Three Event Management Software trends to look out for in 2017 and beyond

The previous year has been a fruitful one with a number of changes and challenges in the event management software market. While more event planners are embracing technology by the day, this process has not exactly been seamless. With dwindling marketing budgets, event technology companies are striving to reach the maximum number of planners in the least amount of time. A number of event tech companies exited the market last year, but there has also been a trend where event management companies are seeking to save cash. While it may seem bad for customers, it is not so as a consolidation of vendors improves the overall quality of service provided. Trends can never be predicted with near-certainty but based on observations of the industry by experts, the following can be reasonably assumed.

All-in-one platforms – Event planners use many tools during the course of one day ranging from email management to task management to on-site platforms and registration platforms. There is continuous import and export of data by logging in and out of systems that are not designed to work together. As technology becomes perfectly attuned to organisational needs, more seamless event platforms can be anticipated to come into existence. This is a ripe opportunity for event planners to deploy a single platform to manage the logistics of on-site technology, planning and the post-event data collection and study. Only a few companies are currently successful at this but more iterations of existing solutions that provide increased functionality should encourage more companies to give it a shot.

Open API – A group of companies collaborating to address all that an event planner may need could be an alternative to a single platform. The companies open their API allowing other coders access to work with them. This allows the data to seamlessly flow across platforms making the planner user experience much less cumbersome. As more companies decide to collaborate with others to manage parts of the process instead of devising their own solutions, event planners will find better-suited event management software products. For e.g., a registration company enables their data to be shared with a mobile app company. Registrations are automatically entered in the app which permits a user to register once and gain access to both their information and other platforms. From the perspective of event planners, it eliminates the heavy lifting required for importing, exporting and cleaning data that is considered as routine now.

Data integration and management – The need for data only increases in the industry – data is collected, owned, understood and analysed for the purpose of making critical business decisions. As event management software becomes better integrated, it also helps in the integration of data. Information becomes much easier to collect, manage and analyse; cleaner data is a win-win situation for both companies and their customers. Event planners can correctly recognise influencers in the audience, monitor their behaviour and make important decisions to deliver a richer experience. Sponsors are provided comprehensive information about people who attend events they are affiliated to. Speakers receive in-depth information on their presentation style and content effectiveness. Briefly, data provides a great deal of power to every party in the event planning process and it would be advised to harness it effectively, making it accessible to all the stakeholders.

The year 2017 should be a most exciting time in the event management software market. The work of an event planner is quite nuanced, and the possibilities with a more effective and efficient system should enable quality work for discerning audiences within the desired time period.