The 14 Best Free Online Event Planning Tools

“Work smart, not hard” is easier said than done. That’s why today we’re going to look at some online event planning tools.

As an event planner, the hours you do get to sleep in are probably filled with nightmares about to-do lists and deadlines.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Fortunately, some clever cookies have devised a range of online tools to make your life easier.

“That’s great and all, but I have a budget to stick to,” we hear you say.

We get it. Good news: We’ve put together a little list of free online event planning tools.

You read that right: free!

Read on to find out how you can streamline your event planning with:

• Project management tools
• Apps to help you keep track of ideas
• Social media management tools
• Tools to help you with design and outsourcing

We promise that you’ll want to try out at least one of these tools and that you’ll love it!

Project management tools

There are a lot of moving parts that contribute to the success of an event. A good project management tool can help you keep everything in one place.

1. Trello

Trello is a free online app that helps you and your team collaborate on a project. It’s a very visual app that creates a board for each project.

The board can be populated with “cards” that symbolise a task. You can add images, videos, and audio clips to each card.

Checklists and reminders help you track the progress of your event planning.

2. Slack

Slack is a great tool for the busy event planner with a full inbox. The app allows you to create a group chat where you can share files with your team members.

That way, your event files and conversations about them are all in one place. Simples!

3. Google Drive

Google Drive is a great alternative if you don’t feel like learning a new program. It’s not just a cloud storage system. You’ll also enjoy a range of other features.

Google Hangouts is great for chatting with your team. Google Docs and Sheets quickly generate documents and spreadsheets.

No need to buy a Microsoft Office licence.

Inspiration and notes

The Internet is a vast place, so it’s easy to forget where you found a good concept. Ditch the Post-It notes and get one of these free tools to help you keep track of new ideas.

1. Google Alerts

Google Alerts is a great tool to monitor the web for any news about a particular subject. Simply type in what you’re interested in. From now on, Google will send you a regular email with a round-up.

You can schedule these to arrive in your inbox as frequently as you like. And there’s no limit to the number of alerts you can set.

2. Feedly

Similar to Google Alerts, Feedly helps you create custom newsfeeds for different subject matters. It’s more aesthetically pleasing to look at but has all the same features.

You can, for example, create a news feed for conferences and another for event planning tips (remember to subscribe to our blog!)

3. Evernote

Evernote is a great tool if you get your ideas from different places. Came across something interesting online? Copy it to Evernote.

Want to do a voice recording of an idea that popped into your head? Add it to Evernote. Found a nice picture you’d like to use for inspiration later? You know where to put it.

Social media

It’s essential to use social media when you’re planning an event. However, it can quickly become very time consuming to keep up on all the different platforms. Use these tools to help you save time.

1. Buffer

Buffer is a social media planning tool that allows you to schedule posts in advance. It can connect to three different accounts and schedule 10 posts at a time.

There’s also a paid subscription that allows for more social media profiles and posts. You can easily access it on your phone and schedule on the go.

2. IFTTT

If This Then That (IFTTT) is a collection of free tools that can help you automate social media tasks. Applets are little pieces of code generated by other users.

They can, for example, allow you to cross-post your social media content. You can automatically post to Twitter and Facebook every time you post on Instagram.

Events

As an event planner, you’ll also want a tool to help you list the event itself. That can be time-consuming as well, so here are some tools to help you streamline the process.

1. Billetto

Our platform allows you to list your event, promote it to the right audience, and sell tickets. It takes just five minutes to set up your event. Then you have everything in one place.

The fun doesn’t stop there, however. You can also promote your event directly to social media to save time.

2. Evvnt

We’re not the only platform where you can list your event, of course. There are others out there. Many of them make it easy to get started.

But even if it only takes five minutes to set up an event on each site, it can quickly add up. Evvnt only requires you to type the event details in once. It will then list the event on hundreds of event listing sites.

3.  Eventopedia

If you’ve spent countless hours hunting down suppliers for your event, you’ll love Eventopedia. The platform aggregates event suppliers and lets users rate and review them. It has been compared to TripAdvisor for event planners.

Miscellaneous

Although we’ve covered some of the most useful tools, there’s a few more you should check out.

1. Canva

Canva is the go-to tool for graphic design and formatting. If you’re not proficient with Photoshop, you’ll love Canva. It comes with cool templates for social media banners and posts. You can also use it for flyers and other marketing material.

2. Upwork

Need an extra hand with your event? You probably do. Events require a lot of work, including copywriting, graphic design, bookkeeping, and much more. Why not outsource it to a freelancer? The gig economy is booming, and you can find lots of talented professionals online.

3. Headspace

Headspace is the most popular app for guided meditation. Why are we including this on our list? Because event planning is the fifth most stressful job in the world. You need some peace of mind, and Headspace will help you get there. Now take a deep breath…

Found something you could use?

We hope so.

Unless you plan on growing an extra pair of arms, you should take advantage of these tools. They’ll save you both time and headaches.

Know of any better ones? Please let us know in the comments. Sharing is caring!