Our Favourite Event Planning Apps

At Maximillion we are embracing the technology in events phenomenon. There are numerous event planning apps that pop up on the app stores on a regular basis; and our ‘tech-savvy’ team are always quick to incorporate some of the best ones in their event planning tool kits – to develop our communication and promotion, as well as manage our complex workloads.

We asked our Event Managers  what their favourite event planning apps were; what they use them for; and, whether they believe it has played a positive role on their job and their overall productivity.

Thomas McLaren

We asked Thomas – our Wildgoose Scotland Manager – what his favourite event planning app was; and he was quick to answer with PayPal Here.                  

What do you use PayPal Here for at Maximillion?

We use PayPal Here for taking payment on conferences. If people have not registered through our Delegate Management System, or wish to register on the day, we use the Paypal Here app on our ipads.

What do you believe to be the key features and benefits of using PayPal Here?

PayPal Here is quick, cost efficient, well known, secure and very easy to set up. It doesn’t require additional (potentially) costly security/encryption measures on your event website. PayPal Here is a trusted payment partner, and so customers do not feel vulnerable when inputting their personal details online. People can even pay with credit/debit card through a guest checkout, even though they do not have a PayPal account.

Do you believe PayPal Here has played a positive role on your job, and your overall productivity?
Yes, it has improved my productivity, and it offers a better service for our clients. We are hoping to soon implement the app into other activities.

 

Laura Williamson

Events Assistant Laura advocates the use of Doodle.      

What do you use Doodle for at Maximillion?

The whole team use doodle for asking questions about availability to attend internal events, such as first aid training.

What do you believe to be the key features and benefits of using Doodle?

It is simple and easy to use. Doodle takes the pain away from finding the right date and time for a group of people to meet. The platform makes scheduling virtually effortless. The fact that its free, user-friendly and can be shared, makes Doodle even better. Another capability of the App is that you can invite other users to it.

Do you believe Doodle has played a positive role on your job, and your overall productivity?

Yes, it is quick and easy to identify people attending meetings. Mobile app and website could use some design work. Alerts and sharing options could be expanded. More time-zone options would be helpful. However, an overall good app we use.

 

Glen Gardiner

Glen – our Activity Centres Manager – introduced the use of Trello to Maximillion, and now we don’t know where we would be without it.

What do you use Trello for at Maximillion?      

Turnberry Adventures and remote communication with team.

What do you believe to be the key features and benefits of using Trello?

Fully accessible by multiple users. Social media style interface encouraging users. Real time updates and it is fast! In addition, a board for a project and you can see all the items on one page. Lastly, adding new member is easy. You can not only add existing user to your board but also invite new users by type in emails.

Do you believe Trello has played a positive role on your job, and your overall productivity?

Yes. It’s free! You can use right away after signed up at Trello. Furthermore, Trello can be used on about any size of screen. Its interface is much more different from other services. Trelllo looks like an App, not a site. A Gantt chart would be useful along with a calendar and it would be great if you can write documents or wiki about boards, rather than only simple description. Although, overall a good app which has more positives in using it rather than negatives.

 

Becky Davis

When Becky joined Maximillion to improve our digital presence, she was certain that Hootsuite was the way forward.

What do you use Hootsuite for at Maximillion?   

Hootsuite allows you to schedule posts, engage in conversations, tag third parties and manage your social media activity all on just one platform. We use Hootsuite to upload and schedule our social media posts for both Maximillion, and MadMax Adventures.

What do you believe to be the key features and benefits of using Hootsuite?

The platform is user-friendly, and doesn’t take long to get to grips with it. The platform also generates useful articles, providing tips and techniques. There are many advantages in using Hootsuite. One benefit is that it allows content to published at a time you choose. This means that our channels look balanced. If content needs to go out immediately, and reach a large audience, you can choose to auto-schedule which means that the post is sent that same day, at an optimal time when your audience is online. The platform is continually improving, and new upgrades give you even more capabilities.

Do you believe Hootsuite has played a positive role on your job, and your overall productivity?

Definitely! I love Hootsuite! It allows me to create a calendar, upload content and sit back as it automatically posts across our channels. I usually spend two to three days a month on managing our social media accounts, instead of posting every day. This has increased my productivity as I can manage my time better, and work on other tasks, confident that we are still active on social media.

Becky also enjoys the benefits of Dropbox.

What do you use Dropbox for at Maximillion?

We use Dropbox to easily upload and share images and videos.

What do you believe to be the key features and benefits of using Dropbox?
Not all members of the team will work on every event, and I certainly do not work on many of them. This means that event team members can upload photos and videos to Dropbox quickly, and I can take these to create content for all of our marketing channels. It’s free, quick, easy and means that everything is in one place, instead of multiple email chains or files.

Do you believe Dropbox has played a positive role on your job, and your overall productivity?

Not vastly, but it has definitely helped. All images and videos are now in one place, and so I can refer to Dropbox only instead of searching through multiple files. It has also had a positive impact on the numbers of images and videos coming in from events. The event team see the value in taking photos and videos, and with the added ease of uploading these through Dropbox, they have all incorporated it into their responsibilities.

Having experienced the benefits first-hand, we would be the first in recommending these apps for the purposes of your own event planning. To learn what other tools are currently WOW-ing the events industry, read our feature on the Top 20 Event Planning Apps.

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