Do you currently run or plan to run events that require handling bookings, such as workshops, group courses, non-profit fund raisers, marketing events, or even a big event such as a food fair, a sporting or religious event, or any kind of event where people need to book to attend?
Co-ordinating event registrations is a time-consuming process. You have to manage event schedules, available dates and spaces, participant numbers, data collection, payment processing and sending invoices, confirmations, reminders and notifications, refunds and cancellations … perhaps even accommodating special requests and providing tickets to event participants.
There are lots of benefits to setting up a web-based event registration system. It can streamline your business processes, save time and lower expenses, help you easily duplicate similar events, give you more control, create a better user experience and increase your sales.
The problem is that this can be very costly.
Fortunately, if you own a WordPress-based website, you can easily install an inexpensive and professional web-based event registration system.
Presenting …
Event Espresso
Plugin Description
The Event Espresso online event registration software allows you to easily set up multiple events and start accepting bookings in a few minutes.
(Set up multiple events and accept online event registrations with Event Espresso)
Event Espresso is a versatile and feature-rich plugin that gives you complete control of the event registration management process.
Event Espresso lets you customize registration forms
You can employ several event registration strategies, from simple online registration and straight up ticket sales, to setting up custom registration forms for collecting detailed information about your event attendees, or integrating your event bookings with an autoresponder system for ongoing follow-ups.
Access detailed information about event attendees
Please Note: Currently, Event Espresso provides two different versions of their software: EE 3 and EE 4. The new EE 4 is impressively different than the older EE 3, as the platform has been revamped using a different structure to enable future growth. The EE 4 plugin platform has different features, user interface, data structure, coding method and pricing. The company plans to eventually move completely to Event Espresso 4, so keep this in mind as you learn more about this plugin.
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Benefits
Here are just some of the benefits and advantages of using Event Espresso to manage event registrations on your web site:
Automated Event Registration Management
Event Espresso provides you with everything you need to turn your current digital presence into a fully-featured and automated event management website … from custom registration forms and automated response emails, to attendee limits, multiple price options and discount codes, to printable tickets and seating charts.
Increased Business Productivity
By using a web-based event registration solution like Event Espresso, you save time and increase your business productivity by literally doing away with the need to process registrations manually.
Essentially, you are making it easier for attendees to register on their own.
Letting your participants to do the data themselves frees up your time and lets you concentrate more attention on creating a more unique event.
Full Control Over The User Experience
As you will discover in a moment, Event Espresso gives you complete control over the event management and registration process that you want your clients to experience.
Additional benefits include:
- Lower Costs: The Event Espresso plugin provides you with an inexpensive online event registration management solution compared to building your own solution or using a 3rd-party service provider. The cost is kept to a minimum by using a model where you purchase the core plugin (which suits the needs of most users) and purchase addons when you need additional functionality.
- Increased Sales: Event Espresso allows you to accept new event sign-ups 24 hrs a day. In addition, Event Espresso social sharing features and addons (see below) let people interested in attending your event share your information with others who may be interested.
- Paperless Event Sign Up Process: With Event Espresso, your event signup process is completed entirely in digital form, eliminating traditional paper consumption from tasks related to enrollment.
- Own Your Data. You control all the information obtained from event participants.
Features
The Event Espresso plugin delivers functionality to its users via standard features (these come with the plugin) and additional features that customers can purchase, called add-ons.
Event Espresso provides many built-in to WordPress users. Here are just a few of these:
- Fast and simple to install and implement. Be up and running in minutes.
- Multiple Times and Dates Per Event. In Event Espresso 4, events can have many dates and times (datetimes), which these can be managed from a single event.
- Event Calendar. Customers can easily see your upcoming events and add these to their schedule with the WordPress calendar.
- Tax Administration. Event Espresso 4 provides a number of options to administer taxes for an event and report tax fees to customers when purchasing tickets. You can administer taxes globally and on a ticket-by-ticket basis.
- Smart Single Page Checkout Process. The Event Espresso 4 checkout process is smart, fast and intuitive. Registrants are given the option to automatically duplicate the primary registrant’s details for any added attendees.
- Spam Protection. Reduce the risk of spammers and bots creating fake registrations with reCAPTCHA option that provide human validation.
- In-App Documentation Systems. Event Espresso 4 comes with 3 built-in in-app documentation systems: Help Tours, Help Tabs and Tool Tips.
- Event Check-In List. Generate an exportable list of event participants and confirm those who attend.
- No Ticket Events. You can promote events without making it necessary for participants to get tickets. Event Espresso can be used for all types of events, not just when tickets are needed.
- XML RSS Feeds. Keep your users updated about your events, drive quality traffic and reach a wider audience with the built-in XML RSS events feed.
- Draft (status) Events. Draft events let you develop your event in your own timeframe without publishing it to your website. You can work on your event until you are ready to publish it live on your website, or schedule your event to publish at a later time and date.
- Complete Control Of Your Event Management. Event Espresso puts event managers in full control of every aspect of an event’s registration and ticketing processes, and allows you to automate this process with event management tools that include staff and venue management, custom event designs, payment processing and handling, wait lists, attendee limits, printable tickets and more.
- Default Tickets. If you create identical tickets for your events, you can automatically set up as your default ticket for all new events simply by checking a box.
- WYSIWYG Editor. Event Espresso uses the native WordPress Visual editor, allowing you to quickly and easily add photos and write your event descriptions without knowing HTML or CSS, just like any WordPress post.
- Automatic Plugin Installation Upgrading. Event Espresso offers simple 1-click software upgrading to ensure that you have the newest features and to keep your plugin installation compatible with new versions of WordPress.
- Staff Management. Save time and keep your data organized by reusing staff profiles for multiple events or displaying profile information such as staff member’s contact information, resume and photo using a shortcode in an event description.
- Categorize Events. If you have several different event types like free and paid, workshops and breakout sessions, different types of programs and program modules, etc. you can categorize them to make it easier for your participants to find what they’re looking for. You can display all events in a category on a custom event category page, make events searchable by category, and colour-code events on the Event Espresso events calendar to make them easier to find, in addition to suggesting other events in the categories that interest your existing customers.
Additional features include:
- Define Extra Meta Information. This feature allows you to have more control and options over your events and how the information displays to your prospects.
- Control Box Management And Organization. Event Espresso lets you leverage the WP user interface, which gives you the ability to reorganize the user interface to suit your workflow processes. Each control box can be collapsed, re-arranged or entirely removed from your page.
- Autonomy, Flexibility & Value For Money: According to the mission statement 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 model that provides users with great autonomy and flexibility and delivers value for money as a result.
The premium version of Event Espresso also includes over 40 additional features, including:
- Live-filtering when you search for events in the Event Espresso admin.
- Default surcharge (the same as applying a service fee to tickets).
- Option to skip the confirmation page during registration.
Addons
In addition to an incredible array of features, Event Espresso provides “addons”, which allow software users to significantly enhance the capabilities of managing your event.
Some of these add-ons include:
- Events Vector Maps Template Add-on: The Vector Maps custom events list template lets you display scheduled events by location. Four maps are currently available: USA, UK, Canada and Australia.
- Recurring Events Management Add-on: The Recurring Events manager add-on allows you to put events on autopilot by scheduling recurring events weeks or months ahead. You can add as many future events as you want. Event Espresso will then automatically open and close registrations for all of these recurring events.
- 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 image instead of a date.
- Events Social Sharing Add-on: Add social sharing features to the end of your Event Espresso “thank you” page that allows your attendees to post a message about their event registration on Twitter and Facebook after registration.
- WP User Integration: The WP User Integration addon allows you to take advantage of the WordPress user system. With the WP User Integration addon you can give users a special incentive by offering member pricing and overriding event prices when your members are logged in. You can even set up member-only events where only registered users of the website can have access to these special events. Members can also store personal data into their profile page allowing them fast registration for events by auto-filling in the personal information on the event booking form. Your users can also view past events and make payment for events.
- Seating Chart Add on: The seating chart add-on is suitable for venues and events that sell and reserve seats for attendees in advance. This is for venues and events such as theaters, concert halls, play houses, sports arenas and stadiums. The Seating Chart add-on allows you to promote reserved or assigned seating to your events and venues from your WordPress site. The Seating Chart add-on lets you manage the experience for your attendees and design assigned seating charts and attach a single price to each seat.
- Multiple Event Registration Add-on: The Multiple Event registration add-on gives potential attendees the ability to book 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 add on, 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 add on uses the WP calendar to display events and categories of events using a nice graphical calendar.
- Infusionsoft Integration Add-on: With the Event Espresso 4 Infusionsoft App and Merchant Account integration all-in-one sales and business marketing plugin addon, you can easily automate your customer relations and email marketing campaigns to seamlessly capture customer data, track bookings, and accept payments from your Event Espresso powered website.
Note: Event Espresso regularly adds new features and improvements to the software, including new addons.
For full details about the latest Event Espreso features and add-ons, check out the plugin here:
User Feedback
Here are some of the many great testimonials that customers have written about Event Espresso:
”EventEspresso saves us money, saves our secretary 16-24 hours and looks so professionally done that people ask us how we do it; which we happily tell them, “Event Espresso, and be sure to get the ticketing add-on.”” David, House of Prayer
“I just completed my first event using Event Espresso. I really believe without Event Espresso my event would not have been the success it was.” Cathy Earle, Women Only Weekend
”I can’t even imagine what I would want the plugin to do that it doesn’t already do. I’m really happy with the features.” Jim Harmer, Improve Photography
Plugin Tips
Whether you are an education services provider, teacher, event planner, or event professional, there are just unlimited possibilities of what you can do with the Event Espresso software.
After purchasing the plugin and becoming a registered user, spend a little time visiting the user forum for tips and practical ways to streamline your event management process and improve the experience of your customers.
Support
Event Espresso works with with other WordPress plugins and themes that follow WordPress coding standards. If you have problems with the plugin, however, you will find that Event Espresso provides highly responsive support, as so many of its satisfied end-users attest:
”No complaints here. Satisfied customer. You can teach us all few things about customer service. Thanks!” Charles
The Event Espresso software provides comprehensive support including access to a support forum, in-depth online documentation with faqs, knowledgebase and how tos, one-on-one support and even a monthly VIP member pass giving 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 solid track record of support, so this is definitely a solution you can count on to run and manage your events.
Event Espresso Cost
Event Espresso is available in a number of plugin editions, including a FREE basic edition (named Event Espresso Decaf). For support and advanced plugin options, however, you will want to consider purchasing one of the premium plugin versions below:
- Personal Licensing – This edition allows you to install Event Espresso on 1 site only. Includes 51+ Premium features, (add-ons sold separately) and one year of upgrades and support. Cost = $69.95.
- Everything Licensing – This lets you set up Event Espresso on one domain only. Cost includes 51+ Premium features, 29 Premium add ons and one year of upgrades and support. Price = $279.95.
- Developer License – This license enables you to run Event Espresso on five domains. Includes 51+ Premium features, (add-ons sold separately) and one year of upgrades and support. Cost = $249.95.
The cost of purchasing the Event Espresso plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Presently, the plugin retails for the prices shown above. Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details: Event Espresso – Event Manager & Ticketing Registration Software For WordPress
Note: The pricing above was current at the time this article was written. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the plugin author when you visit the website.
Event Espresso – Additional Information
Event Espresso regularly adds new features and improvements to its software. Make sure to register for their newsletter when you visit their site to receive the latest information and updates.
Use the software’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 your specific situation, or to report errors and leave feedback.
For all documentation, demos, downloads, videos, tutorials, FAQ and more, visit the Event Espresso product website.
Our Recommendation
Event Espresso is the leading WordPress event booking and ticketing management plugin, used and trusted by thousands of people.
If you are a WordPress user and you plan to run events that require scheduling dates, times and venues (offline and online), registering attendees, and/or reserving tickets or seating, then you will probably not find a more suitable plugin for your needs than Event Espresso.
For full details, check out the plugin here: Event Espresso – Event Registration And Ticketing Manager
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