Do you currently run or plan to run events that need co-ordinating bookings or registrations, such as workshops, training courses, charity fundraisers, networking conferences, or even a big event such as a music festival, a sporting or religious event, or any kind of event where people need to book to attend or participate?
Co-ordinating event sign-ups is a time-consuming process. You have to manage scheduling, dates, participant numbers, data entry, payment processing and invoicing, confirmations, reminders, cancellations … perhaps even accommodating special requests and providing tickets to event participants.
There are lots of advantages to setting up an online event registration system. It can streamline your business processes, save time and reduce costs, help you easily replicate repeat events, give event managers more control, create a more enjoyable customer experience and grow your sales.
The problem is that this can be quite expensive.
The good news is that if you run a WordPress-based digital presence, you can set up a very inexpensive and highly professional online event registration solution.
Introducing …
Event Espresso – Event Registration And Ticket Manager
Plugin Description
The Event Espresso online event registration WordPress plugin enables you to easily create your event and begin accepting online bookings in just a few minutes.
(Set up multiple events and take online registrations with Event Espresso)
Event Espresso is a feature-rich plugin that gives you complete control of your event registration management process.
Create custom registration forms
You can employ several event registration strategies, from simple online sign-ups and straight up ticket-selling, to setting up custom registration forms for collecting detailed information about your event participants, or integrating your event bookings with an autoresponder system for ongoing follow-ups.
View detailed information about your event attendees
Note: At the time of writing this article, Event Espresso supports two different versions of their plugin: Event Espresso 3 and EE 4. The new EE 4 is completely different than the older Event Espresso 3, as it has been revamped using a different structure to accommodate future growth. The EE 4 plugin software has different features, user interface, data structure, coding method and price. The developers aim to eventually phase out Event Espresso 3, so keep this in mind as you read more about this plugin.
Learn more here:
Benefits
Here are just some of the many 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 existing web site into a fully-featured and automated event management site … from custom registration forms and automated emails, to seating capacity limits, multiple price options and discount codes, to printable tickets and even seating charts.
Higher Business Productivity
By using a web-based event registration system like Event Espresso, you save time and increase your business productivity by literally eliminating the chore of processing registrations manually.
Basically, you are facilitating participants to register by themselves.
Letting your enrollees to do all of the data entry frees up your time and lets you spend more attention on delivering a memorable event.
Full Control Over The User Experience
As you will learn shortly, Event Espresso gives you complete control over the event management and booking process that you want your users to experience.
Additional benefits of the plugin include:
- Lower Costs: The Event Espresso plugin gives you a very low cost online event registration management solution compared to other options or using a third party provider. This is made possible by using a model where users purchase the core plugin (which suits the needs of most users) and then buy addons only if you need new functionality.
- Increased Sales: Event Espresso allows you to accept online bookings 24/7. In addition, Event Espresso social sharing and marketing features (see below) let people who are interested in attending your event invite others who may also be interested in attending.
- Paperless Event Sign-Up Process: With Event Espresso, your event booking process is kept entirely online, eliminating traditional paper waste from tasks related to admin and record-storage.
- Own Your Data. You control all the data you acquire from event attendees.
Event Espresso Features
The Event Espresso plugin delivers functionality to its users through standard features (these are included with the plugin) and additional features that you can purchase, called add-ons.
Event Espresso offers many built-in to site owners. Here are just some of these:
- Fast and simple to install and use. Ready to start using in minutes.
- Multiple Times and Dates Per Event. In Event Espresso 4, events can have many dates and times (datetimes), that these can be managed from a single event.
- Customizable Event Page Designs. Customize your events and signup page using Event Espresso’s unlimited template options and parts, as well as HTML and/or CSS.
- Collect Payments. Event Espresso integrates with leading payment gateways, enabling you to collect registration fees before running the events.
- Smart Single Page Checkout. The Event Espresso 4 checkout process is fast and intuitive. Registrants are given the option to automatically duplicate the primary registrant’s details for any added attendees.
- Default Prices. Create events quickly and easily with pre-configured default ticket pricing.
- In-App Documentation. Event Espresso 4 includes 3 detailed in-app documentation systems: Help Tours, Help Tabs and Tool Tips.
- Contact Profiles & Contact List. Event Espresso 4 provides you with the tools to know who your customers are and how they have done business with you.
- Admin Pre-approval. Be selective about who can register for your events.
- Public Commenting. Add social a new level of engagement to your events by encouraging potential prospects to ask questions about your event and past attendees to post reviews that can help others consider whether or not to register. Moderation settings for public commenting are specified using the WP default commenting section.
- Optimized For The Most Up-To-Date WordPress Version. The Event Espresso 4 user interface follows the WordPress guidelines to help you create aesthetically beautiful event pages that are easier to use and mobile-friendly.
- Your Organization Settings. Configure your organization’s profile to display throughout Event Espresso and your front-end templates. The organization information include: company name, address, city, state, country, zip code, email, telephone, VAT/tax number, logo, Facebook URL, Twitter URL, LinkedIn profile URL, Pinterest profile URL, Google+ URL, Instagram URL.
- Default Tickets. If you find yourself creating similar tickets for your events, you can set up as your default ticket for the next event simply by ticking a checkbox.
- WYSIWYG Editor. Event Espresso uses the built-in WordPress Visual editor, so you can quickly and easily insert photos and stylize your content without knowing HTML or CSS, just like any other WP post.
- Automatic Plugin Updates. Event Espresso offers easy 1-click software updating to ensure that you have the newest features and to keep your installation up-to-date with the latest version of WordPress.
- Team Member Manager. Save time and keep your information organized by reusing staff member profiles for multiple events or displaying profile information such as staff member’s contact information, resume and photo using a shortcode in your event description.
- Accurate Attendee Management. You have control of your attendees’ details; who has registered, for what event and how much they paid. With the attendee manager, you can get an overview of registered participants and their payment status, easily add/edit attendee records and payments, export an attendee list to an Excel spreadsheet for additional uses, send customized payment reminders and receipts and communicate with your customers individually or collectively.
Additional features include:
- Hooks, Actions & Filters. These allow web developers to implement safer and more reliable customizations and extensions to the Event Espresso application that are compatible with the WordPress development platform.
- Maintenance Mode. You can pause registration capabilities for normal site visitors whenever you need to make updates on your site. You can continue to work on the back-end of your site during maintenance mode.
- Autonomy, Flexibility And Value For Money: According to the mission statement on their website, Event Espresso’s aim 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 company operates on a modular that provides users with great autonomy and flexibility and delivers value for money in the process.
The premium version of Event Espresso also includes 40+ additional features, including:
- Email shortcodes that includes registrant data in notification emails and updates.
- Default surcharge (similar to applying a service fee to all tickets).
- Default payment status.
Addons
As mentioned earlier, Event Espresso provides “add-ons”, which allow customers to significantly enhance the functionality of managing an event.
Some of these add-ons include:
- Events Vector Maps Template Addon: The Vector Maps custom events list template allows you to display scheduled events by location. There are 4 maps available: USA, UK, Canada and Australia.
- Recurring Events Dropdown Custom Template Add-on: The Recurring Events Drop-down custom template lets you organize multiple datetime events into a dropdown list.
- Events Category Accordion Template Add-on: The Category Accordion template displays categories in a simple list. Clicking on a category name displays the events associated with that category and closes 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 add-on is included free with all of the Event Espresso support licenses.
- WP User Integration: The WP User Integration addon lets you take full advantage of the WP user system. With the WP User Integration addon you can give your users a special incentive by offering member prices and overriding event prices when your members are logged in. You can even set up member-only events where only registered site users can have access to these special events. Members can also store personal information into their profile page allowing them to quickly register for events by auto-filling in the personal information on the event registration form. Users can also look up previous events and pay for new events.
- Seating Chart Add on: The seating chart add on is 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 offer reserved or assigned seating to your events and venues directly from your WordPress website. The Seating Chart add-on lets you control the environment for your customers and design assigned seating charts and attach a single price to every seat.
- Event Ticketing & Bar Scanning Addon: The Ticketing add-on gives you the ability to create tickets with bar codes. The Bar Scanning add on gives you the capacity to scan ticket bar codes. The ticketing addon includes the ability to customize event tickets. Multiple bar code types are included for handling check-in scans at venues. Registrants can either print out their tickets or display them on their mobile devices. The barcode scanner can be used for checking in or checking out registrants and to validate tickets.
- EE4 Events Calendar Add-on: This WordPress events calendar displays events and categories of events in an attractive graphical calendar.
- MailChimp Integration Addon: The MailChimp addon allows you to automatically register attendees to a selected autoresponder list or group within your MailChimp account.
Note: Event Espresso regularly adds new features and improvements to its plugin, including new add-ons.
To learn more about the newest Event Espreso features and add ons, visit the plugin website here:
Customer Feedback
Here are some of the many testimonials that satisfied users have posted about Event Espresso:
”Event Espresso is one of the nicest Event Managers (WP Plugin) I have come across.” Joe Distefano, Citizen Joe
”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
Event Espresso Tips
Whether you are an education services provider, teacher, conference planner, or event consultant, there are just countless possibilities of what you can achieve with the Event Espresso plugin.
After downloading the plugin and becoming a registered user, search the support forum for inspiration and practical ways to improve your event management and registration process and enhance the experience of your registrants.
Product Support
Event Espresso works with with all WordPress plugins and themes that follow standard WordPress coding rules. If you find that you need support with the plugin, however, you will find that Event Espresso provides great user support, as many of its customers attest:
”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 comprehensive support with access to support forums, comprehensive online documentation with faqs, knowledge base and how tos, one-on-one 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 web developers with a solid track record of support, so this is definitely a plugin you can rely on to manage your events.
Product License Cost
Event Espresso is available in various plugin editions, including a FREE basic edition (called Event Espresso Decaf). For personal support and advanced plugin features, however, you should consider purchasing one of the ”Pro” plugin versions below:
- Personal License – This allows you to configure Event Espresso on one domain only. Includes 51+ Premium features, (add ons sold separately) and 1 year of upgrades and support. Cost = $69.95.
- Everything Edition – This allows you to set up Event Espresso on 1 site only. Includes 51+ Premium features, 29 Premium add-ons and 1 year of upgrades and support. Cost = $279.95.
- Developer License – This license option allows you to configure Event Espresso on five sites. Price includes 51+ Premium features, (add-ons sold separately) and 1 year of upgrades and support. Price = $249.95.
The cost of purchasing the Event Espresso plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Presently, the software is being retailed for the prices shown above. Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details: Event Espresso – Event Espresso
Please Note: The pricing above was current when this article was written. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the plugin author when you visit the site.
Additional Info
Event Espresso regularly adds new features and improvements to the software. Make sure to stay subscribed to their customer update list to receive the latest information and updates.
Look up the software’s online documentation pages for answers to common questions about setup and using Event Espresso, and the support forums if you have questions related to your specific situation, or to notify developers about issues and share feedback.
For all documentation, demos, downloads, videos, tutorials, FAQ and more, visit the Event Espresso website.
The Bottom Line
Event Espresso is the preferred WordPress event booking and ticketing manager plugin, used by thousands of event managers.
If you are a WordPress user and you intend to run events that require scheduling dates and venues, enrolling attendees, or booking seating, then you will probably not find a more suitable solution for your needs than Event Espresso.
For more details, visit the plugin website: Event Espresso – Event Manager And Ticket Registration System For WordPress
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