7 Event Tools to Control Costs and Enrich Attendee Experiences

Rising costs and smaller planning teams ranked among event professionals’ top pain points in 2024.

Despite these challenges, attendees’ expectations keep rising. They want more personalized experie nces, compelling content, robust networking opportunities… and more.So, how do you save time and money while delivering more in 2025 and beyond?

The good news is you can still provide extraordinary attendee experiences.

In this article, we’ll share seven strategies and event technology solutions to help you contain costs and get more done in less time while delivering events attendees and exhibitors adore.

#1. Event Management Software: Goodbye Scattered Systems

Still using event tech tools that don’t work in sync?

This fragmented approach isn’t just frustrating—it’s also expensive. Multiple platforms mean extra training requirements and subscription costs. Even worse, separate systems create data silos that can lead to errors and missed opportunities.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a single software to handle event planning and execution from start to finish in one place – a full-service platform that simplified events for attendees, sponsors, and your team?

Enter all-in-one event management system (EMS) solutions.

These comprehensive, end-to-end platforms manage attendee registration, event marketing, engagement, reporting, and more from one easy app.

All-in-one EMS solutions take care of labor-intensive, repetitive tasks like ticketing, reminder emails, and duplicate data entry. They keep track of countless details. So you have more time to focus on the bigger picture – like improving event engagement and return on investment (ROI).

Bottom line: Event management software rockets efficiency. It delivers seamless events, enhancing the experience for attendees and sponsors. Look for an EMS solution that handles registration, venue sourcing, attendee tracking, analytics, and reporting.

With everything on one platform, you eliminate redundancies and cut technology costs.

#2. Exhibitor Management Software: Streamline Operations

If you’re still managing exhibitors with spreadsheets, email chains, follow-up phone calls, and post-it notes… we’re glad to tell you there’s an easier way.

Stova’s Exhibitor Resource Center (ERC) is an end-to-end portal that puts everything exhibitors and sponsors need for events in one place. Goodbye, fragmented workflows. Streamline event prep with ERC. The solution also delivers data-driven insights to level up ROI for exhibitors, sponsors, and your organization.

Maximize efficiency.

Simplify event prep for you and your partners with these ERC tools below:

• Self-Service Solution: Exhibitors manage their resources, track tasks, and retrieve leads from the platform. This autonomy reduces the administrative burden and helps ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

• Central Dashboard: Organizers track tasks, send reminders, monitor missing materials, and communicate directly from one dashboard.

• Built-in Reporting: You also get real-time reports on registrations, exhibitor activity, upgrades, and more. Leverage these insights to prove value to stakeholders and identify opportunities for growth.

Bottom line: With event costs rising, exhibitors and sponsors are crucial to event success. But locking them in can be a challenge. Before committing time and budget, companies want to feel confident they’ll see a positive return. Tools like ERC simplify the process of exhibiting at events and deliver the ROI data exhibitors crave.

#3. Venue Sourcing Solutions: Get Better Options, Faster

In today’s compressed market, smart venue selection requires robust technology. Fortunately, advanced sourcing solutions provide access to hundreds of thousands of properties worldwide.

Streamline venue sourcing.

To simplify the selection, filter housing options based on criteria such as preferred hotel brands, room type, nightly rates, meeting space, cancellation credits, and proximity to the convention center. These platforms streamline requests for proposals by sending them only to venues that meet your requirements. No need to waste time on properties that don’t fit your needs.

Power negotiations.

Advanced search tools also track your past deals, contracts, and communication records with each venue. You get year-over-year analytics on cost per event, savings per venue, brand spend and savings company-wide. All the data you need for successful negotiations is in one place, ready to pull up in an instant.

Bottom line: Modern venue sourcing solutions save time, improve hotel selection, and deliver historical data. Use these insights to prove event value and negotiate better deals with hotels.

#4. Mobile Event Apps: Do More with Less

Forget long lines at check-in.

Let mobile event apps and QR codes transform the arrival experience. Attendees can hold their smartwatch, phone, or wristband up to a scanner and breeze into your event.

These digital badges have an immediate impact on staffing costs: A check-in process that once required a small army of personnel can now be handled by a few team members.

Use digital-first communications.

The shift to mobile not only boosts efficiency – it also eliminates many traditional costs. For example, event apps can replace printed materials, like paper badges, agendas, marketing brochures, menus, business cards, surveys, maps, and more.

Real-time updates reach attendees instantly through their mobile devices, ensuring everyone stays in the loop.

Bottom line: Mobile apps make events easier for attendees and organizers. Forget long check-in lines. And reprinting agendas for countless updates. In addition to increasing efficiency, mobile apps cut paper, printing, and shipping costs.

#5. Event Intelligence: Make It Personal

Another advantage of digital tools is the attendee engagement data they capture. What sessions did people attend? How long did they stay? How did they rate the speakers? The data provides a window into attendee preferences.

Artificial intelligence (AI) crunches vast amounts of info with incredible speed and provides personalized recommendations for sessions and networking opportunities. Organizers see satisfaction soar by delivering experiences tailored to attendee interests.

Let AI enhance customer support.

The technology also provides 24/7 customer support. AI-powered chatbots offer instant answers to everyday event questions about scheduling, navigation, and more. As a result, they enhance customer service while reducing staffing needs.

In addition to that, chatbots make easy work of routine tasks like sending reminder emails and updating schedules. That frees up your team to focus on high-value activities.

Bottom line: AI skyrockets efficiency while improving networking and customer service. Personalize your events with AI solutions. This technology can also lower customer acquisition costs. Because personalization drives repeat business from satisfied attendees who keep coming back.

#6. Virtual Event Software: Go beyond Venue Walls

Virtual event platforms add another layer of convenience and savings to in-person events.

Choose a platform with interactive features like video chat, Q&A sessions, and virtual networking rooms. Online attendees can engage in meaningful conversations with speakers and peers across the globe.

Also important, adding the option of remote attendance reduces the environmental impact of your events.

Bottom line: By offering online attendance, you expand event reach while reducing venue and catering costs. Virtual event technology opens the door to attendees who cannot make it to your venue. Empower them to participate from the comfort of their home or office without incurring travel and accommodation costs.

#7. Event Intelligence: Gain Insights to Grow

Finally, analytics and reporting present another way to give efficiency and profitability a boost. Modern event technology transforms data into insights you can use to save time and grow your events.

For starters, real-time analytics drive informed decisions about resource allocation. How is registration tracking compared to previous years? Do you need to adjust room setups, hotel room blocks, or staffing? Accurate attendance forecasting helps avoid costly overages in food quantities and materials.

Second, event attendee tracking empowers you to address issues on the fly. Improve sponsor and attendee satisfaction by resolving minor problems at the outset before they become complex, costly problems.

Third, a data-driven approach is crucial to measure event success and ensure the long-term viability of your program. Clear metrics around cost per attendee, engagement rates, and overall ROI nurture a culture of continuous improvement.

What’s more, event intelligence demonstrates value to stakeholders and justifies investment in future events.

Bottom line: Lack of data limits your ability to make informed decisions. How can you improve performance if you don’t know for certain what worked in the past?

Instead, choose event technology that tracks metrics like engagement, booth traffic, and lead generation. You’ll simplify reporting. At the same time, you’ll have the data you need to prove value and garner support for future events.

Conclusion

Sure, costs keep rising, and there’s always pressure to do more with less.

But the right event technology helps overcome these hurdles and put you out front in the year ahead:

• Deliver seamless events with full-service event management software
• Personalize experiences with AI tech tools to keep satisfied attendees coming back
• Lock in the right hotels at better rates with advanced venue sourcing solutions
• Strengthen partnerships with exhibitor management software to simplify preparation and increase event ROI

That’s how you can contain costs and boost efficiency while delivering epic events in 2025 and beyond!

Ready to learn more about event technology to save you time and money while enriching experiences?

Contact an expert at Stova. Book a Demo Today!