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online registration companies we knew. It didn’t really mat- ter that the entire package cost a small fraction of the major online registration companies, but it sure didn’t hurt! We’ve since moved into WordPress on a smaller scale and we’re fi nd- ing many of the same advantages. We haven’t dropped the use of SaaS registration software, as there are advantages for many clients in reporting, managing housing, roommate and appointment matching and additional functions that the Joomla!, WordPress, and other open source solutions can’t easily match. But for many meeting and event professionals, they can be an extremely valuable and useful tool in the kit.”


There are a number of companies emerging that use Word- Press or Joomla! for low-cost, meeting-specifi c web applica- tions. Here are a few of them:


Event Espresso | eventespresso.com Features: Event websites, online registration with multiple pricing options, ticketing management, event calendar, venue profi le manager (to reuse venues for multiple events or multiple venues for the same event), payment collection, staff profi le manager, attendee profi le manager, mobile ticketing using QR codes, waitlist manager, multiple attendee registration, easy re- porting, social media integration, invoice payment reminders, administrative pre-approval to allow only authorized individu- als to register, easy what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) page editing, MailChimp integration, 15 languages. Platform: WordPress | Pricing: $89.95 (one site, one year of support/upgrades) to $499.95 (fi ve sites, one year of support/ upgrades)


Events Manager | wp-events-plugin.com Features: Recurring events, calendars, speaker submission/ management, Google Map integration, online registration, multiple ticketing/pricing, online payment, automated email confi rmations/reminders, discount manager, spam protection. Platform: WordPress | Pricing: Free with limited options, $75 (one site, one year support/updates), $150 (fi ve sites, one year support/updates) Januas | www.eventmanagerblog.com/ multiple-event-wordpress-theme-januas Features: Event websites for multiple events, six color palettes, conference schedule with multiple tracks, speaker management, session management, social media integration (Facebook, Twitter, SlideShare, Livestream), picture and video integration, EventBrite online registration integration, fi ve lan- guages.


WWW.MIDWESTMEETINGS.COM


Platform: WordPress | Pricing: $149, unlimited number of sites, 1 year of support


Ohanah | app.ohanah.com Features: Event websites, online registration with mul- tiple pricing options, ticketing management, venue manage- ment with geo-location, search engine optimization, mobile app (both native and HTML5), email management, payment management (through PayPal), multiple templates, onsite and offl ine payment management, MailChimp integration, 33 lan- guages.


Platform: Joomla! | Pricing: $39 (one site, two months of support/updates), $329 (lifetime updates/support for unlimited sites, mobile app included)


Events Nova | eventsnova.com Features: Designed as a plug-in to an existing Joomla! site: Event registration, waiting list, attendee list, Facebook com- ments, email templates/management, recurring event manager, multiple themes, payment gateways, analytic dashboards, SEO optimization, social media integration (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, MySpace), video uploading (YouTube and others), image gallery, multiple languages. Platform: Joomla! | Pricing: $59 (one site, three months support/updates) to $99 (unlimited sites, one year of support/ updates)


redEVENT | redcomponent.com/ redcomponent/redevent Features: Online booking for social events, ticketing, mul- tiple registration processing (phone, email, web form, external link), multiple events, multiple sessions in one event, session limits, waitlist management, segmented pricing, automated re- minders, payment through PayPal and Epay, WYSIWYG edit- ing, fi ve languages. Platform: Joomla! | Pricing: Free As technology continues to advance, we are seeing the price of technology continue to fall. These software programs built with open source platforms are providing lower cost options for event managers. Check out the user reviews and one of them may be a fi t for your needs.


Corbin Ball, CMP, CSP is a speaker and independent third- party consultant focusing on meetings technology. With 20 years of experience running international citywide technology meetings, he now helps clients worldwide use technology to save time and improve productivity. He can be contacted at his extensive web site: www. corbinball.com and followed at www.twitter.com/corbinball


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