At Event Manager Blog we love event startups. We keep an eye on the hottest and most innovative services to help you running a better event. Here are 10 freshly brewed startups to inspire your next event planning and promotion.
The recent experience of Event Tech Circus has reinvigorated my thirst for event innovation.
It is an unprecedented time for the event industry. While most pundits are focussing on technology from 2009, the real action is happening in the startup ecosystem.
More tech experts, developers and young entrepreneurs are coming up with smart ideas to solve issues eventprofs have to deal with every day.
The growing number of players in the event technology arena should be the news on each and every publication talking about events.
Whenever I research these posts, I experience a unique feeling of excitement. I immediately start thinking about who is going to be the next major player, what service will be the next killer app.
If you are an event professional check these guys out, try their services and learn about what we are capable of through technology. Keeping yourself informed is the first step to a more innovative event.
GruupMeet
The service is still in closed beta but I am really anxious to test it out. I tend not to publish too many closed betas in these round-ups because I want you to have readily available services.
I made an exception for GruupMeet because the idea makes so much sense. That is usually an indicator of success.
GruupMeet aims to simplify the communication process between DMCs and Event Professionals through a dedicated mobile app.
That is grand. I love when startuppers think out of the box and try to solve problems from different angles. This is definitely the case of GruupMeet. DMC/Planner communication is an often overlooked problem of the industry and lord knows if we need more tools to smooth things out!
So very well done and I am anxious to see how the implementation will look like.
EventWith
Some people say that the success of a startup is in how easily the name conveys the value of the service. I could immediately tell what EventWith is about.
Collaborative planning is becoming quite hot and Facebook Events growth is powering this small revolution. Eventwith helps you to quickly decide when the event happens, who brings what and budgeting needs.
There are interesting ideas such as shared checklist. All in all the service is very simple and surely something I have already covered on this blog, but the user experience seems to be one step ahead compared to other players.
Calen.do
If you read this blog regularly, you would know that event discovery is on fire. Calen.do is the latest player to enter the scene.
The team developed a prediction engine that accurately (at least they say) suggests relevant events to attend.
The system scans thousands of events to present users with the perfect match according to interests and location.
Tint
One of the most searched posts of this blog ever was on how to visualize Twitter at events (bear in mind this was 4 years ago).
That is why I am presenting you with an easy way to display most feeds on whatever display you prefer.
Tint does just that. Be it Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest or indeed Twitter, Tint displays the stream in a super neat way.
It looks like this platform ticks all the boxes when it gets to displaying social at events. Analytics, Moderation, Facebook Tab embed.
Like!
Boomset
Boomset is mostly a guest check-in application for events. That alone would have maybe not attracted my attention.
The fact they also offer badge printing and on the spot donations through Paypal or Stripe did. They feature an interesting group messaging twist that lets you quickly alert the rest of your team when a VIP enters the room.
They also nailed their pricing with a very accessible 99$/event basic package that gives you unlimited guests capabilities. Given the nature of our business that is very welcome.
PicWithUs
Weddings and private events are growing as tech-powered shared experiences. While most of the industry tends to focus on meetings and conferences, often times we forget about the massive weight that weddings and private gatherings have.
PicWithUs clearly understood this opportunity and created a platform where attendees could easily share pictures with the host. Raise your hand if you haven’t experienced the hassle of chasing attendees to collect their pictures.
PicWithUs gives you a temporary email where guests can send their work of art. Then you can display them in a neat slideshow in real time or with moderation.
The pricing starts at a very accessible 30$ per event.
Photomadic
Photo booths are a hot trend of 2013. Enter Photomadic a new player in the scene.
Photomadic brings a cool looking booth to your event powered by a DSLR camera, a large touchscreen and 2 iPads to interact with pictures.
The features available are really hot. Things like custom graphics, custom Facebook album, Twitter or email message are available. The three screens make sure that while some guests take pictures others can interact with their shot.
We are not on the cheap side here as we are talking hardware, but nevertheless worth exploring.
Muzeek
Another cool trend of 2013 is event marketplaces. Muzeek is a prime example on how to focus on a niche and implement a kick ass solution.
While I suggested to cut the middlemen in my presentation, Muzeek talks to venues, artists and the middlemen, with the objective to stimulate interaction for amazing music events.
Artists can easily use the Muzeek “Book” button all over the web to get booked for a concert. Muzeek solves the invoicing and payment nightmare that artists often times do not want to be bothered with.
Venues can quickly skim through artists and learn more about them in a more organized MySpace.
Middlemen can easily manage multiple bookings and venue availability. Impressive.
Froomz
I had the chance to talk to Yan, CEO of Froomz. She is a talented entrepreneur in SFO powering a strong player in the venue search engine war.
I could not think of any other way to define what is happening in venue booking. Some people say that online venue searching and RFP is creating more confusion than value. While this may be true there is always value in comparing and researching several options.
I call that saving money.
Froomz adds a personal touch by going a step forward. They give you real time availability and instant booking via credit card.
Is That It? I Want More!
I have 789 Event Startups collected for you in a massive Pinterest Board.
How do you get added? How do you make it to one of these roundups? The best way is to follow me on @EventMB on Twitter. Your Twitter bio is your pitch, so try to nail it!
Now Go and Share It
Want to help out these guys bring more innovation to the industry? Then share this article. The more people read it, the more all of us will spend time talking about it.
It’s a virtuous cycle worth fuelling!
