Event planner tools Written Assignment #1 Written Assignment #1 The written Assignment for Week 3 is to be no more than 3 pages in length single spaced,

Event planner tools Written Assignment #1

Written Assignment #1

The written Assignment for Week 3 is to be no more than 3 pages in length single spaced, 4 pages double spaced using Calibri or Ariel font, 11-12 point with 1 inch margins. Page counts do not include bibliography/references. A cover page is not necessary but please include your name at the top of the assignment. See the section in this week’s course on the correct way to include citations and references for written assignments.

Video Link :

You are to research event planner tools like the ones in this week’s lecture. Your paper can be on the websites, industry publications or articles that you found and the “tools” that you found very helpful. You can attach samples that will not count toward the page limits. Look at eventsindustry.org and corbinball.com to get you started.

The tools that you write about do not have be the ones discussed in the lecture. The content of the paper should discuss planner’s tools that improve efficiency and collaboration. Be sure to add how you think the tool could be put to good use in the organizing of conferences, trade shows or events. I have included a list of possible tools that you can research but you do not have to use the list or the tools included in the list.

Please look at the sample attached bellow.

Grading Rubric

Point Range

Score

Notes / Comments

Length

0 -1

Readability

0 – 2

Research/Citations

0 – 3

Content

0 – 6

Writing citations, reference, bibliography

In-text citations, footnotes and endnotes refer readers to exact page(s) of a source. In-text citation is given within the body of an assignment to any ideas directly quoted or copied, any ideas adapted from an original source and any original diagrams or pictures, or major ideas paraphrased to help explain a concept. Example of in-text citation: (Spence 1990, 207)

The biggest difference between footnotes and endnotes is where the notes are placed. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page for any notes that apply to each specific page; endnotes appear collectively at the end of a paper, starting on a separate page and labeled as “Endnotes.” The footnote is marked by a superscript number within the body of the text. The superscript number also appears at the bottom of the page, along with the additional explanatory or bibliographic information.

The Bibliography, or Works Cited, page is the last section of a paper. It compiles the full citation information for any source cited in or consulted for the paper into one location and allows your readers to get an overview of the works informing your thinking. The full citation information found in this section tells your readers when and where a source was published, whereas a footnote might only include the title of the work. Additionally, no information besides the citation information is included within the bibliography.

For our assignment papers in TSTD 6278 the following is required: (1) In-text citations for quotes, “nearly” copied text or any ideas adapted from the original source. (2) Bibliography, Works Cited or References appear at the end of the paper. These can follow the content or be on a separate page. You can include footnotes is you prefer to use a footnote in ADDITION to an in-text citation.

Examples:

For periodicals:

Crouch, Geoffrey I. (1994a) “A Study of International Tourism Demand: A Survey of Practice”. Journal of Travel Research, XXXII (4), 41-55.

For books with one author:

Veal, A. J (2006) Research Methods for Leisure and Tourism, A Practical Guide. 3rd edition, Harlow, England: Pearson Education Ltd.

For books or articles with two to three authors:

March, R., and A. G. Woodside (2005) Tourism Behaviour: Travellers’ Decisions and Actions. Oxford, UK CABI Publishing.

For books or articles with more than three authors:

Groves, Robert M., Floyd J. Fowler, Mick P. Couper, James M. Lepkowski, Eleanor Singer, and Robert Tourangeau (2004) Survey Methodology. New York: John Wiley & Sons. [In-text citation is (Groves et al., 2004)]

For chapter in book with editors, including conference proceedings:

Frechtling, Douglas (1994) “Assessing the Impacts of Travel and Tourism – Measuring Economic Benefits”. In J. R. Brent Ritchie and Charles R. Goeldner (eds) Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality Research: A Handbook for Managers and Researchers. Revised edition, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 367-391.

For specific Internet document from World Wide Web:

Department of Commerce, U.S. (2001), Commerce Report Predicts Record Number of International Travelers to the U.S. in 2000 through 2003. Retrieved May 17 from http://www.ita.doc.gov/media/travel516.htm The event planning industry can be very daunting, especially the first time entering in to
it. There is a never-ending list of to-dos and responsibilities that need to be handled to ensure
the event runs smoothly with all the details being accounted for. It doesn’t matter whether a
person is new to the industry or has been a part of it for a long time, even the most detailoriented and experienced professionals appreciate resources that increase efficiency and save
time. Because of this, numerous tools and resources have become available to assist with what
could be an overwhelming amount of information that exists in planning an event – whether it
be a large-scale event or smaller one. After much research, there are several particular
tools/organizations that come up regarding the resources they provide to event planners. A few
of them include Corbin Ball & Co., Planning Pod, WhoVa, and several others.
What makes Corbin Ball & Co. unique is that event planners can access resources such
as Excel spreadsheets and Word documents for free on the website. It is particularly beneficial
how varied the resources and planning documents are, some of the general topics include
conference resumes, lodging discount estimators and rankings, budgeting, registration,
timelines amongst numerous other compilations or resources (“Corbin’s meeting technology
software tools,” n.d.). This website I anticipate to be a great tool for event planners who are
either just starting off and may not have financial means to pay for other software programs,
for those interested in learning about event planning, or even for small-scale events that may
not require all the aspects included in a large event (lodging, transportation, pre-registration,
etc). The main limitation with this website is that while the resources are free, they may not be
the most efficient in comparison to other programs accessible to event planners.
Planning Pod is a software program that event planners subscribe to for either a
monthly or annual fee and it provides them with extensive abilities to organize, plan and
interact with others while preparing for the event. With Planning Pod the planner can track
ticket orders, event registration, create floor plans, organize the timeline and schedule of the
event, track proposals, contracts and vendors, keep all invoicing and payments in one place,
view and create reports independently or using templates, there are budgeting resources and
website creation tools as well (“Tour,” n.d.). After browsing through the Planning Pod webpage,
it is clear that getting an account through them is a great way to streamline event planning
through ease of workflow and the all-encompassing aspect of the resources available to
everyone who holds an account with them. What really sets this software apart is that it’s very
extensive but it’s also highly customizable which allows it to meet the needs of any event
planner.
Another option for event planners is called Whova. While Whova provides similar
services that other software programs for event planning do, what makes them different is that
they have different packages for customers. The apps include event app development, event
planning software, event marketing, and registration specific tools (“Product,” n.d.). What
makes Whova software standout is how useful it is from the start of the event to after the
event concludes by providing check-in resources, name badge creation, live polling, in real-time
event updates and the reports developed following the event (“Event management tools,”
n.d.). Additionally, Whova takes great pride in publicly acknowledging major organizations and
brands who have utilized the software, some including Ikea, NASA, TEDx, Yale, and Thermo
Fisher Scientific (“Customers,” n.d.). Final conclusions about Whova suggest that the software is
definitely beneficial for event marketing and engaging on all social platforms, information about
the planning software is limited to the event and after the event and doesn’t seem to have
many resources for the major planning aspects such as contracts, vendors and budgeting.
Slack is another interesting option for event planners, particularly when the event is
large enough to require a group of planners working together on various aspects. While not
specifically created for event planning, it works to streamline communication and
responsibilities so that everyone can be up to date with what’s going on without requiring
everyone to be in the same place at the same time (“Features,” n.d.). The website says that the
platform can work with other programs and applications as well which is beneficial if an event
planner prefers an all-encompassing program/software but also wants to use Slack, or if they
prefer to use various programs for different objectives (“Features,” n.d.). It seems that no
matter what the organizational preferences of the event planner, Slack can be an asset in
communicating and ensuring productivity amongst the team, even if people are working
around the globe. So, while Slack doesn’t seem like it’s capable assisting with the major event
planning responsibilities, it’s ability to streamline communication can certainly increase
efficiency for event planners.
The final tool being discussed is Guidebook which is a platform that is used to build apps
without the user needing any technological understanding because it provides templates and
other easy to use options (“Guidebook,” n.d.). What makes this event-building app beneficial is
that it can be integrated with Cvent, Eventbrite and Salesforce which are other resources that
can be used by event planners for promoting the event. In terms of efficiency, Guidebook
allows planners to work independently in creating apps and working to market the event which
they may not have had time for or experience with otherwise. Because Guidebook is simple to
use, event planner efficiency and competencies will be better developed and without needing
an excessive amount of time to figure out how to create the app or connect to other resources.
Access to tools, resources and programs that simplify the event planning process is a
major game-changer – especially for large scale events including conferences and expositions.
Without these resources, planners are accountable for preparation, execution and follow up of
the event which can either be a great success or a terrible disaster. Using these software’s,
programs and other resources that have been developed for planners limits the risk of failure at
the event because they are created by people who have experience in the field. Not only do
these resources allow planners to work smarter rather than harder, they simplify the entirety of
the process by making things more efficient and streamline the tasks that they have been
developed for. In this paper, several organizations and programs were discussed including
Corbin Ball & Co., Planning Pod, Whova, Slack and Guidebook. There are even more resources
available with similar variations of these services such as Trello, Salesforce, Double Dutch and
many more. It’s hard to rank them in terms of best to worst because they all focus on different
combinations of the event planning components, so their success will vary between planners,
the size of the events, and the needs of those planners — just as discussed for the resources
touched on in this paper.
Works Cited
Corbin’s meeting technology software tools. (n.d.). In Corbin Ball & Co.. Retrieved February 3,
2018, from https://www.corbinball.com/tips-tools/2015-02-12-17-20-44
Customers. (n.d.). In Whova. Retrieved February 3, 2018, from https://whova.com/customerportfolio/
Event management tools. (n.d.). In Whova. Retrieved February 3, 2018, from
https://whova.com/event-management-software/
Features. (n.d.). In Slack. Retrieved February 3, 2018, from https://slack.com/features
Home. (n.d.). In Guidebook. Retrieved February 3, 2018, from https://guidebook.com
Product. (n.d.). In Whova. Retrieved February 3, 2018, from https://whova.com
Tours. (n.d.). In Planning Pod. Retrieved February 3, 2018, from
https://www.planningpod.com/tour-event-software.cfm
Good event planning tools are hard to come by. Event planners constantly need to stay
updated on the newest innovations but also continue to innovate throughout their planning
processes. The tools that a planner utilizes to manage their events can have a direct impact on
their success. Microsoft Excel documents continue to be useful but planners are now turning to
modern applications to simplify regular communications, manage multiple projects, and
ultimately become more innovative and efficient in their planning process. In this paper, I will
discuss several event planner tools that can increase an event planner’s efficiency and
productivity.
With the event planning industry growing rapidly, hundreds of event planning tools and
software have been saturating the market. These programs range from the basic inexpensive to
the complicated software developed specifically for managing high-end shows. One example of
this modern program is Eventbrite. With an easy user interface, guests and planners alike can
navigate through the web application not only to find events in the surrounding area but also set
up an event with ease. Several small business owners have also found that utilizing Eventbrite
can enhance overall event attendance (Booker, 2017). It is a platform that is heavily used for its
ticketing services. But Eventbrite’s best feature is its onsite check-in process. For large events
such as conferences or trade shows, this function can allow the event host to streamline the
registration and check-in process. Multiple kiosks can be established with staff employing the
use of a smartphone device, laptop, or tablet with this application. Fees are also integrated if an
event introduces paid ticketing. Eventbrite also integrates easily with other platforms like
Mailchimp, in order to streamline the e-invitation process. Social media can also be connected
and set up so that posting event-related content is automatic once the development of the
registration page has been completed.
Social media has become an integral part of event planning. Younger generations are
now turning to social media to search for events. To stay “on the pulse,” event planners need to
conduct more detailed research through the view of their target audience. For example, on
university campuses, mobile applications such as Agnes or Eventgrabber are now simplifying
the event search and social networking process. With features such as centralizing
communications for pre-existing groups, searching for events and social networking are now
integrated into one central application that students can use. Finding a concise list of events can
feel overwhelming but utilizing a centralized information hub can be beneficial for event planners
to better understand the needs and scope of their target audience (Buble, 2017). Event
marketing plans also consider social media as a major outlet. “93% of marketers use Facebook
to advertise on a regular basis,” (Sawyer, 2017). Event planners now need to become more
cognizant of the type of data that is captured through each social media platform in order to
hone in on their audiences and dictate the appropriate message. Platforms such as ToneDen or
Umbel focus on data management specifically to aid event planners and their marketing teams.
Another tool that is utilized among event planners, particularly in the startup community,
is the web platform, YouNoodle. This program helps startup founders get advice, prizes, and
opportunities from a wide network of startup competitions. Competitions, particularly startup or
new venture competitions are becoming increasingly rampant across the globe. Platforms such
as YouNoodle make the application and judging processes easier to manage instead of relying
on traditional paper and number scoring by assigning developers to clients to assist in “building”
a unique platform for a given competition. An imperative part of managing an event is being able
to comprehend the data after an event is over and using that data to steer future programs and
events. YouNoodle specifically provides data analytics that can assist with evaluating a specific
event and predict the future progress of competition participants based on historical data
(Arrington, 2008).
Modern applications aren’t just simplifying the planning process for an event, but they
are also seeking to streamline onsite event management. Smartphones are now being used
more frequently at events as opposed to tablets and notebooks. Applications such as Boomset
allow you to check attendees in using QR codes, print name badges and even create
wristbands for an efficient way to get attendees through the entrance of a large event (Bowler,
2017). Events are also now incorporating more creative set-ups for that “Instagram moment” to
be captured through a normal smartphone. Applications such as Social Playground, Capsule,
Wedding Snap, or Sharypic aren’t just giving guests an easy way to collect or store their own
photos but are also doubling as an archive for the event host.
Event planning is a multi-faceted industry that not only requires planners to know the
best venues or marketing strategies but also stay updated on current trends. Doing this is
crucial for staying at the forefront of the field. Becoming more data-conscious and staying
updated on newer innovations can also aid in the continued success of an event. By staying
current and utilizing all the digital and non-digital tools, event planners are able to stay in the
know, set themselves apart from the competition, and efficiently execute a successful event.
Bibliography
Arrington, Michael. “The (Highly Controversial) YouNoodle Startup Valuation Predictor Is
Coming.” TechCrunch. 5 Aug. 2008. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.
https://techcrunch.com/2008/08/05/the-highly-controversial-younoodle-startup-predictoris-coming/
Booker, Bel. “How Using Eventbrite Helps Boost Small Business Events.” Eventbrite UK Blog,
Eventbrite., 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 28 Jan. 2018. www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/how-usingeventbrite-helps-boost-small-business-events-ds0d/
Bowler, Jessica. “29 of the best smartphone apps for event planning.” Printsome Insights – The
Official Printsome Blog, 10 Oct. 2017. Web. 30 Jan. 2018.

Buble, Courtney. “Agnes is revolutionizing campus social networking.” The Rival at George
Washington University – Home. 24 Sept. 2017. Web. 28 Jan. 2018.
https://gw.therival.news/a/59c081e48bc91a06785c86f6/agnes-is-revolutionizingcampus-social-networking
Sawyer, Katie. “6 Event Startups to Watch Next Year.” Eventbrite US Blog, Eventbrite, 13 Nov.
2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2018. www.eventbrite.com/blog/event-startups-ds00/

Purchase answer to see full
attachment