Event planning involves multiple tasks, such as coordinating venues, collaborating with vendors and suppliers, and arranging event logistics to make the event a seamless experience. Therefore, for an event professional, organisational skills and creativity are not enough; it also requires staying updated with trends like sustainable event practices, tools, and resources.
When it comes to resources, they can help event professionals streamline workflows and stay a step ahead of client expectations. Using resources for event planning is useful, especially if event professionals face tight deadlines and budget constraints. Professionals can use project management apps, productivity tools, collaboration software, and other resources to overcome such limitations.
Hence, the resources discussed below will be more than blogs or event industry news trends. It will also cover tools and applications for event planning, industry news outlets, and inspiring ideas to complete your event professional’s toolkit.
1. Eventbrite
Eventbrite is one of the best event management platforms that simplifies creating, promoting, and selling event tickets. The availability of customisable event pages, integrated payment processing, and real-time analytics means the entire event can be streamlined. It doesn’t matter if you’re organising a small or a large-scale event, Eventbrite provides the tools to manage registrations, track attendance, and engage with your audience.
2. Asana
As an event professional, Asana is a project management and collaboration tool you can’t overlook. With features like task assignments, deadlines, and progress tracking, event professionals can efficiently manage the event planning process.
The ability to create custom project templates streamlines recurring event workflows and maintains consistency across multiple events. Connecting it with file-sharing apps, communication channels, and reporting tools allows you to centralise all event-related information and communication to minimise the risk of miscommunication or oversight.
3. Slack
Slack is a team communication and collaboration platform that keeps event professionals connected and organised. With Slack, you can create dedicated channels for different aspects of your event planning process, share files, and communicate with your team in real time. The platform’s integration with various tools and services, such as Google Drive and Trello, also streamlines the workflow.
4. Hootsuite
No event is successful without robust social media marketing. Hootsuite is a social media management platform that event professionals can use to promote their events across multiple social networks. With Hootsuite, you can schedule and publish content, engage with your audience, monitor hashtags, and analyse the performance of your social media campaigns. The analytics provide valuable insights into your social media strategy so you can optimise to maximise event visibility.
5. Event:Decision
Event:Decision is an event sustainability audit & advisory, measuring and reporting service. They provide a bespoke suite of tools automates the process of event planning at scale for your ESG strategy, making complex decisions accessible to all sizes of event planners within your projects. Their suite of tools for event owners and agencies include:
- predict; for calculating the risk involved in bid decisions.
- track; for measuring an event carbon footprint.
- purpose; for measuring company values.
These resources allow you to make every event decision a simpler one, helping your team to understand the real impacts of your events, so you can make more sustainable planning decisions for the longevity of current and future event success.
6. Trello
There is no better collaboration tool than Trello, which helps event professionals manage tasks, meet deadlines, and use resources effectively. Trello’s intuitive boards allow you to create lists and cards to represent different aspects of your event planning process, assign tasks to team members, set due dates, and track progress. Trello’s customisation options make various event planning workflows easier to stay organised and on track.
7. EventProfs Community
EventProfs Community is a global network of event professionals that provides collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities. The platform connects event professionals worldwide to exchange ideas and build valuable relationships through its online platform and social media channels. The community’s regular webinars, discussions, and resources are a great way to learn and grow in the event industry.
8. MeetUp
MeetUp helps build and engage with your local event community. This platform allows you to create and promote events, attract attendees, and connect with like-minded individuals in your area.
Apart from its event management capabilities, MeetUp is a valuable resource for staying up-to-date with local happenings and trends in your industry. By joining relevant groups, you can discover new networking opportunities, gain insights from fellow event professionals, and stay informed about upcoming events.
9. Zapier
Zapier is an automation tool that connects various apps and services, which event professionals can use to streamline their workflow. By creating custom automation between tools like Eventbrite, Asana, and Slack, Zapier saves time and reduces manual tasks.
This integration helps to automate processes such as sending post-event surveys, sharing event updates on social media, or creating tasks in your project management tool based on registration data. By automating these tasks, you can save time and focus on strategic aspects of event planning to deliver a better experience for your attendees.
10. Social Tables
Social Tables is event diagramming and seating management software that simplifies designing and executing event layouts. Having a huge library of customisable floor plans, Social Tables allows you to create detailed 2D and 3D diagrams of your event space. Event professionals can collaborate with their teams, share layouts with stakeholders, and make real-time changes for a seamless event setup.
Additionally, Social Tables integrates with other event management tools to import guest lists, manage seating assignments, and share your event designs with stakeholders and vendors.
Wrapping up
There is no denying that the knowledge and usage of the right resources go a long way for event professionals. From powerful project management tools like Asana and Trello to social media management platforms like Hootsuite for promoting events, these resources can streamline workflows and amplify your events’ reach.
Platforms like Eventbrite and Social Tables offer quick solutions for ticketing, layouts, and guest management. Meanwhile, industry publications like BizBash and networking communities like EventProfs keep you inspired and connected with the latest trends.
If you are an event professional or organiser looking for an expert organiser to help you arrange a successful event, Whitespace XPO has the skilled people, knowledge, and insight to bring resourceful solutions to exhibitors, event organisers, and agencies.