Event marketing tools: a shortlist by use case

What to take away

Which event marketing tools to shortlist

The shortlist groups seven tools by the job they do. Four of them route the price through a quote or a wider plan.

Three of the seven have pricing models that can be considered without a sales call. The rest turn cost into a procurement exercise, so shortlist order matters as much as features.

If a brief mixes a retained team with project work, the breakdown of retainer and project fees shows how to split the two before you ask for numbers.

The tools that publish a price

Eventbrite handles event pages, ticket sales and check in. Fees apply to paid tickets, with payment processing on top, and free events avoid the ticket fee. Confirm the current percentage and fixed fee per ticket before modelling revenue.

Meetup charges organisers a subscription and lets members RSVP through the app. It suits recurring local groups. Ticketing and reporting are simpler than a conference platform, so keep large paid conferences elsewhere.

HubSpot's free CRM tier stores contacts and tracks form submissions. Paid tiers step up with contact volume and seats, so the question is where your list crosses the next threshold. Anyone handling attendee data should read the ICO advice and services hub before importing a list.

The quote-based vendors

Cvent covers registration, venue sourcing, agendas and reporting for large conferences and corporate programmes. Ask for the contracting entity in writing, then check it on Companies House before anyone signs.

Splash suits brand and field marketing teams that run many similar events on consistent templates. Ask for a live walkthrough of the export file, not a dashboard screenshot.

Bizzabo covers registration, agenda, matchmaking and analytics for B2B conferences run in person, virtual or hybrid. Ask which modules sit inside the contract and which are charged on top.

Zoom Events is included for hybrid sessions. Confirm whether it is priced by plan or quote, and which plan includes registration and a lobby.

For conference-led programmes, the B2B event marketing guide explains how registration data should feed pipeline reporting.

Compare quotes on the same basis. VAT at the standard rate of 20% applies to most fees, and the GOV.UK VAT rates page sets out the current rates.

Questions to ask every vendor

Ask the same questions of each vendor and write the answers into one document.

A tool earns a place when it answers a question your team already asks. Export, consent and cost are the tests it must pass.

Quote-based vendors rarely lose on features. They lose when a buyer cannot price the whole stack.

Paid promotion belongs in the same review. LinkedIn's small business advertising guidance covers formats for advertisers without a large media budget.

Pilot one tool with one team for a single event cycle, then compare the decisions it supported against the invoice. The event marketing pitch process sets out what each agency needs from you to quote on the same scope.

Common questions

These answers cover choosing a tool, understanding pricing models and data protection across the UK.

Which tool is best for a small team?

Eventbrite or Meetup usually fit. Eventbrite suits public ticket sales and Meetup suits a group that RSVPs in an app.

What does each tool cost?

This guide does not give current price figures; it compares pricing models instead. Eventbrite charges per paid ticket, Meetup by subscription and HubSpot by contacts and seats. Cvent, Splash, Bizzabo and Zoom Events price by quote or plan, so ask each vendor for current pricing against the same requirements.

Do data protection rules differ across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

No. The UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 apply across the UK, and the ICO oversees data protection and electronic marketing. Venue licensing is handled by the relevant council.