What Two Tools Usually Look Like
People register in the first tool. Someone exports the list, cleans it up and imports it into the app tool, then does it again every time someone registers late, changes their name or cancels. Emails come from one place, app updates from another, and check-in runs from whichever list was exported last.
Where It Goes Wrong
Most problems on the day come from the gaps between tools, not from the tools themselves.
- Late registrations missing from the app or the check-in list
- A cancelled ticket that still opens the app
- Session choices made at registration that never reach the attendee's schedule
- Two sign-ins, two links and two sets of instructions for attendees
- Two bills, two sets of logins for your team and two support teams to call
When Two Tools Are Fine
If you only need an app with the agenda and venue details for an audience you already have a list for, and you'll never change that list, a standalone app can be enough. The same goes for a simple sign-up with no app at all. The trouble starts when the list keeps changing and several tools all need it.
What to Look For in One Tool
If you'd rather keep everything together, check that one tool covers the whole event, not just the middle of it.
- A registration form with your own questions, and paid tickets if you sell them
- Invitations, tickets and reminders sent from the same list
- An attendee app that already knows who registered and what they picked
- Check-in by QR code and printed name badges from the same list
- Updates and notifications that reach only the people they're meant for
- Reports and a survey afterwards without merging spreadsheets
Ask Whether Attendees Have to Download Anything
Some event apps live inside another app that attendees have to find in the app store, install and then search for your event. Every extra step loses some people. An app that opens straight from the link in the ticket email is one tap.
In Shoal, every ticket opens the attendee app in the phone's browser, branded for your event, and people can add it to their home screen.
Compare the Whole Bill
When you compare prices, add up everything the event needs: registration, ticket fees, email, the app and check-in. A cheap app can cost more once you add the tools around it, and the hours spent moving lists between them.