Does your organization currently run or plan to run events that require bookings, such as workshops, training classes, not-for-profit fundraisers, social events, or even a large-scale event such as an exhibition, a sporting or religious event, or any kind of event where people need to register to attend?
Managing event bookings can be a complex process. You need to co-ordinate scheduling, availability, participant numbers, data processing, payments and invoicing, confirmations and reservations, reminders and notifications, refunds and cancellations … perhaps even accommodating special needs and delivering tickets to event registrants.
There are a number of advantages to setting up an automated online event registration system. It can streamline your business processes, save time and lower expenses, help you easily copy settings for previously-run events, give event managers more control, create a more enjoyable client experience and grow your sales.
The problem is that setting this up can be very expensive.
Fortunately, if you own a WordPress-based website, you can easily set up a very inexpensive and professional web-based event booking solution.
Announcing …
Event Espresso – WordPress Event Management And Ticket Registration System
Plugin Description
The Event Espresso online event registration WordPress software lets you easily set up your event and begin receiving bookings literally in a few minutes.
(Set up multiple events and receive online registrations with Event Espresso)
Event Espresso is a versatile and feature-rich software that gives you full control over the event registration management process.
Event Espresso lets you customize event registration forms
You can employ multiple event registration strategies, from simple online enrolments and straight up ticket sales, to creating custom registration forms for collecting detailed information about your attendees, or integrating your event registration forms with social media and autoresponders.
View detailed information about event attendees
Note: Currently, Event Espresso offers two different versions of their plugin: Event Espresso 3 and Event Espresso 4. The new EE 4 is significantly different than the older EE 3, as it is being revamped using a different structure to allow for future growth and expansion. The EE 4 plugin software has different features, user interface, data structure, coding method and pricing. The developers aim to eventually migrate completely to Event Espresso 4, so keep this in mind as you read more about the benefits and advantages of this plugin.
Learn more here:
Plugin Benefits
Here are just some of the many benefits of using Event Espresso to manage event registrations on your website or blog:
Automated Event Registration Management And Ticketing System
Event Espresso provides you with everything you need to turn your current website into a feature-rich and professional event management site … from custom registration forms and automated emails, to seating capacity limits, multiple price options and discount codes, to printable tickets and seating charts.
Increased Business Productivity
By using an online event registration solution like Event Espresso, you save time and improve your business productivity by literally eliminating the need to process registrations manually.
Essentially, you are facilitating event participants to register on their own.
Letting your clients to do all of the data entry frees up your time and lets you concentrate more resources on delivering a better event.
Complete Control Over The User Experience
As you will learn in a moment, Event Espresso gives you complete control over the event management process that you want your attendees to experience.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Significantly Lower Costs: The Event Espresso plugin gives you a very low cost online event registration management solution compared to building your own software or using a third party service. This is made possible by using a model where users start with the core plugin (which suits the needs of most users) and then purchase add-ons when you need extra features.
- Increased Sales: With Event Espresso you can accept online registrations 24 hrs a day. In addition, Event Espresso social features (see below) let people who are interested in attending your event share your information with friends who may also be interested in attending.
- Paperless Event Booking Process: With Event Espresso, your event sign-up process remains wholly in digital form, eliminating traditional paper consumption from tasks associated with admin and record-keeping.
- All Data Belongs To You. You own all the data acquired from event attendees.
Plugin Features
Event Espresso delivers functionality to users via built-in features (these come with the software) and optional features that you can purchase, called add-ons.
Event Espresso offers many features to WordPress users. Here are just a few of these:
- Quick and simple to install and set up. Ready to start accepting registrations in no time.
- Multiple Ticket And Pricing Options. Event Espresso lets you create as many kinds of tickets as you need and specify prices, number of tickets, and more.
- Custom Confirmation Email Message. Configure automated booking and payment notification email messages to communicate with your clients.
- Ticket Selector. Present multiple ticket options to prospective attendees so they can purchase the ticket(s) that will best fit their needs.
- Smart Single Page Checkout. The Event Espresso 4 checkout process is smart, fast and intuitive. Registrants are given the option to automatically copy the primary registrant’s details for any added attendees.
- Default Price Types. Price types let event managers create new prices that adjust the base ticket pricing for your default ticket.
- Mobile Ticketing Apps. The Event Espresso mobile registration system allows you to validate tickets, speed up door registrations, set up multiple check-in “stations” and track event participants.
- Event Check-In List. Generate a list of event registrants and confirm those who have attended.
- No Ticket Events. You can set up events without making it necessary for participants to select tickets. Event Espresso can be used for all types of events, not only when tickets are needed.
- Private Contact Comments. Record observations about a contact on their profile and how you’ve helped them. Private commenting helps you keep a record of when users contacted you, your internal comments, and how you have assisted them.
- Works With The Most Recent WordPress Version. The EE 4 user interface follows the WordPress guidelines to help you create aesthetically enhanced event pages that are easier to use and mobile-friendly.
- Country-specific Settings. You can configure the country and currency settings that will be used in your events, including currency, currency symbols, decimal signs, characters and places, country codes, states or provinces, etc.
- Default Tickets. If you find yourself creating identical tickets for many of your events, you can easily set up as your default ticket for any new events simply by ticking a checkbox.
- Event Venue Management. The venue manager in EE 4 lets details about venues to appear throughout the Event Espresso admin and the front-end of your site to inform attendees of the location of your event. The venue record displays many of the standard WP settings such as tags, categories, discussion settings, comments, etc., but also includes venue information such as venue capacity, venue site URL, venue phone number, physical, Google map, etc. You can also display all of your event venues on different parts of your theme and on a venue archive page on your website where you can set up and publish venue profiles for multiple events or display every event you have booked for a given venue.
- Automatic Software Installation Upgrading. Event Espresso offers simple 1-click upgrades to make sure that you have the latest features and to keep your plugin installation compatible with the latest version of WordPress.
- Invoice Payment Reminders. Follow-up potential clients who have not fully paid for their booking with a standard but personalized invoice with one click. Your invoices will address pre-registered customers who have not paid their registration yet by name, give them the balance they owe, and include links to the event, a payment link and a url to download a PDF invoice.
- Event Posts. Publish your events using pages or posts and take advantage of WordPress custom post types. You can also customize the templates to display events in your own custom way.
Additional features include:
- Hooks, Actions & Filters. These features allow web-based software developers to implement safer and more reliable customizations and extensions to the Event Espresso software that are completely compatible with the WordPress development platform.
- Metabox Management & Organization. Event Espresso lets you leverage the WP user interface, which gives you the ability to organize the user interface to suit your workflow process. Each meta box can be collapsed, re-arranged or removed from your page.
- Flexibility, Autonomy And Value For Money: According to the philosophy stated on their site, Event Espresso’s goal is to “empower business and organization leaders with the event registration, ticketing and management tools that maximize the success of events.” To achieve their goals, the software has been built using a modular and efficient model that provides users with great autonomy and flexibility and delivers value for money as a result.
The premium edition of Event Espresso also provides you with 40+ added features, including:
- Email shortcodes for including attendee data in emails and updates.
- Default surcharge (the same as applying a service tax to tickets).
- Default payment status.
Add-Ons
As mentioned previously, Event Espresso provides “add-ons”, which allow end-users to significantly enhance the capabilities of the event management system.
Some of these addons include:
- Events Vector Maps Template Add on: The Vector Maps custom events list template allows you to display all upcoming events by location. 4 maps are currently available: USA, UK, Canada and Australia.
- Recurring Events Drop-down Template Add on: The Recurring Events Drop-down custom template lets you organize the events with multiple datetimes into a drop-down list.
- Events Calendar Table Template Addon: The Calendar Table template is a list template with a bold date and customizable “register now” button. The template can be customized to show the event thumbnail instead of the date.
- Events Social Sharing Add on: Add social sharing features to the end of your Event Espresso “thank you” page that lets your attendees to post a message about their event registration on Twitter and Facebook after booking.
- Custom Files Add-on: The Custom Files add on lets you bypass certain aspects of the plugin.
- Roles And Permissions Basic & Pro Addon Versions: This add on lets you include other users in the event management process and give new users permission to create events or regional managers permission to manage events. The Roles and Permissions Basic add-on allows you to manage & customize the WordPress users roles and give them different permissions with different capabilities, so your staff can help you manage your events or events that other people create. You can customize roles so that users do not have access to certain sections of your WP dashboard and/or certain parts of your Event Espresso settings. If you’d like to allow users to have geographic responsibilities for events and users, use the Roles and Permissions Pro add on.
- Multi-Event Registration Add on: The Multi-Event registration addon gives your potential customers the ability to register for multiple events at once. In each event listing registrants will be given the option to either register for a single event or add multiple events to their cart. With the Multiple Event Registration addon, attendees can register for several events at once and even add additional attendees to any of the same events in the same checkout process.
- Events Calendar Add on: This WordPress events calendar displays events and categories of events in an attractive graphical calendar.
- Infusionsoft Integration Add-on: With the Event Espresso 4 Infusionsoft integration all-in-one sales and business marketing software addon, you can completely automate your customer relations and email marketing campaigns to seamlessly capture customer data, track enrollments, and accept payments from your Event Espresso powered website.
Note: Event Espresso regularly adds new features and improvements to the plugin, including new addons.
For more information about the latest Event Espreso features and add ons, visit the plugin website here:
User Testimonials
Here are a few of the testimonials that satisfied users have written about Event Espresso:
”I want to commend you on a fabulous product which is just the right price for a small non-profit. People are happy with the registration process, as are we! …Thank you SO much for a great product.” Sandra Forero Bush, World Trade Center Tacoma
”Customizing an Event Registration plugin for WordPress by @EventEspresso. Love the pro version. Highly Recommended!” Joshua Garity
”Event Espresso plugin still rocks. Saw you guys were up for the WP Honors too. Glad I paid for it! If you need event management on your WordPress site I recommend Event Espresso.” Patrick Allmond, Focus Consulting
Event Espresso Tips
Whether you are a gym owner, trainer, concert planner, or event consultant, there are just unlimited possibilities of what you can do with the Event Espresso software.
After purchasing your copy of the plugin and becoming a registered user, search the forums for inspiration and practical ways to improve your event management and registration workflow or enhance the experience of your event customers.
Event Espresso Support
Event Espresso works with with all WordPress plugins and WP themes that follow standard WP coding guidelines. If you find that you need support with the plugin, however, you will find that Event Espresso provides highly responsive customer support, as many of its end-users confirm:
”It’s magical. Support is amazing, plugin is simple to use, a 3 year old could use the iPhone app…it all is very impressive and professional.” David, House of Prayer
The Event Espresso software provides incredible support that includes access to support forums, in-depth online documentation with faqs, knowledge base and how tos, custom development support and even a monthly VIP member pass that gives you access to community of developers, designers, event managers, publishers and webmasters that use Event Espresso tools, plus faster support response times.
In addition, Event Espresso boasts an established team of experienced WordPress developers with a proven track record of support, so this is definitely software you can count on to manage your events.
Event Espresso Cost
Event Espresso is available in a number of editions, including a FREE basic edition (named Event Espresso Decaf). For support and advanced software options, however, you should consider purchasing one of the paid plugin editions below:
- Personal License – This allows you to configure Event Espresso on one site only. Includes 51+ Premium features, (add ons sold separately) and one year of upgrades and support. Price = $69.95.
- Everything License – This enables you to set up Event Espresso on one site only. Includes 51+ Premium features, 29 Premium addons and 1 year of upgrades and support. Cost = $279.95.
- Developer License – This lets you run Event Espresso on 5 domains. Includes 51+ Premium features, (addons sold separately) and one year of upgrades and support. Cost = $249.95.
Current pricing for the Event Espresso plugin depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Presently, the software retails for the prices shown above. Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing: Event Espresso – Event Espresso
Please Note: The above reflects the pricing at the time this review was written. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the plugin author when you visit the website.
Additional Information
Event Espresso regularly adds new features and improvements to the plugin. Make sure to remain subscribed to their customer update list to receive the latest information and updates.
Look up the plugin’s online documentation pages for answers to common questions about setting up and using Event Espresso, and the support forums if you have questions related to a particular situation, or to report bugs and give feedback.
For all installation and support documentation, demos, downloads, videos, tutorials, FAQ and more, visit the Event Espresso web site.
The Bottom Line
Event Espresso is the preferred WP event booking and ticketing manager software, used by thousands.
If you own a WordPress-powered web site and you plan to run any event that involves managing dates, times and venues (offline and online), enrolling attendees, and/or booking tickets or seating, then you will probably not find a better software for your needs than Event Espresso.
To learn more, visit the plugin website: Event Espresso
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