Event registration tools are a must-have for organizing events of any size. From big business conferences to intimate workshops, finding the right event registration solution can make all the difference for your participants and staff.
Event registration software allows registrants to sign up and pay for events, whether a single function or a multi-event, multi-day happening.
Event registration programs gather key information from participants, including names, addresses, payment information, events being attended, and preferences such as meal choices, seats, and special needs.
Event Registration Software: Reviews & Comparison
There are many different event registration platforms to choose from. While many have the same basic functionality – collecting information and payments – there are distinct differences. Here’s a closer look at some of the most popular software tools.
A2Z Events
A2Z Events offers a comprehensive solution for event management. It allows users to create customized workflows to address the unique needs of your events. You can also create workflows for different participant types, creating new user experiences and field choices.
Participant management tools also help simplify key tasks, including data collection, payment processing, and communication with registrants. The admin panel allows you to manage participant data, whether registered online or onsite while letting you complete tasks in bulk or on a record-by-record basis.
Reporting tools give you live insights into your registrants, their data and demographics, and the return on investment of promotional dollars spent.
A2Z Events also includes floor plan management software for trade shows and conferences, revenue generation, online contracting and sponsorship membership, attendee engagement and matchmaking, badge printing and check-in management, attendance tracking, and an attendee mobile app.
WildApricot
WildApricot provides intuitive event listings, complete with detailed descriptions and photos, along with online registration forms. WildApricot also reduces data entry with a built-in calendar that can be hosted on the event site or a separate website.
Event registration is easy, with the ability to add discounts and add-ons such as early-bird pricing, coupons, members-only prices, or add-on costs. Email functionality is a strength, with promotional emails that can be scheduled and customized for different groups, confirmation emails, and reminder emails, all done with a few clicks.
Fee collection is simple, too, with registration payments automatically recorded within your database, easing tracking and reporting on event income.
The WildApricot mobile app for administrators simplifies key functions. Using the app, admins can take onsite registrations, manage contacts, and check in attendees. You can also create directories of participants’ businesses or other information, which can be customized and embedded with mobile-friendly displays on your website.
Whova
Whova is a user- and budget-friendly event registration solution. If your event is free, so is the application. Whova also features customizable emails that can be used to attract attendees and a user application that can feature sponsor lists and banners. The communication tools are one of the most powerful features, including features that allow instant announcements during the event and newsletters sent to registrants afterward. In addition, Whova makes it easy to increase visibility on social media, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn,
Whova allows planners to build attendee profiles that help participants network and connect, in-app messaging, and capabilities to scan and exchange business cards. Additional tools allow users to find each other based on similar professional backgrounds or relationships. Once the event concludes, attendees can contact other participants using messaging tools.
Cvent
Cvent is a cloud-based solution designed with event planners in mind. Built to handle multiple events simultaneously, the solution includes powerful planning tools, including venue and vendor sourcing to find locations and service providers, meeting management and approval, budget management, room blocks and travel functions, and venue diagramming.
Promotional tools include branded website design, automated and personalized email marketing, registration management, payment processing, and speaker and exhibitor management. Event management features include a participant app, onsite check-in and badging, networking and connection tools, webinar capabilities, and virtual capabilities that allow participants to experience live and on-demand content, network, and meet with vendors and speakers.
After your event, you can easily integrate participant data with other business systems and generate leads for your sales and marketing staff. Reports allow you to analyze costs, attendee data, and engagement, while survey tools provide valuable feedback to improve future events.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite prides itself on creating seamless experiences for attendees and others associated with your event. The online registration system lets you build websites, create multiple ticket types, and collect registrations in minutes, with customizable event pages that allow for simple and fast checkouts. The Eventbrite Organizer App lets staff check-in attendees with contactless functionality and see event data in real-time.
Marketing tools allow planners to build social media ads with intelligent targeting while allowing registration via Facebook and LinkedIn. Automated ad tools allow updating events on Facebook and Instagram when events are added or sold out. Email marketing tools have no contact limits and provide up to 10,000 daily sends. Automated update tools send reminders when people follow or like your events.
Eventbrite makes it easy for users to sign up for events with embedded functionality that allows users to sign up directly on your event site, WordPress blog, or Facebook and use mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Eventzilla
At Eventzilla, you don’t need fancy software or programming skills to create polished event registration websites. Their user-friendly platform allows you to design fully customizable sites using simple drag-and-drop tools. Whether your event is in-person, virtual, or a combination of both, our responsive form templates make it easy to create professional sites tailored to your unique needs.
The tool has some unique features during the registration process, including automated queuing for high-volume events and timed entry ticketing to facilitate smooth people management for large events.
For virtual and hybrid events, you can create custom-branded meeting rooms with screen sharing and HD recording capabilities, live chat with moderation and multiple breakout rooms. Eventzilla integrates seamlessly with popular virtual event platforms, including Zoom, GoToWebinar, LiveWebinar and ClickMeeting.
The Eventzilla software allows for synchronization with other business systems, including CRMs, ERPs and marketing automation tools. Analytics and reporting tools let you customize your reports and track event performance using Google Analytics.
Bizzabo
Imagine an event registration platform that creates personalized experiences for each attendee. With Bizzabo, you can achieve engagement goals with unique content for each participant.
Bizzabo uses Klik SmartBadges to create interactive tools. Using the SmartBadges, participants can exchange contact information with the click of a button, use colored lights to identify participant groups or flash warnings or create lighting cues during a keynote address, concert, or another program.
The platform also allows you to create personalized content journeys through multiday, multitrack agendas and a specialized speaker portal to provide VIP services. An on-demand content library that helps marketers measure and use engagement data is also available.
Audience engagement software lets participants build connections, schedule 1:1 meetings, personalize their agendas, and review speakers, vendors, and sponsors. You can also incentivize attendees to share their experiences on social media. The event engagement app lets you invite participants to Q&A sessions, polls, and chats and provide feedback via push notifications and other features.
Webex Events (formerly Socio)
Webex Events helps create registration experiences that are customized, functional, and practical – from branded event pages to personalized registrations.
The process starts with registration pages matching your brand’s visuals and design. Your registration forms can include conditional logic with follow-up questions that will be hidden or displayed based on answers to previous feeds. You can build forms including customized tickets, access, promo codes, and payment options, including Stripe, for payouts, invoicing, or pay by check. Checkout forms can also be personalized, providing key data on participants.
Email tools help drive participation with push email campaigns that drive registration and post-event engagement. At any time, use the real-time analysis tools to track attendees, average transaction value, ticket breakdowns, and revenue generation, all on an intuitive, easy-to-use dashboard. Analyze the efficacy of different marketing channels and integrate them with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and ad platforms.
RSVPify
Organize and manage your events with extensive tools as part of the RSVPify platform. Event websites can include speaker and sponsor listings, maps and agendas, and support live or virtual events. Add secondary events, such as a VIP luncheon or rehearsal dinner, for subsets of attendees and easily ask attendees about meal preferences and dietary restrictions.
Guest list management tools allow organizers to engage invitees from the first email through thank-you notes, with customized and branded emails that can be used for save-the-dates, invitations, reminders, and event updates. You can also insert a QR code into invitations, flyers, or posters to facilitate connection to a registration page.
You can create security features to restrict registration to invited guests, confirm and track vaccination status, and add videos hosted on RSVPify or an external video site. Create seating charts, check in guests from a mobile device, collect gifts and donations, and schedule appointments directly from the platform.
Brushfire
Brushfire is a popular platform churches utilize for ticketing for live or virtual events. Registration forms can use simple, limited amounts of information or many details. Online ticketing and a mobile application make it simple for attendees to register and attend the events.
The capacity management tools are particularly helpful for church services and similar events. You can control and monitor attendee levels, create capacity maximums, and add additional services or sessions as the audience grows. For virtual events, you can provide chat functions and notes, integrate donations, and control who and how the stream is viewed.
Essential Event Registration Software Features
Choosing the right platform can be challenging, with many options to consider. Here are the core functions when deciding on an event registration software solution.
Registration Website
At its core, an event registration platform must help you build compelling, visually appealing, and easy-to-use event websites. The sites must flow logically and be simple for users to register and pay for events. An event registration website should have details about the event, any subevents, speakers, and sponsors, and information about accommodations, transportation, costs, and directions.
The registration website should be built to support use on desktops, smartphones, and tablets, with easy navigation and resources available to assist attendees when registering and during and after the event.
Registration Form Builder
The platform needs intuitive drag-and-drop functionality to create great websites that allow planners to create registration forms. Forms should allow users to easily enter key personal information, including name, nickname, address, professional information, phone and email information, and event preferences.
Forms should also allow multiple payment options, including credit and debit cards and mobile payment formats. Forms should allow for auto-importing of information where applicable.
Form builders should not require any coding or technical knowledge and allow for customized options based on ticket types, VIP status, or logic, meaning users will receive some fields to fill in based on previous responses.
Registration Reporting
Insights are critical for event planners. You need to understand the responses, categories, trends, and characteristics of the attendees and their events. These insights should be available in real-time.
The best platforms provide system-generated reports and customized options to deliver each user’s needs. Reporting panels can help to filter large data sets to develop new insights and use visual functionality to make data clear to understand and display.
Analytics tools can help users glean insights, patterns, problems, and opportunities from the participant and event data.
Badge Printing and Onsite Check-in
At events, checking in participants and printing their name badges can be time-consuming and confusing. To solve this problem, looking for a badge printing solution that can integrate data from different sources with fewer mistakes is important. This will help to streamline the process, reduce wait times, and make a good first impression. By prioritizing reliable check-in and badge printing experiences, you’ll be able to enhance the event experience for attendees and make sure everything runs smoothly.
Integrations
Regarding event registration, information can come from various sources, making integration a crucial factor for a smooth experience. The solution is to find an event registration platform that can readily connect data from multiple sources and seamlessly incorporate them into the registration process. Moreover, the integration must be able to send the collected data back to the respective sources as needed and also transmit relevant information to external lead retrieval or attendance tracking solutions. Don’t settle for a platform that cannot provide such comprehensive integration capabilities.
Conclusion
Event registration software is valuable for any organization looking to manage events efficiently. It simplifies the registration process for participants and reduces the administrative burden for event planners. From customizable workflows to powerful data management tools, numerous event registration solutions are available, each with unique features tailored to specific needs. Whether you are organizing a large conference or a small workshop, choosing the right event registration software is crucial for a successful event. Consider cost, ease of use, and data management capabilities when selecting an event registration tool. With the right solutions in place, you can ensure that your events run smoothly and attendees have a seamless experience, leading to increased engagement and success for your organization. Interested in seeing how event registration solutions can help you? Contact us today!
