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Planning a successful event requires juggling a lot of elements throughout the event planning process. As event organizers, you must promote it, coordinate staff members, manage logistics, register guests, arrange presentations, and more. It can quickly feel overwhelming if you don’t have the right tools to help.
An event management system (EMS) is centralized event planning software that bundles powerful event management tools to assist with every aspect of planning, preparation, and execution. Read on to learn how it works, how it’s been used, and how it can help you plan a memorable event.
What Is an Event Management System (EMS)?
An EMS is a centralized software that helps manage all the elements of planning, organizing, and executing events in one place. This type of event software can assist with tasks like:
- Attendee registration for in person events
- Event promotion
- Logistics planning
- Abstract submissions and reviews
- Speaker and presentation coordination
- Exhibitor and sponsor management
- Engaging event attendees
The goal of an EMS is to provide a seamless event management solution that simplifies these tasks so they’re easier for your staff and volunteers to handle.
Event Management System Examples
To give you a better idea of how an EMS helps, here are some examples of how Cadmium’s EMS, Eventscribe, has empowered associations and nonprofits.
Example #1 - Microscopy Society of America
The Microscopy Society of America (MAS) hosts an annual Microscopy & Microanalysis meeting that brings together over 2,300 scientists. However, they had trouble managing staff needs, exhibitor booths, and abstract submissions with such an extensive event. After reviewing the options, they decided to turn to Eventscribe from Cadmium to help.
Our case study shows that Eventscribe was able to make a difference in several ways:
- The MAS staff mentioned it was much easier to manage and review over 1,100 abstract submissions they received using Eventscribe’s submission and review solution.
- They no longer had to send 20+ staff members on-site for event planning. Eventscribe’s virtual management solutions allowed more team members to help virtually.
- Eventscribe’s Exhibitor Management Portal helped exhibitors easily reserve booth space while syncing details to an event website and app for cohesive management.
Example #2 - Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an accrediting agency for over 1,000 colleges and universities in the U.S.
The biggest struggles HLC was having were managing speaker chaos, scheduling, and reducing AV issues during extensive presentation-based conferences. Our full case study shows that Eventscribe helped with each aspect.
- Eventscribe’s Speaker Management portal created a task-based system that ensured all speaker headshots, bios, disclosures, and presentations were scheduled and uploaded.
- The Speaker Ready System synced all presentations to the event website, app, and session rooms to ensure accuracy and accessibility for everyone involved.
- Eventscribe was integrated with HLC’s AV provider to monitor the status of devices, controllers, and workstations to identify and address technical issues early.
A post-event survey showed that 82% of respondents were extremely satisfied with the system’s ease of use.
What Are the Three Types of Event Management?
After learning how an EMS works, you may still wonder how it fits into different types of events. These categories highlight where skilled event planners can put technology to work:
Small Business Event Management
Common small business events include seminars, community events, meetings, or client events. Each helps organizations connect employees, clients, industry leaders, or others in a local community to expand a brand’s reach and improve its image. Event management software for small businesses can help with any type of event.
Some EMS examples for small businesses include:
- Client Events: Using it to follow up with educational materials to reinforce discussion topics after connecting with attendees at a client-focused meeting.
- Community Events: Creating an easy virtual registration system for attendees at a community event.
Social Events
Social events are often a great way for small professional associations to engage members and connect with professionals interested in joining. Some social event examples include networking events, workshops, fundraisers, or festivals.
Here are a couple of small EMS examples for social events:
- Professional Workshop: Use an EMS to manage sessions and room allocation during a professional workshop hosted by the association.
- Networking: Set up an event management system website and mobile app that introduces registered guests before, during, and after the event to make easier connections.
Charity and Nonprofit Events
Charity and nonprofit events help organizations connect with volunteers, educate people in a local area, and get leads from those interested in helping out. These can be galas, auctions, banquets, or classes.
Examples of using an EMS for nonprofit events are:
- Banquets: Use an EMS to automate logistics and resource distribution for food and beverages at a banquet dinner.
- Classes: An EMS can efficiently distribute educational materials before or after an educational class.
What Are Some Event Management Platforms?
Some popular event management systems and examples of companies with effective software are Cvent, Whova, Eventbrite, and Cadmium. Which one is best for you?
Cvent, Whova, and Eventbrite
Cvent is an effective choice for large-scale corporate events. However, the features and interface can feel overly complex for smaller organizations that don’t have a dedicated event team.
Whova and Eventbrite are good general EMSs, but they don’t cater to the specific needs of every industry. One of the common complaints is that both can lack customization. It may be hard for associations and nonprofits to tailor them to their unique branding and organization’s message.
Try Eventscribe
Cadmium’s EMS, Eventscribe, is a great option for association and nonprofit event management. It’s a highly customizable, all-in-one solution that can help organizations with a small staff and limited resources still organize successful events. With Eventscribe, features like automated logistics and virtual registration make event planning more efficient.
What About Free Event Management Systems?
Organizations with limited budgets will often look for event management software for free. However, it’s important to be aware of the limitations of these systems. Many will limit things like how many guests you can register, customization, and the data you can store on their servers.
Many nonprofits and associations find that opting for a paid solution that can scale is better in the long run than using free options that don’t include everything you need.
What Are the Five C’s of Event Management?
The five C’s of event management take you through each stage of event planning, organization, and execution. They go as follows:
- Concept: Come up with the idea and purpose behind your event. What goals do you want to achieve? How will the theme, materials, and activities of your event help achieve them?
- Coordination: Assign tasks to staff members, manage logistics, and coordinate resources to set up the event effectively.
- Control: Oversee the execution of each task and adjust as needed to ensure success.
- Culmination: Follow the plan on the event day and promptly handle any issues that arise to ensure everything runs smoothly.
- Closeout: Evaluate the results after your event. Did you reach your goals? What can you do to improve for the next one?
An EMS like Eventscribe from Cadmium can help during each of these stages.
How Eventscribe From Cadmium Can Help
Eventscribe is an all-in-one EMS built for associations and nonprofits. It powers each stage of the event lifecycle, including:
- Automating logistics planning
- Registering guests
- Organizing abstract submissions and reviews
- Managing speakers and presentations
- Collecting and evaluating analytics
- Enhancing attendee engagement
- And more
Reach out today to learn more about how Eventscribe can make an impact during your next event.
