Created with the hospitality sector in mind, Planning Pod is one of the better-known event management platforms on the market. In particular, it’s widely used by large hotels and event centers that have complex planning requirements.
In this Planning Pod review, we take a closer look at the software, its tools and features, integration capabilities, and overall pros and cons. In doing this, we hope to help you find software that suits your business needs. After all, no two venues are the same, and Planning Pod isn’t necessarily the right event management platform for everyone. In some cases, one of the alternatives, such as Perfect Venue, might be a better solution for your business.
Planning Pod Review
What Is Planning Pod?
Planning Pod is an online events management platform created for event professionals, hotels, venues, conferences, and other similar hospitality businesses.
Designed to help streamline the event planning process, increase revenue, and improve collaboration, it combines tools for event or meeting planners into one dashboard. Using this dashboard, teams can keep track of event details, scheduling, reservations, and more.
Planning Pod’s tools help execute routine operations, run complex tasks, and create time-saving processes to complete manual or repetitive work.
Main Features
Like most, Planning Pod is a cloud-based software. You will need a constant internet connection to receive updates, use the electronic calendar syncing feature, and have access to all the details of your event.
The features you get with Planning Pod’s software will depend on your chosen plan and overall business or event management needs.
The entry-level plan caters to smaller event planning teams. This has a limit of ten active events that can be planned at any given time. Working from this basic model, the main features of the Planning Pod software include integration tools that help manage basic tasks specific to your event. Some cover more menial tasks, like drawing up contacts, listing attendees, and compiling RSVPs.
However, there are also more intricate tools that cover more time-consuming and involved tasks. These do assist with generating proposals, finding leads, fine-tuning timelines and event details, and processing online invoicing and payments to make things easier for both you and your clients.
Teams can also use Planning Pod to communicate with caterers, clients, and other vendors. Team members and stakeholders have access to event details such as the calendar, bookings, inventory, ordering, tracking, and food and beverage management.
Additionally, Planning Pod’s software includes a floor plan tool to help venue owners and event planners better manage in-person events at hotels, restaurants, and other unique venues.
Although this event management software includes a white labeling function, we have heard that document customization can be tricky. You have to work within the template with little room to say what you need to. For smaller businesses and independent venue owners, this can be problematic. Rebranding is key to creating eye-catching wedding websites, contract templates, and other essential documents.
Similarly, the barcode and ticketing software has come under scrutiny for being temperamental. Also, event management companies may not need all the tools they pay for with the platform. For example, a wedding planner won’t have use for ticket sales or barcoding. Instead, these clients may opt for software with a more practical tool selection.
Available Integrations
Planning Pod offers integrations with several different applications. Like many other event management software, the platform allows users to combine and migrate event information from Google Docs and Gmail.
Users can integrate apps like Salesforce Sales Cloud, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and VerticalResponse for customer relationship management and marketing purposes.
As part of their team and vendor collaborations, event managers can integrate Slack and Dropbox Business. Event management tools like Honeybook and EventMobi also have full integrations, as well as Quickbooks for accounting and Squarespace for website building.
Note that integrations are unavailable on the lowest pricing plan. To get this functionality, you will need to have a Business plan or higher.
Pricing Details
Planning Pod currently offers a free trial of their software. However, most customers require a demo because their product is complicated.
The prices are dependent on the number of events that the venue owner or event planner undertakes each month, with a capped number of events for each subscription tier. Currently, Planning Pod offers four subscription tiers that are charged monthly.
Planner is the first subscription tier. It is for small businesses with simple event management and accounting needs, with a limit of 10 events that can be planned at any given time. This subscription costs $49 per month when billed annually, but users may have to pay additional fees for training and data entry or importing.
The Business plan has a limit of 25 events and is for growing businesses or companies with smaller client portfolios. This plan costs $79 per month when billed annually. It includes all the features offered with the Planner subscription, as well as the Share Data tool.
Enterprise 50 is for larger event management companies or venue owners with consistent event bookings. It caps users at 50 events at any given time and costs $119 per month when billed annually. It comes with the Business plan features, as well as phone support and online training for the yearly payment option.
The Custom plan caters to large businesses that require more freedom in the number of events that they can plan. Pricing and customization with this plan can be discussed with the Planning Pod team and has a limit of between 75 to 2,000 events.
Pros
- Comprehensive dashboard
- Emails can be accessed and sent from the PlanningSuite
- Event webpage tool
- Simple user interface
- Event space details like a floorplans tool
- Easily duplicate previous events
- Web-based software can be accessed on most devices
Cons
- Complicated product with many features that venues don’t need
- Charge based on the number of events, so it is easy to spend more than you planned
- Added credit card processing fees (approximately 3.2%) that cut into your bottom line
- Lengthy onboarding and setup process
- May require additional time to train new staff compared to more modern systems like Perfect Venue
Conclusion
Planning Pod is a good event planning software if you’re a large venue or business owner with a complex setup. With a maze of tools suited to enterprise planners, this event management software isn’t the simplest on the market.
If you’re looking for outstanding planning software that is user friendly, focused on the needs of venues, and more affordable, then Perfect Venue is an excellent choice. You can try it free today - it takes a matter of minutes to get started. Otherwise, contact our team for a demo. We will gladly show you the ropes and talk you through how our event management software can work for your business.
