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If the Software Fits …

Finding the right software for your event-management needs might take trial and error, but can be well worth the effort

By Kathy Gibbons

Detroit-based Special D Events chooses from several event-management platforms depending on the occasion. || Photo by Brett Mountain Photography, courtesy of Special D Events

Finding the right software for your event-management needs might take trial and error, but some planners have found it well worth the effort. For example, Chris Copacia, program manager at City Institute in Detroit, says it was “a no-brainer” to switch to Detroit-based event-ticketing software Passage earlier this year. City Institute provides experiential storytelling tours of Detroit to help people gain a deeper understanding of and connection to the city. Launched in 2014, Passage powers ticketing and payments for events and attractions.

Copacia finds the customer support Passage provides especially appealing. “You actually get a communication contact with Passage,” Copacia says. “We found that having that support element was helpful.” Copacia also likes Passage’s features that allow customers to contribute an amount of their choice for City Institute’s donation-only tours.

Sherri Sitkauskas, meeting and event manager for Detroit-based Special D Events, says the company uses a variety of event-management platforms depending on the occasion. For example, Special D Events holds a contract with the New York City-based Stova platform. “It has the functionalities that we’re looking for, but it’s not as expensive as some other options,” she says. Stova can help with event marketing, data collection, registration, and attendee engagement, among other things. She says the company also sometimes uses the low-cost RegFox event-registration platform.

When Sitkauskas considers a new registration or ticketing platform, she wants it to have foolproof website design, custom report availability, automated email communications, data analysis, and customer-relationship management tools. She says she will usually turn away from platforms that have steep learning curves for creating a registration website.

When considering which software programs to use, Sitkauskas advises planners to always make sure a platform is secure, saying online security is her No. 1 priority when credit card information is involved. Beyond that, she notes, “Overall, it’s pretty much weighing all the same positives and negatives. It really depends on cost and how many registrations you’re having to purchase in advance.”

gopassage.com
regfox.com
stova.io

 

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