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Whether you are planning an event for the first time or belong to the old iron in event management, online event management software will help make your event a success.

Very often, big companies have their own event management software or use event agencies that run online event registrations for them. Special software can be very expensive and is generally programmed to the agency's specific needs.

If your needs are smaller, or you aren't responsible for planning events very often, you will find that using an online event management software will greatly reduce your work load when planning an event. Aside from the participants registering themselves, these software programs automate a lot of the most tedious parts of event management, like invoicing, lodging management and most importantly, setting up your lists.

What Features Should Your Event Management Software Solution Have?

First and foremost, these software solutions have to be end-user friendly, meaning easy to use for both the event manager and the attendees. Set-up of the event should be as simple as possible...you have enough other stuff to worry about!

Features you need to look for are attendee payment options, customization options, automatic emails, and other event-specific criteria like the ability to add travel date information, choose workshops, add a partner etc.

One very important aspect to consider is the list export options. You will be working with a lot of lists, and you will need the option to export the lists you need, when you need them. Easy list exports should be one of your main criteria when choosing event management software. Make sure that you can customize your lists, or you will end up spending an awful lot of time doing this by hand in excel.

Another important consideration is the pricing matrix. Some software charge you a fixed amount per attendee, some charge a fixed amount per event. These costs can run anywhere from $1-$5 per attendee or 3-8% of total ticket price. If you want to recoup these costs remember to add the amount to the registration fee.

Does the software have any other promotional tools besides emails? Depending on the event that you are organizing, it might be worth putting extra emphasis on this point. If you are organizing an internal meeting, it may well be irrelevant.

Security is another factor to consider. All your sensitive event information, including who is coming and how much has been paid / earned. Go with an established supplier, don't skimp on a few dollars while ending up compromising the security of your information.

Finally, is there a support line that you can contact if something goes wrong with the software? How fast is the support staff to respond? These are important aspects of deciding on your software. There is no use saving $100 on software if you are going to end up with a headache and 20 extra hours of work trying to figure stuff out!

I've done a comparison of the top web-based event management software solutions to make it easier for you to choose. Remember, every event has different needs. You don't need to worry about learning to use the most advanced software if you are just running a 20 person workshop. But if you are managing a 400 person conference with partner program and travel itineraries, the easy software might not have enough power for you. It's important to look at the choices in light of your needs.

Here's our online event management software comparison chart.