Executive Summary
About This Constellation ShortList™
Events are bigger and busier than ever. As enterprise buyers and vendors alike consider where and how to engage, they must face the pressure to balance budgets, resources and the question of how much time they have available to invest in events. This has all added pressure on event organizers to keep tight controls on logistics, budget and experience. The flow and operations of this complex model that can flow across virtual, live and hybrid events is still being formulated, but one thing is clear: event leaders do not intend to leave anyone behind no matter where or how they choose to participate.
From event registration to venue selection, logistic workflows, mobile app development, asset creation, audience development, in-event engagement, budget tracking, and post-event analytics and reporting, these all-in-one event marketing solutions must optimize and track the entire event value chain. Event management tools must seamlessly connect with CRM and marketing automation systems and customer data platforms (CDP) to bring a near real-time view of customers and prospects. With a blend of live and online event content, recorded and archived for on-demand access, integration with digital asset management (DAM), virtual event hosting tools and web content management tools is also an increasing demand. Reporting functions must measure and report on event impact and, through the introduction of AI tools, track the overall impact of event programs.
This past year has also seen the integration of agentic and Generative AI tools that enable scalable personalization and new pathways to address content creation, knowledge and research, analytics and lead management. AI powered agents have introduced more self-service and autonomous processes that help manage everything from the registration and engagement, content preparation for sessions and, most noted and praised by users, post-event content summarization and iteration turning the often long and costly content reuse issue into a rapid turnaround of video reels, blog summaries and personalizded wrap-ups for attendees. AI has also enhanced more operationally focused processes including automated lead scoring and lead enhancement adding key points of analytics to attendee contact details more fully bringing event-driven contacts into an active and agentto- agent handoff from event to revenue opportunity flows. Constellation also expects to see data evolve around events as AI brings in opportunity to create opt-in ecosystems impacting everything from networks of logistics providers to attendee communities.
Threshold Criteria
Constellation considers the following criteria for these solutions:
- End-to-end event management and tracking
- Customizable, easy-to-deploy event registration
- Option to personalize digital registration and event experience
- Capacity to manage live, virtual and hybrid event formats
- Cross-team and function collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
- Venue sourcing, planning and proposal management
- Digital promotion campaign (email, social) capabilities
- Event website-building functionality, including commerce engine to monetize events
- Lead retrieval, management and delivery
- Shared workflows and project management tools
- Speaker and content submission management
- Exhibitor management, services and sponsorship management tools
- Logistical planning tools, seating, planning
- Event engagement before, during and after event
- Mobile ready, including capacity to deploy mobile event apps
- Event content and asset management, including agendas, speaker bios, collateral, badges and signage
- Integration and API connection to key marketing, sales, ERP and analytics tools, and platforms
- Budget tracking, management and tools for spending optimization
- Security, role-based access and authorization, customer viewer controls
- Integration with content development and virtual event platforms
- Analytics and robust reporting
- Support, training and community for users
- Automated report generation including real time insights into event operations, attendee patterns or tracking operations to business goals
The Constellation ShortList™
Constellation evaluates more than 25 solutions categorized in this market. This Constellation ShortList is determined by client inquiries, partner conversations, customer references, vendor selection projects, market share and internal research. In alphabetical order:
- Bizzabo
- Certain
- Cvent
- Eventzilla
- RingCentral Events
- RainFocus
- Stova
- Whova
- Zoho Backstage
Frequency of Evaluation
Each Constellation ShortList will be updated at least once per year. There could be an update after six months, should the analyst deem it necessary.
Evaluation Services
Constellation clients may work with the analyst and research team to conduct a more thorough discussion of this ShortList. Constellation can also provide guidance in vendor selection and contract negotiation.