The virtual events space has been developing for a number of years now. Coronavirus aside, companies have been increasingly using a geographically diverse workforce, they have been embracing virtual meetings and events over business travel and many industries have been embracing virtual to complement their live events.
All this has encouraged a range of companies to offer either specific solutions for virtual events or tools that could be used for events with little or no customization. Choice is certainly not something you’re short of if you’re looking for the right tools to plan your next virtual event!
Here are a selection of tools for virtual event managers worth checking out. We use some of these ourselves. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means but it should cover most of what you’ll need.
Google Drive and its associated tools is an excellent productivity tool. You can create event schedules, documents, share images and video and even create registration forms from within this single tool. Teams from across the world can all access the drive and update in real-time.
There is an audit trail of all changes too!
Asana is an online project management tool that includes document sharing, calendars, scheduling tools and management applications. It’s another cloud application that can be used by teams across the globe. Updates are in real-time, it has great tracking and even has visual project planning tools to help keep that planning on track.
ActiveCampaign is a marketing and CRM tool. It enables you to plan marketing campaigns, manage email marketing, signup forms, identify leads and follow-ups and so much more. The platform is easy to get to grips with and uses an attractive flat design you won’t mind spending hours with. The reporting is incredibly detailed too.
Evernote is a genuine lifesaver if you’re the type to have ideas while you’re on the move only to forget them later. You and your team can collect notes, pin website URLs, add to-do lists, add maps and even save voice notes for later analysis. This is an essential tool for any event manager, virtual or otherwise.
Hootsuite is a social media management platform. It helps monitor your social channels, identify opportunities through social, have conversations with attendees, plan social media marketing campaigns, create those campaigns, schedule posts and generally manage most aspects of social. It’s an essential marketing tool for all event types.
Whova is a wide-ranging event planning tool. It includes event apps, management tools, survey tools, online registration and check-in tools, promotion and a lot more besides.
A strength of this tool is the ability to create event apps with maps, branding, agendas and schedules from within the platform. You can also manage speakers, set up polls and surveys, create social walls and analyse the event afterwards too.
Eventbrite is a sales and marketing tool. It enables you to create event pages, sell tickets, accept payments from across the world, market your event, manage attendees, offer check-in, advertise on social, accept door payments and other useful tools.
Eventopedia was launched to provide a list of some of the many venue providers to the events industry. It has thousands of entries from venues across the world and is part showcase and part review platform. It’s a little like TripAdvisor but specifically for events venues.
ON24 is a digital events platform. It allows you to create, host and manage virtual events from within the app. It includes webinar tools, an engagement hub for extra channels, landing pages for marketing and conversion and all the tools you need to market, promote and host a virtual event.
Our final tool for event planners is Acclevements. It’s a virtual event management tool that includes live streaming, networking, one-to-one tools, network session tools, social media interaction, sponsorship management, virtual exhibition booths, post-production tools, broadcast tools and real-time data and analysis.
