Using an event software service versus building your own solution? That’s a question many organizers ask us. To put those doubts to rest, we decided to lay out 5 reasons to choose software as a service when organizing an event.
What Is Software as a Service?
“Software as a service (SaaS): the software provider is responsible for the entire infrastructure needed to make the system available (servers, connectivity, information security), and the client uses the software over the internet, paying a fee for the service offered.
The software used can run entirely over the internet or through a local installation. The main characteristic is not purchasing licenses (instead paying for usage as a service), with the provider responsible for keeping the system available in production.”
Software as a service is a global trend. In 2016 alone, it generated $206 billion, according to Gartner research, with growth projected at 16.5% for 2017.
Event Software
How can we apply this concept? The idea is to offer event software online, so organizers can manage everything independently, without needing an IT team or third-party companies.
Now that we know the concept, let’s look at the advantages of using this model.
1. Reliability
Nothing’s worse than your site going down in the middle of your event! Especially on that last day of registrations or paper submissions, since we all know everyone leaves things to the last minute.
Using an event software service gives you more peace of mind, since the provider needs to guarantee everything runs smoothly, without slowdowns or downtime.
This type of service uses the latest cloud technologies, which guarantee your site stays up at least 98% of the time, even during traffic spikes. No more waking up in the middle of the night worrying!
Reliability is also extremely important when it comes to participant data and information. Have you ever thought about a financial error in your event, or losing data or submitted scientific papers?
You should look for a reliable solution that has already organized many events. If the solution you adopt isn’t reliable when it comes to data storage, it could spell the end of your event. With a software-as-a-service solution, the technology guarantees 100% trust and integrity for the data stored.
2. Always Up-to-Date Product
Another problem with using your own solutions is that event formats evolve, and in-house software doesn’t always keep up with all these improvements.
With a software-as-a-service model, since thousands of events run on the platform, all this demand and feedback flows back into the product, which is constantly evolving. This way, you’ll always have the latest market trends in hand!
3. Dedicated Support Team
The bigger the event, the bigger the challenge of providing support and answering questions for all participants, speakers, vendors, organizers, reviewers, and staff.
With an event software service, you can count on a dedicated team committed to your event’s success! Answering participant questions and helping with financial matters are just some of the tasks a dedicated team can help with. Plus, it’ll give you some peaceful nights of sleep 🙂
4. Speed
With this service model, you get more speed because you’re working with a company fully dedicated to event software. This affects the speed of the following:
- Less time to fix bugs and issues;
- Less time to roll out improvements to the event management software;
- Faster response times to organizer and participant questions;
- Less time to get your event ready to launch — everything’s online and available within minutes.
5. Cost Reduction
The last and most important reason to put an end to any doubts about which type of solution to choose. After all, organizers want to spend as little as possible organizing their event, right? Let’s break down and show which costs get reduced by adopting an event software service.
Hosting and Data Storage Costs
With a software-as-a-service solution, these costs are reduced! How? Since many events share the same platform, providers offer big discounts, which get passed on to the organizer.
Maintenance Costs
Similarly, maintenance is shared across all events! You no longer need to make a monthly payment to keep your event and data online.
Development Team Costs
Software development is never cheap! And if that team is fully dedicated to just one event’s software, the bill gets even higher. In the same way, software as a service shares these costs across the thousands of events using the solution.
