If you are in the process of planning a large-scale corporate event, you will probably welcome just about anything that will help to streamline the process and ensure that things run smoothly.
One of the biggest areas of concern for event planners tends to be the matter of sending out invites and keeping track of who is coming, as well as making sure that everyone who has signed up for it is kept up to date about where, when and how.
Thanks to the large number of free online invitation and registration tools, this process has been greatly simplified. Such tools allow organizers to collect accurate headcounts, compile information about the attendees, keep everyone updated and keep a detailed database of all-important information.
The following are some of the highest rated online registration options that will work well for your corporate event. Keep in mind, however, that if your needs are more sophisticated you may want to opt for a more expensive, but thorough tool.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a simple yet effective event planning tool. Event planners can create a date on their calendar; add a name, description, time and any other necessary information, after which it can be sent out by email.
The good thing about using Google tools is that it allows anyone to RSVP, even if they don’t use Google services, such as Gmail. If you wish to give others permission to edit the invite or add more people to the list, they will need to sign up for Google Calendar.
Although the event management tools are somewhat limited, since it all goes through email, it is easy enough to send out further information and update attendees about any changes that may occur.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is an excellent tool for both free and paid events. If your event is free, the tool will be too, however, if you are charging attendees an entrance fee, you will need to pay a Eventbrite a small fee based on the price of your tickets. Nonprofits will receive a discount on their fee.
One of the biggest benefits of using Eventbrite is that you will have the option of customizing your registration pages by using your own logo, website colors and company information. Once attendees have signed up for the event, you can export their information to your own database and email them with further information.
Facebook Events
This event registration tool launched by the popular social network Facebook, has become one of the most widely used services for both professional and personal purposes. The service is entirely free to use and guides you through the process of creating your event page, appointing administrators and sending out the invites.
Once the page has been created, you can make announcements or edit information, and everyone who has signed up will receive a notification of the changes.
There are a number of benefits to this tool, including the fact that once you have invited people, you can allow them the option of sharing the event with more people, which can help your event to become more widely publicized.
On the other hand, if you only want certain people to come, you can also restrict access of the page to those people you have personally invited.
Another bonus is that most people are already familiar with Facebook, which will make it easier for them to sign up and keep track of all your updates. This benefit could also be a downside if you are dealing with people who don’t use Facebook and would have to make an account just to sign up for your event.
Evite
This is one of the most well established event registration tools on the Internet, and many event planners will already be familiar with it. It is easy to use and allows you to customize your invites, much like Eventbrite.
You will also be able to keep track of who has signed up to attend, who won’t be attending and who has not yet viewed the invite at all. It recently also launched an iPhone app that enables you to access your event page no matter where you are, making it easy to deal with last-minute changes.
The downside of using this tool is that the names of those who will be attending are listed publically, which some privacy-conscious attendees may not appreciate.
If you are unsure about which service will best meet your needs and the needs of those attending the event, sit down and make a comprehensive list of everything you need and would like your RSVP tool to be able to do. This will make it easier for you to review each tool’s pros and cons and narrow down the best option.
Author Bio: Aileen Pablo is a Filipina Event Management blogger from opencolleges.edu, one of the pioneers of Online education in Australia and one of the leading providers of event management courses. If you would like to feature her on your blog, drop her a line at oc.edu.au.