PCMA Convening Leaders is an annual event that brings together thousands of event professionals, strategists, and marketers from around the world.
One of the growing needs for associations and nonprofits is a high-quality conference platform or event management software that can help you effectively plan, manage, and track all of your organization’s events. We offer a great solution that can help with our Eventscribe event management system at Cadmium. Event management is central to delivering a successful event that aligns with strategic goals.
Our team will be attending Convening Leaders 2026 and hosting a reception at the event in conjunction with SB Expos & Events and Choose 2 Rent. You can also schedule a time to talk with us at the event to discuss our event, learning, and video technology solutions. It’s a great opportunity to meet trade show organizers and explore sponsorship opportunities.
Where do you start when you’re looking for the right solutions for your needs? Here are some questions you can have prepared to ask event technology providers at Convening Leaders 2026.
Why Asking the Right Questions Matters More Than Feature Lists
When you’re researching event technology and conference management systems, it’s easy to get caught up in feature lists and what each company promises their solution can do. It’s especially challenging to make an event platform comparison when everyone promises their technology can do similar things. Industry trends show that asking better questions leads to smarter decisions.
That’s why you need to ask the right questions to providers to get a better understanding of each system’s capabilities and how it holds up for real-world use cases that fit your specific needs.
For example, many conference platforms will say that they provide data and analytics from events. However, the depth of the analytics you get and the tools to organize metrics based on your needs can differ greatly between each option. So, it’s important to ask each company for more details so you understand exactly what you’re getting. Trade show ROI often hinges on actionable insights from event data.
Now, let’s cover some crucial questions you should ask in important categories.
Critical Questions About Platform Integration and Your Technology Ecosystem
Many organizations looking at a conference management solution will want to know how it’ll work and integrate with the technology they already use. Here are a couple of important questions to ask about event management integration:
Does Your Conference Platform Work Well With Association Management Systems?
Those looking for association event software will often want to know if it can work with their association management system (AMS). AMS integration is crucial because it can help sync data, make registration easier, improve communication, reduce errors, and ensure a unified experience across platforms. This helps streamline communication on the trade show floor.
How Deep Do Platform Integrations Actually Go Beyond Basic Data Syncing?
While integrations with an AMS and other software can have all the benefits listed above, not every event management solution offers integrations that go that deep. Some just offer basic data syncing that ensures your numbers across platforms remain consistent.
Many organizations benefit from integrations that go beyond that to ensure consistent communication, task management, branding, messaging, and more across platforms. Smart integration can even enhance booth traffic and visitor experience.
Make sure you’re asking for specifics to ensure the solution will provide you with everything you need.
Questions To Ask About Scalability and Handling Complex Events
It’s also essential to know that the software will scale with you as your organization grows and be able to handle complex event needs. Here are a couple of important questions in this category:
Can This Platform Handle Everything From Abstract Submissions to Post-Event Analytics?
Ideally, you want your conference platform to handle everything you need to plan, execute, and track events in one place. That includes offering an event analytics platform, registration solutions, abstract submissions, exhibitor management, attendee engagement, and more. It’s a good idea to ask each software provider to know exactly what you’re getting. From custom displays to live demonstrations, exhibitors benefit from robust platforms.
Scaling From Small Workshops to Large Conferences
What happens if you need to scale from small workshops to large conferences? How will the conference software scale to larger events with more guests as you grow? It’s important to know if there are options built in to help you automate and plan effectively. The right solution should allow you to manage events of all types and sizes. This is especially important for events held in a convention center or sprawling exhibition floor.
How Does This Platform Bridge Event Management and Continuing Education?
Many associations and nonprofits also wonder about how they can combine events with continuing education courses. It makes both your learning materials and event activities feel more well-rounded when they’re connected.
Event management solutions like our Eventscribe software from Cadmium will allow you to integrate event management with a continuing education platform. Our Eventscribe software integrates with our Elevate and EthosCE learning management systems to make the process easy. This capability is key when managing speaking opportunities or tracking attendee list participation.
Essential Questions About Data, Analytics, and Proving Event ROI
Now, what about data and analytics that you can use to show the ROI your event had? Here are some great questions to learn more about what each software offers:
What Analytics and Reporting Capabilities Help You Make Data-Driven Decisions?
It’s a good idea to know precisely which key performance indicators (KPIs) the software can help you track and manage for effective decision-making. These analytics support smarter targeting of interested prospects and potential customers.
How Does the Platform Help You Track Engagement and Demonstrate Value?
It’s not just important that attendees show up for your event – you also want to track their engagement to show that it offered value and that they found it a worthwhile experience. This question will allow you to see which KPIs the software tracks that are specific to engagement, and if it offers any features like session scanning that can help in this process. Touch screens and interactive technologies can play a huge role in keeping people engaged.
Hybrid event technology is also helpful here when the software can track engagement metrics for both in-person and virtual attendees. Many other exhibitors are already using these tools to great effect.
Questions About Attendee Experience and Engagement Features
On top of tracking engagement, what features does the software offer that help improve engagement? These are a couple of good questions you can use to find out:
What Mobile App and Interactive Capabilities Does the Platform Offer?
Does the conference platform allow you to create a mobile app for events? If so, what features for engagement does it offer, such as live polls, an audience response system, or gamification options? Any of these features can help you make events more interactive and impactful. You can even conduct product demos or host a video chat directly through the platform.
How Does the Platform Support Networking and Community Building?
Many professionals attend events from associations to expand their network. It’s a good idea to know how the software will provide you with tools to support those needs. Look for platforms that support networking events and offer tools that allow you to engage attendees effectively.
What You Should Ask About Security, Compliance, and Support
Event data security is another big concern among event planners, so you should make sure you ask about the security standards each software provider implements. A good way to ask is:
What Security Standards Do You Use and What Compliance Certifications Do You Have?
The company should be able to explain how they protect, transfer, and manage the data you have on the platform. Plus, it’s important to know if they’re GDPR compliant or have certifications such as SOC2 Type II, PCI DSS, and TX-RAMP to show they use high industry standards for security and privacy. Don’t overlook the costs—shipping costs and additional costs can significantly affect your bottom line.
Why Eventscribe ByCadmium Is a Top Choice
When you’re looking for a high-quality conference or event management system, Eventscribe is a great option. It works for events of all sizes and types, makes it easy to get started and automate common tasks, and offers all the features you need in one place.
Schedule a time to talk with us at Convening Leaders 2026. We’re excited to meet you and answer any questions you have about our software.
Can’t make it to the event? You can also schedule a virtual demo with us!
