What is Planning Pod?
Planning Pod is web-based event management software that streamlines the project planning that event professionals use to manage their event details, teams and attendees.
Planning Pod is a toolkit designed for people and organizations that manage multiple or complex events and registrations. Managing events using spreadsheets, emails and a variety of apps can be inefficient and time-consuming so moving to an all-in-one platform offers a streamlined alternative. It is refreshing to see a strong focus within the software on winning business and cultivating prospects.
The success of any event is a result of the back-end planning and preparation, and Planning Pod offers a centralized place to manage events, staff, clients, venues, vendors, payments and business details.
Planning Pod offers a command center of 30+ integrated tools. Data is portable across platforms and currently integrates with Salesforce, Gmail/Google Docs, MailChimp, Constant Contact, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive and more. The more data and details you have to manage the greater the efficiencies you are likely to benefit from.
Planning Pod can be used on any device (PCs, Macs, and all mobile devices, including iPads/iPhones and Android devices). It is compatible with all current Web browsers.
53% of event planners do not use any form of event management software. Reasons for this reticence can include the cost, the time/effort needed to learn a new system or not offering the flexibility needed to manage a varied event portfolio. If you are looking to change your event management software provider or if one of these reasons is holding you back, it is worth exploring Planning Pod.
Let’s look at Planning Pod in further detail to help you make an informed choice.
Planning Pod Main Features
Productivity Tools. Manage and track details with to-dos in the task management tool, create checklists and worksheets and monitor income and expenditure.
Process Tools. Simplify processes with reusable templates and access information quickly to be responsive and make fast decisions.
Business Management Tools. Manage leads, customers, contracts, and billing. Create event proposals by dragging and dropping information, inventory items and pricing.
Attendee and Design Tools. Manage event registrations, collect attendee information and payments and create related materials like floor plan and seating layouts.
Collaboration Tools. Communicate with colleagues and other users and share, organize and access information and files.
Event Planning Simplified
One of the first striking benefits about Planning Pod is that it isn’t only focused on managing confirmed event bookings and boosting productivity. The system is designed with prospect-nurturing and business development in mind. This is refreshing and makes it particularly valuable for any profit and results-driven event planner or organization.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Comprehensive toolkit (30+ tools) for managing all your backend event and booking details.
- Unlimited users for collaboration with teams and client bases of any size.
- Focused on business development and helping your event profitability to grow.
- Ability to set up custom templates and workflows to fit how you plan and work.
Cons
- Planning Pod does not offer attendee-side marketing tools like email marketing/invitations or on-site event apps for attendees (although it does integrate with MailChimp and Constant Contact).
- Currently, Planning Pod only integrates with WePay for online credit card payment processing.
- Like any comprehensive toolkit, it requires a moderate amount of time and dedication to make the most of all of Planning Pod's capabilities.
- If you are outside of the U.S., you will be charged in U.S. dollars and your credit card company will convert the transaction amount to your local currency.
Conclusion
Planning Pod is a comprehensive event planning software offering even more features than we could cover in this review. Even though it doesn’t offer much functionality on the event marketing side, it offers many features to manage and track the planning and execution of your events. Stand out features include the floor planning design tool, budget tracking, and business development functionality. If you have been nervous about moving to an all-in-one event management software, you should sign up for a 30-day free trial to see what Planning Pod can offer.
