Whether you’re in the market to purchase new event technology or simply browsing, it’s important to know the specific features and functionality to look for.
Use this checklist as your guide for what an event platform should offer –– from basic tools for event setup to customizable options for ROI and reporting.
For more details about event technology pricing, implementation, and customer support, check out this comprehensive evaluation guide.
01
Virtual, Hybrid, and In-Person Events
To support virtual, hybrid, and in-person events, your event technology should let you:
Build events that guests can attend in-person or online
Design codeless, on-brand guest registration forms and pages
Brand live streams to showcase your company in an online or hybrid format
Access advanced hosting tools with backstage and rehearsal options
Get frequent updates to features that keep guests engaged online, like Q&A, polling, and networking options
Schedule invites, reminders, and segmented follow-ups
Schedule guest list exports and enable Slack notifications for revenue team visibility
Export engagement responses for online polls, Q&As, and chat comments
Connect and engage with attendees on-site through an event app
Integrate with your CRM and MAP systems, like Salesforce, Marketo, and HubSpot
Access both individual event analytics and holistic program reporting
02
Event Approvals
To support event approvals, your event technology should let you:
Create and reuse internal event request forms
Customize event request forms with specific questions and conditional logic
Manage (review, accept, and/or decline) event requests centrally
Only create events using brand approved templates with built-in guardrails
Review all past and future events in one place
Set user- and group-level permissions to designate an events review board
03
Registration and Ticketing
To collect RSVPs or sell tickets, event technology should let you:
Create RSVP and ticketed events
Restrict registration using guest list approved emails and password protected pages
Prevent specific email domains from registering for your event (e.g., personal emails or competitor domains)
Set RSVP and ticket purchase capacity limits
Enable waitlists when registration capacity limits are reached
Create unlimited ticket types
Customize ticket details like price, currency, availability window, and order limit
Send ticket details, receipts, and QR codes via email
Issue refunds and payouts using a global payment processor
Sync registrations and ticket information with CRM and MAP systems, like Salesforce, Marketo, and HubSpot
04
Guest List Management
To manage your guest list, event technology should let you:
Import and export contacts
Sync guests with CRM and MAP systems, like Salesforce, Marketo, and HubSpot
View real-time updates as guest statuses change from invited to registered to checked in
Create event-specific lists for certain types of guests, like VIP and dietary restrictions
Send emails to guest list segments, like those registered or part of a custom list
Add collaborators to your event who can view or make changes to the guest list
Set user- and team-level permissions to designate who is able to view and edit the guest list
05
Event Marketing Assets
To create event marketing assets, event technology should let you:
Create an event page easily
Design your event page, including uploading your own fonts, colors, and logos, to match your brand
Have control over margins, padding, and other design elements of your digital marketing assets
Duplicate parts of your event page, email, or social share card for reuse across multiple events
Design a custom social share card that previews your event page when promoting your event page URL
Create an event hub or calendar that allows guests to access registration for multiple events from one place
Add collaborators to your event who can give feedback or support the creation of your event marketing materials
Set user- and team-level permissions so designers have complete access to marketing asset design, while event owners can update on-page copy
06
Event Promotion
To promote your events effectively, event technology should let you:
Send and schedule emails for automated guest communication
Customize email content based on information, like registration status and guest type
Promote a bespoke social share card that previews your event page when its URL is shared
Access AI and data-driven insights for increasing attendance using promotional best practices
Build stages of your event page so that guests see different versions of your event on the right timeline (e.g., a preview before the event and a recap once it’s over)
Embed an event calendar on your company’s website for quick navigation and registration
Review email analytics like open rate, clicks, and deliverability without exporting your data (exporting should still be an option if you need it)
Designate which individuals in your organization can promote your event with the right level of access and permission set
07
On-Site Management
To support in-person and virtual check-in, event technology should let you:
Check guests in using a web browser or event app for any iOS or Android device
Enable guests to check themselves in via a self-service kiosk mode or similar
Print guest name badges upon check-in
Save on-site notes to guest records
Access guest information, like answers to registration form questions, from an event app
Offer attendees the option to engage with event content and connect with other attendees before, during, and after your event using an event app
Keep CRM and MAP systems up-to-date with guest registration and attendance status
Integrate with messaging applications, like Slack, to deliver real-time updates to your internal teams about who has checked in
Send emails to guests from a mobile app for real-time communication, like agenda changes or event announcements
Give on-site staff access to check-in functionality with the right permissions
08
Event Data Management
To take advantage of event data, event technology should let you:
Customize an internal event creation flow that collects information like budget, expected attendance, or other factors
Automate internal data collection any time an event is created
Give your teams a quick wizard to automatically spin up a program based on pre-approved requirements
Send a post-event survey to collect feedback
Embed custom internal dashboards into the analytics section of your event marketing platform
Compare data from smaller events across the customer lifecycl
09
Event Analytics & ROI
To prove the success and impact of your event programs, event technology should let you:
Review a high-level overview of your entire events program ROI in one place
Visually interact with your event data
Drill into details about your event guest list, email campaigns, ticket payouts, and event page engagement
Export data to a CSV and keep it in sync with CRM and MAP systems
Understand top-performing marketing efforts across campaigns
Track your event funnel from guest registration to check-in
Give your organization’s analysts and operations teams full data access and control, while allowing view-only permissions to contributors and approvers
