capabilities, integrating your technology framework allows you to maximize the impact of each tool. You may need to contact your technology consultant to set up integrations and explore ways to optimize event management processes.

How does technology improve event data management?

To host successful events, associations must understand their members. Carefully tracking event data enables associations to adapt future events to fit members’ preferences and interests, making each event better than the last.

Over time, analyzing the following metrics will enable your association to organize events that draw qualified prospects to its events:

These are four kinds of event metrics associations can track using technology, listed in the text below.

Attendance rate: This is the percentage of registrants who attend the event. Measuring attendance rate can reveal gaps in event communications and pinpoint disengaged members. Using attendance rates from multiple events, your association can track how many attendees who attended your previous event also attended the next one (i.e., retention rate).
Engagement data: Understand the number of attendees per session or workshop, the average time attendees spend at the event, interactions during Q&A sessions, and more. These specific data points provide more granular insights into members’ interests. Leverage these insights in future campaigns to create personalized marketing messages.
Content metrics: See how many times certain pieces of content, like videos or presentations, were downloaded or viewed. Those downloaded many times or viewed after the event are likely the most valuable to members—keep this in mind when planning future events or creating training courses and workshops.
Revenue: Track total income from a variety of sources, including ticket and merchandise sales, sponsorships, and exhibitors. Easily reference data about each payment, including time of sale, payment method, and more, to learn and adapt to members’ preferences. For example, if many attendees waited until the last minute to purchase tickets, offer an early bird discount for your next event.

Measure and analyze metrics that align with your goals for the event. If your association holds a webinar to introduce more members to an exclusive course, track how many attendees sign up for the course to measure event success.

What are the benefits of integrating event systems?

When your association can easily access and analyze event data, it can recognize opportunities to effectively engage members, personalize sessions and benefits to their preferences, and identify new event ideas.

Some key advantages of integrating the tools and systems your association uses include:

Eliminating data silos. Data silos occur when information is isolated in two or more separate systems, reducing your data’s timeliness and accuracy. Fíonta’s website integration guide echoes this point, explaining that a key benefit of integrating your website with your CRM is that it makes data analysis more manageable by removing the need to duplicate data manually between systems.
Identifying trends sooner. Data that is up-to-date reflects current trends in member behaviors, enabling associations to take advantage of opportunities quickly. Recognizing and adapting to trends early gives associations a competitive advantage and opens the door to innovative events and other offerings that attract new members.
Expediting decision-making. With real-time access to data, associations can make research-driven decisions about their events on a faster timeline. Over time, this can optimize resource allocation, improve member engagement and retention, and foster continuous improvement.
Improving scalability. Integrated systems can accommodate association growth and adapt to evolving needs. In event management, this flexibility makes it possible to process larger volumes of ticket sales, offer events in different formats, and customize forms and workflows accordingly.

These integrations significantly reduce your staff members’ workloads by automating administrative tasks like enrollment and post-event follow-up. This maximizes staff members’ impact by giving them more time to innovate and interact with members.

Before planning your association’s next event, evaluate technology’s role and whether there are any gaps. Are you unable to quickly assess event analytics due to data silos? Or do you need a specialized tool to manage specific needs? Integrate your tools and prioritize scalable solutions so your association can seamlessly track event metrics, cultivate personalized experiences, and optimize future events.

Learn More!

How to Design Event Sponsorship Packages (Examples + Ideas)

Event Management News

January 16, 2024

Running an event is a costly experience. Even for small events, costs can ramp up quickly and out of budget if you are not prepared for issues that might pop up. With event costs rising yearly, you will want to bring in revenue from as many channels as possible. Luckily, sponsors are here to make event costs easier to manage and to help generate significant revenue for your event. This is why event sponsorship packages are crucial: because they help you get more sponsors.

What Is an Event Sponsor?

An event sponsor is an individual, company, or organization that provides contributions or financial support for an event in exchange for various benefits, such as brand exposure, marketing opportunities, networking, or goodwill. Event sponsors typically contribute funds, goods, services, or promotional support to help cover the costs of organizing and hosting the event. In return, they receive recognition, advertising, or other forms of visibility before, during, and after the event, depending on the terms of the sponsorship agreement. Sponsors often see events as opportunities to reach a targeted audience, enhance their brand image, or align themselves with a particular cause or community.

What Are the Benefits of Sponsoring an Event?

When a company wants to learn more about your event, they will want to know how they benefit from sponsoring. Every sponsor has different goals, but common benefits include:

Increase brand awareness
Generate leads
Speaking Opportunities
Guaranteed booth space
Access to registration and attendee lists

What Is an Event Sponsorship Package?

An event sponsorship package is a structured offering or proposal presented by an event organizer to potential sponsors. It outlines the various sponsorship opportunities available for businesses or individuals interested in supporting the event. These packages are typically tailored to different levels of sponsorship and include a range of benefits and promotional opportunities based on the sponsor’s financial contribution.

Download our Ticket Pricing Strategies Handbook

Download our Ticket Pricing Strategies Handbook

What Should an Event Sponsorship Package Include?

You will likely have this information about event sponsorships in a PDF, which you can post on your event website and have your sales team share with interested sponsors. In your event sponsorship package, you want to include the following information:

Expected attendance
Attendee demographics (age, gender, job titles, etc.)
Sponsorship tiers and benefits
Testimonials from past sponsors

Event Sponsorship Tier Examples

When it comes to event sponsorship packages, tiers have to be considered. Not every sponsor is going to be equal based on the amount of money they contribute and what they are looking to get in terms of sponsoring your event. This is where sponsorship tiers come into play. You will want to build a sense of exclusivity for your higher sponsor tiers, so you will also want to limit the number of sponsorship opportunities.

For example, you can use the following tiers:

Sponsor Tier 3: The Silver Package:

Cost: $2,000
Your company logo on all event marketing materials
Guaranteed booth in the event expo center
A sponsorship grab bag

Sponsor Tier 2: The Gold Package:

Cost: $3,500
Everything in the Bronze Package
A branded lounge room named after your company
A dedicated page in the conference handbook handed out at the event
Only ten available

Sponsor Tier 1: The Diamond Package:

Cost: $8,000
Everything in the Bronze and Silver Packages
A guaranteed speaking/demonstration opportunity for your company’s CEO
Dedicated email sent to registrants and attendees about your product/service
Company logo included in event swag
Only three available

Event Sponsorship Tier Example Chart

Ideally, you want to put the event sponsorship tiers into an easy-to-understand chart. An example sponsorship tiers chart is provided below:

	Silver	Gold	Diamond
Logo and company profile on the conference website	✔	✔	✔
Discount on additional tickets	✔	✔	✔
Guaranteed booth space	✔	✔	✔
Branded lounge room	✔	✔	✔
Logo on live streams and videos		✔	✔
Logo on conference swag		✔	✔
Host a workshop		✔	✔
30-minute speaking slot		✔	✔
Access to registration and attendee list			✔
Email list rental			✔
Branded WiFi			✔

Event Sponsorship Package Ideas

As mentioned earlier, companies want unique benefits for sponsoring your event. There is a “pay to play” element because companies who spend the most will want exclusive benefits. Here are a few suggestions for sponsorship benefits you can provide:

1. Sponsored Lounges

Attendees need a place to recharge physically and mentally during an event. Give sponsors the opportunity to have their branding and some swag so attendees can learn more about them while they are relaxing and “recharging” during the event.

2. Phone Charging Stations

Even with the proper planning, a phone’s battery can quickly die out during an event. Even though smartphones are becoming more powerful, their battery lives haven’t made the same progress. Attendees will need a phone charging station to help them manage their battery lives, so this will be a great way for sponsors to get their branding noticed.

3. Sponsored Videos & Live Streams

If your event includes live streaming, include the sponsor’s logo in the stream. You can usually do this with a “Sponsors” section in the live stream of the video. If you create a post-video event, ensure a section is dedicated to thanking your sponsors.

4. Sponsored Parties

Post-event parties and happy hours are a great way to recover from the fatigue of running around the event floor all day or manning a booth. Use these parties as a way to promote a sponsor so they can have even more people become aware of who they are in a fun and relaxed setting.

5. Exclusive Workshops & Speaking Sessions

Many companies who sponsor want the option to get directly in the face of attendees. Depending on your event type, there are going to be speakers or working sessions (for educational conferences). Speaking opportunities are the most coveted because people will sit down and listen to the speaker.

6. Hosting a Panel

Mid-tier sponsors may not be able to get a speaking opportunity. If your event has a panel, they can pay to host it, with one of their employees serving as the moderator.

7. Branded Merchandise Giveaways

Everyone loves free stuff, especially if it’s useful or cool. Allow sponsors to provide branded merchandise like t-shirts, water bottles, or notebooks for attendees. It’s a win-win: attendees get freebies, and sponsors get their logos seen outside the event.

8. VIP Access & Networking Opportunities

Create an exclusive VIP experience for sponsors, giving them access to high-profile networking events or private meet-and-greets with keynote speakers. VIP treatment not only makes sponsors feel valued but also encourages them to invest more in future events.

9. Customized Event Apps or Features

Develop a customized event app or integrate special features into an existing one, such as sponsored push notifications, branded gamification elements, or interactive maps highlighting sponsor locations. This not only enhances the attendee experience but also ensures sponsor visibility throughout the event.

10. Logos on Event Swag Bags

Swag bags are a staple at many events, offering attendees a collection of goodies to take home. Allow sponsors to include branded items in these bags or even feature their logos prominently on the bags themselves, ensuring exposure long after the event ends.

11. Social Media Promotion & Takeovers

Harness the power of social media by offering sponsors dedicated posts, sponsored ads, or even temporary account takeovers leading up to and during the event. This extends their reach to a wider audience and generates buzz before, during, and after the event.

12. Branded Interactive Experiences

Create interactive experiences or zones within the event space that are sponsored by specific companies. Whether it’s a virtual reality demo, a product showcase, or a hands-on workshop, these branded experiences offer attendees a memorable engagement opportunity while showcasing sponsor products or services.

13. Recognition in Event Marketing Materials

Feature sponsor logos prominently in event marketing materials such as emails, flyers, posters, and digital advertisements. Highlighting sponsors in promotional materials not only boosts their visibility but also reinforces their association with the event.

14. On-Site Branding & Signage

Ensure sponsors’ branding is prominently displayed throughout the event venue with banners, signage, digital screens, or floor decals. Strategic placement in high-traffic areas ensures maximum exposure and reinforces brand recognition among attendees.

15. Networking Dinners or Luncheons

Organize exclusive networking dinners or luncheons where sponsors can interact with key stakeholders, industry influencers, and potential clients in a more intimate setting. These events foster meaningful connections and partnerships, adding value to sponsors’ investment.

16. Interactive Gaming Zones

Create interactive gaming zones sponsored by companies looking to engage attendees in a fun and competitive environment. Whether it’s virtual reality experiences, arcade games, or eSports tournaments, these zones offer sponsors an opportunity to showcase their products or services in an entertaining way.

17. Food & Beverage Sponsorship

Partner with food and beverage companies to provide sponsored refreshment stations, coffee bars, or branded snacks throughout the event venue. Sponsors can customize menus or offer special discounts, enhancing the attendee experience while promoting their brand.

18. Live Entertainment Sponsorship

Collaborate with musicians, comedians, or performers to offer live entertainment sponsored by companies seeking to leave a lasting impression on attendees. Whether it’s a live band, a stand-up comedy show, or a magic performance, sponsored entertainment adds excitement and energy to the event.

19. Interactive Photo Booths

Set up interactive photo booths sponsored by companies looking to create memorable experiences and social media buzz. Attendees can take fun photos with branded props and filters, instantly share them online, and leave with printed keepsakes featuring sponsor logos.

20. Sustainability Initiatives & Green Sponsorship Options

Introduce sustainability initiatives and green sponsorship options that align with sponsors’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals. Whether it’s offsetting carbon emissions, minimizing waste, or supporting eco-friendly practices, these initiatives appeal to environmentally conscious sponsors and attendees alike.

Event Sponsorship Web Page Examples

Companies love to sponsor for branding purposes (and get backlinks). A sponsor web page is a requirement for any event you host. To give you an example of what a sponsor’s page should look like, here are some best-in-class examples from companies like Adobe Summit, Dreamforce, and INBOUND.

Event Sponsorship Testimonials

Social proof is always a great conversion tool. If you have used sponsors for past events, reach out to them to get quotes about how they benefited from sponsoring your event. You can include these testimonials on your website and event sponsorship document so potential sponsors can see why your event is worth sponsoring.

How to Find the Right Event Sponsors

Identify Your Target Audience: Understand the demographics, interests, and needs of your event attendees. This will help you pinpoint sponsors whose products or services align with your audience.
Research Industry Leaders: Look into companies that are prominent in your industry or related fields. Consider their brand values, reputation, and past sponsorship involvements to gauge their suitability for your event.
Leverage Your Network: Reach out to your existing contacts and connections within your industry or community. They may be able to provide introductions or recommendations to potential sponsors.
Attend Industry Events: Networking at industry conferences, trade shows, and other events can put you in touch with potential sponsors who are actively seeking opportunities to engage with their target audience.
Utilize Online Platforms: Explore online sponsorship marketplaces or platforms where sponsors and event organizers connect. These platforms often allow you to filter sponsors based on criteria such as industry, budget, and sponsorship preferences.

How to Pitch Event Sponsorship Packages

Know Your Audience: Understand the priorities and objectives of your potential sponsors. Craft your pitch to align with their goals, whether it’s increasing brand visibility, reaching a specific demographic, or driving sales.
Highlight Unique Benefits: Clearly outline the benefits and value propositions of sponsoring your event. Emphasize unique opportunities such as exclusive access to your audience, custom branding opportunities, or involvement in special events or activities.
Provide Data and Insights: Back up your pitch with relevant data and insights that demonstrate the potential return on investment for sponsors. This could include attendee demographics, engagement statistics from past events, or market research relevant to your audience.
Offer Customization Options: Provide flexibility in your sponsorship packages to accommodate different budget levels and sponsorship objectives. Allow sponsors to choose from a range of options such as booth space, speaking opportunities, or branded content.
Follow Up with Potential Sponsors: After pitching your sponsorship packages, follow up with potential sponsors to address any questions or concerns they may have. Be open to feedback and willing to iterate on your proposals to better meet the needs of your sponsors.

Effortlessly Manage Event Sponsorship Packages & Tiers with EventUp Planner

Event sponsorships are valuable because they generate revenue and make your event more credible. With a well-built event sponsorship package, you can easily communicate your event’s value to sponsors. Remember to include different sponsorship tiers at varying price points so more companies can get involved. Make it clear what each sponsor will receive, use exclusivity to your advantage, and make your sponsorship packages enticing.

Automation makes sponsor management easy as part of the EventUp Planner platform. With our Workflow features, you can manage and add sponsors by tiers. You can then use the Sponsor Block in our website builder (CMS) to pull information directly from the platform to the website. Using our event app would also pull the data to the event app.

If you need to edit anything, you just need to edit the settings and republish the website and app to update the information, so you don’t need to change it everywhere manually. EventUp Planner (formerly Attendease) is a powerful event management software and automation platform designed specifically for corporate event teams. By helping you address the entire event lifecycle, EventUp Planner can reduce event costs and make events easier to run. Request a demo to find out how this all-in-one platform can help improve your workflows.

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Manage your entire event portfolio and drive down the cost per event with each additional event you execute. EventUp Planner has flat-fee pricing, with no surprises.

For all meeting and event types
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For all functional teams
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Book a call with our team to learn how EventUp Planner fits your needs.

7 Steps to Secure Your Event Ticketing Process & Registration

Event Management

November 21, 2023

Believe it or not, corporate events make prime targets for cybercriminals and bad actors. The event ticketing process is the number one target. Whether running a face-to-face, virtual, or hybrid event, you must safeguard your incumbent technology stack and integrated solutions from attacks. Otherwise, you may be risking sensitive customer data falling into the wrong hands.

Cyber attacks Can Happen Anywhere Online

Cyberattack methods are growing and evolving every day. Because of this, it’s imperative that businesses adopt a security-first mindset when organizing their events. Event organizers should be looking at all online aspects of their events, from registration and check-in, to scheduling and marketing communications.

One of the key components of an event organizer’s attack surface is the technology associated with the event registration and ticketing processes. If appropriate security measures are not implemented from the outset, data breaches can occur. This leads to issues ranging from compromised customer information to fraudulent ticket sales.

If you are running a corporate event, be it a sales expo, networking meeting, trade show, or conference, it’s vital that you understand the possible vulnerabilities within your event management infrastructure. This means first making a list of any exploitative weak points in your tech systems. Then, you’ll want to plan preventative measures you can take to protect your own brand, plus any suppliers, and, of course, your attendees.

This guide looks at some of the top cyber security risks to be aware of when managing your B2B event and, in particular, your event ticketing process and registration.

Breaches From Phishing or Social Engineering Attacks

Phishing remains one of the biggest and most frequent cyber threats to businesses of all sectors. There are an estimated 3.4 billion phishing emails sent every day. Hackers methodically craft these seemingly innocuous emails to deceive users into thinking that the ‘sender’ legitimately needs access to user accounts or data. Users are tricked into thinking that requests come from known parties, not realizing that they have been deceived.

When a bad actor gains access to data stored in ticketing and registration systems, customer data like names, email addresses, phone numbers, financial information, and more can be compromised and exploited. Staff training and awareness are crucial. Train your team to identify and report any suspicious or otherwise harmful messages. Event organizers can also assess which parts of ticketing systems or networks are most prone to targeted phishing attacks or malware installations using third-party penetration testing solutions. These services can identify weak points and give actionable suggestions to strengthen your defenses.

Insecure Data Storage and Transmission

Event organizers need to keep personal and payment information of each customer’s ticket purchase secure. Having a record and receipt of the transaction is pivotal. This usually means your event data is transmitted and stored in a digital cloud infrastructure. According to recent statistics, 45% of data breaches have occurred on cloud-based platforms.

If this cloud storage solution is not encrypted correctly and lacks data security controls, the sensitive data is left vulnerable at multiple touchpoints. Not only is it at risk of interception when transactions are made, but also as it moves to and from multiple servers. Deploying HTTP across your website and ticketing platform – with a valid TLS or SSL certificate – will ensure that standard HTTP requests are undecipherable, with data encrypted at rest and in transit.

Outdated and Unpatched Ticketing Software

Ticketing software, like most other programs, requires ongoing maintenance, updates, and patching to ensure optimum stability and performance. Install regular patches on your proprietary technology to ensure that you address any known vulnerabilities. This will also ensure your customer data is not susceptible to compromise.

However, using outdated platforms that no longer receive managed updates poses an inherent security risk. Vulnerabilities are more easily exploited this way. Event organizers should proactively maintain their ticketing solutions and apply patches immediately when prompted to address any known vulnerabilities. If you are using outdated platforms that are no longer supported by developers, migrate and update to solutions that offer sufficient security.

Learn more about EventUp Planner’s secure registration and ticketing platform here.

Lack of Proper Authentication

Authenticating across all endpoints within your event management platform and any third-party integrations requires users to enter multiple usernames and passwords. Irrespective of industry, users are overwhelmingly guilty of reusing familiar passwords across multiple systems and applications. This is easier with organizations that fail to implement clear, strong password policies.

Hackers exposed over 24 billion passwords in 2022 alone, with more than 80% of confirmed breaches pointing to weak, reused, or stolen passwords. Hackers can often initiate brute-force attacks to compromise logins and move laterally across systems with fewer passwords to guess. If your ticketing platform makes it easy for users to enter basic passwords, or if you don’t have an established secure password policy, you’re inviting hackers in. Because of this, event organizers should implement a strong policy across your infrastructure by enforcing complex, unique passwords for each user login. Back these up with enterprise-wide, multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prompt users to verify their information and login attempts. Prompting users to enter one-time passwords (OTPs) or biometrics to validate requests can block an estimated 99.9% of modern automated cyber attacks.

PCI DSS and Non-Compliance

Processing credit card payments online requires your business to adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Failure to comply can lead to hefty monthly fines, sometimes as high as six-figure sums, depending on the size of your organization and the seriousness of non-compliance.

Validate all your ticketing payment controls and gateways to ensure sufficient vulnerability management, access restrictions, data encryption, and more. Identify any gaps, ensuring you only collect the minimum amount of customer data during the checkout process. Be sure to communicate how you use data and outline processes for deletion. Transparency is key when handling consumer and attendee data for your event. Maintaining an open, proactive approach will provide much-needed reassurance that you’re acting lawfully and ethically with data protection laws.

Mitigating Event Risks Ahead of Time

Proactive planning and due diligence is key to ensuring your event runs smoothly. These steps can protect your event from hackers or data hiccups:

Conduct security assessments ahead of time to identify weak points in ticketing software and knowledge gaps in your team.
Initiate regular, comprehensive security training. This will ensure your team is skilled and capable of recognizing key threats like phishing or social engineering.
Create detailed data security policies and incident response plans. Clearly outline and communicate your team’s specific roles in threat reporting and containment.
Validate your third-party software thoroughly, ensuring that you understand its security policies.
Upgrade from legacy, non-supported solutions into industry-leading event management tools like EventUp Planner that support your event goals and offer premium protection.
Maintain regular updating and patching schedules for your own tools. Plus, work with companies who have their own frequent updates, to ensure optimum stability of systems and integrated software.
Implement strong, unique password policies for all users.

Following these steps will give you a much stronger baseline level of security for your event ticketing process. If you need more advice on management or other solutions, EventUp Planner can help. Book a demo with one of our experts today!

Vetting Event Management Technology for Ease of Use Before You Buy

Event Management

November 7, 2023

The right event management technology can make a big difference to the success of your event. It helps you save time and reduce stress so you can focus on the event itself. Moreover, choosing tech with a seamless user experience can mean the difference between a wildly successful event and a logistical nightmare!

But how do you determine ease-of-use while shopping for event management technology? This blog post will guide you through what questions to ask, the importance of user experience, and the benefits of easy-to-use event management tools.

Let’s get started!

Defining the user experience

User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience a user has when interacting with a product or service. It encompasses everything from the user interface design to the navigation and functionality of a platform.

What does it mean for software to be user-friendly? In essence, it should feel as though the developers predicted all your needs. Well-designed event management technology should have a clear user interface that is easy to navigate. It should also be responsive and fast. This allows your team to easily complete their tasks without any hiccups from the software.

In addition, a user-friendly event management software should be flexible and customizable, meeting the specific needs of users and events. Users should be able to use the software regardless of their experience level. They should be able to easily modify settings, create templates, and integrate with other tools. It’s a good idea to also look for drag-and-drop capabilities, real-time updates, and straightforward attendee registration and management.

Easy-to-use event management software is essential for planning and executing successful events of all sizes. User-friendly event software helps you save time and reduce stress by automating tasks and streamlining workflows. It can also improve accuracy and enhance collaboration by providing a central hub for your team.

Best of all, easy-to-use software gives you the bandwidth to deliver a better attendee experience!

Key questions to ask software providers

When evaluating event management technology, be sure to ask the following questions to assess ease of use. By asking these key questions, you can get a better understanding of the ease of use of different solutions and choose the best one for your business.

User interface and navigation

How intuitive is your software’s user interface? This question will help you to understand how easy it is to learn and use the software.
Can you provide a demo or trial version for my team to help us assess the ease of use of the tool? This is a great way to get hands-on experience with the software and see how easy it is to use in a real-world setting.
What user training resources do you offer? This question will help you to understand how the software company supports its users.

Customization and flexibility

To what extent can the software be customized to suit specific event needs? This question is important if you have any special requirements for your event management tool.
Are there templates or presets available for common event types? This can save you time and effort by providing you with a starting point for your event planning.
Can users easily modify event layouts, forms, and branding? This question is important if you want to be able to create a unique and visually appealing event experience for your attendees.

Integration capabilities

Does the software integrate seamlessly with other popular event tools (e.g. ticketing platforms, CRM, email marketing)? This can help you streamline your event planning workflow and avoid having to manually enter data into multiple systems.
How does it handle data import and export for attendee lists, schedules, and other event data? This is important if you need to be able to easily import and export data from your event management tech.

Mobile accessibility

Is there a mobile app or a responsive mobile interface for on-the-go event management? This can be helpful if you need to be able to access and manage your event from your smartphone or tablet.
Can users access and make changes to event details from their smartphones or tablets? This is important if you need to be able to make changes to your event on the fly.

User support and training

What kind of customer support is available? (e.g. live chat, phone, email) This is important if you need to be able to get help with the software quickly and easily.
Are there tutorials, documentation, or webinars to help users get started? This can be helpful for new users or users who need a refresher on the software’s features and functionality.
Is there a user community or forum for sharing tips and best practices? This can be a great way to learn from other users and get help with your event planning.

Evaluating user feedback and reviews

It’s also important to read user reviews and testimonials to get a better sense of how easy an event management software is to use. You can find user reviews on the software company’s website as well as on third-party review sites.

Look for reviews that mention the software’s ease of use. Do reviewers say that the software is intuitive? Do they mention any specific ease-of-use features or functionality?

Consider the experience level of the reviewer. Are they a seasoned event planner or a first-time user? This can give you an idea of how easy the software is to use for people with different experience levels.

Pay attention to the specific feedback that reviewers provide. Are there any areas where they would like to see improvement?

Use your own judgment to assess the credibility of the review. Is the review well-written and informative? Does the reviewer seem to have a good understanding of the software?

This information can help you make an informed decision about which software is right for your needs!

Conclusion

User-friendly event management technology ensures you can efficiently manage every aspect of your event without getting bogged down by complicated software or manual processes.

Attendease uncomplicates even the most complicated events, making event production simple, effortless, and cost-effective.

Set up events in minutes with:

Intuitive navigation
Visual tools
Drag-and-drop customizability
Unlimited website templates

Book a demo today to see just how easy it can be!

How Do Webinars Work? A Comprehensive Guide

Event Management

August 15, 2023

Hey Siri, “define webinar”

How does one define “webinar”? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a webinar as a live, online educational presentation during which participants can submit questions and comments. Webinars have been gaining momentum since the pandemic and are quickly becoming a powerful communication tool for businesses, organizations, and individuals alike. But why?

Webinars offer a versatile platform for lead generation, brand promotion, and networking. Plus, they enable real-time interaction, which fosters relationships and engagement beyond geographical boundaries.

In this blog, we’ll explore the power of webinars and how you can incorporate them into your events strategy!

Understanding the purpose of webinars

Before running a webinar, it’s important to understand your specific goals. Are you seeking to educate your audience and drive sign-ups to your product or service? Or are you looking to foster employee learning with an engaging digital presentation?

If you’re not sure where to start, here are 4 common benefits of webinars:

Lead generation and conversion. Webinars attract leads from across the globe and provide a powerful opportunity to demonstrate value and resolve objections in real-time. By sharing the webinar recording, presentation slides, or related resources after the fact, you’ll stay in touch with prospects, in turn driving conversions.
Education and training. Webinars offer accessible remote learning, making them perfect for education and training! Use webinars to share knowledge in real-time, provide visual aids for better understanding, enable interactive Q&A sessions for immediate clarifications, and record sessions for future reference.
Thought leadership and brand building. Webinars empower thought leadership by providing a platform to share industry insights, trends, and expertise, in turn positioning your business or organization as a hub of knowledge. Further, webinars enhance brand image, foster trust, and differentiate a brand from competitors.
Networking and engagement. Webinars enable real-time interaction between attendees, regardless of their physical location. Unlike a pre-recorded presentation, webinars allow for direct conversations, Q&A sessions, and live polls. This two-way communication builds relationships and promotes collaboration, making webinars a valuable tool for networking.

Now that you understand the main benefits of running a webinar, let’s dive into what you need to know in order to successfully run one!

Key components of a webinar

1. Pre-webinar preparation

Planning a webinar begins with selecting a relevant topic and targeting the right audience. To make a lasting impression, you need to understand who you’re speaking to and how your material will help them achieve their goals.

Once you’ve selected a topic that will “wow” your audience, plan and organize the content—including the visual presentation—to ensure clarity and flow. No one likes jumbled or confusing information!

Lastly, you’ll need to build out your tech stack to ensure seamless execution. The best way to ensure this is with a great internet connection, quality audio-video equipment, and an epic webinar platform. Even with the best equipment, it’s always important to test your tech before the event day to avoid issues!

2. Live webinar execution

It’s showtime! To ensure a smooth experience, make sure that the speaker(s) have brushed up on their presentation skills, including speaking at a relaxed and well-timed pace, so that nothing important gets missed.

Regularly engaging the audience throughout the presentation is also key. Don’t be afraid to break the fourth wall and check in about how everyone is doing!

From there, keep things interesting with compelling multimedia, visuals, and interactive elements that capture your audience’s attention.

Finally, wrap up with a comprehensive Q&A session that encourages audience participation.

3. Post-webinar follow-up

Just because your attendees have logged off, doesn’t mean their journey is over. Be sure to send all attendees a thank you email explaining how to access webinar recording, presentation slides, and related resources.

Next, it’s time to collect feedback. Don’t wait too long—the best time to send out feedback surveys is within the first 24 hours, while your event is still fresh in attendees’ minds. Make sure to collect data on both what went well and what could be improved. This can help make your next webinar even better!

Common types of webinars

Webinars come in all shapes and sizes:

Educational webinars promote knowledge-sharing and new insights.

Product demonstrations and launches allow businesses or organizations to showcase new products or services by engaging customers directly.

Expert interviews and panel discussions stimulate dialogue and encourage reflection, offering multiple perspectives on a given subject.

Training and workshop webinars provide practical, hands-on knowledge that fast tracks personal and professional development.

Virtual conferences and summits bring together experts from around the globe, promoting networking, learning, and the exchange of ideas in an expansive virtual setting.

Choosing the right webinar platform

Selecting the right webinar platform requires careful evaluation. Be sure to consider factors like user-friendliness, integration capabilities with existing systems, audience size capacity, cost, and the quality of customer support.

Whether you host a few webinars a year or a few hundred, Attendease empowers you to customize and host each type of event from one easy-to-use platform! With robust live, on-demand, and livestream capabilities—not to mention a host of engaging interactive elements—Attendease gives your audience that “in-person” feeling while they’re attending your webinar.

Tips for hosting a successful webinar

When it comes to hosting a successful webinar, we’ve got you covered. Here are our top tips for ensuring that your webinar makes a positive, lasting impression:

Promote your webinar. Leverage various channels such as email marketing, social media, and partnerships to increase visibility of your webinar and attract attendees.

Design engaging content. Ensure your content is insightful, well-structured, and includes engaging visuals and multimedia elements to maintain audience interest.

Make sure your tech is on-point. Invest in a reliable setup, complete a test run to check audio-video quality, and be prepared to troubleshoot issues quickly. Nothing is more distracting and disruptive than tech issues in the middle of your webinar.

Engage your audience. Encourage interaction through Q&A sessions, polls, and discussions to make the webinar feel more like a two-way conversation.

Measure strengths and weaknesses. Collect feedback and track key metrics (e.g. attendance rate, engagement level) to measure success and make improvements for future webinars.

Taken together, these tips contribute to a smooth and effective webinar experience. You’ve got this!

Unleash the power of webinars

Webinars are a powerful digital tool for organizations everywhere. By understanding the key components of a successful webinar, staying organized, and choosing the right platform for your needs, you too can leverage webinars as part of your overall events and communications strategy.

Looking for a way to seamlessly manage your webinars without the stress? Try Attendease.

Say goodbye to paying for multiple tools for each different type of webinar you host. With Attendease, you can manage your event website, registration, and automated communications to event day and beyond, all from one webinar software.

Ready to put your webinars on auto-pilot? Book a demo today!

Get The Most From Your New Event Management Software Platform: Here’s How

Event Management

August 2, 2023

Transitioning your organization to a new event management software platform can feel like a leap into the unknown. Yet as challenging as it may seem at first, this unknown is also a reservoir of untapped potential.

Harnessing the power of your new event management software can be easy with the right strategies. This guide is committed to making this transition easier, helping you embrace your new software and reinvigorate your events!

Prioritizing Training, Onboarding & Account Setup

Proper training and onboarding is the first step to getting the most out of your event management software. Start by educating yourself and your team about the platform’s features and capabilities. Make use of the tutorials the provider offers and don’t be shy about asking for demos or live sessions with their customer success team! They exist to ensure you’re getting the most out of their software.

Before you’re onboarded, make sure you understand how your new event management software can align with your event planning and execution strategies. This way, you can spend some time with your provider to ensure your account is set up to help maximize your new tool. Remember, this solution should be calibrated to best fit your needs—not the other way around.

Setting Clear Goals & Realistic Objectives

Establishing clear and realistic goals is pivotal for maximizing your event management software’s potential. Specific goals help guide your focus and ensure the platform’s features are used strategically. In other words, it’s not just about ‘managing events,’ but how you plan to do so. Make sure you’re aligning with broader business goals and maximizing the return on your software investment.

Are you aiming to streamline the ticketing process? Looking to enhance attendee experience through personalized communication? Or perhaps you want to leverage data for post-event analysis? Setting these objectives from the start will shape how you use the software.

Aligning Your Team

Effective use of event management software heavily relies on your team’s understanding and integration of the tool into their daily workflow. From your event planners to your marketing department, everyone has a role within the software ecosystem. Ensuring everyone knows how to navigate and use the platform to its full extent is crucial.

Regular team meetings can provide an opportunity to discuss updates, answer queries, and share tips on using the software. Likewise, routine training sessions can help familiarize the team with new features, and regular check-ins can address any ongoing issues, preventing them from becoming bigger problems. When everyone is on the same page, it creates an environment of shared understanding and boosts the team’s confidence in using the platform!

Being Aligned With Your Provider

When it comes to aligning with your software provider, clear communication is vital. Expressing your needs, expectations, and goals can drastically improve your platform experience. Your provider’s insight into the product’s capabilities can help you understand how best to utilize the platform, tailor the software to better fit your needs, and even discover features that you may have overlooked.

So, keep an open line of communication with your provider. Regular catch ups can address any potential issues and sharing feedback can help them understand how they can improve their product to better suit your needs. By nurturing this partnership, you can ensure that you’re extracting the maximum value from the platform.

Staying Engaged and Up to Date

Make a habit of staying updated with regular product changes and upgrades. If you don’t adapt as the software evolves, you risk missing out on improved features or more efficient ways of doing things!

Since new features are continuously being added and existing ones get updated, it’s important to hold refresher training sessions. Often overlooked, these sessions are just as important as the initial training so that you and your team stay on the leading edge of event management.

Lastly, building a strong relationship with your provider’s customer success team is vital. Regular communication can provide you with tips and tricks, tailored advice, and quick problem resolution.

Celebrating Quick Wins

Quick wins refer to tasks that your event management software can streamline and accomplish quickly, providing immediate benefits.

These might be automating repetitive tasks like sending confirmation emails, creating post-event surveys at a click, or swiftly setting up event registration pages. Identifying these quick wins is crucial as they not only save time but also demonstrate the value and potential of the tool. This early success can boost your team’s confidence and encourage them to explore the platform more extensively.

Integrating the Tool Into Your Daily Work Schedule

Incorporating the platform into your daily work is a sure-fire way to maximize its potential. It’s not enough to use it sporadically or only for specific tasks; the software should become a constant companion in your event management journey.

This implies doing everything within the platform, from checking event registrations and attendee queries to reviewing campaign performance and preparing for upcoming events. The more you use the platform, the more intuitive it becomes. You’ll discover shortcuts, develop best practices, and learn how to customize the tool to meet your specific needs.

This doesn’t happen overnight, of course…It’s a gradual process of integration. Start by identifying tasks that can be done through the platform. Then, slowly but surely, move these tasks onto the platform until it becomes an essential part of your workflow.

Pitfalls

With the right strategy and mindset, maximizing the effect of your new event management software can be straightforward for everyone involved. Without it, it can be easy to experience the following 4 pitfalls:

Expecting Success without Putting in the Work
- Success comes with effort. Expecting your event management software to work wonders without proper understanding, training, and usage will only lead to disappointment.
Not Having Clear Goals
- As mentioned before, unclear or unrealistic goals will not allow you to use your software to its fullest. Having well-defined goals gives direction to your platform usage.
Minimizing the Importance of Training and Onboarding
- Inadequate training can result in underutilization of the software, causing potential bottlenecks in your event management process. Make sure to put enough time and effort into onboarding and training!
Not Making the Tool a Key Part of Your Work Schedule
- Sporadic use of the platform won’t yield desired results. Make it an integral part of your daily tasks and you’ll see significant improvements in your event management process.

So, what’s next?

Integrating new event management software successfully can be made easy. However, some businesses fail to invest the necessary effort and commitment required to fully tap into the potential of their investment. This under-utilization often results in missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and ultimately, a less than optimal ROI.

The bright side is that having success with your new software platform is mostly within your control. If you invest the time, effort, and patience to deeply understand the software and how it can be incorporated into your everyday workflow, you can truly transform it into a powerful tool for your business!

If you’re looking for an event management software platform that uncomplicates events even further, consider Attendease.

Our easy-to-use platform is designed to bring calm to the chaos of multi-event management. With intuitive navigation, visual tools, drag and drop options, and unlimited website templates, it’s never been easier to manage event portfolios and complex. Want to learn more? Book a demo today!

What Are Post-Event Surveys?

Why Are Post-Event Surveys Important?

Evaluation of Event Success

Understanding Participant Satisfaction

Marketing Insights

Improving Future Events

Best Practices for Post-Event Survey Emails

Email Timing

Audience Segmentation

Email Message

Survey Design

Best Practices for Post-Event Survey Questions

Types of Post-Event Survey Questions

25 Example Post-Event Survey Questions

NPS Example Questions:

1. How would you rate the event from 1 to 5 (or 1 to 10)?

2. How likely would you recommend this event to a friend/ colleague?

Objective Example Questions:

3. How did you learn about the event?

4. Why did you decide to attend this event?

5. What were your favorite sessions/ speakers/ exhibitors?

6. How would you rate the venue, food, attractions, etc.

7. Did this event meet your expectations?

8. If you have no barriers, would you like to attend this event again next year?

Open-Ended Example Questions:

9. Was there anything you disliked about the event?

10. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?

Other Example Post-Event Survey Questions

11. How did the event contribute to your professional development or industry knowledge?

12. Were the topics covered in the event relevant to your interests and expectations?

13. How would you rate the overall logistics and organization of the event?

14. Did you find the networking opportunities at the event valuable?

15. How effective was the use of technology and multimedia in enhancing your event experience?

16. Were there any technical issues or improvements you would suggest for future events?

17. Did you feel a sense of community and engagement throughout the event?

18. What impact did the event have on your professional or personal development?

19. How valuable did you find the post-event resources provided, such as presentations, recordings, or additional materials?

20. Were there any measures taken to accommodate diverse needs that you appreciated?

21. How would you rate the accessibility and inclusivity of the event for all participants?

22. Did you utilize any post-event resources for extending your learning or networking?

23. What aspects of the event stood out to you as particularly positive or noteworthy?

24. Were there any aspects of the event that you think could be improved for future editions?

25. What suggestions do you have for enhancing the overall participant experience in future events?

Ideal Post-Event Survey Length

Social Media Listening for Post-Event Feedback

Gauging Event Success with Post-Event Surveys & EventUp Planner

Let’s Do The Math on Incomplete Event Attendees

4 Strategies to Boost Event Registration

Boost Your Registration with a Powerful Event Registration Platform

Table of Contents

Healthcare Events and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Perfect Fit

5 Tips for Planning Healthcare Advocacy Events

1. Set clear goals for your advocacy event

2. Personalize all promotional communications

3. Center the attendee experience

4. Consider virtual or hybrid healthcare events

5. Measure support generated

Simplify the Complexity of Managing Your Meetings and Events with a Powerful Suite of Tools

Simplify the Complexity of Managing Your Meetings and Events with a Powerful Suite of Tools

1. Select the type of virtual event

2. Choose your event technology wisely

3. Strategically market your virtual event

4. Keep supporters engaged throughout the event

5. Follow up with attendees after the event

Simplify the complexity of managing your meetings and events with a powerful suite of tools

What technology do associations need for events?

How does technology improve event data management?

What are the benefits of integrating event systems?

What Is an Event Sponsor?

What Are the Benefits of Sponsoring an Event?

What Is an Event Sponsorship Package?

What Should an Event Sponsorship Package Include?

Event Sponsorship Tier Examples

Sponsor Tier 3: The Silver Package:

Sponsor Tier 2: The Gold Package:

Sponsor Tier 1: The Diamond Package:

Event Sponsorship Tier Example Chart

Event Sponsorship Package Ideas

1. Sponsored Lounges

2. Phone Charging Stations