Event professionals have heard it all before.
The cold calls. The shiny pitches. The promises of revolutionizing your events with the latest AI-powered feature.
But let’s be real: no one has time to test-drive, let alone manage, an endless stack of tools.
So what ends up happening? Planners stay stuck in the trenches: wrestling with outdated spreadsheets, manually updating attendee lists, or trying to duct-tape legacy systems to modern APIs.
This isn’t innovation - it’s inefficiency with a side of headaches.
Here’s the truth: FOMO is real, but the goal isn’t to collect tools like Pokémon cards. It’s to find the right tech to solve your biggest headaches.
So, let’s break it down. What are the real challenges event pros are facing - and how can the right tech help you tackle them?
Read on.
Problem #1: Manual Processes Are Bleeding Me Dry
Still stuffing badges like it’s 2005? Using six spreadsheets to track registrations? Spending hours replying to the same attendee emails over and over?
This isn’t just inefficient - it’s a waste of your talent.
One planner recently shared their nightmare with us: sorting 6,000 badges manually, alphabetizing them, and inevitably dealing with the chaos of mismatched names on-site.
Hours wasted. Hours no one will ever get back.
Let’s be honest: if your team is still doing tasks that tech can handle in seconds, you’re not saving money - you’re torching it.
The Fix:
Automate or accept your badge-stuffing fate. With platforms like Accelevents, you upload attendee data, press print, and boom - custom badges, on-site, in seconds.
And it’s not just badges - we simplify mind-numbing processes like speaker and session management. That used to mean endless back-and-forth emails, juggling agendas and tracks, and praying nothing slipped through the cracks.
Now? You upload speaker and session details, assign speakers their tasks in bulk, and voila, what used to take days takes a few hours at most.
Problem #2: My Tech Doesn’t Play Nice Together
Event teams aren’t working with one tool - they’re managing an entire stack:
- Registration systems.
- CRMs.
- Email marketing platforms.
- On-site apps.
The dream? A tech ecosystem that flows like a perfectly choreographed event.
The reality? Tools that don’t play nice, leaving you with data silos, duplicate work, and enough frustration to start yelling at your laptop.
Want your badge printer to talk to your registration and check-in system? Good luck. Need reg data for your HubSpot marketing campaigns? Hope you’ve got a week to figure it out.
The Fix:
Pick a platform with every tool you need that integrates with any business system. Accelevents for example combines registration, check-in, badging, event operations and reporting tools into a single, stress-free system. Plus, we integrate seamlessly with most popular CRMs and marketing tools.
Problem #3: I Can’t Get Budget For …Well, Anything Really!
Here’s the familiar refrain:
You: “We need better tools for our next event.”
Leadership: “How much?”
You: “$20,000.”
Leadership: “Why don’t we use Excel instead.”
Here’s the problem with this approach: sticking with outdated processes doesn’t save money - it drains it.
Manual work costs time. Mistakes cost credibility. Burnout costs your best people.
The Fix:
Turn the budget conversation into a win. Show your leadership the real costs of inefficiency:
- How many hours are wasted on repetitive tasks?
- How much are errors costing in rework and frustration?
- How many attendees or sponsors are you losing because of a slow response?
If you still can’t get the extra budget you need for a specific tool, here’s a suggestion: pivot.
Consolidate your tools into a single platform that can handle everything, like Accelevents. It might even save you money in the end.
Problem: I Need Faster, More Efficient Workflows, But AI Feels Scary
Let’s talk about AI, the big scary monster in the room.
AI is already transforming event planning:
- Automating repetitive emails.
- Summarizing attendee feedback in minutes.
- Generating session agendas based on last year’s data.
But while your competitors are embracing AI, your leadership is stuck worrying about data privacy and the learning curve.
Fear of AI is costing your team time, money, and competitive edge.
The Fix:
Start small. Start secure. Choose tools that use AI responsibly, with a focus on privacy and compliance. This isn’t about handing over your data to the wild west of the internet - it’s about using smart tools to save you time while keeping your information safe.
Educate your leadership on the benefits. Remind them that falling behind is riskier than embracing change. And once you start using AI, watch how quickly those “what ifs” turn into “how did we live without this?”
The Goal Isn’t More Tools. It’s Simpler Solutions.
Adding more tools doesn’t solve problems - it creates new ones.
The real solution is identifying what’s broken in your process and finding tech that fixes it.
Here’s your action plan:
- Identify Bottlenecks: What’s draining your time? What’s frustrating your team?
- Start Small: Pick one problem - like badge printing or speaker management - and solve it first.
- Invest in Training: A tool is only as good as the team using it. Spend the time upfront to get it right.
- Prioritize Integration: Make sure any new tool plays nice with your existing systems. Or better yet, find a platform that does it all.
- Test and Adapt: Use free trials to experiment. Make informed decisions, not impulse buys.
The Future of Event Tech Is Simplicity
The best tools don’t just add functionality - they make your life easier.
Automation? It’s your new best friend.
Integration? It’s the glue that holds your tech stack together.
AI? It’s your cheat code that saves you hours of tedious work.
The future of event planning isn’t about adding more tools - it’s about doing more, with a carefully chosen set of tools that solve your biggest problems.
