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2017 Best of Event Tech for Event Planners in New York City

Event Tech

Event Planners in New York City are organizers to the core. If you’re an event planner in NYC, you probably have an exclusive gift of being able to see both the big picture as well as the unique steps and resources needed to accomplish that vision. In other words: you’re not only a people person, but you’re also a multitask person which is truly a rare find. Nonetheless, your high-leveled skills don’t make you a superhero. There is in fact a limit to what your brain will retain, communicate, and facilitate.

Therefore, event technology and systems are an event planner’s best friend. Of course, you can choose to create databases or spreadsheets in Excel to manage tasks. But, there are many other resources and tools within your reach that will help you plan events in a more efficient manner. Just be mindful of the fact that it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. You’ll have to spend time researching before you meet the project management platform that you can commit to and count on.

To help streamline the research phase, we outlined and summarized some of the favorite tech tools being used by Event Planners in New York City so that you can dive into the ones that will best suit you.

Google Drive

Ah, Google Drive: no event planning and project management discussion would be complete without this handy tool. You can effortlessly use Google Drive’s folders, documents, and spreadsheets to manage and collaborate on project ideas and event content. However, unless you are skilled in making spreadsheets and using Excel formulas, Google Drive may not be the absolute best choice for managing projects and tasks. You may want to consider Whova Event Management Software for the management end of event planning. We’ll talk more about Whova below.

There are so many different types of software for event planning and some only specialize in one or more aspects of planning. Some may just address your needs for ticketing, surveying, polling, email campaigns, etc. That is why it’s important to try different software tools to see what will work best for you. As you probably already know, setting up and managing multiple systems is not only time-consuming but also prone to mistakes so trials are a must!

Whova

An all-in-one event management software that makes your life much easier by helping you save money and time. You can manage your events in one place. That mean anything from name badge generation, event registration, attendee check-in, live polling, and even event marketing to the mobile event app.

Whova is becoming popular among Event Planners in New York City because it expressively boosts attendee networking and engagement. The results? It won an award for best Event Technology in 2016.

Asana

Asana is rapidly gaining traction as a strong project management instrument. According to users, Asana seamlessly integrates project management and task management, among any sized team. In addition to a commanding web application, it also has a convenient smartphone app. Asana is very supportive for both the big picture task management view, as well as tightening the details.

It’s rough to find a downside to Asana. Some users have specified that Asana’s communication tools aren’t as strong as other event management tools. Nevertheless, after using Asana, we feel Asana’s communication tools are on par with other event tech apps, as there is a predominant communication board, plus you can find a communication platform within each task you create.

Trello

If you’re all into the “to do” “still working on” and “completed” approach in task and project management, you’ll truly love Trello since this methodology is essential to their system design. This is an excellent way for your team to have the ability to see the status of each task. Additionally, Trello has a solid visual interface, it’s easy to use, and many collaboration features.

While communication within Trello is solid, it’s not very powerful in terms of allowing users the ability to take a step back for an overall glance at all of the tasks for managing an event. Basically, it doesn’t have a master bird’s eye view, only a task-by-task view.

Smartsheet

If you like Excel but are looking to use something that has a bit more power, Smartsheet may be the answer for you. Smartsheet has been coined, “Spreadsheets on steroids.” There are so many more features to Smartsheet than the almighty spreadsheets like being able to collaborate live and its communication tools. It’s also very useful for managing your event budget.

The downside? It can be a little overwhelming at the beginning and it comes with a very steep learning curve. Certainly, it can seem a bit heavy for what’s required to plan an event.

Slack

All the way on the other side of the Smartsheet spectrum, is good ole trusty Slack. If you find that you need less project managing, and more communication, Slack would be the tool for you to try out. If you’ve got a core team that consists of many organizers, Slack’s a great way to discuss and share ideas. This mobile app is extremely handy for busy and on-the-go event planners and teams.

Basecamp

Basecamp is the grandfather of the modern project management software. While it’s not as trendy and agile as newer software, it’s still provides great tools to manage projects and tasks as well as share files. While the communication and collaboration tools aren’t quite as extensive as other software on the market, it’s still very suitable for tracking the progress of your tasks.

AllSeated

If you are planning an event that will require designing a seating arrangement plan such as a wedding, it’s worth mentioning AllSeated. It assists you with creating floor plans, manage your guest lists, and build visual seating charts by applying the guest list right onto the floor plans.  You’ll also be able to collaborate with your event staff through an online dashboard.

Now that we’ve given you a high-level synopsis of the most prevalent event management software systems, you can confidently choose which options you want to explore. Bear in mind that it’s not about which software we say is best, it’s all about what will best fit your personal style. In the end, the right tool could very well land you a spot amongst the best Event Planners in New York City.

So now we ask you, what’s your favorite software for event planning?