There is certainly no shortage of so-called event planning websites for you to visit. Before I started to write this article I did a Google search of event planning website. At the time of my search the return was over 90 million possible websites to choose from. Obviously way too many for me to know which ones are better than the others. And I’m like everybody else, I tend to review or go to the sites that are lucky enough to rank on Google’s first page (if we could all be that lucky). So for this post I’ve put together a quick review of three free event planning websites that I feel are worthwhile visiting.
Be Careful of Websites That Pretend to Be Event Planning Websites
As a general rule of thumb I consider a good event planning website as a site that actually offers meeting planners assistance and tools they can use when planning their events. I always become leery with websites that seem to be only promoting their services or products. Unfortunately there are a lot of websites that claim they are event planning websites, however, upon closer look they are really only promoting their own company. That’s not to say that these companies are not great companies, I’m sure many of them are. However the point I’m trying to make here is that in my opinion a good event planning website actually offers services and assistance to event and meeting planners.
So based on the criteria that I talk about above, three of the best event planning websites that I think are worth a look are:
BizBash – in their mission statement, BizBash says they exist to inspire effective special events and meetings by offering insightful editorial and sharing the latest ideas and strategies. BizBash, in addition to being a free event planning website, also has print magazines for each of the cities in which they operate. Why I think BizBash is worth a visit is because they seem to offer objective opinions of the various suppliers available. Now don’t get me wrong I’m sure they focus on those suppliers which spend advertising dollars with them. However there are enough reviews and selections available to make their supplier lists valuable for planners. Not to mention their ideas.
Cvent – Cvent established themselves in the late 1990s as an event management software company. They were very successful at reaching a large and impressive audience with their event management software. From there Cvent has expanded to include a resource for meeting and event planners looking for vendors and suppliers. The company stays on top of the latest technology trends within the industry and is very effective at getting their message out. Members can set up event management, surveys and a multitude of additional event planning tools. Like other top event planning companies, Cvent has utilized the cloud-based platform which has become quite popular today.
Velvet Chainsaws (Jeff Hurt Blog)’s Midcourse Correction- this one is a bit more unique than BisBash and Cvent in that its creator, Jeff hurt, provides expert advice on how to improve meetings and events. Jeff does this in a number of ways. Since its inception I’ve followed Jeff’s blog and have found it to be very useful for insight and tips – especially leaning towards the technology aspect of our industry. Jeff is taking trade shows and exhibits to a new level by implementing strategic social media strategies alongside traditional meeting formats. They are more of a consulting type business. But I would certainly recommend any event planner that wants to ensure their meeting or event is successful to take a look at this website and consulting services provided.
As a disclaimer none of the companies that I mentioned above are advertisers on this website. These event planning websites all differ in one way or another and not one of the event planning website templates appear to be better than the others. But for anyone planning an event or meeting I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by visiting these websites, using their resources and/or services.
Related articles
- Selecting Bad Event Planning Organizations (plananevent.org)
- Event Planning Checklist – Organization is Key (plananevent.org)
- Where to Find Good Event Planning Books (plananevent.org)
- Pros and Cons of Online Event Planning (plananevent.org)
- Event Planning Firms – What to Look for When Hiring (plananevent.org)
- 5 Ways To Ensure Your Conference Reception Fails (jeffhurtblog.com)
What a great rseource this text is.