24 Essential Event Management Software Features

Successful events aren’t easy to pull off. 

Does this statement sound familiar?

Well, we’re here to tell you something different. 

With the right Event Management Software, pulling a worthwhile event can be a smooth journey. Don’t just take it from us, let the numbers speak for themselves.

  • Event tech can boost productivity by 27% (Enterprise Event Marketing)
  • 78% of businesses say event apps help improve ROI (Markletic).

That said, picking the right event management software (EMS) is a big deal and needs some serious thought. It is only when you choose the right EMS that you will be able to save time, cut costs, and make your event run smoother. Plus, sticking with the right vendor also opens doors to long-term benefits, like better support and easier event planning in the future. 

To help you choose the right EMS, we’ll talk about 24 essential event management software features that are a must-have. This isn’t just about technology, it’s about delivering experiences that’ll help you nurture long-term connections and make your brand stand out. 

Let’s dig in!

All-in-one Event Management Software Vs. Fragmented Tech Stack

numerous features of an all in one event management software

Before we discuss individual features that an EMS must have, it’s important to understand one thing: Refrain from selecting multiple tools for multiple event-related tasks. For example, tool A for registration, tool B for check-ins, and tool C for reporting and analytics. A fragmented tech stack will only complicate your job. 

Conversely, an all-in-one event management software streamlines all the operations under one platform. You can plan, execute, and analyze your event in one place. This creates a smooth workflow in your operations. There’s less back-and-forth among tools, the risk of errors decreases, and your team collaborates easily.

Now that we’ve talked about why an all-in-one event management software should be prioritized, let’s get into the specifics of the event management software features to look out for.

All the Event Management Software Features That Matter

We’ve divided event management software features into five categories.

  • Planning and management features 
  • In-person event features
  • Virtual event features
  • Hybrid event features
  • Support features

Planning and Management Features

1. Event Registration and Ticketing

What is It

Event registration is the first step your customers take when they’re considering attending your event. It has to be a smooth experience. Your EMS should have several features that enable a smooth event registration and ticketing process. Let’s break down all the event registration and ticketing must-haves.

Custom Event Website

Some events need more than just a simple event website. If your event has complex needs, your event management software should come with a team of experts who can help bring your vision to life.

They should be able to handle special requests like adding custom layouts, interactive features, or connecting the site with other tools you use in your event website. 

An example of a custom event website design

Landing Page Builder

Of course, not every event needs expert help. That’s why your EMS should also include an easy-to-use landing page builder, so anyone on your team can build a great website without writing a single line of code.

This means the software should allow building multi-page websites through a simple drag-and-drop builder. It should also enable you to choose from a set of pre-existing website templates. Plus, it should reflect changes in real-time so that you can make improvements on the fly. 

These websites should be fully customizable. This means you can include branded fonts, icons, colors, and more. The platform should also support hosting the website on a unique branded URL.

an example of a website built through self serve website builder

Registration Form Builder

Today, event registration forms are taking more than thousands of registrations. People are registering for different roles (presenters, attendees, exhibitors, etc.), from different countries, and for different experiences. Your form should provide a personalized experience to every registrant. 

Look for an EMS with a user-friendly drag-and-drop form builder that allows you to design forms easily. It should offer advanced features like conditional logic (such as “and-or” rules) to tailor the experience for different registering groups. 

Other than that, it should also support pre-defined form fields for managing airline tickets, meal preferences, and accommodations. 

Multiple Registration Options

People register differently. Some sign up solo, others in groups, and some rely on their employers to handle it. The registration platform should enable both individual and group registrations. 

Multiple Ticketing Options

Your event management platform should be able to support your ticketing strategy no matter how dynamic it is. It should enable you to offer multiple ticketing types, such as general admission, VIP tickets, and more. 

Plus, it should offer tiered ticketing options such as gold, silver, and platinum.

Other than that, it should also accept coupons and apply discounts including early birds, last-minute flash sales, and more.

Example of a registration form with multiple ticketing types

Multiple Payment Options and Formats

You don’t want to lose people one step before they make the payment. Your event management software should be able to provide diverse payment options and formats that suit everyone applying.

It should support popular payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, as well as regional options for localized convenience. Plus, it should accept various payment methods like debit cards, credit cards, bank transfers, and mobile wallets. 

To make things even smoother, the software should automatically detect and process payments in the attendee’s local currency. 

Finally, to accommodate people with financial limitations, let attendees pay in installments or even upgrade or downgrade their package after completing the initial registration.

Why It Matters

A well-curated registration process allows you to set the tone for the entire event. 

When all the elements flow in the right order, including the event registration website, forms, and payment options, it becomes extremely easy for your attendees to learn about your event and navigate through the registration process.

an example of a form with conditional logic

This helps you maximize your registrations. People are more likely to register when the process is easy and curated to their specific needs. By using conditional logic, you can display the fields that are relevant to your audience, saving them from long, irrelevant fields.

Plus, an efficient registration process helps you collect relevant information. With the right data, you can execute better events. Think about it: you know the demographics and interests of your attendees. This data can easily be leveraged to craft different experiences that your attendees will love.

As an event organizer, an event management software that provides you with all of these registration features saves you hours and hours of work. You can direct your efforts from repetitive operational tasks to more strategic activities.

How vFairs Simplifies Ticketing and Registration

vFairs offers an all-in-one event management platform that supports everything you’ll need to curate a smooth registration and ticketing process. The platform enables you to create powerful websites, and dynamic forms, integrate various ticketing types, and accept payments in diverse formats. In fact, our payment marketplace enables you to access over 30 payment gateways with a single toggle. 

Here are all the tasks vFairs can help you with for smooth registration and ticketing.

2. Exhibitor and Sponsor Management

What is It

Imagine you’re hosting a trade show or a career fair. Chances are that you’ll have hundreds of exhibitors and sponsors for the event. Streamlining different processes and communication with them can bring unique challenges.

For example, how will you collect and manage all the data? If you’re going for a virtual event, how will you facilitate the process of setting up their virtual booths? How will you ensure that your attendees get to network with the exhibitors?

All of these questions point to one answer, i.e., sponsor and exhibitor management. It’s a must-have feature in your event management software. 

Here are all the exhibitor and sponsor management features to look out for.

Exhibitor Management

An exhibitor management tool helps manage everything between you and your exhibitors through a self-serve interface. It allows the exhibitors to purchase, create, and manage their booths. 

This means they can access the platform to view all the booth options available and select the one that best meets their goals. They can also customize their booths by choosing from a list of options, adding different icons, and previewing changes in real time. 

an example of a sales rep setting up their exhibit booth

At the same time, the platform enables organizers to preview the progress of all the exhibitors through an exhibitor dashboard. It summarizes details like exhibitor information, booth preferences, engagement metrics, and beyond.

Sponsor Management Tools

Sponsor management tools streamline communication between you and your sponsors. 

For you, it provides a platform to manage every aspect of sponsorships, from initial outreach to final deliverables. This means you can automate communication with sponsors, like sending onboarding emails and follow-ups. Next, it allows you to centralize all sponsor information like engagement metrics, booth preferences, and more. Finally, it also enables you to categorize them into different types.

For sponsors, it helps them make decisions like choosing different sponsorship packages and managing their booth spaces with ease.

Why It Matters

Getting all the sponsors and exhibitors on the same page is a tedious task with numerous moving parts. However, exhibitor and sponsor management tools provide a structure to the process. 

Firstly, communication improves greatly. Since the platform provides a centralized space for exhibitors and sponsors to communicate with the organizers, everyone stays informed about key updates, deadlines, and requirements.

Secondly, resources are allocated efficiently. Exhibitors and sponsors can manage booth designs, sponsorship deliverables, and promotional materials directly within the platform. This simplifies resource allocation and ensures everything is in place before the event.

Finally, this allows scalability. No matter if you’re bringing in 20 or 200 sponsors, you can manage them easily with minimal effort and time.

How vFairs Simplifies Exhibitor and Attendee Management 

vFairs takes the headache of managing sponsors and exhibitors by putting everything in one place through our exhibitor and sponsor management module. It provides a self-service portal that helps automate and streamline all the tasks. This includes easy booth booking, content uploading, and profile management. You can set up automated reminders and get detailed analytics reports to keep everyone informed on how they’re performing. 

3. Abstract Management 

What is It

How long is your call-to-paper process? Are you individually emailing all the speakers to turn in their abstracts? What about peer reviews? 

We can understand how extensive abstract management can get while organizing events. This is why an abstract management module is a must-have feature in your conference management software. Here are all the benefits an abstract management module in an EMS must provide:

Admin Dashboard

The admin dashboard gives organizers full control over the abstract management process. You can track submissions, assign reviewers, and monitor progress in one place. It also lets you set submission and review dates, configure email notifications, and manage access codes. 

vFairs abstract management dashboard
Features like blind review, confidentiality settings, and accept/reject controls ensure a smooth evaluation process. You can also set limits on submissions and revisions based on event requirements.

Submitter Dashboard

Tired of speakers asking the status of their application or requesting you to let them edit the doc they shared with you? A submitter dashboard can be a lifesaver.

With a dedicated submitter dashboard, participants can register, log in, and manage their abstracts. A mandatory profile setup ensures all required details are provided before submission. 

The dashboard lets them save drafts, edit submissions before the deadline, and download their submitted abstracts. They can also track their submission status and view reviewer feedback once evaluations are completed.

Reviewer Dashboard

A timely and unbiased review process is the core of abstract management. A reviewer dashboard ensures just that.

Reviewers can access all assigned submissions through their dashboard. They can view and download abstracts, evaluate submissions with scores and feedback, and accept or reject abstracts with comments.

If enabled, they can also review evaluations from other peer reviewers to ensure consistency in the grading process.

Abstract Submission Form

Your event management platform should enable you to build a fully customizable abstract submission form. This helps you collect details and abstracts, whether they’re in video, document, or presentation format. 

An example of an abstract submission form for abstract management

User Profiling Forms

User profiling forms ensure all participants have complete profiles, making assignment and tracking easier. Submitters, authors, reviewers, lead reviewers, and judges each have dedicated profile forms to capture key details. These forms help streamline the submission and review process while maintaining clear user roles.

Streamlined Communication

The platform streamlines communication with all the participants. You can automate emails about the status of their application so that they stay informed. Plus, it allows you to personalize emails for different audiences.

Publishing

Finally, once the review process is complete, the platform publishes qualified papers on the event platform.

abstract submission module - publishing feature

Why It Matters

An all-in-one event management software that simplifies abstract management is useful in several ways.

First, it organizes the submission process. You can manage the paper collection, reviews, and communication with the participants easily.  

Second, it ensures a fair review process. By automating the process, there’s no room for bias. 

Finally, it helps you deliver a better attendee experience. You can keep applicants notified about the status of their application. They don’t have to keep on guessing if they’ll be qualified or not. 

How vFairs Simplifies Abstract Management

vFairs event management software has got all the bells and whistles for effective abstract management. From abstract submission form creation to peer review automation, from abstract management dashboards to publishing papers on the virtual event platform, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a video that demonstrates it nicely.

4. Event Marketing

What is It

Event marketing features help you create, manage, and optimize marketing campaigns directly from your event management application. They help you streamline and amplify your promotional efforts.

Here’s a breakdown of all the event marketing features you should expect in your EMS:

Email Marketing Tools

Your event management system software should enable you to automate personalized email campaigns. You should be able to send different emails to different types of attendees, like speakers and participants.

streamlining event emails through proper workflows
It should also allow you to set up email workflows that are triggered through certain actions. For example, you can create a workflow that sends confirmation emails to people right after they register. Or, you can schedule different reminder emails before the event day so that the attendees stay prepared.

Apart from this, your EMS should also provide different email templates so that drafting emails becomes quicker. Plus, there should be options to add your personal branded elements within the emails, like logos, brand colors, icons, etc.

Finally, it should also share the performance of your email campaigns with reports that share open rates, click-through rates, and so forth.

AI-Powered Content Creation

As an event planner, we know you’re spending hours on creating content whether it’s for social media, press releases, emails, landing pages, and whatnot.

Having an AI content creation tool within your EMS will save you time doing all the repetitive tasks. Your EMS should be able to take prompts and generate content for various marketing activities from landing pages to emails.

Social Media Integration 

The event management software should support scheduling and posting updates directly to social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. along with tracking engagement.

Why It Matters

Remember how we mentioned that an all-in-one event management platform makes event execution faster and easier? Well, event marketing is one of the features that exemplifies it.

For example, if you use a mainstream AI tool like ChatGPT for event content creation, you’ll have to provide all event-related information to get relevant output. 

But your EMS knows everything about your event. 

It knows if your event is hybrid or virtual, all the sessions taking place, and the kind of meals included. As a result, you can expect an AI content creation tool within your EMS to be faster, and more accurate.

Beyond that, event marketing is a big hassle as well as responsibility. Streamlining all promotional tasks within your EMS allows you to reach a vast audience in minimal time. You can effectively build anticipation, drive attendance, and ensure the success of your event.

How vFairs Simplifies Event Marketing

Being one of the top event management platforms, vFairs provides numerous event marketing features that can help you streamline your promotional efforts. This includes email campaign automation, AI content creation, LinkedIn community builder, and beyond.

5. AI Tools

What is It

If you ask us about the best event management software, we’d recommend choosing the one with maximum AI support

AI tools in your EMS enable you to execute a lot of tasks with just a few prompts. There is a list of must-have AI tools that you need to look out for. We’ve already talked about AI-powered content generation. Let’s talk about some other use cases.

AI Chat Assistant

Attendees often have lots of questions before, during, and after the event. Reaching out to organizers or the help desk every time can be slow and frustrating.

Your event management software should let you add an AI-powered chat assistant that’s available 24/7. You should be able to train the bot using your event details, so it can answer questions like an expert.

AI bot that answers event related questions

This chat assistant can be added to your registration website, event app, and more, giving attendees quick, helpful answers anytime they need them.

Smart Session and Agenda Recommendations

A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works when it comes to events. People need personalized experiences where they can spend their time on stuff that actually matters to them.

Your EMS should enable you to offer smart sessions and agenda recommendations to people based on their interests.

Intelligent Matchmaking

Networking is one of the biggest reasons why people attend events. But you’d agree how difficult it can be to just go and meet people randomly. You can be lucky to resonate with some people, but mostly it’s just a waste of your energy.

With AI-powered matchmaking, you can connect attendees and exhibitors based on their shared interests and goals and initiate some meaningful connections. 

improved networking via intelligent matchmaking

Here’s how it works: The AI studies attendee profiles, including their interests, industries, and goals. It then suggests relevant connections to all the attendees.  

Besides this, smart matchmaking can also help you through the actual conversation. It can suggest questions based on the attendee’s profile to break the ice and get the conversation going.

Why It Matters

All of these AI tools are necessary features in the EMS you go for. Why?

First, it helps you save loads of time. Even for the fastest writer, it would take at least 10-30 minutes to draft an email. But with AI, it’s not more than 5 seconds. And that’s not even counting tasks like matchmaking and reporting that would add hours of work to your plate.

Second, it helps you reach a substantially wider audience. With tools like AI content creation, you can become a content-generating machine. Of course, a valuable one. With more insightful content out in multiple formats, you’re set for better engagement and higher registrations.

Lastly, it helps you deliver personalized event experiences to the attendees. With AI tools like intelligent matchmaking, you’re curating an experience for them that’s exactly in line with their interests. 

AI tools aren’t nice-to-haves today; they’re must-haves for any EMS. We recommend you prioritize these event management software features any day.

How vFairs Integrates Various AI Tools

vFairs understands the importance of AI. This is why we’re rigorously integrating various AI tools into every aspect of event planning, marketing, and execution. 

Our platform offers AI-powered content creation and content repurposing tools that allow you to not only create tailored marketing collateral but also repurpose it into various formats. For example, you can repurpose the best session of your event into an engaging blog piece or a tailored social media post.

vFairs AI tools

We also offer features that enable you to enhance your attendee experience. This includes a smart matchmaking tool to connect attendees with shared interests. Plus, the platform includes an AI-powered candidate recommendation module that helps simplify matching job seekers with employers based on skill sets, experience, and interests. This increases the chances of making the perfect match, saving both the time and effort of job seekers and job providers. 

Beyond that, we offer an AI-powered event assistant that can stay in touch with your attendees all the time and offer them instant help. All you need to do is upload the information you want the bot to know, and boom, you have a guide that is available 24/7, ready to help. 

Finally, our platform includes a reporting chatbot that enables you to extract insights about your event, for example, how many attendees have logged into a specific session in real-time.

All these tools are designed to help you achieve more with fewer resources.

6. Accommodation and Booking Management

What is It

The accommodation management module enables you to simplify hotel logistics. Event organizers can list various accommodation options available, for example, hotel room type, dates available, etc., and integrate them directly into the registration forms.

Attendees can choose their room preferences while registering, and organizers can manually update or assign rooms later. 

The module should also enables real-time tracking so that you can stay in the know of booking status (reserved, confirmed, or canceled), and follow live reports to monitor availability.

how the accommodation management module works

Why It Matters

People fly in to attend events from across the world. You would know how difficult it is to navigate stuff in a new place. This is why providing a smooth lodging experience is important. It positively impacts the overall satisfaction of the attendees. 

Having an accommodation module within the EMS streamlines this task. Since attendees are already registering on the platform, it makes perfect sense to handle their accommodation needs there as well.

How vFairs Simplifies Accommodation and Booking Management

vFairs has a dedicated accommodation management module in its all-in-one event management platform. It allows you to upload various booking options within the platform. You can include details such as room capacity, type, number of rooms, and availability dates. 

These options integrate into the registration form, allowing attendees to select their preferences during sign-up.

Here’s a video that shows the accommodation module in action.

7. Event Budget Tracking

What is It

Tracking the event budget is a tedious process. You need to factor in all the costs, even if it’s the few bucks you spent buying donuts for the team. And no matter how hard it is, you’ve to do it because it’s necessary.

Your event management software should simplify this chore and save you from getting lost in Excel sheets. It should offer an intuitive interface that connects revenue to registration numbers while allowing you to log all incurred expenses.

budgeting dashboard

Why It Matters

A well-managed budget helps you avoid common pitfalls like overspending, underspending, or misallocating resources—all of which can affect the quality and profitability of your event. By tracking your expenses in real-time, you can make quick adjustments to ensure every penny is working for you. 

How vFairs Simplifies Event Budget Tracking

vFairs’ all-in-one event management software ensures that budget tracking is as smooth as possible. The budgeting module allows you to track expenses and monitor event ROI at the same time. You can keep a check on the remaining balance to avoid overextending your budget. Here’s how the vFairs budgeting module works:

8. User Roles and Management

What is It

Granular controls of the event management platform are necessary to maintain control of your data. Your event planning software programs should enable you to assign different user roles to people who are going to use the platform differently. There are four must-have user roles within an EMS:

Admins

Admin roles rest with the event organizers. As an admin, you’ll be responsible for configuring the event settings. Here, you’ll be able to set up the event and handle all the nitty-gritty details.

Booth Admins

Booth admin roles are for the exhibitors of your event. It allows them to access the platform to set up their booths, access different information from the admin side, and upload their information as well.

Attendees

Attendee access is for the people who have signed up for the event. This access only displays the front end of your event, like the event platform.

Event Owner

Finally, event owners are like the super-admins. They’ve got all the admin privileges, along with a few more to protect sensitive information. For example, only event owners can access user reports and information. Plus, they can decide who to promote as an admin.

Why It Matters

User roles play a key part in protecting your sensitive data. It allows you to display the information you want and hide the sensitive information. 

Other than that, user roles simplify collaboration. For example, booth admin access allows exhibitors to access only the features that are relevant to them. This saves them from all the effort they’d otherwise have to do navigating through the platform and figuring out what’s useful.

How vFairs Simplifies User Roles and Management

vFairs provides granular data and access controls to its users. The platform offers different user roles like event owners, admins, booth admins, and attendees. This hierarchy makes sure that your sensitive data is protected.

9. Security and Compliance

What is It

Your event holds sensitive information about your organization, attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors. Ensuring maximum security should be your priority. This is why your event management software should offer robust security and compliance. Here are some security measures to look out for: 

Data and Intellectual Property Encryption

Data and IP encryption protect sensitive event data by encrypting it during storage and transmission. This prevents unauthorized access to your content.

Built-In Data Governance

Data governance enables you to control who can access what resources. This way, you can manage data flow among the people who will be using the platform. 

Secure Payment Processing

Choose event management apps that provide encrypted and PCI-compliant systems to process event ticket payments securely.

DDoS Protection

DDoS protection safeguards you from malicious attempts to crash your server.

GDPR Compliance

GDPR compliance is the industry standard that any online event management solution should follow. This guarantees that attendee data is collected, stored, and used in line with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Why It Matters

A data breach doesn’t just compromise data, it erodes customer trust. This is why event management software that prioritizes security is a must-have to maintain credibility among your stakeholders.

Security-compliant event management software saves you from different data breaches and DDoS attacks. These attacks lead to disruptions and downtimes during critical live sessions. As an organizer, you can’t afford to sabotage the attendee experience over anything.

Likewise, secure payment gateways help process payments from attendees and sponsors. If there’s any sort of financial fraud, for example, the credit card information is stolen, organizers could face chargebacks and liability issues.

All in all, while selecting an event management system software, prioritizing security and compliance will result in a better attendee experience and protect your brand and reputation.

How vFairs Ensures Data Security

vFairs understands how important data governance is for you. Unlike other event management platforms, vFairs meets industry standards to provide top-notch security. Here are all the compliance measures we follow:

How vFairs complies with different security related industry benchmarks

10. Accessibility

What is It

Your event management software should enable you to reach people with special abilities. This means that each attribute of the event, be it a registration form, website, or virtual event platform, should be accessible. Here are all the features that can help:

Accessible Website Designs

Your EMS should allow users to alter the website design based on their special needs. This means they can choose from different accessibility profiles like seizure-safe, vision impaired, cognitive disability, ADHD-friendly, users with blindness, and motor disabilities.

Attendees get to choose an accessibility profile from seizure-safe, vision impaired, cognitive disability, ADHD-friendly, users with blindness, and motor disabilities.

Accessible Virtual Event Platforms

If you’re hosting a virtual event, the event platform should be accessible in various formats. It should be able to render images and text in the form of speech. All the images within the platform should include an alt text. This allows people with visual impairments to access through voice integrations.

On top of that, it should also help people diagnosed with color blindness to access graphics with simpler color contrasts. Features like adjusting text size can be super helpful as well.

Accessible Webinars

Webinars are a great source of information. To benefit specially-abled people, your EMS should be able to provide live transcriptions of webinars to facilitate people with deafness or visual impairments.

Live video transcription during event sessions

It’s also important that your EMS translates different sessions into different languages in real time. This helps you reach and accommodate a global audience.

Why It Matters

Around 1 in 6 people worldwide experience significant disabilities. As a community, we should prioritize accessibility in the event manager tools we choose. This promotes equal participation and engagement for everyone, regardless of their abilities. 

On the other hand, it will help you gain higher engagement and attendance too since you’re tapping into an additional audience. These actions are well-received publicly and can help boost your brand image.

Many regions (e.g., ADA in the US, Equality Act in the UK) mandate accessibility at public events. 

How vFairs Makes Event Experience More Accessible

vFairs offers one of the few event management platforms that adhere to W3C’s WCAG 2.1 at the AA level, ADA, and AODA compliance for enhanced accessibility

This means we can adjust our tech solutions—like websites, virtual event platforms, and webinar platforms—so that people with epilepsy, vision impairment, cognitive disabilities, ADHD, and other conditions can use them easily. The websites, virtual environments, and webinars hosted through the vFairs platform can be accessed in different sizes, colors, formats, and languages.

11. Integrations

What is It

One of the necessary features of an event management system is that it should smoothly integrate with your existing tech stack. This means that you could connect your event planning software solutions with other tools.

vFairs integrations with various software like Zapier

An EMS without integrations doesn’t have much functionality. For example, you generated tons of leads from the event you hosted. What’s the use of all these leads if you cannot integrate them with a CRM for follow-ups?

Here are various integrations your EMS should support:

  • CRMs and Martech solutions for managing attendee data
  • Marketing automation tools for outreach
  • Payment integrations for transactions
  • Generative AI tools for higher productivity
  • Web streaming platforms for hybrid and virtual events
  • Video translation tools for accessibility
  • Social media platforms to amplify your reach

Why It Matters

An event doesn’t just happen in a silo. There are a bunch of bits and pieces you have to connect to execute it successfully. Integrations bridge the gap between an EMS and various other tools. This transforms an event management system into a comprehensive event ecosystem.

As a result, the overall operational efficiency increases. Plus, there’s less back-and-forth between tools as the workflows are simpler. This positively impacts the overall event ROI.

How vFairs Integrates with Various Tools

vFairs connects almost all your favorite external apps so that all your event-related data falls into one central hub. Here are all the integrations that vFairs supports.

  • CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot
  • Marketing automation tools like MailChimp and Marketo
  • Payment integrations like Stripe and PayPal
  • Generative AI tools like ChatGPT
  • Web streaming platforms like Zoom and Vimeo
  • Video translation tools like Wordly and KUDO

Learn more about all the integrations vFairs event management platform supports here.

12. Event Reporting and Analytics

What is It

Your event is incomplete without having comprehensive analytics reports that guide you on what worked and what didn’t. So, having an event planner software for professionals that provides real-time analytics and reports goes without saying.

Event analytics dashboard

Here are all the reporting and analytics must-haves that event software solutions should offer.

Comprehensive Event Metrics 

Your EMS should be able to track and visualize a wide range of event metrics like attendee engagement, session popularity, exhibitor performance, and more.

Real-Time Data Access

The event management application should enable you to access and visualize up-to-the-minute data before and during the event. This helps you monitor performance and make informed decisions on the fly.

Customizable Reports 

While automated reports are great, sometimes you have your own ideas to test. This is why your event management application should allow you to generate custom reports. They help you analyze the performance of various aspects of the event.

Visual Analytics Dashboards 

Information is more scannable when it’s visualized. And what’s a better way to get the gist of the event than a visually appealing dashboard? The EMS should automatically produce intuitive dashboards that present data visually.

Attendee Behavior Tracking

What are your attendees doing during the event? What sessions are they attending? What exhibits are they visiting the most? Your EMS should enable you to monitor all this information to make better decisions during the event. This includes metrics like session attendance, booth visits, and resource downloads. On top of that, it should also offer various attendee journey reports. 

Engagement Metrics

Engagement is one of the biggest determinants of success. You should be able to measure engagement levels through metrics like chat interactions, poll responses, and Q&A participation within the EMS.

Exhibitor and Sponsor Analytics 

A great way to facilitate exhibitors and sponsors is to provide them with detailed reports on booth traffic, lead generation, and attendee interactions. This helps them assess their ROI directly and visualize the value that your event has added.

Lead Management Reports 

Here’s the most important bit: The platform should empower you to track leads captured during the event. This includes contact information and engagement history. 

Post-Event Reporting

Finally, once the event ends, the software should provide comprehensive reports that assess the overall performance of the event. This includes information like attendee satisfaction, areas for improvement, and beyond.

Data Export Options 

All of the reports and data should be exportable in various formats (e.g., CSV, PDF) for further analysis or sharing with stakeholders.

Why It Matters

Your team has invested a considerable amount of time, money, and effort in the event. You must analyze the performance of your event to understand the wins and mistakes. These insights can help you plan smooth events for the future. 

An event management platform that fails to provide granular analytics and simple visualizations leaves organizers blind to key insights, making it harder to measure success or optimize future events.

Finally, if your event management platform is solving all your event-related problems like registrations, exhibitor management, etc., it will provide you reports that offer greater depth and portray the bigger picture.

How vFairs Simplifies Reporting and Analytics

vFairs provides holistic reporting and analytics for organizers before, during, and after the event. Event organizers can keep a pulse on real-time activity about the event, like check-ins, sessions attended, and user activity, through comprehensive dashboards. You can analyze granular details like a number of clicks on a pop-up and individual user journeys.

Detailed event analytics dashboard

Other than attendee insights, vFairs streamlines reporting for exhibitors and sponsors as well. You get to know the performance of each exhibitor with metrics like booth visits, content downloads, chat activity, etc. These reports can be accessed by your exhibitors too so there’s maximum transparency. 

Finally, vFairs AI reporting chatbot makes analytics way simpler. You can use the bot to generate insights through simple natural language prompts.

Virtual Event Features
1. Immersive 3D/2D Environments

What is It

An immersive environment allows event planners to host an online event in a super-realistic and interactive environment so that people find it equally engaging and fun. A good virtual event platform replicates tons of attributes of an in-person event. 

For example, attendees can loiter around different rooms, including the auditorium, exhibit hall, break-out rooms, round tables, etc. Plus, they could engage with exhibitors and attendees through calls and chats, exchange information, and more.

vFairs immersive event designs

Your event management application should enable you to design and customize immersive environments on your own or pair you up with project managers who can help you do so.

Let’s list down all the must-haves of a great immersive environment that your EMS should support.

Customized Venues

First, your online event management solution should enable you to customize the venue. They can either offer a list of pre-existing venue designs or create a brand-new one that aligns with your brand. These designs should be customizable with your logo, tagline, and other stuff necessary for branding or advertisement.

Customization options in virtual event enviroments

Immersive Rooms

An event venue has multiple rooms for different purposes. Attendees can explore the rooms and choose where they want to be. 

First, there’s the lobby, which serves as the main hall and provides access to all the other rooms. Next is the auditorium, where attendees can join sessions and presentations. The exhibit hall is dedicated to exhibitor, sponsor, and vendor booths. This is where attendees get to view different products and services.

different room options in virtual events

For networking, the lounge is the go-to space. It offers numerous interesting activities like 1:1 networking sessions, workshops, roundtables, and more. Lastly, the help desk is available for attendees to connect with event organizers through live chat, calls, or email for any assistance they need

Why It Matters

Virtual environments allow you to mirror the look and feel of an in-person event. This way, it’s not a one-sided screen time for your attendees, but an immersive experience where they can interact with other attendees and exhibitors, view content, participate in various activities, and beyond. With higher levels of engagement, the chances of them being happy with your event increase. 

How vFairs Masters in Immersive 2D/3D Environments

vFairs has consistently bagged various G2 and Gartner awards for one of the best virtual event platforms. Our immersive environments have helped reputable enterprises and educational institutions deliver memorable conferences, career fairs, trade shows, and beyond. 

We allow you to customize your event environment with 2D or 3D environments. Plus, we offer multiple branding and customization options for the organizers as well as exhibitors/sponsors. 

2. Webinar Platform

What is It

A webinar platform allows you to host engaging webinars with added flexibility. This means you get to stream the webinar in various formats and enhance the sessions with engaging features. Here’s how:

Leverage Multiple Presentation Options

A webinar platform allows you to stream a webinar in multiple presentation formats, including live, semi-live, and recorded. 

The live format is quite straightforward, where the presenter delivers the content in real time. 

On the other hand, semi-live is when the lecture part of the webinar is recorded and streamed during the assigned slot. Whereas the Q&A part is live, and the presenter connects to answer questions. 

Finally, in the recorded format, webinars are fully pre-recorded.

Interactive Features

The webinar platform ensures your attendees stay hooked till the end with features like quizzes, polls, and Q&A. Plus, it also promotes teamwork through breakout rooms.

Why It Matters

Webinars are great mediums to nurture your audience. They are cost-effective and provide considerable value to the attendees. Having a robust webinar platform with engaging features can level up your webinar game and help you deliver more with less.

How the vFairs Webinar Platform Helps Event Organizers

vFairs’ all-in-one event management platform supports you in delivering great webinars with our comprehensive Webinar Platform. You get to schedule and host webinars in multiple presentation formats, engage audiences through interactive features, break people into different rooms, and gain different insights about attendance, engagement, etc.

An example of a webinar on the vFairs platform where users can interact and engage through different features like cjhat, reactions, etc

3. Resource Library

What is It

Event collateral, like presentations and videos, is often scattered across different platforms. This makes it difficult to manage and distribute it efficiently.

This is why a robust resource library is an important feature to consider when you’re doing an event management software comparison. 

A resource library serves as a centralized repository for all event-related materials, including documents, presentations, videos, and other content. This centralization streamlines content management and ensures that all stakeholders have easy access to the necessary resources.

Example of a resource library for uploading event related documents and sesisons and beyond

A resource library also enables you to create a repository to share on-demand videos, webinars, keynote sessions, and more, after the event has ended. On top of that, you can monitor who’s viewing and downloading what with real-time tracking.

Why It Matters

An effective resource library enhances attendee engagement by providing them with relevant materials before, during, and after the event. It also facilitates collaboration among event organizers, speakers, and participants, as all essential information is readily available in one place.

How vFairs Simplifies Content Management

vFairs makes it easy for you to manage and distribute content with your stakeholders with its robust resource library. You can leverage it to build a customizable, searchable library where attendees can access recorded sessions, presentations, and event materials at their convenience. 

Plus, you can access real-time insights on speaker engagement, session ratings, and content performance, enabling data-driven decisions to optimize future events.

4. Gamification Features

What is It

Your event management platform should enable you to deliver engaging event experiences. And what can be a better tool to engage the audience than games? People get all excited when there’s a competition. Some great games that a platform must have include:

Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is an interesting game where attendees search for clues or items hidden throughout the event space (physical or virtual).

Example of a virtual scavenger hunt during an event for added engagement

Spin the Wheel

Attendees spin a virtual wheel for prizes or enter raffles by completing event-related tasks.

spin the wheel

Why It Matters

People attend numerous events throughout the year. You need to craft an engaging experience for them so that it cuts through the clutter and is memorable. Gamification is a great way to do so. This is why having an event management software that supports games is also very important.

How vFairs Simplifies Event Gamification

vFairs is all about enabling you to create memorable experiences for attendees. This is why, we provide different gamification options to juice things up. Games that vFairs supports include a scavenger hunt, spin the wheel, trivia games, and other fun integrations. Learn more here.

5. Engagement Features

What is It

Games aren’t the only way to engage attendees. Your event management software should support other interactive features too. The goal is to make your event as interactive as possible. Some engagement features to look out for in an EMS include:

Polls

Running a poll is a quick way to engage attendees and gather opinions or feedback in real-time. You can ask questions related to sessions or just check how everyone is doing.

Live polling

Photobooth

Our generation lives for photographs. To leverage this trend, you can add a photobooth where attendees can take, customize, and share photos.

example of a photobooth during event

Quizzes

Running quizzes is an interesting way to reinforce learning from sessions, break the ice among attendees, or simply for entertainment during events.

trivia quiz during event

Leaderboards

Attendees earn points by engaging with sessions, visiting exhibitor booths, or participating in activities. A leaderboard displays top performers. You can also include various prizes for the top three players to motivate people to compete.

an example of leaderboard during event and prizes for the winners

Surveys 

You can roll out surveys before, during, or after an event to collect feedback. This helps attendees feel acknowledged and valued. 

Miroboard

Miroboard is a collaborative digital whiteboard tool that lets attendees brainstorm, map ideas, and work on projects at the same time. It’s a great tool to allow everyone to participate and collaborate with one another. 

Why It Matters

Virtual events can be pretty one-sided sometimes. Organizers have to work hard to curate experiences that engage attendees throughout the event. Activities like quizzes, polls, and Miroboards encourage attendees to actively participate, enhancing their overall experience.

These activities also make it easier for attendees to retain information shared during the event. This is especially true for educational seminars, conferences, and product launches where there’s a lot to learn. 

How vFairs Encourages Engagement 

vFairs ensures that your attendees are more than satisfied with your events. This is why we’ve incorporated a list of cool engagement features that you can incorporate into your event. From photo booths to miro boards, from polls to quizzes, vFairs has got you covered. 

6. Networking Tools

What is It

Is networking a thing when it comes to virtual events? Well, the answer is a solid yes! With the right event management platform, you can facilitate networking in a virtual event. Sometimes, even more than a physical event. But you need to make sure that your strategic event management software offers features that’d help you do so. This includes:

Chat Management

Features as simple as chat can be enhanced in a way that takes networking to a new level. How? Well, your EMS should be designed in a way that shows various information about the attendees. For example, who’s online, their company name, their position, and finally, how relevant they are to you. 

chat during live event

A great way to streamline this is by adding a filter that allows people to search others based on unique fields.

All this information helps you understand who’s relevant to whom. Other than this, within the chat, the platform should include different features like pinning messages, sending documents, and most importantly, emojis.

Finally, the platform should also enable users to manage their inbox as a whole by archiving, deleting, or blocking messages. Features like automated replies can be super helpful as well. 

Queue Management for Exhibitors

Another important feature to facilitate conversations between exhibitors and attendees is Chat Queues. You’d know there are not a few people that exhibitors have to reply to. Usually, there’s a long line. Since this happens in a virtual environment, attendees do not have clarity about why exhibitors are responding late.

To help with this, the platform should enable chat queues. This feature helps keep the attendees informed about the number of people in the waiting line, which number they fall into, and how long it will take for their turn. Apart from that, the feature makes it easier for the exhibitors as well to allocate a specific time to each visitor.

Meetings

Not everyone is a chat person. Some people love to hop on a call most of the time. Your platform should allow attendees, exhibitors, as well as sponsors to connect through audio as well as video calls. They can be either between two parties or a group call too.

Roundtables

Your EMS should make it easy to host roundtable discussions, where smaller groups can come together for focused conversations on specific topics.

Attendees should be able to browse different roundtable topics and join the ones that interest them. Once inside, they should have flexible ways to take part, such as speaking up, joining the chat, or just raising a hand to contribute.

Spatial Connect

In-person events usually have people huddling here and there and having interesting conversations on various themes. How to bring that experience to a virtual event?

A virtual Spatial Connect is the answer you’re looking for. This feature enables you to create a virtual space within your online event platform that’s dedicated to various impromptu conversations. 

A spatial connection has multiple rooms that can be used in several ways like ice-breaking, workshops, team-building activities, or even a happy hour. The attendees can juggle around different rooms and connect with the people they resonate with. 

Why It Matters

Networking is the second most important reason people join virtual events. However, it’s not as easy as it is in a physical setting. As an event planner, you’re responsible for facilitating communication among attendees to enrich the attendees’ experience.

Your event management platform should not only allow you to host virtual events but also provide every feature that contributes to making the event worthwhile. All the networking features we talked about are very important because they drive engagement, foster meaningful connections, and enhance the overall event experience.

How vFairs Facilitates Networking

vFairs’ all-in-one event management platform is built to make meaningful connections easy. The platform offers scalability, advanced features, and a user-friendly interface to help attendees, exhibitors, and organizers foster bonds at every stage of the event.

The platform offers various networking features, like a chat networking platform where attendees can filter relevant people and have smooth conversations. Plus, the platform also supports various call formats, smart matchmaking, roundtables, spatial connect, exhibitor queue management, and beyond. Each and every feature is curated to help your attendees love your event experience.

vFairs spatial connect

In-Person Event Features
1. Check-In App

What is It

What do you want your attendees’ first impression of the event day to be like? 

Well, one thing’s for sure–you don’t want them to be frustrated from standing in a long check-in line. A check-in module ensures that’s not the case. 

There are two ways a check-in solution can be implemented. 

Self Check-In

Self-check-in allows attendees to enter the event by scanning their unique QR codes through self-serve kiosks. These QR codes are emailed to attendees before the event. You can set up branded check-in kiosks near the entrance of the event venue where attendees can scan in in no time.

vFairs check in and badge printing

Facial Recognition Check-In

A facial recognition check-in app uses advanced AI technology to identify and verify attendees by scanning their faces. This eliminates the need for physical tickets, QR codes, or manual verification.

Why It Matters

A frictionless check-in process sets the mood for the entire event. Plus, features like facial recognition check-in not only enhance the experience but also ensure a higher level of security. This is why your event app features must include check-in solutions. 

Finally, an all-in-one event management platform simplifies the process further. Since you’re using the same platform for registration and ticketing, it eliminates the need for manual data transfers or third-party integrations. This means there are fewer errors and a faster check-in experience.

How vFairs Simplifies In-Person Check-Ins

With vFairs, you can cut down time and costs for check-in with our dedicated check-in app. The platform supports different check-in methods, all of which are super efficient. 

First up, we offer facial recognition check-in, where attendees are signed in by simply scanning their face through the check-in kiosk. 

We also support QR-code-based check-ins where the platform sends unique QR codes to all the attendees. They can sign in by simply scanning the code through the registration kiosk. You can customize the check-in kiosks to align it with your unique brand and theme. 

2. Badge Printing Software

What is It

A badge printing software simplifies the process of badge printing to a great extent. It allows you to design the badges and automate the printing process on the event day.

Badge Designing

A badge printing software enables you to design a custom badge printing home screen and the badges with a drag-and-drop builder. You can customize font sizes, colors, text positioning, and styling. Plus, you can also add QR codes and custom fields for easy scanning and personalization. 

Badge Formats

Your badge printing software should support creating badges in different categories, such as VIPs, speakers, and attendees. 

Badge Printing

There are three badge printing options that the software should offer. 

badge printing during events

The first method is when the badge printing is synced with your check-in app. As soon as someone checks in, their badge is automatically printed by the connected printer. This works for group registrations as well. The software prints badges for the entire group when one member of the group checks in. 

The second method includes a standalone setup. You can set up kiosks with iPads or tablets connected to printers. Attendees simply scan their QR codes on the tablet to print their badges instantly. 

Finally, the last method includes bulk-printing the badges beforehand and handing them to everyone on the event day.

Why It Matters

You don’t want your attendees to start the event day with long queues and frustration. Badge printing software automates attendee check-in and reduces long lines and wait times. 

People can just scan a QR code to receive their personalized badges instantly, creating a smooth and professional entry process.

Badges can be customized with attendee names, job titles, company logos, and QR codes for easy lead retrieval or session tracking. This adds a personal touch while enabling attendees to network more effectively.

How vFairs Simplifies Badge Printing

vFairs offers a dedicated app for badge printing for event organizers. The app lists the names of all attendees, scans QR codes, connects to a printer, and offers live badge printing. We also lend badge printing gear (printers, iPads) so that you can start the process hassle-free. 

3. Floor Plan Builder

What is It

A floor plan builder allows you to create an interactive visualization of the event venue. 

Don’t confuse it with a simple image of your event venue because it’s so much more. It’s an interactive space that allows attendees to navigate the event venue, learn what each booth is about, and find the way to get there. It’s like a Google map for your event venue.

With a floorplan builder, you can add, remove, or rearrange booths and other elements while making real-time updates. Plus, you can also personalize the layout by incorporating your brand’s images, fonts, and backgrounds. You can even link booths to specific sessions or exhibitors, making navigation easier for attendees. 

interactive floor plan

Why It Matters

A floor plan builder helps you in two ways. 

One, it enhances the attendee’s experience. By creating clear and navigable layouts, organizers can improve wayfinding for attendees. These interactive floor plans can be integrated into event apps, providing attendees with real-time navigation assistance.

Second, these floor plans can be used to enable exhibitors to gain an understanding of the booths available and buy the relevant ones on their own.  This simplifies the booth booking process, allowing exhibitors to choose and purchase spaces online.

How vFairs Simplifies Building Floor Plans

vFairs all-in-one event management platform enables you to build and customize interactive floor plans in no time. 

You can easily add and arrange elements such as booths, stages, and networking areas to create a tailored event space. Plus, you can fully customize the space with your brand colors, icons, and fonts. Finally, the platform also enables you to create, assign, and adjust booth spaces. You can manage availability and pricing through a centralized platform.

Sync the floor plan across your event’s website, virtual platform, and mobile app, so that attendees get navigation assistance in real-time. 

4. Mobile App

What is It

Humans rely on mobile apps to navigate anything and everything in life. What’s stopping you from building one for your event too? 

An event app is a dedicated mobile application that allows people to understand and navigate the event experience through their phones. It consolidates all the event-related information in one place. Plus, it allows them to perform different tasks like check-ins, exchange information, and more with ease.

vFairs mobile app

Here are all the features that an event app must have.

Personalized Agendas 

Not all the sessions are compelling to everyone. The app should allow the attendees to create and manage their schedules, choosing sessions and activities of interest.

Push Notifications 

Push notifications enable you to send timely alerts and reminders to keep attendees informed about important updates.

Speaker and Session Information

The app must offer comprehensive details about the speakers, sessions, and topics of the event. This helps attendees stay in the know of what’s happening all the time. The app includes an agenda, and attendees can favorite sessions they want to attend to create a personalized schedule.Push notification

Mobile Ads

The event app should enable you to show various banner and splash ads to generate some extra revenue.

Example of a splash ad of a sponsor on a mobile app

Networking Tools 

The app should be packed with various networking tools like attendee-to-attendee messaging, meeting scheduling, and social media integration.

Engagement Features 

The app should enable various features for active audience engagement. This includes polls and feedback collection during the sessions. Additionally, there should be several challenges, leaderboards, and rewards to motivate participation and enhance the attendee experience.

Exhibitor and Sponsor Listings 

Showcase exhibitors and sponsors with detailed profiles, including products, services, and contact information.

Document and Media Sharing

The app should allow access to presentations, videos, and other relevant materials for attendees to review.

Document sharing on a mobile app

Why It Matters

An event app makes everything easier for the attendees. From check-ins to navigating sessions, finding booths, and exchanging information, a mobile app is like a buddy that helps people with almost everything. This positively impacts the overall experience and satisfaction levels. 

As an organizer, the mobile app benefits you in several ways too. For starters, communication with attendees and exhibitors becomes simpler. You can send in notifications about any schedule changes, announcements, or emergencies, keeping everyone informed and engaged. Plus, you can also run sponsored ads on the app and open new revenue streams.

Finally, the app becomes a great source for collecting data. You get powerful insights about what the attendees were interested in, which sessions they attended the most, whom they networked with, and more. This helps you alter your future events accordingly.

How vFairs Mobile App Elevates Event Experience

vFairs masters in offering a highly intuitive, easy-to-use, and customizable event app. It’s a great tool that elevates every aspect of an event from content and engagement to networking and beyond. 

Here’s what the event manager of a top telecom company said about using vFairs’ mobile app at their B2B sales summit with 2,000+ attendees.

Here’s a scoop of our event app in action:

Hybrid Event Features

What is It

Your event management platform should provide robust support for hybrid events. This means that the platform should be equipped with all the event management, in-person, and virtual event features we discussed before. On top of them, the platform should offer AV integration to help stream the physical event virtually.

AV integrations enable live streaming of the event across multiple channels like YouTube and LinkedIn at the same time. They also support post-event content creation and provide backup systems for reliable streaming. 

Why It Matters

Hybrid events provide you with a great opportunity to expand your event’s reach substantially. This way, you can target local as well as non-local audiences with minimal extra effort. 

How vFairs Simplifies Hybrid Events

With the vFairs all-in-one event management platform, you can pull off hybrid events easily. Our software provides the right mix of in-person and virtual event features that can be integrated to produce amazing hybrid experiences.

Support Services

What is It

If you were to ask us what the best event management software is, we’d confidently say it’s the one that combines outstanding features with exceptional support. 

Getting familiar with tech requires time. Ensure that your platform offers helpful and timely customer support from onboarding to off-boarding. 

Other than that, it should also include robust technical support. This is especially true for virtual events as they have complex requirements for setting up the event platform. Plus, the platform should also offer on-the-day setup support for in-person events. You can read reviews on platforms G2 or Gartner to get some unfiltered opinions.

Why It Matters

Events are complex with multiple moving parts. Getting all the bits to work correctly and timely manner isn’t easy. Support services ensure that your execution is smooth. They’ll help you troubleshoot issues quickly so that technical glitches or platform confusion don’t disrupt the event.

How vFairs Offers Top-Notch Customer Support

customer support services by vFairs

vFairs is proud to be the customer’s favorite. We’re not saying it, all the reputable tech review firms are. We’ve consistently bagged numerous accolades for being the customer’s choice

And how do we ensure each and every customer ends up more than satisfied?

vFairs offers a dedicated project manager and a customer support manager to each client. These people are highly responsive to your requirements, going above and beyond to help you execute ambitious projects.

All-in-one Event Management Solution for the Win

In the end, one thing is crystal clear: an all-in-one event management solution is always the best choice. 

This is because an event has numerous elements, each dependent on the other. A good registration process leads to a better check-in experience. A good event app experience leads to great data collection. Good event insights lead to a better follow-up strategy. Going for a solution that offers all the features we talked about will ensure your event is executed with precision and ease.

Are you ready to create this level of synergy in your upcoming events? Book a demo call with vFairs and learn how our event management software can make your event experience an absolute breeze. 

24 Essential Event Management Software Features

Fiza Fatima

I am an expert content creator with an experience of 2+ years in writing. I love to write about thought-provoking topics largely in the field of events, AI, and tech.

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