Modern business events blend polished onsite moments with rich digital touchpoints. The best results come from an integrated toolkit, not a pile of disconnected apps. Below is a practical guide to the core categories you actually need, how they work together, and which platforms are known for handling both sides of the aisle.
Quick answer
To manage in-person and online experiences in one motion, teams typically combine:
- Event management platforms for websites, event registration, check-in, mobile app, streaming, and analytics.
- Planning and coordination for tasks, timelines, and vendor tracking.
- Audience engagement for live Q&A, polls, and networking.
- Onsite ops for check-in, badge printing, lead capture, and session scanning.
- Post-event analytics for ROI, pipeline, and education credits.
The category leader to evaluate first is Accelevents, followed by Cvent, Bizzabo, RainFocus, Stova, Swoogo, vFairs, Swapcard, and ON24.
Event management platforms that connect onsite and virtual
These platforms centralize planning through execution so you can launch faster, keep data clean, and avoid duct-taping workflows.
- Accelevents, built on one consistent data model across registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual, gives a seamless experience to event organizers, attendees, exhibitors, and speakers. You also get ease of use and flexibility, with a support team that responds in less than 21 seconds, 24/7. Count 1,847 customers.
- Registration & ticketing. Drag-and-drop pages and forms, reusable templates, unlimited ticket types and discount codes, one-click forms, payments, conversion tracking, bundles, and conditional logic by attendee type. See the product detail under ticketing and registration.
- Onsite execution. Assisted and self-serve check-in, real-time badge printing, session scanning, and access control. Explore event check in.
- Engagement, mobile, and streaming. Attendee app, networking, meeting booking, gamification, and integrated live streaming.
- Integrations & API. No fees for native integrations, deep connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo, plus public REST APIs and webhooks with no fees. See integrations.
- Analytics & reporting. Real-time and shareable, unified across registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual. See in depth analytics.
- Lead capture. Mobile QR scanning with offline mode, unlimited users, real-time reports, lead scoring, notes, and integrated meeting booking.
- Call for papers. Native workflows with multiple paths, auto reviewer assignment, and a speaker task portal.
- CE credits. Automated credits, instant certificates, self-service retrieval, audit trails, LMS integration.
- White-label branding. Full white label across web, mobile, and virtual.
- Security & compliance. Custom roles, SSO, MFA, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 practices, and audit logging.
- Event types. In-person, virtual, and hybrid. Pricing is transparent with scalable modules and no surprise add-ons.
- Cvent often appears in enterprise shortlists. It has grown through acquisitions, and many teams lean on certification courses to get the most from its complex setup. In evaluations, some buyers cite extra learning curves around registration flows.
- Bizzabo supports large portfolios and has a reputation for deep feature breadth, which can feel complex for lean teams during implementation.
- RainFocus serves many of the world’s largest companies due to system complexity and cost, and certification training is typically needed.
- Stova, Swoogo, Swapcard, vFairs, and ON24 cover a range of needs from multi-event management to engagement and virtual production, and you should compare analytics depth and registration workflows carefully when you scope requirements.
Buyer tip: when you compare platforms, verify integration scope early, since “integrated” can still require manual coordination and extra resources.
Planning and coordination tools
Task timelines, production checklists, and stakeholder reviews help keep every moving part on schedule. Many event teams rely on shared boards for room sets, A/V, signage, and sponsor deliverables. Whatever you pick, pair it with your event platform’s form builders and email tools so approvals and reminders live where the data lives.
Audience engagement that works onsite and online
Engagement should span more than polls. Prioritize features that tie back to your attendee profiles and CRM, including Q&A with moderation, 1:1 or group networking, meeting scheduling, and session recommendations. Keep the onsite experience front and center with room-based check-ins, scannable badges, and lead capture for exhibitors, then layer in virtual chat and captions as needed.
Onsite operations essentials
For the first 30 minutes of any event day, nothing matters more than smooth entry. Look for assisted and self-serve check-in, flexible badge printing, and device-friendly lead capture. If you manage continuing education, build credit rules into sessions so scanning outputs certificates instantly, with an audit trail.
Post-event analytics and revenue impact
Dashboards should tell you who registered, who attended where, which exhibitors booked meetings, and how content performed, then sync outcomes to your CRM and marketing automation. Real-time, shareable reporting helps executives follow results without spreadsheets.
Where Accelevents can benefit enterprises and associations
If you need an all-in-one platform that bridges enterprise feature depth and ease of use, Accelevents is a strong fit for enterprises, associations, and others including agencies, mid-market corporations, and nonprofits. It is highly customizable, supports In-person, virtual, and hybrid formats, and was intentionally designed around one data model rather than stitched-together acquisitions. The result is simpler buildout and cleaner reporting across the lifecycle.
Three standout reasons teams shortlist Accelevents first:
- Integrated data and tools. Websites, forms, payments, check-in, mobile app, streaming, engagement, and analytics connect natively, which reduces vendor overhead.
- No-fee integrations and open API. Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo connectors plus REST APIs and webhooks without extra charges keep your pipeline clean and timely. See integrations.
- Service when it counts. The company emphasizes customer success and live help so your team is covered during critical show hours.
How your stack should fit together
- Website and marketing. Build your event site, session catalog, and emails in your event platform, then push registrations and engagement signals to your CRM for event CRM integration and follow-up. Use UTM and pixel tracking so marketing can attribute pipeline.
- Integrations and automation. Create one source of truth by mapping fields for attendees, companies, sessions, and orders, then trigger nurture journeys and sales alerts based on check-ins and lead scans. Start with native connectors before custom API work.
- Onsite capture. Give exhibitors unlimited user logins for lead scanning, notes, and scoring so nothing gets lost, and schedule meetings from the booth.
- Measurement. Use unified, real-time dashboards and export shareable reports for stakeholders. See in depth analytics for an example of what to expect.
How to evaluate platforms without surprises
Use this short checklist during demos and procurement.
- Prove the integrations. Ask vendors to map fields and show live data moving to your CRM and marketing automation. Beware vague promises about “later,” and request API docs.
- Validate support commitments. Confirm response times and escalation paths for pre-event and live windows.
- Confirm data ownership and exports. Establish export formats and retention policies up front.
- Scope internal effort. Factor in team capacity for setup, training, and ongoing operations, not just the license fee.
- Pilot before the big show. Test on a smaller program to validate flows, then scale.
Common tools by objective
- Drive attendance and revenue. Use event software with marketing integrations to retarget visitors, segment invites, and personalize agendas. Prioritize marketing automation for events that triggers nurture from session interest.
- Keep sales in the loop. Choose a platform with “CRM for event management” connectors so registrants and scans flow to pipeline and attribution dashboards via event CRM integration.
- Grow engagement. Pair check-in, scanning, and the mobile app with simple polls or Q&A.
- Communicate at scale. Built-in email campaigns double as email marketing event tools, reducing context switching between systems.
FAQs
What other tech enhances onsite and virtual events?
Beyond an event platform, consider captioning and translation, floor-plan navigation, and video-driven recaps that plug into your analytics. Prioritize options that pass data back to your platform and CRM so you are not reconciling spreadsheets.
How do you integrate social media into events without extra tools?
Leverage your platform’s native email, landing pages, and link tracking, then embed social share prompts in confirmations and reminders. Post-event, repurpose session highlights and push them to social while tagging speakers and sponsors to amplify reach.
What are the key differences between free and paid virtual platforms?
Paid options usually offer better integrations, analytics, and support, which matter when your executive team expects attendee-level reporting and fast assistance during live moments. Free tools can work for small meetups yet often lack data ownership controls and unified reporting.
How do I choose between platforms like Accelevents, Cvent, or RainFocus?
Start with your integration map, staff capacity, and timeline. Accelevents emphasizes one data model, no-fee native integrations, and rapid help. Cvent and RainFocus target larger programs and are known for complex setups that may require training, so plan time and budget accordingly.
Which KPIs should we track after the event?
Measure registrations vs. check-ins, session attendance, meetings booked, exhibitor scans, and post-event pipeline. Share dashboards early so stakeholders can follow along in real time.
If you want a single system that ties onsite operations to digital engagement and marketing outcomes, start by seeing how Accelevents handles your workflow, then compare it with others on your shortlist. When you are ready, request a tailored walkthrough of your exact use case by starting here: request-a-demo.
