So, you've made the decision to start using a specialized event planning application. Maybe you've done some reading and understand the tremendous value-add of such apps, or maybe you went to an event organized using an event planning app and witnessed the benefits firsthand.
Either way, choosing to use event planning apps is a great decision.
But it's hard to know where to begin. Do you need an all-in-one solution? Would you rather use multiple applications together?
Read on to learn about the best options on the market:
Invitation and RSVP Apps
These are applications that primarily focus on sending invitations and gathering RSVPs to gauge event attendance. Essential features include email templates and response analytics.
• Evite—Use email or text messages to send online invitations for birthdays and more. Focused on providing a simple workflow and flexible templates.
• Punchbowl.com—Provides beautiful and sophisticated email invitations. It also has more sophisticated tracking than many competitors. Survey Apps Survey apps will give you the ability to create unique and reactive questionnaires including branching logic, multiple question types, and response tracking.
• SurveyMonkey—The reigning champ in online surveys, SurveyMonkey gives you custom logic for creating powerful and flexible surveys.
Payment Apps
The past few years have seen a dramatic surge in the usage of payment apps. Remember that many more sophisticated event planning apps like Eventene incorporate payments.
• Venmo—Great for one-to-one transactions between individuals, and there are no transaction fees (unless you want the funds to hit your bank account instantly).
• PayPal—The biggest name in this space, PayPal is great because it has brand recognition, integrates well with many other apps, and accepts several payment types.
Ticket Apps
Ticket apps provide many tools but still operate as niche solutions in that they only serve one event type: ticket-based events. For ticket-based events, it's hard to beat Eventbrite and Eventzilla.
• Eventbrite—The most well-known ticket app, Eventbrite allows you to easily set up events and ticket sales.
• Eventzilla—Focusing on security and completeness, Eventzilla markets itself as not just a ticketing app but also a full registration service.
All-In-One Solutions
Lastly, we have the non-niche players. These are the major applications that serve many event types and provide a whole host of features. What the all-in-one solutions offer in terms of efficiency and integration cannot be understated.
Furthermore, in most cases, they are more cost-effective than stringing together several single-purpose tools.
• Cvent—Perhaps the most sophisticated, and costly, event planning solution available. Cvent gives you a ton of tools and flexibility, but it is difficult to use and expensive.
• Eventene—Provides many of the features of Cvent but with a consumer focus. Eventene is easier to use and nearly as fully featured as Cvent, not to mention more cost-effective. It gives several tools for surveys, invitations, tracking, payments, and assignments.
