How to save on event expenses with event planner mobile app

Organizing an event requires a lot of commitment to the case. It’s not only the time we need to devote, the effort that needs to be put into the organizational matters but also, above all, the event expenses we need to take into account. In this article, you’ll find proven solutions that will help you save on some expenses for an event.

Events require a budget

It is commonly known that to think about organizing an up to the mark event, organizers need to take into account the costs it will generate. Booking the right venue, catering, planning and carrying effective promotion – these are just a few aspects that will consume a part of the budget. Also, we can’t forget about the cost of all the promotional materials, printing agendas, providing a venue map for all participants and maintaining effective communication during the event. Often, that’s where the biggest budget share is lost.

There are costs that can’t be cut and ones that simply must be paid in order to provide the best event experience possible. There are, however, parts in which some savings can be made. Often, some solutions get old, some are not suitable for the new, more ecological approach. Above all, organizers can now save on some of the event expenses thanks to technological development and the rising popularity of various event management platforms, such as Eventory itself.

The common turn toward new technologies can help you save a fair fraction of event budget and also increase the image of the whole endeavor. Using new technological solutions you enhance the efficiency of an event planning process which later contributes to the general event success. You can get rid of printed materials transferring all crucial information to the event planner mobile app which can help you earn some extra CSR points.

It may seem hard to imagine that incorporating one tool into the whole event planning process can have any impact on the event management cost. To fully understand how this reliance works first, you need to understand how the event expenses form.

What are the most common event expenses that organizers need to get covered?

Event expenses are a very complex matter. They cover many areas, which often vary depending on the event’s type, the place in which it takes place, the range of an event. Expenses for an event that is an internal company conference will contain different components than spendings on an international summit.

Naturally, the event management cost will contain some fixed costs like a price of letting the venue, organizational crew salaries or hiring professionals to deal with electrics at the event and expenses that can change in time. The latter can depend on multiple factors like attendees’ number, time and possible delays. In this category, we can point out things like catering, venue equipment, transport last minute orderings and so on.

Knowing how the expenses for an event can be created, let’s take a closer look at some of the most common costs. Creating an overall sketch of the event, we can spot some areas that need to absorb a fraction of event budgets in order to bring it closer to success.

Event Management cost #1 Research

The first aspect that can need the support of event budget is conducting a thorough analysis of the core aspects, such as:

• target audience needs
• industry trends
• general preferences

To do so it’s important to rely on hard, first-hand data. The most common, but also the most expensive method is to outsource the task and depute doing the analysis to an external company.  

Event management cost #2 Venue

In times when the experiential aspect of an event starts to play the lead, especially when it comes to the Millennial audience, the space in which it takes place matters a lot. What is more, there is a trend that shows that the more unconventional venue you choose the better. However, to book a space that will really leave your target group speechless you might need to dive deep into your budget pockets.

Also, consider the location of the event. Whether your participants will need a place to stay overnight – this also might increase the event expenses.

Organizers across the world try to go crazy with the venue. The competition is fierce but considering the fact that event space is crucial and can be decisive in attending the event paying the price is worth it. Event expenses spent on the venue can be determined as a fixed cost, but it also can improve the resonance of marketing activity. This is why, more often than not, it’s good to give some extra cents for hosting a venue that will leave your participants with their jaws on the floor.

Event management cost #3 Event extras

Technical Service

When you have the venue covered, you meet another one of the event planning expenses. You need to take care of the technological aspects of the event. It’s an important matter that is the next to contribute to leaving your attendees with a WOW effect.

Technical service can include covering areas like the sound system, lightning of the venue, cameras and recording devices to document an event. These are the aspects that have a real impact on the attendees’ perception of the event and at the same time, are no the cheapest ones.

Then, there’s also an issue of providing suitable equipment. Lecturers don’t have megaphones built in their bodies, so they’ll need microphones to reach the audience. The audience needs to have a place to sit and rest (yes, if the venue doesn’t provide thing like chairs you need to take it into account a well).

Don’t forget that hiring a team to take care about technical matters is one thing, but the other is to make it fit the event formula and design. It all can increase the costs.

Catering

Another important event management cost is the food. The amount of money you’ll need to spend on this one depends on the event profile, its length, and type. When you’re hosting all-day-long (or more!) conference for the field specialists, who often come from afar, you might need to go for a full catering including breakfast,  lunch, and dinner. Everything needs to be of the top quality so you’ll spend a lot. However, if you’re dealing with a meeting for young developers which is consists of a couple of lectures, Q&A session, and one coffee break between, you can surely stop on providing some fun snacks to kill the little hunger. As you can see this cost may vary a lot!

Speakers and attractions

To boost the attractiveness of your event it needs to provide a certain value. Analyzing your target audience you know what they want to learn, what are their goals and therefore, what should be put in your event’s agenda. Now that’s where the next expenses for an event lie.

Speakers who present substantive knowledge and can truly bring down the house are the aspect that can really make an event to outstand the competition. It’s important to invite only those who can engage with the audience and amaze them. Unfortunately, the best speakers and respected personas surely know their value and it may be expensive to book their time.

Another thing that can bring some additional value (and additional expenses for an event) are the attractions within the event. Popular nowadays shows and stands with new technologies make the participation more exciting but hiring a VR game station can significantly weaken your budget.

Event Service

Naturally, no event could take place without people involved in managing the whole place. It’s the superheroes who often are not even visible around the venue. Barista, waitresses, cooks, receptionists, hostesses and more. They all work for the event’s success and need to be paid. That counts as another event management cost.

Event management cost #4 Promotion

Here comes one solid pillar of the event expenses. The promotion is everything when you want to make your event a success. It can ensure that you’ll reach the estimated participant’s number to achieve expected ROI and will let you get better sponsors and partners.

The promotion cost may vary depending on what channels, ideas and ways you’ll choose to market to your target group. Billboards, online campaigns, articles in the external websites, newsletters and so on. Maintaining the communication process to reach your potential attendees, that might become your future leads, will require a certain sum of money.

Event management cost #5 Event Materials

Gadgets

Speaking of promotion you also need to take into account the gadgets provided at the event. Swag bags became a must-have at the conferences, summits, and internal events because they help make a better impression that will stay with attendee long after the event ends. Therefore, it will generate some costs. Remember that it’s not worth to be greedy and it’s worth to invest in the best quality of event gifts.

Prizes

At events often you can vote for the best speaker or win a prize for being the most engaged attendee. The prize needs to be representative itself, so naturally, it will significantly contribute to the total cost of an event. But a must is a must. After all, no one will want to put themselves into a struggle to win a branded pen, right? Luckily, often this kind of costs are reduced by sponsors who fund the main prizes.

Printed materials

Last but not least, all the printed material that needs to be prepared for the event in order to promote it, share information and deal with logistical matters. We meet them on every occasion. Participants need to know where and when to go, partners want to spread the word about them around the venue. Every print is a cost, so in case of a thousand+ attendees event, the expense can be huge. Additionally, it’s best to ensure that materials are printed on the best quality paper and have great design. Now that’s another penny to spend.

The above-mentioned costs are the most common expenses for an event. Some of them are totally worth their price and can take your event to another level in the attendees’ perception. However, in this list, you can find some event management cost that can easily be smooth away with a little help from the friend – event planner mobile app.

How to save on event expenses with event planner app?

Technology, with its fast development, can make our life easier in many aspects of life. The same happens when we implement technological tools to optimize expenses and when it comes to organizers’ struggle with event budgets.

Event planner mobile app has a lot to offer. It’s making the event management more efficient by allowing to control the whole organizing process within one platform. Later on, it gives an opportunity to maintain communication with potential and actual attendees more ably. However, not everyone knows (and see this promising benefit) that platforms, like for example Eventory, can significantly contribute to reducing expenses for an event. Let’s see how it’s possible.

Saving on event expenses with an event planner mobile app: Research

Target audience analysis is crucial for preparing the best event experience. It helps organizers to really use the potential of Event Marketing and create an event that will actually add up to achieving their goals.

Where does the money go?

The best source of the information about our dream audience is, well – the audience itself. Gathering feedback and vital opinions from our target group often are considered a problem. It’s due to the fact that the research is either performed by an external company or by organizers who use traditional methods (like printed surveys). Both methods are a source of additional event expenses. The former generates the need to pay for the outsourced research, the later create the need to pay for the print.

How can the cost be cut with the event planner mobile app?

Implementing mobile applications at organized events create a chance to run the target research on our own. You can ask your attendees about opinions and thoughts via open polls available as a built-in feature of an application.

Also by using technology that is corresponding with event application, you can thoroughly recognize the audience preferences. Install beacons, distribute QR codes around the venue to determine the event’s hot and not spots. This way you’ll know what to improve or cultivate during next editions, without paying for an extra analysis service.

Saving on event expenses with an event planner mobile app: Catering

Food is one of the aspects that can truly contribute to attendee’s general satisfaction with an event. Therefore, it’s best to spend a couple of additional dollars on the catering service to provide what’s best. After all, you don’t want to keep your guests for a couple of hours with nothing to eat. There are, however, situations that can make you overpay.

Where does the money go?

There are situations when catering companies try to cut their expenses. They know that usually, organizers order more meals than the forecasted audience quantity. As a result, they provide less food than it was agreed. It happened at the HackYeah hackathon (they managed to deal with the crisis but was short on about 20% of the portions!) and is notoriously repeating. In the end, organizers need to pay for the product that wasn’t even provided. How to deal with such cheating?

How can the cost be cut with the event planner mobile app?

Event management tools can help you monitor the amount of food provided. QR codes that can be scanned by application allow you to monitor the number of meals that are picked up by attendees. Then, at the end of the day, you can compare the number of scanned codes with how much food have left. This way you won’t be befooled.

Saving on event expenses with an event planner mobile app: Promotion

One of the promotional activities is constant communication with your attendees during the event. With making this process effective you can not only improve attendees’ experience but also continuously build up the hype of event attractions.

Where does the money go?

Normally the process of communication is based on email messages- in this case, you need to invest in a time of your team member to keep it and yes, it’s also a cost. Alternatively, organizers use the SMS systems to maintain live news and communication between them and attendees. Such a solution requires buying additional systems. Then, there’s the least effective nowadays option – printed posters and “communication” on the advertising column. You waste your resources and can’t be sure that everyone gets the message.

How can the cost be cut with the event planner mobile app?

Having on your side one tool to manage your event you can also deal with the communication matter. By sending individual messages and pop up news within the application make the process more efficient and you can be sure that all those concerned get the message. Also, it minimalizes the cost that you’d endure while implementing an additional platform to carry an SMS communication, not to mention printing all the notices on paper!

Saving on event expenses with an event planner mobile app: Event Materials

Now, let’s have closer look to the event planning expenses that can be cut the most with event application and that can be noticed event in the points mentioned above. Printed materials handed out to attendees during the event.

We encounter them almost everytime while participating in the conference. It’s really not surprising, especially when you think that every attendee needs to know where and when to be, every partner wants his profile to be presented and exhibitors need to be listed somewhere. Moreover, your event is hosted in two halls. You won’t leave your attendees without a map, right? So you print it because there seems to be no other option and deplete your event budget.

Where does the money go?

Print may not seem an expensive thing to invest in. However, things change when you hold a massive event for thousands of participants, multiple partners, and many exhibitors. In this case, you need to print thick booklets that will fit every description. Let’s estimate. You need to prepare approximately thousands of conference guides, plus some copies. Let’s say each one cost 5$. Not much, but with the number of attendees, all of the pages and having in mind that the quality and colors must be of top quality the expenses for an event expands to really high amounts!

Also, think about the inconvenience of such paper handing outs. After all, participants need to carry those materials around. Not very comfortable, is it? But there’s a way.

How can the cost be cut with the event planner mobile app?

Event planners who implemented mobile platforms to their everyday work with events value the fact that they can use the variety of tools integrated and stored in one place. They have easy access to all crucial information and can manage it. The same can be provided to attendees and therefore it allows saving on printed materials.

First of all, the whole promo material can be moved into mobile applications, where it can be managed by attendees. All of the information, like speakers bio, partner profiles, and son, can be found there.

Then, the printed agenda is replaced by an interactive one. In applications, such as Eventory, participants will be able to mark lectures they want to participate in and therefore thoroughly plan their attendance.

Also, you can get rid of printed venue maps. Instead, use a built-in venue map that will guide your attendees around the venue in a more user-friendly, intuitive and more convenient way.

Push Up Notifications, will also let you get rid of certain attraction promo materials. You will be able to inform, a real-time, about the most fun spots around the venue and attract attendees to them.

As you can see, event planner mobile app can help you almost entirely get rid of paper material around your venue. Not only it’s a more eco-friendly approach but also will allow you to save a big part of your event budget!

Wrap up

Events are a great way to support marketing activity of a company. However, we need to remember also about the financial aspect. There are many event expenses that organizers need to deal with and meticulously plan in an event budget.

Some of the expenses for an event can’t be avoided. There are aspects like the venue or services that are not worth to save on. In the same time, there are areas that you can cut costs on with the use of new technologies.

The use of event planner mobile app can help you get rid of expenses on printed materials, keep track of expenses on catering or will allow you to run a survey regarding your audience without paying for it. Reaching such solutions will not only help you make your event management process easier but also will allow supporting your finances!

Do you use event mobile applications?