[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":2303},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-list":3},[4,174,367,580,930,1362,1910],{"id":5,"title":6,"author":7,"body":8,"date":159,"description":160,"extension":161,"image":162,"meta":163,"navigation":164,"path":165,"readingTime":166,"seo":167,"stem":168,"tags":169,"__hash__":173},"content\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-experience-behind-eventgen.md","The Experience Behind EventGen — and Why It's a Brand-New Platform","EventGen Team",{"type":9,"value":10,"toc":150},"minimark",[11,15,18,23,26,29,32,36,39,42,45,49,52,75,78,82,85,111,114,118,121,124,127],[12,13,14],"p",{},"Choosing an event platform is an act of trust. You're handing it your registration, your attendees' data, and a real chunk of your event's success. So it's fair to ask who's behind EventGen — and why a brand-new platform is worth that trust.",[12,16,17],{},"The short answer is the team. EventGen was created by people who have spent nearly two decades building event and networking technology for some of the most demanding organisers in the world.",[19,20,22],"h2",{"id":21},"nearly-two-decades-of-event-networking","Nearly two decades of event networking",[12,24,25],{},"Since 2006, our team has been building event and networking technology and working closely with serious event organisers. Over that time, networking software from our team has been used by major organisations — including Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Gartner and ACI North America, among many others — to run their events and connect the right people to each other.",[12,27,28],{},"To be clear, that's our heritage, not a customer roster: those organisations relied on our team's earlier networking technology, not EventGen itself. What carried over into EventGen is the experience — not the old product.",[12,30,31],{},"That's a long time to spend on one problem. Long enough to learn how events are actually run: where organisers get stuck, what a sensible default looks like, why hosted-buyer programmes succeed or stall, how registration, scheduling, and networking really fit together. That hard-won understanding is the credibility behind a platform that is otherwise brand new.",[19,33,35],{"id":34},"why-we-built-something-new-instead-of-iterating","Why we built something new instead of iterating",[12,37,38],{},"The obvious path would have been to keep extending what already existed. We chose not to.",[12,40,41],{},"The ground had shifted too far. AI can now genuinely build an event for you, not just answer questions about it. Cloud infrastructure makes a full-featured platform affordable to deliver without enterprise-scale overhead. And organisers increasingly expect to sign up and get going themselves, without a sales process or an implementation project.",[12,43,44],{},"Capturing all of that properly meant starting fresh — designing every part of the platform to be set up by AI and run self-service, rather than bolting modern ideas onto older foundations. So EventGen goes well beyond anything we've built before. It's a generation ahead in capability, and it was designed that way deliberately.",[19,46,48],{"id":47},"what-the-experience-gives-you","What the experience gives you",[12,50,51],{},"Experience isn't a logo on a page — it's something you should be able to feel in the product. Ours shows up in the details:",[53,54,55,63,69],"ul",{},[56,57,58,62],"li",{},[59,60,61],"strong",{},"Sensible defaults and golden templates"," for conferences, exhibitions, galas, workshops, and weddings — starting points shaped by years of seeing what works.",[56,64,65,68],{},[59,66,67],{},"A networking engine that reflects how B2B events really run"," — hosted-buyer (curated) matchmaking and open networking in one platform, with wishlists, a preliminary review step before schedules go live, team booths with concurrency, and conflict resolution that explains itself.",[56,70,71,74],{},[59,72,73],{},"An AI assistant that knows the right order to do things"," — that a hosted-buyer programme needs groups, relationships, matching criteria, wishlists, and scheduling rules, and creates them correctly.",[12,76,77],{},"Two decades of learning is baked into the platform's defaults and into the guidance the AI gives you.",[19,79,81],{"id":80},"whats-genuinely-new","What's genuinely new",[12,83,84],{},"Alongside that experience, EventGen brings together a depth of capability that has typically required enterprise contracts and implementation teams — now available self-service, and free to start:",[53,86,87,93,105],{},[56,88,89,92],{},[59,90,91],{},"AI that builds your event"," — registration, portal, networking, and communications — from a description or your website URL.",[56,94,95,98,99,104],{},[59,96,97],{},"Self-onboarding"," — no demos, no consultants, no implementation project. You build it yourself, guided by AI, in minutes. (",[100,101,103],"a",{"href":102},"\u002Fblog\u002Fai-self-onboarding-no-implementation-team","More on that here.",")",[56,106,107,110],{},[59,108,109],{},"A branded event website",", omnichannel communications, payments, and programme management — all in one platform, on every plan.",[12,112,113],{},"Having all of this in a single, self-service platform — with full networking included even on the free plan — is rare. That combination is what's new.",[19,115,117],{"id":116},"the-point","The point",[12,119,120],{},"The platform is new. The experience behind it is not. That's the whole idea: take nearly twenty years of understanding how events and networking actually work, and rebuild it from scratch as something far more capable, far more accessible, and genuinely AI-native.",[12,122,123],{},"You don't have to take the experience on faith, either — the free plan includes every feature, so you can judge the product on its own merits.",[125,126],"hr",{},[12,128,129],{},[130,131,132,133,139,140,144,145,149],"em",{},"Want to see what that experience produced? ",[100,134,138],{"href":135,"rel":136},"https:\u002F\u002Fdashboard.eventgen.ai\u002Fsignup",[137],"nofollow","Sign up free"," — no demo, no sales call. Or read ",[100,141,143],{"href":142},"\u002Fabout","more about why we built EventGen"," and ",[100,146,148],{"href":147},"\u002Fproduct","explore the product",".",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":153},"",2,[154,155,156,157,158],{"id":21,"depth":152,"text":22},{"id":34,"depth":152,"text":35},{"id":47,"depth":152,"text":48},{"id":80,"depth":152,"text":81},{"id":116,"depth":152,"text":117},"2026-06-26","EventGen was created by the team behind networking technology trusted by major organisers since 2006. Here's where that experience comes from — and why it makes a brand-new platform one you can trust.","md",null,{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-experience-behind-eventgen",6,{"title":6,"description":160},"blog\u002Fthe-experience-behind-eventgen",[170,171,172],"our story","experience","company","dD9WsjrBkk_GhwfUtLkQIUXYbF2x0ndtlGHiTKVWfdE",{"id":175,"title":176,"author":7,"body":177,"date":356,"description":357,"extension":161,"image":162,"meta":358,"navigation":164,"path":102,"readingTime":359,"seo":360,"stem":361,"tags":362,"__hash__":366},"content\u002Fblog\u002Fai-self-onboarding-no-implementation-team.md","AI Self-Onboarding: No Demos, No Consultants, No Implementation Team",{"type":9,"value":178,"toc":349},[179,182,189,193,196,222,225,229,232,235,262,269,273,280,306,309,313,321,325,328,331,333],[12,180,181],{},"There's a step in buying enterprise event software that nobody advertises: onboarding. Before you can run a single event, you book a demo, wait for a quote, sign a contract, and then hand your event over to an implementation team who configures it for you — over a period of weeks, billed as professional services.",[12,183,184,185,188],{},"It's so normal that the industry stopped questioning it. We did question it. ",[59,186,187],{},"AI self-onboarding"," is our answer: you sign up, and the AI guides you through building the event yourself, in minutes — no demo, no consultant, no implementation project.",[19,190,192],{"id":191},"what-onboarding-really-costs","What \"onboarding\" really costs",[12,194,195],{},"On most enterprise platforms, onboarding isn't a quick tutorial. It's a project:",[53,197,198,204,210,216],{},[56,199,200,203],{},[59,201,202],{},"A demo and a sales cycle"," before you get access at all — typically weeks.",[56,205,206,209],{},[59,207,208],{},"An implementation fee"," — professional services to build your first event, often £2,000–£10,000.",[56,211,212,215],{},[59,213,214],{},"A waiting period"," — 4–12 weeks between signing and going live while their team configures registration, portals, and workflows.",[56,217,218,221],{},[59,219,220],{},"A dependency"," — when you need a change later, you raise a ticket and wait, because the people who know how it's set up work for the vendor.",[12,223,224],{},"You pay for the software, and then you pay again — in money and time — for the privilege of using it. And at the end, the knowledge of how your event is built lives with someone else.",[19,226,228],{"id":227},"the-self-onboarding-alternative","The self-onboarding alternative",[12,230,231],{},"Self-onboarding flips the model. The platform is responsible for making setup so easy that you don't need anyone to do it for you. At EventGen, that responsibility falls to the AI assistant.",[12,233,234],{},"Here's what it looks like in practice:",[236,237,238,244,250,256],"ol",{},[56,239,240,243],{},[59,241,242],{},"Sign up free."," No demo, no sales call, no contract, no credit card. You're in the dashboard immediately.",[56,245,246,249],{},[59,247,248],{},"Choose how to start."," Paste your event website URL, describe your event in plain language, or start from a pre-built template. The AI extracts what it can and clones the golden template that best fits your event — so you begin from a working configuration, not a blank page.",[56,251,252,255],{},[59,253,254],{},"The AI builds it — and you approve as it goes."," It works in confirmed batches, proposing up to eight actions at a time. Read-only steps happen automatically; anything that creates or changes data waits for your approval. You watch registration types, portal pages, networking, and communications take shape, and you confirm each batch before it runs.",[56,257,258,261],{},[59,259,260],{},"Refine in plain language."," \"Add a T-shirt-size field.\" \"Make sponsors require approval.\" \"Change the brand colour to #1A365D.\" The AI proposes the next batch, you approve, it's done.",[12,263,264,265,268],{},"There's no separate \"implementation phase\" because building the event ",[130,266,267],{},"is"," the onboarding. By the time your event is live, you already know how it's put together — because you approved every step.",[19,270,272],{"id":271},"why-guided-beats-hand-built-and-beats-done-for-you","Why guided beats hand-built — and beats done-for-you",[12,274,275,276,279],{},"Self-onboarding only works if the guidance is genuinely good. A blank dashboard with a \"good luck\" message isn't self-service; it's abandonment. The difference is that the AI does the heavy lifting ",[130,277,278],{},"while"," teaching you the platform:",[53,281,282,288,294,300],{},[56,283,284,287],{},[59,285,286],{},"Speed."," Setup that took weeks takes minutes. Changes that needed a support ticket happen in a sentence.",[56,289,290,293],{},[59,291,292],{},"Cost."," No professional-services line item. The work an implementation team charges thousands for is done by the AI, included in every plan.",[56,295,296,299],{},[59,297,298],{},"Control."," You're not waiting on anyone. You make a change and see it immediately — before, during, and after the event.",[56,301,302,305],{},[59,303,304],{},"Understanding."," Because you confirmed each step, you can maintain and evolve the event yourself instead of depending on the vendor.",[12,307,308],{},"And because every feature is included on the free plan — registration, networking, portal, and communications — you can onboard yourself completely and test a real event before paying anything.",[19,310,312],{"id":311},"where-a-human-still-helps","Where a human still helps",[12,314,315,316,320],{},"Honesty matters here, so it's worth being clear about the edges. AI self-onboarding is built for setting up and running your events. If you're migrating years of historical data from a legacy platform, or you want a second pair of eyes on a complex hosted-buyer programme, that's a conversation worth having — and you can reach us at ",[100,317,319],{"href":318},"mailto:info@eventgen.ai","info@eventgen.ai",". The difference is that help is an option, not a toll gate you must pass through before you can begin.",[19,322,324],{"id":323},"experience-distilled-into-guidance","Experience, distilled into guidance",[12,326,327],{},"It's fair to ask: if there's no implementation team, where does the expertise go? The answer is that it's built into the product. EventGen was created by the team behind networking technology used for nearly two decades by large organisers. Two decades of learning how events are actually set up — what trips organisers up, what a sensible default looks like, which steps depend on which — is exactly what shapes the AI's guidance and the golden templates it starts from.",[12,329,330],{},"The platform is new. The experience behind the onboarding is not. That's the point of self-onboarding: it puts that experience in your hands directly, instead of renting it back to you as a service.",[125,332],{},[12,334,335],{},[130,336,337,338,341,342,144,345,149],{},"Ready to onboard yourself in minutes? ",[100,339,138],{"href":135,"rel":340},[137]," — no demo, no consultant, no contract. Or ",[100,343,344],{"href":147},"see the full product",[100,346,348],{"href":347},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsetting-up-your-first-event-in-5-minutes","how the five-minute setup works",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":350},[351,352,353,354,355],{"id":191,"depth":152,"text":192},{"id":227,"depth":152,"text":228},{"id":271,"depth":152,"text":272},{"id":311,"depth":152,"text":312},{"id":323,"depth":152,"text":324},"2026-06-25","Enterprise event platforms make you earn the right to use them — demos, contracts, and weeks of implementation. Here's how AI self-onboarding replaces all of that, and why it works.",{},7,{"title":176,"description":357},"blog\u002Fai-self-onboarding-no-implementation-team",[187,363,364,365],"self-service","onboarding","getting started","KlDurLYY8Lo1XH-2e4CzG9YF1a-I0kCss1shSI5oRUY",{"id":368,"title":369,"author":370,"body":371,"date":573,"description":574,"extension":161,"image":162,"meta":575,"navigation":164,"path":576,"readingTime":162,"seo":577,"stem":578,"tags":162,"__hash__":579},"content\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-ai-powered-event-management-is-the-future.md","Why AI-Powered Event Management Is the Future","[object Object]",{"type":9,"value":372,"toc":565},[373,376,379,383,386,403,410,413,416,420,423,430,462,465,469,472,478,484,490,493,497,500,506,512,516,519,524,529,535,541,545,548,551,554,556],[12,374,375],{},"The event management industry has a dirty secret: most \"innovation\" in the last decade has been cosmetic. Better-looking dashboards, slightly faster page loads, maybe a mobile app. The core workflow — manually creating registration forms, hand-building event websites, configuring email sequences one by one — hasn't meaningfully changed since Cvent launched in 1999.",[12,377,378],{},"That's about to end.",[19,380,382],{"id":381},"the-manual-setup-problem","The manual setup problem",[12,384,385],{},"Setting up a mid-sized conference today typically involves:",[53,387,388,391,394,397,400],{},[56,389,390],{},"Creating 3–5 registration types with different fields and flows",[56,392,393],{},"Building a branded event portal with multiple pages",[56,395,396],{},"Configuring networking groups, time slots, and scheduling rules",[56,398,399],{},"Writing email templates for confirmation, reminders, and follow-ups",[56,401,402],{},"Setting up payment processing with tickets and add-ons",[12,404,405,406,409],{},"Even on the best platforms, this takes ",[59,407,408],{},"days of focused work",". On enterprise platforms, it takes weeks — and often requires the vendor's professional services team to do it for you.",[12,411,412],{},"The irony? Most of this work is repetitive. The registration form for a 500-person tech conference looks remarkably similar to last year's. The networking configuration follows predictable patterns. The email templates use the same structures with different content.",[12,414,415],{},"This is exactly the kind of work AI is built to handle.",[19,417,419],{"id":418},"what-ai-actually-does-not-what-you-think","What AI actually does (not what you think)",[12,421,422],{},"When most people hear \"AI in events,\" they think chatbots. A floating widget that answers attendee questions about the venue or agenda. That's useful, but it's a thin layer on top of the same manual platform.",[12,424,425,426,429],{},"Real AI-powered event management is fundamentally different. It means AI that ",[59,427,428],{},"executes"," — not just advises. At EventGen, our AI assistant performs over 140 confirmed actions across the dashboard:",[53,431,432,438,444,450,456],{},[56,433,434,437],{},[59,435,436],{},"Creates"," registration types, custom fields, and multi-step approval flows",[56,439,440,443],{},[59,441,442],{},"Builds"," portal pages with layouts, widgets, and branded styling",[56,445,446,449],{},[59,447,448],{},"Configures"," hosted-buyer networking with groups, relationships, and scheduling rules",[56,451,452,455],{},[59,453,454],{},"Drafts"," email, SMS, and WhatsApp templates matched to your event's style",[56,457,458,461],{},[59,459,460],{},"Extracts"," event details from an existing website URL — name, dates, venue, registration types, brand colours — and applies them to a matching event template",[12,463,464],{},"The difference between \"AI-assisted\" and \"AI-powered\" is the difference between a spellchecker and an author. One catches mistakes. The other does the work.",[19,466,468],{"id":467},"three-steps-instead-of-three-weeks","Three steps instead of three weeks",[12,470,471],{},"Here's what event setup looks like with a genuinely AI-powered platform:",[12,473,474,477],{},[59,475,476],{},"Step 1: Describe your event."," Tell the AI what you're running — or paste your existing event website URL. \"I'm organising a 300-person B2B tech conference with speakers, sponsors, and delegates. Two days, hosted-buyer networking, registration opens next month.\"",[12,479,480,483],{},[59,481,482],{},"Step 2: AI proposes the build."," Onboarding clones the golden event template that best matches what you described and applies the details it extracted — your event name, dates, venue, registration types, and brand colours. From there the in-app assistant works in confirmed batches: it drafts registration types, builds portal pages, sets up networking groups with matching criteria, and writes your communication templates — and you approve each batch (up to eight actions at a time) before anything runs.",[12,485,486,489],{},[59,487,488],{},"Step 3: Review and publish."," You check the AI's work, refine what you like, and publish. Your portal is live, registration is open, and networking is configured.",[12,491,492],{},"The entire process takes minutes, not weeks. And because every feature is included on the free plan, you can test the full platform before committing.",[19,494,496],{"id":495},"why-now","Why now?",[12,498,499],{},"Two things converged to make this possible:",[12,501,502,505],{},[59,503,504],{},"Large language models got good enough."," Not just at generating text, but at understanding structured instructions and executing multi-step workflows. The AI doesn't just write your email template — it understands that a hosted-buyer networking programme requires groups, relationship types, matching criteria, wishlists, and scheduling rules, and creates all of them in the correct order.",[12,507,508,511],{},[59,509,510],{},"Cloud infrastructure scaled down."," Running a full-featured event platform no longer requires enterprise-scale infrastructure. A small team can deliver registration, networking, portals, communications, and payments on modern cloud services at a fraction of what it cost a decade ago. That means the savings from AI-powered setup can be passed to customers as lower prices, not consumed by infrastructure costs.",[19,513,515],{"id":514},"what-this-means-for-event-organisers","What this means for event organisers",[12,517,518],{},"The practical impact is significant:",[12,520,521,523],{},[59,522,286],{}," Events that took weeks to set up now take minutes. Last-minute changes that required support tickets now happen in a conversation with AI.",[12,525,526,528],{},[59,527,292],{}," When setup doesn't require professional services, the price drops dramatically. EventGen's free plan includes every feature — registration, networking, portals, comms — for up to 50 registrants per event. Paid plans start at £99\u002Fmonth, not £10,000\u002Fyear.",[12,530,531,534],{},[59,532,533],{},"Accessibility."," Teams without dedicated event technology staff can now run sophisticated events. A marketing manager can set up a hosted-buyer networking programme that previously required a specialist.",[12,536,537,540],{},[59,538,539],{},"Quality."," AI doesn't forget steps. It doesn't misconfigure a networking group. It doesn't leave a registration field set to the wrong type. The consistency of AI-generated setup often exceeds manual work.",[19,542,544],{"id":543},"the-bottom-line","The bottom line",[12,546,547],{},"AI-powered event management isn't about replacing event professionals — it's about removing the tedious configuration work that prevents them from focusing on what matters: the event experience itself.",[12,549,550],{},"The platforms that figure this out first will win. Not because AI is trendy, but because no one wants to spend three weeks building registration forms when they could be designing the attendee experience.",[12,552,553],{},"The future of event management sets itself up. The only question is whether you'll be using it, or still filling in forms by hand.",[125,555],{},[12,557,558],{},[130,559,560,561,564],{},"Ready to try AI-powered event management? ",[100,562,138],{"href":135,"rel":563},[137]," — no credit card, no demo, no sales call. Just describe your event and watch it come to life.",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":566},[567,568,569,570,571,572],{"id":381,"depth":152,"text":382},{"id":418,"depth":152,"text":419},{"id":467,"depth":152,"text":468},{"id":495,"depth":152,"text":496},{"id":514,"depth":152,"text":515},{"id":543,"depth":152,"text":544},"2026-05-28","Event platforms have barely changed in a decade. AI is about to change everything — from setup to scheduling to comms. Here's why AI-powered event management isn't a gimmick, it's inevitable.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-ai-powered-event-management-is-the-future",{"title":369,"description":574},"blog\u002Fwhy-ai-powered-event-management-is-the-future","85m782eGT5yrspbsc2vvc1uKrwdjF3RfyskhKSuuZAk",{"id":581,"title":582,"author":370,"body":583,"date":923,"description":924,"extension":161,"image":162,"meta":925,"navigation":164,"path":926,"readingTime":162,"seo":927,"stem":928,"tags":162,"__hash__":929},"content\u002Fblog\u002Fevent-networking-hosted-buyer-vs-open.md","Event Networking Done Right: Hosted-Buyer vs Open Networking",{"type":9,"value":584,"toc":905},[585,588,591,595,598,630,633,636,640,643,646,649,653,656,663,667,670,673,678,719,723,765,769,772,802,806,810,813,820,824,827,831,834,838,841,867,871,874,877,891,894,896],[12,586,587],{},"If you've organised a B2B event, you've faced this decision: structured hosted-buyer meetings or open networking? Curated quality or attendee freedom?",[12,589,590],{},"Most event platforms force you to choose one. That's a problem, because the best events do both.",[19,592,594],{"id":593},"the-hosted-buyer-model","The hosted-buyer model",[12,596,597],{},"Hosted-buyer networking (sometimes called managed meetings or curated matchmaking) follows a structured flow:",[236,599,600,606,612,618,624],{},[56,601,602,605],{},[59,603,604],{},"Wishlists"," — buyers and sellers indicate who they want to meet",[56,607,608,611],{},[59,609,610],{},"Matching"," — an algorithm (or manual process) pairs compatible participants",[56,613,614,617],{},[59,615,616],{},"Review"," — organisers review and adjust the proposed matches",[56,619,620,623],{},[59,621,622],{},"Scheduling"," — confirmed matches are placed into time slots",[56,625,626,629],{},[59,627,628],{},"Release"," — participants receive their meeting schedules",[12,631,632],{},"This model is powerful for trade shows, investor summits, and procurement events. It guarantees that key meetings happen, ensures sponsors get face time with their target buyers, and creates a structured networking experience.",[12,634,635],{},"The downsides? It requires significant organiser effort. It doesn't scale well for large attendee lists. And it can feel rigid — attendees often want to meet people who aren't on their pre-assigned schedule.",[19,637,639],{"id":638},"the-open-networking-model","The open networking model",[12,641,642],{},"Open networking is the opposite approach: attendees browse profiles, send meeting requests, and schedule their own meetings. Think LinkedIn at an event — self-service discovery and connection.",[12,644,645],{},"This works well for conferences where attendees have diverse interests and you can't predict who wants to meet whom. It scales naturally and puts control in the attendee's hands.",[12,647,648],{},"The downsides? Important meetings might not happen because neither party took the initiative. Sponsors may not get the ROI they need. And without structure, networking can feel chaotic or unproductive.",[19,650,652],{"id":651},"the-false-choice","The false choice",[12,654,655],{},"Most event platforms lean one way or the other. Enterprise platforms like Cvent and Grip are strong on hosted-buyer. Simpler tools tend to offer basic attendee directories at best. Few support both models well, and fewer still let you run them simultaneously in the same event.",[12,657,658,659,662],{},"This is a genuine problem for organisers. A tech conference might want hosted-buyer meetings for sponsor-buyer interactions ",[59,660,661],{},"and"," open networking for general attendee connections. A trade show might run structured matchmaking for VIP buyers while offering self-service networking to everyone else.",[19,664,666],{"id":665},"running-both-models-together","Running both models together",[12,668,669],{},"At EventGen, we built networking as a single engine that supports both curated and open models — concurrently, for the same event, with shared scheduling.",[12,671,672],{},"Here's how it works in practice:",[674,675,677],"h3",{"id":676},"curated-hosted-buyer-flow","Curated (hosted-buyer) flow",[53,679,680,687,694,701,708,714],{},[56,681,682,683,686],{},"Define ",[59,684,685],{},"networking groups"," (e.g., \"Sponsors\" and \"Buyers\") with relationship types",[56,688,689,690,693],{},"Set ",[59,691,692],{},"matching criteria"," using cross-field profile matching — not keyword guessing, but structured field linking (e.g., a buyer's \"products interested in\" maps to a sponsor's \"products offered\")",[56,695,696,697,700],{},"Run the ",[59,698,699],{},"matching algorithm"," to generate proposed meetings",[56,702,703,704,707],{},"Use the ",[59,705,706],{},"preliminary review"," to adjust matches before finalising",[56,709,710,713],{},[59,711,712],{},"Schedule"," meetings into available time slots with conflict detection",[56,715,716,718],{},[59,717,628],{}," schedules to participants",[674,720,722],{"id":721},"open-self-service-flow","Open (self-service) flow",[53,724,725,732,739,756,762],{},[56,726,727,728,731],{},"Attendees ",[59,729,730],{},"browse"," profiles filtered by networking group, interests, or custom fields",[56,733,734,735,738],{},"They ",[59,736,737],{},"request"," meetings with a proposed time and message",[56,740,741,742,745,746,745,749,752,753],{},"Recipients ",[59,743,744],{},"accept",", ",[59,747,748],{},"decline",[59,750,751],{},"reschedule",", or ",[59,754,755],{},"counter-propose",[56,757,758,761],{},[59,759,760],{},"Direct booking"," is available where the organiser enables it",[56,763,764],{},"Attendees manage their own schedule through the portal",[674,766,768],{"id":767},"where-the-two-models-intersect","Where the two models intersect",[12,770,771],{},"The real power is in the integration:",[53,773,774,780,786,796],{},[56,775,776,779],{},[59,777,778],{},"Shared scheduling"," — hosted-buyer meetings and self-service meetings appear on the same schedule. The system prevents double-booking across both types.",[56,781,782,785],{},[59,783,784],{},"Team networking"," — a company booth can have multiple team members. Requests go to the booth, where the team leader confirms them and assigns the right member; if exactly one member is free at that time, they're assigned automatically.",[56,787,788,791,792,795],{},[59,789,790],{},"The What-If tool"," — when scheduling conflicts arise, EventGen's What-If tool explains ",[130,793,794],{},"why"," a conflict exists and suggests ranked alternative solutions. \"You can't schedule this meeting because Sarah is in a hosted-buyer meeting at 2pm. Options: move to 3pm (both available), assign to James (same booth, same expertise), or reschedule the conflicting meeting.\"",[56,797,798,801],{},[59,799,800],{},"Profile matching"," — the same profile data powers both the hosted-buyer matching algorithm and the open networking browse\u002Ffilter interface.",[19,803,805],{"id":804},"the-technical-details-that-matter","The technical details that matter",[674,807,809],{"id":808},"cross-field-option-linking","Cross-field option linking",[12,811,812],{},"Most matchmaking uses keyword matching: \"This attendee likes 'AI' and that sponsor offers 'AI', so they match.\" This produces noisy results because \"AI\" means different things in different contexts.",[12,814,815,816,819],{},"EventGen uses ",[59,817,818],{},"cross-field option linking",". You define explicit relationships between field options: \"When a buyer selects 'Cloud Infrastructure' in their interests, match them with sponsors who selected 'Cloud Infrastructure' or 'Hybrid Cloud' in their products.\" This produces dramatically more relevant matches.",[674,821,823],{"id":822},"booth-concurrency","Booth concurrency",[12,825,826],{},"For trade show networking, multiple meetings can happen at a single booth simultaneously, up to a configurable concurrency limit. A sponsor with a 4-person booth can have 4 meetings running at once. The scheduler respects both booth concurrency limits and individual team member availability.",[674,828,830],{"id":829},"flexible-durations-and-rules","Flexible durations and rules",[12,832,833],{},"Time slots can have different durations, and different relationships can carry their own rules — where meetings take place, and whether they can be rescheduled or cancelled. A 30-minute hosted-buyer meeting at a dedicated booth can run alongside a 15-minute open-networking chat, all in the same scheduling framework.",[19,835,837],{"id":836},"what-this-means-for-organisers","What this means for organisers",[12,839,840],{},"Running both networking models together means:",[53,842,843,849,855,861],{},[56,844,845,848],{},[59,846,847],{},"Sponsors get guaranteed meetings"," through the hosted-buyer programme, while also benefiting from inbound requests via open networking",[56,850,851,854],{},[59,852,853],{},"Attendees have structured meetings"," for their key connections and the freedom to discover new ones on their own",[56,856,857,860],{},[59,858,859],{},"Organisers have full visibility"," across all networking activity — hosted and open — in a single dashboard with unified reporting",[56,862,863,866],{},[59,864,865],{},"Scheduling conflicts are resolved"," automatically across both systems",[19,868,870],{"id":869},"getting-started-with-dual-model-networking","Getting started with dual-model networking",[12,872,873],{},"On EventGen, networking is included in the Free plan — both open and hosted-buyer models. There's no add-on required to test the full networking engine.",[12,875,876],{},"Set it up in minutes:",[236,878,879,882,885,888],{},[56,880,881],{},"Create networking groups for your attendee types",[56,883,884],{},"Define the relationship types and matching criteria",[56,886,887],{},"Choose which groups have hosted-buyer access, open networking access, or both",[56,889,890],{},"Let AI configure the profile fields and matching rules based on your event description",[12,892,893],{},"The AI assistant handles the complex configuration — networking groups, relationship types, matching criteria, scheduling rules — so you can focus on the strategic decisions: who should meet whom, and why.",[125,895],{},[12,897,898],{},[130,899,900,901,904],{},"Want to see both networking models in action? ",[100,902,138],{"href":135,"rel":903},[137]," and test with the Free plan — all networking features included, no credit card required.",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":906},[907,908,909,910,916,921,922],{"id":593,"depth":152,"text":594},{"id":638,"depth":152,"text":639},{"id":651,"depth":152,"text":652},{"id":665,"depth":152,"text":666,"children":911},[912,914,915],{"id":676,"depth":913,"text":677},3,{"id":721,"depth":913,"text":722},{"id":767,"depth":913,"text":768},{"id":804,"depth":152,"text":805,"children":917},[918,919,920],{"id":808,"depth":913,"text":809},{"id":822,"depth":913,"text":823},{"id":829,"depth":913,"text":830},{"id":836,"depth":152,"text":837},{"id":869,"depth":152,"text":870},"2026-05-21","Most platforms make you choose between curated meetings and self-service networking. Here's why that's a false choice — and how to run both in a single event.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fevent-networking-hosted-buyer-vs-open",{"title":582,"description":924},"blog\u002Fevent-networking-hosted-buyer-vs-open","yAQS_GvTJKaIceB6YI9Jd5jIF80DsODIwWdL_HPfxBo",{"id":931,"title":932,"author":370,"body":933,"date":1356,"description":1357,"extension":161,"image":162,"meta":1358,"navigation":164,"path":347,"readingTime":162,"seo":1359,"stem":1360,"tags":162,"__hash__":1361},"content\u002Fblog\u002Fsetting-up-your-first-event-in-5-minutes.md","Setting Up Your First Event in 5 Minutes with EventGen",{"type":9,"value":934,"toc":1345},[935,938,941,945,948,956,959,963,971,974,980,983,988,991,995,1002,1007,1018,1023,1034,1039,1056,1061,1078,1083,1097,1103,1107,1110,1135,1138,1143,1148,1153,1157,1160,1174,1177,1181,1184,1198,1202,1205,1264,1267,1271,1274,1300,1304,1307,1327,1334,1336],[12,936,937],{},"Most event platforms advertise \"easy setup.\" Then you spend a week configuring registration forms, building pages, and writing email templates. The gap between the promise and reality is measured in support tickets.",[12,939,940],{},"EventGen takes a different approach. Tell our AI what kind of event you're running, and it builds everything for you. Here's exactly what that looks like.",[19,942,944],{"id":943},"before-you-start","Before you start",[12,946,947],{},"You need:",[53,949,950,953],{},[56,951,952],{},"An email address",[56,954,955],{},"A rough idea of your event (type, size, attendee categories)",[12,957,958],{},"That's it. No credit card. No demo call. No \"talk to sales\" form.",[19,960,962],{"id":961},"step-1-sign-up-and-describe-your-event-60-seconds","Step 1: Sign up and describe your event (60 seconds)",[12,964,965,966,970],{},"Go to ",[100,967,969],{"href":135,"rel":968},[137],"dashboard.eventgen.ai\u002Fsignup"," and create your account. You'll land on your dashboard with the AI assistant ready.",[12,972,973],{},"Type something like:",[975,976,977],"blockquote",{},[12,978,979],{},"\"I'm organising a 200-person tech conference called FutureTech 2026. Two days, 15th-16th October. Three attendee types: speakers, sponsors, and delegates. I want hosted-buyer networking between sponsors and delegates, and open networking for everyone. Registration should collect company name, job title, and dietary requirements.\"",[12,981,982],{},"Or if you already have an event website, paste the URL:",[975,984,985],{},[12,986,987],{},"\"Here's my event website: futuretech2026.com — please set up registration and networking based on what you find there.\"",[12,989,990],{},"The AI reads the URL, extracts event details (name, dates, venue, attendee types), clones the golden event template that best matches your event, and applies what it found — so you start from a working configuration, not a blank page.",[19,992,994],{"id":993},"step-2-ai-drafts-your-event-2-minutes","Step 2: AI drafts your event (2 minutes)",[12,996,997,998,1001],{},"The AI doesn't just acknowledge your request — it ",[59,999,1000],{},"builds",", in batches you approve. It proposes up to eight actions at a time, and you confirm each batch before anything is created. Across a few batches it sets up:",[12,1003,1004],{},[59,1005,1006],{},"Registration types",[53,1008,1009,1012,1015],{},[56,1010,1011],{},"Speaker registration with bio, headshot, session topic fields",[56,1013,1014],{},"Sponsor registration with company profile, booth requirements, product categories",[56,1016,1017],{},"Delegate registration with interests, networking preferences, dietary requirements",[12,1019,1020],{},[59,1021,1022],{},"Registration flows",[53,1024,1025,1028,1031],{},[56,1026,1027],{},"Speakers require approval before confirmation",[56,1029,1030],{},"Sponsors go through a team registration flow (one lead registers the company, then adds team members)",[56,1032,1033],{},"Delegates get instant confirmation",[12,1035,1036],{},[59,1037,1038],{},"Portal pages",[53,1040,1041,1044,1047,1050,1053],{},[56,1042,1043],{},"Home page with event branding, countdown, and key information",[56,1045,1046],{},"Registration page with the appropriate form for each type",[56,1048,1049],{},"Programme page (ready for sessions to be added)",[56,1051,1052],{},"Networking page where attendees browse and request meetings",[56,1054,1055],{},"Sponsors page showcasing sponsor profiles",[12,1057,1058],{},[59,1059,1060],{},"Networking configuration",[53,1062,1063,1066,1069,1072,1075],{},[56,1064,1065],{},"Three networking groups: Speakers, Sponsors, Delegates",[56,1067,1068],{},"Hosted-buyer relationship between Sponsors and Delegates",[56,1070,1071],{},"Open networking enabled for all groups",[56,1073,1074],{},"Matching criteria linked to product categories and interest fields",[56,1076,1077],{},"Meeting slots: 30-minute hosted-buyer and 15-minute open-networking durations",[12,1079,1080],{},[59,1081,1082],{},"Communication templates",[53,1084,1085,1088,1091,1094],{},[56,1086,1087],{},"Registration confirmation (different for each type)",[56,1089,1090],{},"Event reminder (7 days, 1 day)",[56,1092,1093],{},"Networking schedule release",[56,1095,1096],{},"Post-event thank you",[12,1098,1099,1102],{},[59,1100,1101],{},"You confirm each batch before it runs."," Read-only steps happen automatically, but anything that creates or changes data waits for your approval. Reject anything you don't want, then ask for a change in plain language — \"Actually, make sponsors require approval too\" or \"Add a field for T-shirt size\" — and the AI proposes the next batch.",[19,1104,1106],{"id":1105},"step-3-review-and-refine-2-minutes","Step 3: Review and refine (2 minutes)",[12,1108,1109],{},"Everything the AI created is fully editable. Browse through each section and fine-tune:",[53,1111,1112,1118,1123,1129],{},[56,1113,1114,1117],{},[59,1115,1116],{},"Registration fields"," — reorder, add conditional visibility, change field types",[56,1119,1120,1122],{},[59,1121,1038],{}," — adjust layouts, update copy, change colours to match your brand",[56,1124,1125,1128],{},[59,1126,1127],{},"Networking"," — modify matching criteria, adjust meeting durations, set scheduling constraints",[56,1130,1131,1134],{},[59,1132,1133],{},"Templates"," — edit the AI-drafted copy, add your own voice",[12,1136,1137],{},"You can also ask the AI for specific changes:",[975,1139,1140],{},[12,1141,1142],{},"\"Add an early-bird ticket at £99 that expires on 1st September\"",[975,1144,1145],{},[12,1146,1147],{},"\"Change the portal colour scheme to match our brand — primary colour is #1A365D\"",[975,1149,1150],{},[12,1151,1152],{},"\"Create a WhatsApp template for the networking schedule release\"",[19,1154,1156],{"id":1155},"step-4-test-optional-but-recommended","Step 4: Test (optional but recommended)",[12,1158,1159],{},"Before publishing, test the full attendee experience:",[236,1161,1162,1165,1168,1171],{},[56,1163,1164],{},"Preview your portal — see exactly what attendees will see",[56,1166,1167],{},"Submit a test registration — walk through the flow end-to-end",[56,1169,1170],{},"Test networking — browse profiles, request a meeting, check the scheduling",[56,1172,1173],{},"Preview emails — see how your templates render",[12,1175,1176],{},"The Free plan includes all features with up to 50 registrants, so you can run a complete test without upgrading.",[19,1178,1180],{"id":1179},"step-5-publish","Step 5: Publish",[12,1182,1183],{},"When you're happy, publish your portal. Your event is live:",[53,1185,1186,1189,1192,1195],{},[56,1187,1188],{},"Registration is open at your portal URL, or your own custom domain with automatic SSL",[56,1190,1191],{},"Attendees can register, build profiles, and start networking",[56,1193,1194],{},"Communications trigger automatically based on your rules",[56,1196,1197],{},"You manage everything from your dashboard",[19,1199,1201],{"id":1200},"what-you-just-set-up","What you just set up",[12,1203,1204],{},"In roughly 5 minutes, you've created:",[1206,1207,1208,1221],"table",{},[1209,1210,1211],"thead",{},[1212,1213,1214,1218],"tr",{},[1215,1216,1217],"th",{},"Feature",[1215,1219,1220],{},"What AI configured",[1222,1223,1224,1233,1241,1248,1256],"tbody",{},[1212,1225,1226,1230],{},[1227,1228,1229],"td",{},"Registration",[1227,1231,1232],{},"3 types with custom fields and different flows",[1212,1234,1235,1238],{},[1227,1236,1237],{},"Portal",[1227,1239,1240],{},"5+ pages with branded layout",[1212,1242,1243,1245],{},[1227,1244,1127],{},[1227,1246,1247],{},"Hosted-buyer + open, with matching criteria",[1212,1249,1250,1253],{},[1227,1251,1252],{},"Communications",[1227,1254,1255],{},"5+ templates with automated triggers",[1212,1257,1258,1261],{},[1227,1259,1260],{},"Payments",[1227,1262,1263],{},"Ready for tickets and add-ons (if needed)",[12,1265,1266],{},"On a traditional platform, this would take 2–5 days of manual work. On an enterprise platform, it might take weeks and involve their professional services team.",[19,1268,1270],{"id":1269},"what-happens-next","What happens next",[12,1272,1273],{},"As your event grows:",[53,1275,1276,1282,1288,1294],{},[56,1277,1278,1281],{},[59,1279,1280],{},"Add sessions"," to your programme — the AI can create a multi-track agenda from a list of topics and speakers",[56,1283,1284,1287],{},[59,1285,1286],{},"Import contacts"," — the 5-step import wizard handles CSV files with duplicate detection",[56,1289,1290,1293],{},[59,1291,1292],{},"Run matching"," — when registration closes, run the hosted-buyer matching algorithm to generate meeting schedules",[56,1295,1296,1299],{},[59,1297,1298],{},"Monitor"," — your dashboard shows registration numbers, networking activity, and communication delivery in real time",[19,1301,1303],{"id":1302},"upgrading-when-youre-ready","Upgrading when you're ready",[12,1305,1306],{},"The Free plan covers events up to 50 registrants and includes full networking. When you need more capacity:",[53,1308,1309,1315,1321],{},[56,1310,1311,1314],{},[59,1312,1313],{},"Pro (£99\u002Fmonth)"," — 500 registrants, 10 events\u002Fyear, custom domain",[56,1316,1317,1320],{},[59,1318,1319],{},"Enterprise (£399\u002Fmonth)"," — 5,000 registrants, 50 events\u002Fyear, 25 live portals",[56,1322,1323,1326],{},[59,1324,1325],{},"Enterprise+ (custom)"," — custom registrant and portal limits, dedicated support",[12,1328,1329,1330,1333],{},"Paid plans include a networking preview (10 meetings per event); add ",[59,1331,1332],{},"Engage"," to either tier for the full curated and open networking engine. Upgrade directly from your dashboard — no sales call needed. Downgrade or cancel anytime.",[125,1335],{},[12,1337,1338],{},[130,1339,1340,1341,1344],{},"Ready to try it? ",[100,1342,138],{"href":135,"rel":1343},[137]," and set up your first event in minutes. All features included, no credit card required.",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":1346},[1347,1348,1349,1350,1351,1352,1353,1354,1355],{"id":943,"depth":152,"text":944},{"id":961,"depth":152,"text":962},{"id":993,"depth":152,"text":994},{"id":1105,"depth":152,"text":1106},{"id":1155,"depth":152,"text":1156},{"id":1179,"depth":152,"text":1180},{"id":1200,"depth":152,"text":1201},{"id":1269,"depth":152,"text":1270},{"id":1302,"depth":152,"text":1303},"2026-05-14","A step-by-step walkthrough of creating a complete event — registration, portal, networking, and communications — using AI, in under five minutes.",{},{"title":932,"description":1357},"blog\u002Fsetting-up-your-first-event-in-5-minutes","baoVt07Sqk1TFILi-QfnCx35ACg0E3iL3Qbf0NMUeIM",{"id":1363,"title":1364,"author":370,"body":1365,"date":1903,"description":1904,"extension":161,"image":162,"meta":1905,"navigation":164,"path":1906,"readingTime":162,"seo":1907,"stem":1908,"tags":162,"__hash__":1909},"content\u002Fblog\u002Ftrue-cost-of-enterprise-event-platforms.md","The True Cost of Enterprise Event Platforms",{"type":9,"value":1366,"toc":1882},[1367,1370,1373,1377,1381,1384,1410,1417,1421,1424,1450,1457,1461,1464,1496,1500,1504,1511,1525,1528,1532,1535,1561,1568,1572,1575,1589,1596,1600,1603,1658,1661,1665,1668,1672,1675,1679,1685,1689,1692,1696,1722,1725,1778,1785,1789,1792,1795,1832,1835,1839,1842,1868,1871,1873],[12,1368,1369],{},"If you've ever requested pricing from Cvent, Bizzabo, Swoogo, or any enterprise event platform, you know the ritual: fill in a form, wait for a callback, sit through a demo, negotiate, and eventually receive a quote. That quote is typically £10,000–£100,000+ per year.",[12,1371,1372],{},"But the number on the contract is only the beginning.",[19,1374,1376],{"id":1375},"the-visible-costs","The visible costs",[674,1378,1380],{"id":1379},"platform-licence","Platform licence",[12,1382,1383],{},"Enterprise event platforms typically price by:",[53,1385,1386,1392,1398,1404],{},[56,1387,1388,1391],{},[59,1389,1390],{},"Annual contract"," — 12–36 month commitments are standard",[56,1393,1394,1397],{},[59,1395,1396],{},"Per-event fees"," — additional charges beyond your contracted event count",[56,1399,1400,1403],{},[59,1401,1402],{},"Per-attendee fees"," — some platforms charge per registration",[56,1405,1406,1409],{},[59,1407,1408],{},"Feature tiers"," — networking, mobile apps, and advanced analytics often cost extra",[12,1411,1412,1413,1416],{},"A mid-market organiser running 5–10 events per year with 500–2,000 attendees each typically pays ",[59,1414,1415],{},"£15,000–£50,000\u002Fyear"," in licence fees.",[674,1418,1420],{"id":1419},"professional-services","Professional services",[12,1422,1423],{},"Most enterprise platforms require (or strongly recommend) their professional services team for setup. This includes:",[53,1425,1426,1432,1438,1444],{},[56,1427,1428,1431],{},[59,1429,1430],{},"Event configuration"," — building registration forms, portals, and workflows",[56,1433,1434,1437],{},[59,1435,1436],{},"Custom branding"," — applying your brand to templates and portals",[56,1439,1440,1443],{},[59,1441,1442],{},"Integration setup"," — connecting to your CRM, marketing tools, and payment processor",[56,1445,1446,1449],{},[59,1447,1448],{},"Training"," — teaching your team to use the platform",[12,1451,1452,1453,1456],{},"Professional services typically cost ",[59,1454,1455],{},"£2,000–£10,000 per event"," or are bundled into the annual contract at a significant premium.",[674,1458,1460],{"id":1459},"add-on-modules","Add-on modules",[12,1462,1463],{},"Features that seem core are often priced separately:",[53,1465,1466,1472,1478,1484,1490],{},[56,1467,1468,1471],{},[59,1469,1470],{},"Networking\u002Fmatchmaking"," — £3,000–£15,000\u002Fyear",[56,1473,1474,1477],{},[59,1475,1476],{},"Mobile event app"," — £2,000–£8,000\u002Fyear",[56,1479,1480,1483],{},[59,1481,1482],{},"Advanced analytics"," — £1,000–£5,000\u002Fyear",[56,1485,1486,1489],{},[59,1487,1488],{},"API access"," — sometimes included, sometimes extra",[56,1491,1492,1495],{},[59,1493,1494],{},"Custom domains"," — often an add-on",[19,1497,1499],{"id":1498},"the-hidden-costs","The hidden costs",[674,1501,1503],{"id":1502},"time-to-launch","Time to launch",[12,1505,1506,1507,1510],{},"The gap between signing a contract and running your first event is typically ",[59,1508,1509],{},"4–12 weeks",". During this time:",[53,1512,1513,1516,1519,1522],{},[56,1514,1515],{},"Your team is learning the platform (or waiting for training)",[56,1517,1518],{},"The vendor's professional services team is configuring your first event",[56,1520,1521],{},"You're going back and forth on branding and customisation",[56,1523,1524],{},"Integration work is happening (slowly)",[12,1526,1527],{},"Every week of delay has a cost — in staff time, missed registration windows, and delayed marketing.",[674,1529,1531],{"id":1530},"ongoing-manual-work","Ongoing manual work",[12,1533,1534],{},"Even after setup, enterprise platforms require significant ongoing effort:",[53,1536,1537,1543,1549,1555],{},[56,1538,1539,1542],{},[59,1540,1541],{},"Event cloning"," — creating a new event by duplicating and modifying a previous one (still takes hours)",[56,1544,1545,1548],{},[59,1546,1547],{},"Template updates"," — manually updating email templates for each event",[56,1550,1551,1554],{},[59,1552,1553],{},"Reporting"," — pulling data from multiple dashboards and exporting to spreadsheets",[56,1556,1557,1560],{},[59,1558,1559],{},"Support tickets"," — waiting for vendor support to resolve issues or make configuration changes",[12,1562,1563,1564,1567],{},"A typical event manager spends ",[59,1565,1566],{},"10–20 hours per event"," on platform configuration and maintenance.",[674,1569,1571],{"id":1570},"switching-costs","Switching costs",[12,1573,1574],{},"Enterprise contracts create lock-in:",[53,1576,1577,1580,1583,1586],{},[56,1578,1579],{},"Multi-year commitments with early termination fees",[56,1581,1582],{},"Data export limitations",[56,1584,1585],{},"Staff trained on a specific platform",[56,1587,1588],{},"Integrations built around one vendor's API",[12,1590,1591,1592,1595],{},"When you want to switch — because a better option exists, or your needs have changed — the switching cost can be ",[59,1593,1594],{},"6–12 months of overlap"," while you run both platforms.",[19,1597,1599],{"id":1598},"the-total-cost-picture","The total cost picture",[12,1601,1602],{},"For a mid-market organiser running 8 events per year:",[1206,1604,1605,1615],{},[1209,1606,1607],{},[1212,1608,1609,1612],{},[1215,1610,1611],{},"Cost category",[1215,1613,1614],{},"Annual estimate",[1222,1616,1617,1624,1631,1638,1646],{},[1212,1618,1619,1621],{},[1227,1620,1380],{},[1227,1622,1623],{},"£25,000",[1212,1625,1626,1628],{},[1227,1627,1420],{},[1227,1629,1630],{},"£16,000 (£2k × 8 events)",[1212,1632,1633,1635],{},[1227,1634,1460],{},[1227,1636,1637],{},"£8,000",[1212,1639,1640,1643],{},[1227,1641,1642],{},"Staff time (config\u002Fmaintenance)",[1227,1644,1645],{},"£15,000 (120 hrs × £125\u002Fhr)",[1212,1647,1648,1653],{},[1227,1649,1650],{},[59,1651,1652],{},"Total",[1227,1654,1655],{},[59,1656,1657],{},"£64,000\u002Fyear",[12,1659,1660],{},"This is a realistic estimate for a team running mid-sized conferences and trade shows on an enterprise platform. Large enterprise deployments can easily exceed £150,000\u002Fyear.",[19,1662,1664],{"id":1663},"the-self-service-alternative","The self-service alternative",[12,1666,1667],{},"Self-service platforms like EventGen take a fundamentally different approach to pricing and delivery:",[674,1669,1671],{"id":1670},"no-sales-process","No sales process",[12,1673,1674],{},"Sign up online, start building immediately. No demo, no sales call, no contract negotiation. You save 2–4 weeks before you even begin.",[674,1676,1678],{"id":1677},"features-included-not-nickel-and-dimed","Features included, not nickel-and-dimed",[12,1680,1681,1682,1684],{},"Every plan includes registration, the portal builder, omnichannel communications, payments, and the AI assistant — with no per-feature module fees. Networking is the one capability with a tier: it's fully included on the Free plan, paid plans get a preview (10 meetings per event), and the ",[59,1683,1332],{}," add-on unlocks the complete curated and open networking engine. You pay for capacity and the networking engine — not a menu of bolt-on modules.",[674,1686,1688],{"id":1687},"ai-replaces-professional-services","AI replaces professional services",[12,1690,1691],{},"The AI assistant performs over 140 actions across the dashboard — the same work that professional services teams charge thousands of pounds to do. Describe your event, and AI creates registration types, portal pages, networking configuration, and communication templates.",[674,1693,1695],{"id":1694},"self-service-pricing","Self-service pricing",[53,1697,1698,1704,1710,1716],{},[56,1699,1700,1703],{},[59,1701,1702],{},"Free"," — £0\u002Fmonth. 50 registrants\u002Fevent, 2 events\u002Fyear. All features, including full networking.",[56,1705,1706,1709],{},[59,1707,1708],{},"Pro"," — £99\u002Fmonth (£199 with Engage). 500 registrants, 10 events\u002Fyear, custom domain.",[56,1711,1712,1715],{},[59,1713,1714],{},"Enterprise"," — £399\u002Fmonth (£799 with Engage). 5,000 registrants, 50 events\u002Fyear, 25 live portals.",[56,1717,1718,1721],{},[59,1719,1720],{},"Enterprise+"," — custom pricing. Custom registrant and portal limits, dedicated support.",[12,1723,1724],{},"The same 8-event scenario on EventGen Enterprise Engage (the tier with full networking):",[1206,1726,1727,1735],{},[1209,1728,1729],{},[1212,1730,1731,1733],{},[1215,1732,1611],{},[1215,1734,1614],{},[1222,1736,1737,1745,1752,1759,1767],{},[1212,1738,1739,1742],{},[1227,1740,1741],{},"Platform (Enterprise Engage, annual)",[1227,1743,1744],{},"£7,990",[1212,1746,1747,1749],{},[1227,1748,1420],{},[1227,1750,1751],{},"£0 (AI-powered setup)",[1212,1753,1754,1756],{},[1227,1755,1460],{},[1227,1757,1758],{},"£0 (no per-feature fees)",[1212,1760,1761,1764],{},[1227,1762,1763],{},"Staff time (AI-assisted config)",[1227,1765,1766],{},"£2,500 (20 hrs × £125\u002Fhr)",[1212,1768,1769,1773],{},[1227,1770,1771],{},[59,1772,1652],{},[1227,1774,1775],{},[59,1776,1777],{},"£10,490\u002Fyear",[12,1779,1780,1781,1784],{},"That's an ",[59,1782,1783],{},"84% reduction"," in total cost.",[19,1786,1788],{"id":1787},"the-feature-gap-is-closing","The feature gap is closing",[12,1790,1791],{},"The traditional argument for enterprise platforms was features. Only Cvent offered hosted-buyer networking. Only Bizzabo had a proper event website builder. Only Swoogo had advanced registration flows.",[12,1793,1794],{},"That gap has closed. Modern self-service platforms now offer:",[53,1796,1797,1803,1809,1815,1821,1826],{},[56,1798,1799,1802],{},[59,1800,1801],{},"Multi-path registration"," with per-type fields, approval workflows, and team registration",[56,1804,1805,1808],{},[59,1806,1807],{},"Hosted-buyer and open networking"," with algorithmic matching, team booths, and scheduling",[56,1810,1811,1814],{},[59,1812,1813],{},"Visual portal builders"," with custom domains, SSG rendering, and multiple layouts",[56,1816,1817,1820],{},[59,1818,1819],{},"Omnichannel communications"," — email, SMS, WhatsApp, and push notifications",[56,1822,1823,1825],{},[59,1824,1260],{}," with Stripe-powered checkout, tickets, add-ons, and invoicing",[56,1827,1828,1831],{},[59,1829,1830],{},"AI"," that replaces manual configuration work entirely",[12,1833,1834],{},"The question is no longer \"Does the self-service platform have the features I need?\" It's \"Am I paying enterprise prices for something I can get for a fraction of the cost?\"",[19,1836,1838],{"id":1837},"making-the-switch","Making the switch",[12,1840,1841],{},"If you're currently on an enterprise platform, here's a practical migration path:",[236,1843,1844,1850,1856,1862],{},[56,1845,1846,1849],{},[59,1847,1848],{},"Sign up for a free account"," on EventGen and test with a small event",[56,1851,1852,1855],{},[59,1853,1854],{},"Compare features"," side-by-side — run the same event on both platforms",[56,1857,1858,1861],{},[59,1859,1860],{},"Calculate your true costs"," using the framework above",[56,1863,1864,1867],{},[59,1865,1866],{},"Time your transition"," around your contract renewal date",[12,1869,1870],{},"There's no commitment required. The free plan includes all features, so you can verify that the platform meets your needs before spending anything.",[125,1872],{},[12,1874,1875],{},[130,1876,1877,1878,1881],{},"Curious about the cost difference for your organisation? ",[100,1879,138],{"href":135,"rel":1880},[137]," and test EventGen with your next event. All features included, no credit card required.",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":1883},[1884,1889,1894,1895,1901,1902],{"id":1375,"depth":152,"text":1376,"children":1885},[1886,1887,1888],{"id":1379,"depth":913,"text":1380},{"id":1419,"depth":913,"text":1420},{"id":1459,"depth":913,"text":1460},{"id":1498,"depth":152,"text":1499,"children":1890},[1891,1892,1893],{"id":1502,"depth":913,"text":1503},{"id":1530,"depth":913,"text":1531},{"id":1570,"depth":913,"text":1571},{"id":1598,"depth":152,"text":1599},{"id":1663,"depth":152,"text":1664,"children":1896},[1897,1898,1899,1900],{"id":1670,"depth":913,"text":1671},{"id":1677,"depth":913,"text":1678},{"id":1687,"depth":913,"text":1688},{"id":1694,"depth":913,"text":1695},{"id":1787,"depth":152,"text":1788},{"id":1837,"depth":152,"text":1838},"2026-05-07","Enterprise event platforms quote £10k–£100k per year, but the real cost is higher. Here's the full breakdown — and why self-service platforms are closing the feature gap.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftrue-cost-of-enterprise-event-platforms",{"title":1364,"description":1904},"blog\u002Ftrue-cost-of-enterprise-event-platforms","ttq_DcTHFBjJ1Z7MZsJuUaWusOxQ6p6f8fnQs8UOcmM",{"id":1911,"title":1912,"author":370,"body":1913,"date":2296,"description":2297,"extension":161,"image":162,"meta":2298,"navigation":164,"path":2299,"readingTime":162,"seo":2300,"stem":2301,"tags":162,"__hash__":2302},"content\u002Fblog\u002Fcustom-event-portals-why-your-event-deserves-more.md","Custom Event Portals: Why Your Event Deserves More Than a Registration Form",{"type":9,"value":1914,"toc":2270},[1915,1918,1921,1925,1928,1966,1969,1973,1976,1980,1983,1986,1989,1993,1996,1999,2002,2006,2009,2013,2016,2020,2023,2073,2080,2083,2087,2090,2094,2108,2111,2114,2119,2123,2126,2129,2133,2136,2148,2152,2155,2175,2178,2182,2185,2189,2193,2196,2200,2203,2207,2210,2214,2217,2221,2224,2256,2259,2261],[12,1916,1917],{},"Most event \"websites\" are a single registration form. Maybe with a logo at the top and an agenda below. That's not a website — it's a form with branding.",[12,1919,1920],{},"Your event deserves more. Here's why custom event portals matter, and how modern platforms make them easy to build.",[19,1922,1924],{"id":1923},"the-registration-form-problem","The registration form problem",[12,1926,1927],{},"A basic registration form does one thing: collect attendee information. It doesn't:",[53,1929,1930,1936,1942,1948,1954,1960],{},[56,1931,1932,1935],{},[59,1933,1934],{},"Showcase your event"," with rich content, speaker profiles, and venue details",[56,1937,1938,1941],{},[59,1939,1940],{},"Build anticipation"," with countdowns, announcements, and dynamic updates",[56,1943,1944,1947],{},[59,1945,1946],{},"Support networking"," with attendee directories and meeting booking",[56,1949,1950,1953],{},[59,1951,1952],{},"Display the programme"," with session details, track filters, and personal agendas",[56,1955,1956,1959],{},[59,1957,1958],{},"Handle payments"," with a seamless checkout integrated into the experience",[56,1961,1962,1965],{},[59,1963,1964],{},"Reflect your brand"," with custom styling, imagery, and your own domain",[12,1967,1968],{},"When attendees land on a registration form, they see a transaction. When they land on a branded portal, they see an experience. The difference affects registration rates, attendee engagement, and sponsor perception.",[19,1970,1972],{"id":1971},"what-a-proper-event-portal-includes","What a proper event portal includes",[12,1974,1975],{},"A well-built event portal is a multi-page website that serves as the digital home for your event:",[674,1977,1979],{"id":1978},"home-page","Home page",[12,1981,1982],{},"The front door of your event. Key information, value proposition, speakers, sponsors, and calls to action. This is where first impressions happen.",[674,1984,1229],{"id":1985},"registration",[12,1987,1988],{},"Not just a form, but an experience tailored to each attendee type. Speakers see different fields from delegates. Sponsors go through a team registration flow. RSVP attendees get a one-click accept\u002Fdecline.",[674,1990,1992],{"id":1991},"programme","Programme",[12,1994,1995],{},"A browsable, filterable agenda. Multiple tracks, session details, speaker bios, capacity indicators, and the ability to build a personal schedule. On mobile, it's the reference attendees use on-site.",[674,1997,1127],{"id":1998},"networking",[12,2000,2001],{},"Attendee profiles, browse and filter, meeting requests, and schedule management. For hosted-buyer events, participants see their confirmed meetings and can manage their availability.",[674,2003,2005],{"id":2004},"sponsors","Sponsors",[12,2007,2008],{},"Dedicated sponsor profiles with logos, descriptions, booth information, and direct meeting request buttons. Sponsors pay for visibility — give it to them.",[674,2010,2012],{"id":2011},"content-pages","Content pages",[12,2014,2015],{},"Venue information, travel details, FAQs, code of conduct, terms — whatever your event needs. Dynamic content that updates as you publish changes.",[19,2017,2019],{"id":2018},"the-old-way-weeks-of-work","The old way: weeks of work",[12,2021,2022],{},"On enterprise platforms, building an event portal typically involves:",[236,2024,2025,2031,2037,2043,2049,2055,2061,2067],{},[56,2026,2027,2030],{},[59,2028,2029],{},"Choose a template"," from a limited library",[56,2032,2033,2036],{},[59,2034,2035],{},"Customise layouts"," through a WYSIWYG editor (slowly, with frequent saving)",[56,2038,2039,2042],{},[59,2040,2041],{},"Upload assets"," — logos, images, speaker headshots",[56,2044,2045,2048],{},[59,2046,2047],{},"Configure navigation"," — menu items, page ordering, access controls",[56,2050,2051,2054],{},[59,2052,2053],{},"Apply branding"," — colours, fonts, CSS overrides",[56,2056,2057,2060],{},[59,2058,2059],{},"Add content"," — write copy for every page",[56,2062,2063,2066],{},[59,2064,2065],{},"Test on mobile"," — discover it doesn't look great, adjust",[56,2068,2069,2072],{},[59,2070,2071],{},"Request custom domain"," — wait for the vendor to configure it",[12,2074,2075,2076,2079],{},"Total time: ",[59,2077,2078],{},"2–5 days"," for an experienced user. Weeks if you're learning the platform.",[12,2081,2082],{},"On DIY tools like Eventbrite or Luma, you typically don't get a true multi-page portal — you get a registration or event-listing page. Building a proper event website often means using a separate tool (Squarespace, WordPress) and linking to registration — with no integration between the two.",[19,2084,2086],{"id":2085},"the-ai-powered-way-minutes","The AI-powered way: minutes",[12,2088,2089],{},"EventGen's portal builder takes a fundamentally different approach:",[674,2091,2093],{"id":2092},"visual-wireframe-builder","Visual wireframe builder",[12,2095,2096,2097,745,2100,2103,2104,2107],{},"Instead of a WYSIWYG editor, EventGen uses a structured wireframe builder. You work with ",[59,2098,2099],{},"panels",[59,2101,2102],{},"zones",", and ",[59,2105,2106],{},"widgets"," — high-level building blocks that produce consistent, professional layouts.",[12,2109,2110],{},"A panel is a full-width section. Zones divide panels into columns. Widgets are the content blocks — text, images, registration forms, programme grids, networking directories, speaker lists, sponsor logos, countdown timers.",[12,2112,2113],{},"This approach is faster than pixel-level editing because you're making structural decisions, not fighting with CSS. The AI assistant can create entire page layouts from a description:",[975,2115,2116],{},[12,2117,2118],{},"\"Create a home page with a hero section, speaker highlights, programme overview, sponsor logos, and a registration CTA.\"",[674,2120,2122],{"id":2121},"pre-built-layout-templates","Pre-built layout templates",[12,2124,2125],{},"Rather than starting from a blank canvas, you begin from a pre-built layout designed for common event types — conferences, corporate events, and more. Each one ships with a sensible page structure, navigation, and widget placements already in place.",[12,2127,2128],{},"Each template is a starting point, not a constraint. Customise freely, or let the AI restructure it based on your needs.",[674,2130,2132],{"id":2131},"custom-domains-with-automatic-ssl","Custom domains with automatic SSL",[12,2134,2135],{},"Bring your own domain on any plan. Point a CNAME record, and EventGen handles the rest — including automatic SSL certificate provisioning.",[12,2137,2138,2139,2143,2144,2147],{},"Your attendees visit ",[2140,2141,2142],"code",{},"conference.yourbrand.com",", not ",[2140,2145,2146],{},"some-platform.com\u002Fyour-event",". It's your brand, your URL, your experience.",[674,2149,2151],{"id":2150},"pre-rendered-pages","Pre-rendered pages",[12,2153,2154],{},"EventGen portal pages are pre-rendered when you publish (static site generation). This means:",[53,2156,2157,2163,2169],{},[56,2158,2159,2162],{},[59,2160,2161],{},"Fast globally"," — pages load instantly regardless of the visitor's location",[56,2164,2165,2168],{},[59,2166,2167],{},"SEO-friendly"," — search engines can index your event content",[56,2170,2171,2174],{},[59,2172,2173],{},"Reliable"," — no server-side rendering failures during traffic spikes",[12,2176,2177],{},"When you publish changes, pages are re-rendered and deployed automatically.",[674,2179,2181],{"id":2180},"draftpublish-workflow","Draft\u002Fpublish workflow",[12,2183,2184],{},"Every page, the navigation menu, and the wireframe itself have a draft\u002Fpublish workflow. Make changes to draft versions without affecting the live site. Preview changes, then publish when ready. Roll back if needed.",[19,2186,2188],{"id":2187},"real-impact-on-events","Real impact on events",[674,2190,2192],{"id":2191},"higher-registration-conversion","Higher registration conversion",[12,2194,2195],{},"A branded portal with rich content converts significantly better than a bare registration form. Attendees who can browse the programme, see speaker profiles, and understand the networking opportunity are more likely to complete registration.",[674,2197,2199],{"id":2198},"better-sponsor-roi","Better sponsor ROI",[12,2201,2202],{},"Sponsors pay for visibility. A dedicated sponsor page with their logo, description, and a direct \"request a meeting\" button delivers measurably more value than a logo in a sponsor grid on a registration page.",[674,2204,2206],{"id":2205},"reduced-support-load","Reduced support load",[12,2208,2209],{},"When attendees can find programme details, venue information, and networking instructions on the portal, they don't email the organiser asking for them. Self-service content reduces pre-event support volume.",[674,2211,2213],{"id":2212},"professional-perception","Professional perception",[12,2215,2216],{},"A polished, branded portal signals that an event is well-organised. First-time attendees use the portal quality as a proxy for event quality. This matters especially for paid events where attendees are evaluating whether the price is worth it.",[19,2218,2220],{"id":2219},"getting-started","Getting started",[12,2222,2223],{},"On EventGen, portal building is included in every plan — including Free. Here's the quick path:",[236,2225,2226,2232,2238,2244,2250],{},[56,2227,2228,2231],{},[59,2229,2230],{},"Sign up"," and create your event",[56,2233,2234,2237],{},[59,2235,2236],{},"Tell the AI"," what your portal should include — or pick a layout template",[56,2239,2240,2243],{},[59,2241,2242],{},"Customise"," — adjust content, colours, and structure",[56,2245,2246,2249],{},[59,2247,2248],{},"Preview"," — see exactly what attendees will see",[56,2251,2252,2255],{},[59,2253,2254],{},"Publish"," — your portal is live",[12,2257,2258],{},"The AI assistant handles the heavy lifting. Ask it to \"create a portal with pages for registration, programme, networking, and sponsors\" and it builds the wireframes, adds the widgets, and creates the navigation.",[125,2260],{},[12,2262,2263],{},[130,2264,2265,2266,2269],{},"Ready to build a portal that does your event justice? ",[100,2267,138],{"href":135,"rel":2268},[137]," and see the portal builder in action. No credit card, no demo required.",{"title":151,"searchDepth":152,"depth":152,"links":2271},[2272,2273,2281,2282,2289,2295],{"id":1923,"depth":152,"text":1924},{"id":1971,"depth":152,"text":1972,"children":2274},[2275,2276,2277,2278,2279,2280],{"id":1978,"depth":913,"text":1979},{"id":1985,"depth":913,"text":1229},{"id":1991,"depth":913,"text":1992},{"id":1998,"depth":913,"text":1127},{"id":2004,"depth":913,"text":2005},{"id":2011,"depth":913,"text":2012},{"id":2018,"depth":152,"text":2019},{"id":2085,"depth":152,"text":2086,"children":2283},[2284,2285,2286,2287,2288],{"id":2092,"depth":913,"text":2093},{"id":2121,"depth":913,"text":2122},{"id":2131,"depth":913,"text":2132},{"id":2150,"depth":913,"text":2151},{"id":2180,"depth":913,"text":2181},{"id":2187,"depth":152,"text":2188,"children":2290},[2291,2292,2293,2294],{"id":2191,"depth":913,"text":2192},{"id":2198,"depth":913,"text":2199},{"id":2205,"depth":913,"text":2206},{"id":2212,"depth":913,"text":2213},{"id":2219,"depth":152,"text":2220},"2026-04-30","A registration page isn't a website. Here's why branded event portals with programme, networking, and dynamic content outperform basic registration forms — and how to build one in minutes.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcustom-event-portals-why-your-event-deserves-more",{"title":1912,"description":2297},"blog\u002Fcustom-event-portals-why-your-event-deserves-more","56qqv_5JBjUYjZ7sgvXYgCqJTzoF426GovjVnHn4htQ",1782761460143]