Organizing online and hybrid events is often quite a challenge for an event planner, and the first difficulty arises at the very beginning of the preparation process. We are, of course, talking about choosing the right tool or platform that will meet all our expectations for the planned event. If you also are just facing the choice of an event tool or platform for your online event, answer these 4 questions to yourself, and use these answers to guide you in choosing the most suitable technology solution.

#1 How much do I want to pay to organize an event?

This is probably the most important question when choosing a tool for organizing and managing an event. Preparing an event really falls into 3 price ranges - free, low-cost, and high-cost.

The free option is usually something like live streaming on Youtube or Facebook. Realistically, it costs us nothing, whereas it is not an option that professional event organizers should consider at all.

Low cost (e.g., up to 500 or 1000 PLN) is a category mainly for individual organizers, such as opinion leaders or experts, who run their own business and have some budget. However, this is usually not as large a budget as for startups, companies or corporations. Allocating a small budget for hosting an event allows organizers to choose a professional tool or platform that will provide them with basic functionalities. Their basic scope is usually quite sufficient for such people.

Organizers of professional online and hybrid events have to reckon with higher costs for the entire project. But how high? It depends, because in one case it will be 5000 PLN, while in another it will be 50000 PLN. A higher budget provided by the company allows it to choose a more expensive technology, such as an all-in-one platform, which is able to ensure a higher quality event and a better experience for those attending the event.

#2 Do I need accurate statistics from my event?

If your answer to this question is "no", consider hosting your event on Facebook, Youtube, Linkedin, or your own website. For social media platforms, all you need to do is create an event and use the broadcast tool and player. On your own website, you can also embed an external player and add a chat module along with your own branding materials.

However, if you would like to get statistics after the event, which you can analyze and use for improving future events, be sure to choose a more advanced technology, such as an all-in-one event platform.

#3 How are registrations for the event supposed to be handled?

We already know what our budget is and whether we need event statistics. Now it is time to think about how registrations and sign-ups for our event should be implemented.

A landing page will work best for collecting registrations - we can create one on our own website or use a landing page offered by event platforms. In the case of a landing page on our own website, it is necessary to ensure that we have a technology with such a registration system that will allow us to generate an XLS file with a list of registered people. We will then need to import such a list into the tool or platform where we decide to organize the event. The biggest advantage of a landing page on your own website is, first of all, its unlimited customization possibilities. If we care, for example, about complex design, animations, or non-standard forms of presenting branding, we should decide on just such a landing page.

When efficiency and time savings are more important to you than customization, a landing page offered by an event platform (or any other third-party technology you choose) will be a better and more optimal solution. Such a landing page is integrated with the platform and admin panel, so there is no need to export or import data - those who register can immediately get access to the event platform. Although there will be fewer customization options than for an LP embedded in its own domain, most event platforms and tools offer easy-to-use editors that allow you to create an esthetically pleasing and appropriately branded landing page. Some also offer the ability to tamper with the CSS or HTML code of individual modules, giving more room for those who can navigate such environments.

If you are not convinced by the landing page option and prefer to use simpler tools, a registration form may be a good option. Most popular and low-cost event tools offer the ability to create custom forms. The form usually has the option to configure the fields that will appear in it, as well as the selections that are necessary for registration (for example, you may want your participants to provide their phone numbers). There will also be fields related to accepting the event's rules and marketing consents.

When organizing an online event, you can also choose to have no registration and free access for each user. Such an option can be a good one if you care about the simplicity of the attendees' appearance at the event, and the attendees' data is of secondary importance to you. You will organize an event without registration on social media platforms, your own website, and on some event platforms.

#4 What functionalities do I need at an event?

When choosing a tool or platform for your event, it will be crucial to address the question of what functionalities you will need there.

Conference organizers will be looking for technology solutions that allow them to create sessions with simultaneous live broadcasts, poster sessions, or abstract submission forms. Sessions with registration and registration limits may also be desirable, as well as multilingualism and the ability to embed audio tracks with simultaneous translations. For trade show organizers, on the other hand, expansive Expo areas with partner booths will be important, providing the opportunity to customize and display their own branding, create detailed product sheets, business cards, or dedicated forms (such as application forms at job fairs).

Regardless of the type of event you are organizing, you should consider choosing such platforms that offer interesting functionalities to increase the engagement of participants during the event, e.g. gamification module, social wall, Speed Networking, or engagement indicator. Post-event functionalities such as certificates of participation or the ability to leave the event platform after the event and embed materials (e.g. recordings) will also be a good move.

Checklist:

1. How much do I want to pay for the event?

   → 0 PLN

   → up to 1000 PLN

   → more than 1000 PLN

2. Do I need accurate statistics from the event?

3. How should registrations for the event be handled?

   → landing page on your own website

   → landing page on the event platform

   → registration form

   → no registration

4. What functionalities do I need at the event?

    → conference features (parallel sessions, poster sessions, roundtable sessions, abstract submission, session registrations, registration limits, simultaneous translation, multi-language platform)

   → trade fairs features (Expo area, booths, custom branding, customization, product cards, appointment making, business cards, application forms)

   → increasing participant engagement (gamification module, social wall, Speed Networking, engagement indicator)

   → after the event (certificates of participation, access to the platform, embedding of materials)