STOVA Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing & More

As a host, making the right choice of an event management company can be a burdensome task. You have to keep quite a few things in mind; the pricing, the features, customer support, and the platform itself. This Aventri review will help you make the right decision. 

Key Takeaways

  • Stova is an established event management platform that covers the core needs of virtual, in-person, and hybrid events, including registration, mobile experience, and virtual booths.
  • Its reporting tools are a functional strength, allowing teams to track and compare data across events in one place.
  • The mobile app is generally well-regarded by users for being easy to navigate during events.
  • The platform has a learning curve, and setup can be demanding for non-technical teams, with onboarding taking up to 2 months for larger implementations.
  • Support quality can be inconsistent beyond front-line queries, and pricing transparency has been flagged as a concern by some users.
  • vFairs is a strong alternative for Stova that is super easy to use, and provides dedicated project management support, which helps you execute your event exactly how you want it to be.

What is Stova?

Stova logo

Stova, formerly known as Meetingplay & Aventri, is an event management and venue sourcing platform that offers streamlined event processes, real-time data analytics, customer engagement, and logistics for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. 

Founded in 2008, Stova has served more than 70,000 event professionals in planning, executing, and hosting events. The platform covers features such as registration, attendee engagement, data analytics, marketing, and venue sourcing, making it a viable option for marketers, event planners, administrators, travel managers, and meeting planners.

Its mobile app is frequently highlighted as one of its stronger offerings. That said, user experiences can vary depending on the specific use case, which is why some look for alternatives.

Stova Key Features

Here are some of the key features offered by them:

1. Email Marketing

Stova offers flexible email marketing platforms. It is customizable and helps you target the right attendees. Email campaigns assist you with event promotion, create awareness, and help you communicate with your audience.

The platform offers personal event promotion, customized email templates, email triggers for all stages of the event, and campaign tracking.

Here are some of these email marketing features:

  • Email campaign segmentation by audience to get the right information
  • Email builder to customize your email with HTML 
  • Email milestones at every stage of the event to avoid manual work
  • In-depth reports to measure real-time campaign results, including click-through rates, open rates, & conversion rates
  • Attendee registration data for email campaigns

2. Check-ins and Badges 

A great way to impress your attendees is to have a safe and secure check-in process to begin with. With Stova’s check-in and badging features, your attendees can enjoy user-friendly and contactless entry to the event. These features include:

  • Integrated registration for a contactless & safe check-in 
  • No printed collateral needed with scanned data live updates showing attendee count, attendance, tracing, & more 
  • On-site badge printing to save time & resources 
  • An iPad check-in app that offers a deeper understanding of the event activity with a real-time check-in data dashboard

3. Virtual booths 

Stova’s virtual booths help sponsors connect and communicate face-to-face with event leads through integrated video conferencing. This helps convert potential leads into sales opportunities. You can get complete insights into the leads and opportunities generated at the events. This helps you have a better event ROI. 

These virtual booths allow your customer-facing teams to interact and look out for higher-quality leads. With face-to-face interaction, event attendees can communicate efficiently and lock in more leads.  

Here are some features you can avail with these virtual booths:

  • Valuable communication with prospects in a one-on-one setting with integrated notes, chats & surveys  
  • Sharing of all the important and meaningful digital collaterals such as eBooks, guides, PDFs, & more 
  • Complete guidance on how to improve your sales pipeline, & turn your events into revenue drivers 
  • Schedule meetings through virtual booths 

4. Mobile App

Stova’s mobile app keeps your virtual and in-person attendees engaged and connected. Available to download for Android and iOS, this mobile app brings in the flexibility to plan, promote, and execute all your events under one platform. 

You can build your agenda for breakout sessions, meetings, and keynote presentations. Plus, you can access the event content later or on demand. You also receive real-time notifications that inform attendees of any important changes or cancellations. 

Here is what Stova’s mobile app offers:

  • Attendee activity including live polling, voting, surveys, & session rating 
  • Contactless access to the event and its activities 
  • In-depth insights & attendee journey reporting
  • Direct chat & 1:1 networking features 
  • Customizations available for event branding

5. Reporting & Analytics

Stova offers comprehensive reporting and analytics to track, measure, and compare the key metrics of your event. It also tracks user journeys for detailed insights.

The visual dashboards help you identify and organize valuable data so you may be able to make more informed decisions. 

Some of these reporting features are:

  • Measure data at any point during the event to analyze 
  • Easy-to-read reports that can assist in interpreting data 
  • Valuable insights that drive a better ROI
  • Making comparisons between online and offline attendee journeys 
  • Integration with some great platforms such as Salesforce, Marketo, and HubSpot

Pricing

At the time of writing, Stova offers three pricing tiers: Core at $1,995 (plus per-registration fees starting at $3.00), Pro at $5,995 (starting at $4.50 per reg), and Enterprise at $12,995 (starting at $5.60 per reg). Each tier builds on the last, with Core covering essentials, Pro adding advanced branding and analytics, and Enterprise targeting large-scale events with premium support and security.

Stova Pros & Cons

Stova provides decent event solutions for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. Here are some advantages you can enjoy with this platform: 

Pros:

1. Easy Registration Process

With Stova’s registration feature, you can easily track registration, print badges on-site, follow the attendee journey, and build custom reports.

There are various benefits of their registration module. For example, it helps you streamline your registration process for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. In case you have a recurring event, this registration feature lets you copy settings. This saves you a lot of setup time. 

You can also change colors, upload images, and enjoy the duplication option. However, there are a few troubleshooting issues within the registration module. 

A user found the services smooth and effective. The user also appreciated the quick response time of the team.

2. Reporting & Analytics

Stova’s reporting functions are frequently highlighted as one of its stronger suits. Users can pull detailed registration data, track attendee activity, and generate client-ready reports with relative ease. For teams managing multiple events, the ability to access and compare data across events in one place is a practical advantage that saves time and reduces manual work.

3. Mobile App

Many users have reviewed Stova’s mobile app to be user-friendly, smooth, and interactive. The mobile app can be a great addition to your event as it can cater to you and your attendees. 

The mobile app experience is reviewed to be intuitive and customizable, which makes it a great option to have your own branded app for the event. The user interface is clean, modern, and up-to-date.

Cons: 

Here are some cons you must consider if you’re planning to use it for your next event:

1. Difficult to Use

Many users have found the platform to be difficult to set up, use, and navigate, especially at the start. 

When setting up the event, a user on G2 felt the need for proper training sessions, especially for the non-technical staff.

Many users have reviewed vFairs as an extremely user-friendly platform that is easy to set up, use, and administer. Moreover, we have an outstanding customer support team that helps you get familiar with the platform.

2. Product Direction

A client on G2 stated that Stova doesn’t really offer a clear product description to new users. They are given access to training sessions, but that is challenging. Project managers play a very important role here. 

A user on G2 reported that they were subjected to additional costs by the platform. The user also stated that they are not clear about their pricing policies. Another user on G2 found the platform on the expensive end of the market.

 

The best part of vFairs is that we make sure we’re 100% transparent with our clients. Whether it’s the pricing or the product walkthrough, we make sure to discuss everything beforehand. We will let you know if we think your event does not require a certain feature, and will also let you know which one might be a great add-on. 

From the onboarding till the end of the event, we’re crystal clear!

3. Quality of Support

Stova has mixed reviews when it comes to the quality of support offered by their customer support and project management teams.

A user on G2 reported that the customer support avoids calls and takes a long time to respond

However, vFairs is known to offer the best customer support in the industry. We have designated project managers who will walk you through each and every step till you’re familiar with the platform and are able to function on your own. 

In case of any queries or issues, our project managers are available 24/7, even during the weekends.

vFairs: Stova’s Better Alternative

vFairs is an all-in-one event management platform that powers in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. Recently named as a leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™, the platform helps you execute your entire event journey from one platform, from event planning to onsite logistics and reporting. 

Here’s how Stova and vFairs compare across key G2 metrics based on verified user reviews, as of March 2026:

  • Metric
  • Overall G2 Rating
  • Meets Requirements
  • Ease of Use
  • Ease of Setup
  • Ease of Admin
  • Quality of Support
  • Event Registration & Ticketing
  • Event Management
  • Virtual Event Platform
  • Mobile Event Apps
  • Event Marketing
  • Stova
  • 4.2 / 5 (198 reviews)
  • 8.1
  • 7.7
  • 7.5
  • 8.2
  • 8.5
  • 7.3
  • 7.2
  • 7.5
  • 7.2
  • 6.9
  • vFairs
  • 4.7 / 5 (1,761 reviews)
  • 9.2
  • 9.1
  • 8.9
  • 9.0
  • 9.8
  • 8.8
  • 8.9
  • 9.2
  • 8.8
  • 8.8

Note: These ratings have been extracted from G2 as of March 2026

5 Reasons Why vFairs Is A Great Stova Alternative 

1. Impeccable Customer Support

We offer complete support from the onboarding to the end of the event, and after. The customer support team is always there to support you and answer any queries you may have.

2. Virtual Events that Feel Real

The platform provides virtual and hybrid events that give you the feeling of being at an actual event. Its features include dynamic lobbies, custom avatars, and 3D designs that give your event the on-site venue effect. vFairs provides a unique experience when compared to Stova

3. We Hear You

The vFairs team is constantly updating its features based on your feedback to meet requirements and go beyond basic events.

4. User-friendly Platform

The vFairs platform is super easy to set up, manage, and administer. Our onboarding process is the perfect guide you need to get familiar with our platform and use it like a pro.

5. Fully Customizable, Down to the Last Detail

vFairs gives you full creative control over how your event looks and feels. From branded registration pages to custom event environments, everything is tailored exactly to your vision. No external designers needed, no workarounds required.

Verdict’s In — Here’s Your Next Step

Choosing the right event platform is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your events program. vFairs brings together full creative customization, a support team that’s with you at every step, and a platform powerful enough to handle virtual, hybrid, and in-person events, all in one place.

Request a demo and see what your events could look like with vFairs. 

Disclaimer: The information in this article about various platforms and their features was accurate at the time of writing. Technology and software platforms continuously evolve, and features, pricing, and capabilities may have changed since publication. This review is based on information sourced from third-party review sites and is not endorsed by any of the platforms mentioned.

FAQs

What are Stova's key features for virtual events?

Stova's virtual event offering includes live streaming, virtual exhibit halls, networking lounges, and interactive content tools. Attendees can connect through AI-powered matchmaking, 1:1 meeting booking, group discussions, and live chat. Sessions can be delivered fully live, pre-recorded, or completely on-demand, depending on your audience and team's needs.

How long does Stova take to implement?

Stova typically takes 6 to 8 weeks to implement for a large conference, with G2 users reporting an average closer to 2 months. It tends to take longer than some alternatives due to system complexity, requiring thorough onboarding and training, so it's worth factoring setup time into your event planning timeline.

What are the best alternatives to Stova?

Popular alternatives to Stova include vFairs, Whova, and Webex Events. Among these, vFairs consistently ranks higher on G2 for customer support, ease of use, and virtual event features.

Does Stova support hybrid events?

Yes, Stova supports virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. Its platform includes features tailored for each format, including virtual booths for remote attendees and on-site check-in and badge printing for physical events.

STOVA Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing & More

Romanna

Romanna works in event tech at vFairs, where she loves finding creative ways to make virtual and hybrid events come to life. She’s always tinkering with new tools to make everything run smoothly, but when she's not at her computer, you’ll find her testing out new recipes in the kitchen or planning her next adventure to somewhere exciting.

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