Dublin-based software start-up Eventznet launched version 2 of its event management software at the Marketing & Sales Promotion Show at the RDS, Dublin on October 2nd 2003.

Eventznet Version 2 is a web-based program that provides the organisers of events such as seminars, conferences, charity functions or training courses, a quick and easy way making and managing an interactive web site for their event. The organiser sends e-mail invitations to attend or to register to their list of contacts, and can view all responses to the invitations in one central place. The organiser can provide additional information about their event on the web site, and send e-mail reminders or event updates quickly and easily.

Needing only basic computer literacy the event organiser can quickly and easily set up a unique Website for any event. Invitations can be issued from it and an online registration form can be include. All responses and registrations are gathered in a centralised database and can be sorted according to response status or contact grouping.

For example, if an event has a limited number of places, an event organiser can use the software to determine very quickly when it has become oversubscribed, and make subsequent applicants aware that they are on a waiting list. It also makes it easy to cater for attendees having special needs such as restrictive diets.

With Version 2.0, Eventznet is now fully automated with an extensive library of professionally designed templates for Web site design and e-mail campaigns. Now users can upload their own logos or images to be included on their event’s microsite and the new custom download page allows users to provide their attendees with material such as location maps, conference proceedings and other more detailed information.

Eventznet uses industry standard relational database technology combined with the latest Web systems to allow seamless integration with popular office software. Event organisers can easily import and export information from their own contacts-management databases into the Eventznet software.

Eventznet is made available as a hosted service, meaning that the user does not have to install or configure any software or worry about any of the technical headaches associated with setting up a Website. Instead, users access Eventznet using a standard Web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

“If you can browse the Internet, you can use Eventznet,” said managing director Sarah Carroll. ‘It’s that simple.’

All data is held on Eventznet’s secure servers. Invitees’ e-mail addresses are visible only to the event organisers, so that the risk of receiving unwanted mail or spam is minimised. However, guests can edit their own profiles and set their own permission levels regarding the receipt of further communications.

“Our customers want to use the Internet to organise their events,” said Carroll. “But up to now, the cost and technical challenges have made that prohibitive. With Eventznet you pay a simple fee for each event, you remain in control of the web site, invitations and responses, and we take care of all the technical hassles.”

Alex Gibson, president of the Hospitality, Sales & Marketing Association International (Ireland) used version 1 of the Eventznet software to organise a networking evening as part of the Failte Ireland workshops in Killarney last May. “Eventznet made it possible for us to invite all 1500 workshop participants to our networking evening,” he said. “The event was oversubscribed within 24 hours of the invitations being sent out but I was able to go into our site and change the automatic response to tell subsequent visitors that they would be put on a waiting list. We found that our guests really appreciated being kept informed of the status of their applications.”

Venturepoint, the Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Enterprise Board has been using Eventznet to organise its quarterly business networking sessions since April this year. “Our challenge was to increase the number of local businesses participating in our networking forums,” said Michael Hayden, Venturepoint development officer. “Using Eventznet we have increased attendance by 150 per cent without significant expenditure or effort.”