As you know, Planning Pod isn’t the only event management software out there. Although it’s one of the better-known platforms, it’s pretty complex to navigate and comes with a heavier price tag. Businesses looking for a simple yet powerful tool to send digital proposals, templated emails, and automate tasks, would probably be better off with one of the Planning Pod alternatives.
This article looks at five alternatives that may align more closely with your business needs. If you’re thinking about making the switch, one of these may be better suited to help you optimize the planning and management process to ensure your events run smoothly.
Five Platforms To Try As Planning Pod Alternatives
1. Perfect Venue
Perfect Venue is a versatile all-in-one event and venue management software designed for restaurants and independent venues to manage their events. This platform aims to save you time, increase your revenue, and streamline your operations. You can easily access all related event information through one consolidated dashboard.
Using beautifully-designed templates, you can cut down on the time it takes to craft emails and documents for clients and your team. Client proposals, contracts, invoices, and banquet event orders (BEOs) are a handful of the documents you can put together and send out in a matter of minutes.
Adding to your efficiency are automations. Using document templates that are smart field enabled, you can enter information and draw up proposals on your phone or computer. This saves you time and helps you get your proposals into potential clients’ inboxes faster - which means you’ll win more events and increase revenue.
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Perfect Venue currently offers three pricing plans tiered to suit different business needs. Plans start from $59/month (paid annually) and you can trial the platform for free. Getting set up is so easy that you can do it the same day or you can reach out to Perfect Venue and they will help you get everything set up for you.
Overall, Perfect Venue is a solid event management solution. With a mobile app and little to no training required, this software makes it much easier to put together successful events.
Key Features Include:
- One central calendar with up-to-date information
- Easily generate templates
- Create digital proposals
- Automatic BEOs
- Consolidated built-in email tool
- Track invoices and payments from your dashboard
- Detailed analytics
- Free trial, no demo required
2. Tripleseat
Next on our list of Planning Pod alternatives is Tripleseat. While Perfect Venue caters to unique venues such as independent restaurants, breweries, and caterers, Tripleseat is better suited to larger venues, chains, and hospitality groups. Â
The cloud-based software allows you to track the entire event management process, starting with lead generation through to signing contracts, accepting payments, and building menus.
Tripleseat users can create and personalize their reports, and the platform connects with other management tools like Google, MailChimp, and Constant Contact to continuously update your calendar.
In terms of cost, Tripleseat is one of the pricier event management platforms and can cost upward of $3,000 annually. It is complicated software aimed at larger chains and hotels. For this reason, independent restaurants and venues may not benefit from some of the features on offer.
Keep in mind that Tripleseat, like most of the listed platforms, charges additional credit card processing fees (up to 3.8%). Additionally, there is no free trial on offer to test it out. You will have to base your purchase decision on a demo.
Key Features Include:
- CRM
- Contract management
- File management
- Customizable BEO
- Proposal and contract generation
- Electronic signature functionality
- Bookings and planning management
- Credit card integration
3. Caterease
Caterease is an event planning and catering software that allows you to keep track of your clients and the event process. The program provides a platform for storing, organizing, and managing event-related information.
Caterease users can create branded and personalized documents, statements, and kitchen prints. The software includes data management features like calendars, detailed event reports, graphs, and analytics. However, their software is very old so it is clunky and hard for new team members to learn.
On the pricing side, Caterease can be expensive for smaller businesses. Although they advertise prices below $100, you often need to pay for many add-ons for the system to work. For example, they charge extra just to have a contact form connected to your website!
Key Features Include:
- Booking management
- Discount management
- Kitchen and menu management
- Generate reports and statistics
- Forecasting
- Social media integration
- Staff management
4. EventPro360
Next on our list of Planning Pod alternatives is EventPro360. This event and venue management software is designed to streamline events such as weddings, golf excursions, corporate events, and banquets. Event planners and venue owners use it to create contracts, invoices, statements, proposals, and BEOs.
Users can also manage their online event planning through email reminders and by recording information based on phone and e-mail communication. Doing this can keep team members in the loop around event details and planning.
Teams can also measure their bottom line by accessing analytics features. They can view sales histories, future projections, and revenue breakdowns for each event.
While EventPro360 has several useful features for event centers, it does have limitations. Being an older platform, it isn’t as user-friendly as some alternatives. It is also missing some key integrations, marketing solutions, and a client access portal.
Pricing starts at $125/month (annual pricing), and a free trial is available.
Key Features Include:
- CRM and customer management
- Document generation
- Report generation
- Forecasting
- Sales histories
- Customizable dashboard
5. Total Party Planner
Our last alternative to Planning Pod is Total Party Planner. This event management platform is designed specifically for catering management within the events industry. It is a catering software company that aims to simplify the management process for sales and catering teams.
Total Party Planner is relatively intuitive, with features to monitor the event lifecycle through a dashboard. You can track event details, generate costings, allocate tasks, and view reports. It also has a CRM to manage leads and drive client communication. They have a mobile app, but it has poor reviews in the App Store and it does not look like it is well maintained.
Like Caterease, Total Party Planner charges a one-time setup fee to use the platform. It doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can demo the software first. Starting at $65/month per user for the entry-level plan, it’s not the most cost-effective solution on this list and often their basic plan is overly limiting.
Key Features Include:
- CRM
- Banquet management
- Contract management
- Online payments
- Managing client billing
- Report Customization
- Kitchen and menu management
Conclusion
Planning Pod is an oft-used event and venue management solution. However, other options on the market may be better suited to your needs. No two companies have the same requirements for event management software - look for a solution that ticks the boxes in terms of features, usability, and pricing.
Get in touch to learn more about Perfect Venue’s event management solution for independent venues, restaurants, and hospitality groups! You can try our platform for free without a demo. That said, we would be happy to show you the ropes so you can see how Perfect Venue would fit into your business.
