Tips for Planning Events Without Event Management Software

Planning an event but don’t have the time or money to use event management software? Here’s how to host better events using online forms.

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By: Johan Lieu

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Tips for Planning Events Without Event Management Software

Got an event to plan but not in touch with your inner Martha Stewart? That’s okay! You don’t have to be a professional to pull off a snazzy, well-attended event. Whether you’re in charge of putting together a retirement party for your boss, hosting a fundraiser, or coordinating a multi-day workshop, here’s how to use forms to make it all happen.

Of course, if you are an event planner – or if you build websites for event planners – you, too, will love these tips. Especially because they’ll help you plan, host, and manage events without using event management software.

Using forms to organize your events

Want in on the secret to planning flawless events? Stay organized. That means: Know what you have to tackle and use an easy system for delegating tasks by creating to-do documents and checklists. But don’t do it the old-fashioned way with pen and paper. Too easy to misplace. Use Wufoo’s forms instead.

Event Planning Worksheet: So, personally? We love going to events. Music festivals, programming conferences, and costume parties are all pretty high up on the list. Because we’re such a fan of events, we designed an event planner worksheet just to help you guys out. Use the event planning form to keep track of the event details, location, costs, and any other items that will help you out. (These online forms are customizable too, just so you know.)

To-do lists: Coordinate myriad event details without losing sleep by assigning and tracking tasks with an online to-do list. Because we’re cloud-based, you and your staff can access and manage your to-do list from any device.

Get the word out!

What would an event be if no one showed up? Well, in addition to wasting a lot of your time, the non-attended event would probably cost you a fat stack of cash. Ensure that people show up to your event, and solicit volunteers to help out, by sending out online event invitations and registration forms.

Event invites: No offense against the postal system, but inviting people via emailed forms or through your website is just way cooler. It saves you money. No stamps to buy. And online event management makes it super simple for people to get the details, see a map of the location, and RSVP. Customize our invites so that it includes all of the specifics that people will need to know.

Event registration: If your event requires registering attendees, then online event management is your best bet. Send out our registration form, which you can customize so people can choose which forums/special events they’d like to attend. Make sure to include a map so people don’t get lost! We’ve also created a very Basic Registration Form for you to use if you don’t need all of the bells and whistles.

Workshop registration: Does your event include workshops that require a separate registration? Use our workshop registration form so that you can keep an accurate count of who’s attending what. The form is set up for you to easily collect contact information from workshop participants, and if you want to order meals for attendees, you can even include catering details in your form!

Find volunteers: When you need volunteers to help out, you need Wufoo. Send out our volunteer form to prospective volunteers, and schedule people according to their interests and times available. Our form also includes space for questions and comments from volunteers.

Collect event registration fees, get feedback, and follow-up

Ahhhh. The last details. You’ve organized the concessions, found volunteers, and have your invites ready to go–all without using any type of events software. Tie up those loose ends when it comes to collecting online event payments, feedback, and follow-up information by incorporating the below forms into your event planning routine.

Online payments: Collecting money for events can be tricky, but you can simplify the process if you have everyone pay online when they register through one of our forms. Include our online payment form, and make collecting money much easier. We’ve partnered with some of the web’s most-used payment processing services, so you don’t have to start from scratch if you already have online payments set up.

Feedback forms: Most event management software includes a way to collect attendee feedback. So it’s a good idea to follow suit and find out how you do after each event. Get feedback from event attendees by sending out our Event Satisfaction Survey, Post-Event Survey, and Suggestion Form. Use the input to help you and your team improve future events. You won’t know unless you ask!

Build a mailing list: Ensure that you can invite event participants to future happenings by collecting their contact information through our mailing list form. Embed the form into your website when you send out a follow-up survey, or email it around. If people had a great time, chances are they’ll want to come back. So using a form to collect emails is a simple way to build your participation list!

See what else you can do with Wufoo

Wufoo is an easy-to-use online tool that allows anyone to create and build online forms–no coding or programming required. And Wufoo hosts and stores everything, so you don’t have to worry about where your forms or data will live.

You can completely customize the look and feel of your forms using our Theme Designer by choosing colors to fit your brand or theme, as well as adding your company’s logo or your wedding colors to your forms. You can even use one of almost 300 form templates in our Form Gallery to jump start creating your forms, or look at our Examples to see how you can use Wufoo in your company.

Wufoo partners and works with loads of other applications, allowing you to accept data and information through your forms and send it other applications that your company uses. We have integrations with applications like MailChimp, Dropbox, Zapier, Salesforce, WordPress, and more.

Now that you know how to plan, host, and manage events–all without investing in any type of events software–you’re set to execute events that meet your goals and leave attendees satisfied.