Does your organization currently run or plan to run events that need co-ordinating registrations, such as workshops, community classes, not-for-profit fund-raisers, marketing events, or even a big event like a food fair, a sporting or religious event, or any kind of event where people need to register to attend?
Co-ordinating event bookings is a complex process. You may be required to co-ordinate event schedules, event dates, attendee numbers, data collection and admin, payments and invoicing, confirmations and reservations, reminders and alerts, refunds and cancellations … perhaps even accommodating special requests and delivering tickets to event participants.
There are lots of advantages to setting up an automated web-based event registration system. It can streamline your business processes, save time and lower costs, help you easily replicate previously-run events, give event managers more control, improve client experience and increase your sales.
The problem is that this can be costly.
The good news is that if you run a WordPress-based site, you can install an inexpensive and highly professional online event registration system.
Introducing …
Event Espresso
Plugin Description
The Event Espresso online event registration plugin for WordPress lets you easily set up an event and start processing bookings in just a few minutes.
(Set up multiple events and receive online bookings with Event Espresso)
Event Espresso is a feature-rich software that gives you complete control of the event registration management process.
Customize registration forms
You can employ multiple event registration strategies, from simple online enrolments and straight up ticket-selling, to creating custom registration forms for collecting detailed information about your event attendees, or integrating your event bookings with an autoresponder system for ongoing notifications.
Access detailed information about event attendees
Note: Currently, Event Espresso is transitioning between two different versions of their plugin: EE 3 and EE 4. The new EE 4 is impressively different than the older EE 3, as the plugin is being redeveloped using a different structure to enable future growth and expansion. The Event Espresso 4 plugin platform has different features, user interface, data structure, coding method and pricing. The company plans to eventually retire EE 3, so keep this in mind as you read more about the benefits and features of this plugin.
Learn more about the plugin here:
Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits of using Event Espresso to manage event registrations on your website:
Automated Event Registration Management And Ticketing System
Event Espresso provides you with everything you need to turn your existing web site into a feature-rich and professional event management website … from custom registration forms and automated emails, to seating limits, multiple pricing levels and discount codes, to printable tickets and even seating charts.
Higher Business Productivity
By using an online event registration system like Event Espresso, you save time and increase your business productivity by literally eliminating the chore of processing registrations and sign-ups manually.
Essentially, you are facilitating event participants to complete the registration process on their own.
Letting your enrollees to do all of the data themselves frees up your time and lets you spend more time on planning a better event.
Full Control Over The User Experience
As you will soon learn, Event Espresso gives you full control over the event management and registration process that you want your users to experience.
Additional benefits include the following:
- Less Costs: The Event Espresso plugin is a very inexpensive online event registration management solution compared to developing your own system or using a 3rd-party service. The cost is kept to a minimum by using a model where you pay for the core plugin (which suits the requirements of most users) and then purchase optional add-ons only when you need added features.
- Increased Sales: With Event Espresso you can accept new event bookings 24 hrs a day. In addition, Event Espresso social and marketing features and add ons (see below) let people who are interested in attending your event share your information with other people they know who may also be interested in attending.
- Green Event Booking Process: With Event Espresso, your event booking process remains entirely in digital form, significantly reducing traditional paper waste from tasks related to administration.
- All Information Belongs To You. You own all the data gathered from event attendees.
Event Espresso Features
The Event Espresso plugin provides functionality to end-users through built-in features (these come with the plugin) and optional features that you can purchase, called add-ons.
Event Espresso provides many features to website owners. Here are just a few:
- Quick and simple to install and set up. Ready to use in minutes.
- Multiple Dates and Times Per Event. In EE 4, events can have multiple dates and times (datetimes), that these can be managed from one single event.
- Customizable Event Designs. Create a unique look and feel for your events and enrollments page using Event Espresso’s unlimited template options and components, and HTML and CSS.
- Collect Payments. Event Espresso provides integration with several payment gateways, enabling you to collect payments prior to running your events.
- 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 participants.
- Default Price Types. Price types let you create new prices that adjust the base ticket price for the system-default ticket.
- Discount Codes. You can leverage promotional and discount codes to incentivize people to make a decision now, or simply make your events more appealing for others. This is also practical if you want to sell out events close to deadlines.
- Contact Profiles & Contact List. Event Espresso 4 provides you with the tools to understand who your clients are and how you’ve done past business with them. Your Contact Profile section records the name, biography, contact information, event registration data, private comments, etc. about each registrant.
- Waiting Lists. Prospective attendees can join a waiting list if your event is sold out. Additionally, you can make it a requirement wait-list registrants pre-pay if you plan to add more capacity for your event.
- Public Commenting. Add social engagement to your event by allowing potential registrants to interact with you online via commenting and past customers to post feedback that can help others choose whether or not to register. Moderation settings for comments are configured via the WordPress default commenting section.
- Draft (status) Events. Draft events let you develop your event page over multiple work sessions without displaying it live on your website. You can work on your event pages until you are ready to take things live, or schedule to publish your event page at a future time and date.
- Easy Event Management. Event Espresso puts event managers in complete control of every aspect of your event’s registration and ticketing, and lets you automate the process with event management tools that include staff and venue management, customizable event designs, payment processing and handling, wait lists, attendee limits, print-ready tickets and more.
- Default Tickets. If you create similar tickets for your events, you can easily set up as your default ticket for the next event simply by checking a box.
- WYSIWYG Editor. Event Espresso uses the built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor, so you can quickly and easily add images and format your event descriptions without having to know HTML or CSS, just like any standard WordPress post or page.
- One-Click Updating. Event Espresso provides simple 1-click plugin updating to make sure that you have the latest features and to keep your software installation working with the latest version of WordPress.
- Invoice Payment Reminders. Follow-up potential event customers who have not paid in full for their registration with a standard but personalized PDF invoice with just one click of a button. Your invoices will reference pre-registered attendees who have not paid their registration yet by name, give them the amount owing, and include links to the event, a payment url and a url where they can download the invoice.
- Categorize Events. If you have multiple event types such as free and paid, conference speakers and breakout sessions, different kinds of courses, etc. you can categorize these to make it easier for event attendees to find what they’re searching for. You can display all the events in a category on a custom event category page, make events searchable by category, and colour-code your events on the Event Espresso events calendar to make them easier to find, in addition to suggesting other events in the categories that appeal to your existing customers.
Extra features include:
- Hooks, Actions And Filters. These features allow web-based software developers to implement safer and more reliable customizations and extensions to the Event Espresso plugin that are compatible with the WordPress development platform.
- Metabox Management & Organization. Event Espresso lets you leverage the WordPress user interface, which brings the ability to organize the user interface to match your workflow. Each control box can be collapsed, re-arranged or completely deleted from the workflow configuration.
- Flexibility, Autonomy & Value: Event Espresso states on their website that their mission is to “empower business and organization leaders with the event registration, ticketing and management tools that maximize the success of events.” To achieve their mission, 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 40+ additional features, including:
- Email shortcodes that includes customer data in emails and email newsletters.
- Default surcharge (similar to applying a service tax to tickets).
- Option to skip the confirmation page in registration.
Event Espresso Add-Ons
As mentioned previously, Event Espresso provides “add-ons”, which allow end-users to significantly enhance the capabilities of managing an event.
Some of these addons include:
- EE4 Events Grid Template Addon: Displays events in a pure CSS grid-like structure using the featured image. Hovering over the image will display further information. If the event does not have a featured image, it will use a default image.
- Recurring Events Drop-down Custom Template Add on: The Recurring Events Drop-down custom template organizes events with multiple datetimes into a dropdown list.
- Events Category Accordion Template Add-on: The Category Accordion template displays event categories as a simple list. Clicking on a category name shows the events associated with that category and closes any previously open categories.
- Social Media Buttons Add-on: The social media add-on displays Facebook, Twitter and Google+ buttons in your events. The Social Media addon is included free with any of the Event Espresso support licenses.
- Custom Files Addon: The Custom Files addon allows you to bypass certain aspects of the plugin.
- 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 ideal for venues and events such as theaters, concert halls, play houses, sports arenas and stadiums. The Seating Chart add on lets you promote reserved or assigned seating to your events and venues from your WordPress website. The Seating Chart add on lets you control the experience for your customers and design assigned seating charts and attach a single price to each seat.
- Multi-Event Registration Addon: 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 shopping 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.
- EE4 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 Addon: With the Event Espresso 4 Infusionsoft integration all-in-one sales and marketing plugin add-on, 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: The Event Espresso development team is continually adding new features and improvements to its software, including new add ons.
For more information about the newest Event Espreso features and addons, check out the plugin here:
Customers – Testimonials
Here are a few of the many testimonials that satisfied customers have written about Event Espresso:
”My clients have used Event Espresso for Transportation (Cadet Bus for leave), Parties (tailgates and brewery tours), and Horse-back riding lessons and camps. What a terrific plug-in and fantastic support from Seth!” Nina, Blue Iris Web Design
”I have to say that it has been the right choice for me…I’ve been extremely pleased with the way my site is working.” Robin, RobinTime
”Loving the functions and support from Event Espresso. One of the best plugins I’ve ever bought!” Nathan
Plugin Tips
Whether you are an education services provider, trainer, festival planner, or event consultant, there are just countless possibilities of what you can achieve with the Event Espresso plugin.
After downloading your copy of the plugin and becoming a licensed owner, go through the user forum for inspiration and practical ways to streamline your event management and registration process or enhance the experience of your attendees.
Plugin Support
Event Espresso is fully compatible with other WP plugins and themes that follow standard WordPress coding guidelines. If you find that you need support with the plugin, however, you will find that Event Espresso provides excellent user support, as so many of its clients attest:
”By far, the customer service experience with Event Espresso has been the best of any WordPress Theme or Paid Plugin that I’ve used in the past two years!” Megan Murray, Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe
Event Espresso provides incredible support that includes access to support forums, in-depth online documentation with faqs, knowledgebase and how tos, email 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 a well-staffed team of experienced WordPress web developers with a proven track record of support, so this is definitely software you can rely on to manage your events.
Plugin Pricing
Event Espresso is available in a number of editions, including a FREE basic edition (named Event Espresso Decaf). For personal support and advanced software features, however, you need to consider downloading one of the paid plugin versions below:
- Personal Licensing – This allows you to install Event Espresso on 1 site only. Pricing includes 51+ Premium features, (add ons sold separately) and one year of upgrades and support. Cost = $69.95.
- Everything License Edition – This allows you to install Event Espresso on 1 domain only. Includes 51+ Premium features, 29 Premium add ons and one year of upgrades and support. Price = $279.95.
- Developer License – This enables you to configure Event Espresso on five domains. Pricing includes 51+ Premium features, (add-ons sold separately) and one year of upgrades and support. Price = $249.95.
The price of the Event Espresso plugin depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Presently, the software sells for the prices shown above. Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing details: Event Espresso – Event Manager And Ticketing Registration Software For WordPress
Note: The above reflects the pricing at the time this review was written. This may not be the actual price charged by the plugin author when you visit the website.
Additional Plugin Info
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.
Look up the software’s online documentation pages for answers to common questions about setting up and using Event Espresso, and visit the support forums for questions related to your specific situation, or to report errors and share feedback.
For all installation and support documentation, demos, downloads, videos, tutorials, FAQ and more, visit the Event Espresso product website.
We Recommend
Event Espresso is the preferred WordPress event registration and ticketing management plugin, used by thousands of WP users.
If you are a WordPress user and you plan to run an event that involves scheduling dates, times and venues, booking participants, or selling tickets or seating, then you will probably not find a more suitable software for your needs than Event Espresso.
For full details, check out the plugin here: Event Espresso – WordPress Event Management And Ticket Registration Software
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