No more juggling lots of spreadsheets, calendars, emails and single-purpose apps. Planning Pod gives you a centralized solution so all your event information is in one place and accessible in seconds.
Our tools work together to help you create reliable processes that make you more efficient. This way you spend less time on micro-managing details, resources, staff and attendees and more on creating amazing experiences.
Things don’t slip through the cracks when everyone is informed and follows through. Our collaborative tools give you and your team, vendors and clients the big picture while keeping everyone accountable.
See why more event professionals rely on our tools to streamline their events!
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PRODUCTIVITY AND PROJECT MANAGEMENTStay on schedule, on budget and in controlTracking tasks and assignments. Building timelines and budgets. Staying on top of event bookings and appointments. Managing files and notes. These are at the heart of managing events, and they’re also at the heart of our event management software, along with at-a-glance dashboards and reports and so you always know where you stand.
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EVENT LAYOUT AND DESIGNStart giving shape to your vision for eventsTransform that image in your head into reality with our event design tools. Create professional room diagrams, event layouts and seating arrangements in minutes ... no design or CAD experience necessary. Build vision boards to share pics and ideas with your team and clients.
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ATTENDEE AND REGISTRATION MANAGEMENTPromote your event and collect registrations onlineNo event is complete without ... attendees, of course. Our event planning software lets you build custom event webpages, create tickets, launch online RSVP or event registration forms and collect payments. Track all attendee details and revenues and, on event day, sign them in with our check-in tool.
*Via our payment processing partners.
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PROSPECTING AND BILLING MANAGEMENTAutomate how you do business with clients and prospectsOur tools make it seamless for event clients to do business with you. Collect leads via online webforms and manage your sales pipeline. Create and send customized contracts, proposals and invoices (and build reusable templates for all three) and collect signatures and payments electronically. Or invite customers into a client portal where they can view and sign documents, make payments, complete tasks and more. 
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COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATIONStreamline how you and your team communiate and collaborateEvent management requires lots of back-and-forth between staff, vendors, contractors and clients, and our platform gives you the means to manage it all. Like a centralized event CRM manager and email inbox for tracking all your event and client communications. And flexible permission settings for unlimited users so your team can access dozens of shared tools.
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Whether you are a professional event manager or the de facto event organizer slash master-of-ceremonies for your organization or department, web-based event management software can greatly reduce effort and create efficiencies in how you manage your events.
So what is event management software? Generally, the main benefits of online event software include the ability to:
With that said, not all event management software systems are identical or even include the same tools or have the same focus.
In fact, there are specific categories of functionality you should be aware of when you want to review and compare event management tools and apps, and these are detailed below.
Many event planning software programs include project planning tools for managing tasks, calendars, logistics, timelines, itineraries and files. These types of tools are focused on improving organization and coordination capabilities of you and your team.
There's nothing worse than trying to manage your event communications with emails scattered throughout your inbox and across the inboxes of all your team members. A program that consolidates these communciations into one collective inbox and integrates with your existing email addresses gives you the power to see all your event-related emails in one place.
One big objective of many event coordinators is to formulate a plan for how the event is set up and flows to provide an optimal experience for attendees as well as exhibitors, vendors and staff. So if this is a priority, you should look for event room layout and floor plan tools, many of which utilize drag-and-drop technology and allow for assigned seating of guests.
These tools come in many shapes and sizes with many different feature sets and fee structures. At minimum, you should expect the ability to create free or paid tickets, set ticket schedules, create custom online registration or RSVP forms and collect payments electronically plus detailed reporting on attendee details and sales.
Some event management software companies focus on tools specifically for marketing events to attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. This can include functionality for building event websites, bulk/mass emailing capabilities and creating a listing in online event directories, and all this often integrates with registration features.
Tracking event bookings and client bookings is often a feature sought out by event planner solopreneurs, event planning firms and event venues that wish to have an automated way to manage their event businesses and avoid double-booking time slots.
Recent years have seen an increase in companies providing event apps and tools to enhance the attendee experience. These apps can include searchable electronic attendee directories; social media-like tools and integrations to facilitate attendee interaction and networking; customizable event schedules; interactive event maps; and live polling and survey tools.
Managing meetings, conferences and conventions often have their own unique set of challenges and require very specialized tools for handling things like venue management (which can include room booking and blocks), attendee travel, exhibitors, sponsors, vendors, RFPs, shipping and much more.
"Resources" can mean a variety of things regarding events, from human resources like vendors and contractors to physical resources like venues and equipment. Some event management solutions offer inventory management so you can track resource allocation across events and things like breakage or cleaning/laundering.
So how do you choose which event planning software is right for you? It boils down to 4 easy steps.
This may take a little time, but once you have done this, you will have a clear picture of which event management apps will meet your needs better and can make a more informed decision that you won’t regret down the road.