Annual meetings ask a lot from your tech stack, member pricing rules, CE credits, complex programs, exhibitors, and year-round engagement. Below is an up-to-date guide to the platforms and features associations rely on most, along with a practical comparison of leading options and a short checklist to help you select the right fit.
The toolkit associations actually use
Registration, ticketing, and payments
You need configurable forms, group bundles, discount logic, conditional questions, and conversion tracking, plus clean payouts and tax settings. Look for one system of record that covers pre-event and onsite activity so your reports line up later. If you want a fast overview of how these pieces fit together, see ticketing and registration.
Badging and check-in
Plan for assisted, kiosk, and mobile check-in with live badge printing, QR validation, and timed access for sessions or ticket classes. Smooth entry lines set the tone for the entire conference, and they are essential for accurate CE credit scanning. Explore event check in for a reference architecture of how modern kiosks and mobile scanning work together.
Mobile app and onsite engagement
Associations benefit from personal agendas, maps and wayfinding, live Q&A and polls, exhibitor lists with lead capture, in-app messaging, and push alerts. Keep virtual features available, streaming and on-demand content, without letting them overshadow the in-person experience.
Exhibitor tools and lead capture
Give exhibitors built-in QR scanning, offline mode, unlimited user seats, lead scoring, notes, and meeting booking so they can prove ROI and return next year. Real-time dashboards that sales teams can act on during the show are a must.
Continuing education and certificates
Automate credit rules by track or session, trigger certificates instantly, support self-serve retrieval, and keep audit trails that satisfy credentialing bodies. If you integrate to an LMS, confirm data flows both ways.
Analytics and reporting
Unify registration, onsite scans, mobile engagement, and virtual attendance in one model so you can segment members, sponsors, and prospects. Reports should be real time and shareable so program leads and exhibitors can act during the event. See in depth analytics for an example of what to expect.
Integrations and APIs
Annual meetings touch association systems and marketing tools. Prioritize event CRM integration to Salesforce or HubSpot, marketing automation to Marketo or HubSpot, AMS member verification and pricing logic, and webhooks for downstream workflows. Many teams specifically search for event software with marketing integrations, CRM for event management, and marketing automation for events, plus email marketing event tools for pre- and post-show journeys. A good reference list of connectors lives on integrations.
Where Accelevents can benefit enterprises and associations
Accelevents bridges complex enterprise requirements with ease of use, providing an all-in-one platform that is highly customizable and purpose-built for In-person, virtual, and hybrid events. The platform serves 1,847 customers and was intentionally built on one consistent data model across registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual, creating a seamless experience for event organizers, attendees, exhibitors, and speakers.
Accelevents emphasizes ease of use and flexibility, and it comes with a support team that responds in less than 21 seconds, 24/7. Registration and ticketing include drag-and-drop pages, forms, and badges, unlimited ticket types and discount codes, reusable templates, one-click event registration forms, payments, conversion tracking, group bundles, and conditional logic by attendee type.
For data, Accelevents offers unified, shareable reports spanning registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual components. Native integrations carry no fees, with deep connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo, plus association systems, and the platform exposes public REST APIs and webhooks with no fees.
On the program side, you will find call for papers with multiple workflows and auto reviewer assignment, speaker tasks, exhibitor management for digital booths and demos, mobile lead capture with QR scanning and offline mode, and CE credit automation with instant certificates and LMS paths. For branding, there is full white label support across web, mobile, and virtual with theme controls. Security features include custom roles, SSO, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 practices, and audit logging. Pricing is transparent and modular, no surprise add-ons.
How leading platforms line up for associations
Below is a quick, plain-language view of the vendors most associations shortlist. These summaries focus on fit for annual meetings and on considerations you will want to validate in demos.
- Accelevents, described above, often appeals to teams that want modern registration, onsite, mobile, lead capture, CE credits, and unified analytics with native CRM and marketing connectors, and no integration fees.
- Cvent serves a broad enterprise market and has grown by acquisition, which reviewers say can create uneven experiences across modules. Certification courses are often required to become an expert. Validate registration workflows for complexity and make sure you understand packaging and any add-ons.
- Bizzabo is popular for portfolio management and data, and buyers should verify how its features map to multi-track association programs and exhibitor ROI goals. Confirm analytics depth against your sponsor reporting needs and check implementation timelines.
- RainFocus typically serves the world’s largest companies due to system complexity and cost, and teams often complete certification training. In return, you get enterprise controls, and you should plan resources for onboarding.
- Stova supports end-to-end workflows and large scale programs. Associations should validate session scanning, exhibitor tooling, and reporting formats for sponsor deliverables.
- Swoogo is known for fast website builds and comms. For associations, validate advanced pricing rules, CE credit paths, and analytics depth before you commit.
- vFairs appears in many shortlists for its breadth of use cases. For annual meetings, confirm onsite options, exhibitor lead capture seats, and the specifics of reporting and data ownership.
Evaluation tip: drive vendor demos with your own scenarios, share requirements in advance, test integrations and costs, and confirm the true limits or any roadmap items before signing. Industry experts recommend centering demos on real examples from your past events and asking pointed questions about training, support, and hidden fees.
Must-have features in an annual meeting mobile app
- Personal schedules with conflict detection and room-capacity alerts
- Push notifications by segment, last-minute room changes, sponsor messages
- Maps, wayfinding, and search that work offline
- Exhibitor lists with bookmarking and lead capture so meetings convert to pipeline
- CE scanning and real-time progress for attendees and staff
- Surveys and live session Q&A that feed your analytics
- Optional virtual session access and on-demand libraries for extended reach, kept secondary to onsite programming
AMS integration, the short guide for associations
Most associations run an AMS as the member system of record, then pair it with an event platform. Here is how to connect the dots.
- Identity and eligibility, pass member status via SSO to unlock pricing rules and restricted content.
- Pricing logic, sync member types and chapters to drive conditional fees, add-ons, and bundles.
- Program and CE data, write back attendance scans and CE outcomes to the member profile.
- Marketing alignment, send registrations, interests, and exhibitor interactions into your CRM and automation tools so pre- and post-show journeys fire on time.
- APIs and webhooks, use open endpoints for real-time updates, especially for last-minute transfers and substitutions. Platforms vary in whether they charge for integrations and API usage, so put this line item in your RFP.
Quick comparison table, what to verify in demos
- Registration, does the platform support complex pricing, bundles, and conditional questions without heavy services work
- Onsite, live badge printing, kiosks, and scan reliability at peak times
- Mobile, exhibitor lead capture with unlimited users and offline mode
- CE credits, rule automation and instant certificates
- Data, unified reporting across channels and easy sharing with sponsors
- Connections, native CRM and marketing apps, AMS connectivity, open APIs, and webhooks, ideally with no integration fees
FAQ
How do I choose between an AMS module and a dedicated event platform for our annual meeting?
Use the AMS for membership and dues and let your event platform handle registration, onsite, mobile, CE, and sponsor ROI. Connect them with SSO and APIs so pricing and attendance write back to the member record.
What integrations matter most for associations?
Salesforce or HubSpot for CRM, Marketo or HubSpot for automation, your AMS for member data, and LMS if you track CE. Ask vendors whether they charge for native connectors or API access.
Which mobile app features are non-negotiable for an annual meeting?
Personal agendas, maps, push alerts, exhibitor lists with lead capture, CE scanning, and in-app surveys. Keep streaming available for remote members without letting it dominate the onsite experience.
How can sponsors measure success during the show, not just afterward?
Give them lead capture with scoring, notes, and meeting booking, plus real-time dashboards so teams can follow up the same day. Confirm that all data syncs to CRM and automation for faster nurtures.
What should we ask in vendor demos to avoid surprises later?
Bring real scenarios from your past events, ask about integration limits, training and certification needs, hidden fees, and day-of support response times. Validate what exists today versus roadmap items.
If you want to see how this looks in practice, including integrations, onsite workflows, analytics, CE, and branding, you can request a demo and get a tailored walkthrough for your association’s annual meeting.
