Blog

Insights, guides, and updates from the ema team.

Latest writing

Practical thinking for event teams

Guides, product thinking, and operational advice for teams planning and delivering complex events.

operationsopinion

Accessibility beyond the checklist

Accessibility at events is more than ramps and captions. It is wayfinding, colour contrast, dietary tracking, and quiet rooms.

·5 min read
industryopinion

AI in events: useful vs. gimmick

Most 'AI-powered' event tools are marketing theatre. Here's where AI genuinely helps event teams and where it's just a label.

·5 min read
product

Why event search needs to be smarter than keyword matching

Semantic plus keyword hybrid search finds what you meant, not just what you typed. Here's how it works in ema.

·4 min read
productworkflow

AI that actually helps event teams

Not another AI hype piece. Here is what ema's AI agent does in practice: compliance checks, schedule reports, speaker comms.

·4 min read
integrationopinion

What "API-first" actually means for event teams

You don't need to be a developer to benefit from an API-first platform. Here's what it means for your team in practice.

·4 min read
productopinion

Why approvals are the most underrated feature in event management

Approval workflows prevent costly mistakes at events. Most platforms skip them entirely. Here is why that matters.

·4 min read
workflowindustry

Association events are different — your software should know that

Generic event platforms treat every event as standalone. Association events are part of an ongoing relationship. Here's what that means for your tools.

·5 min read
operationsproduct

Attendee engagement beyond live polls

Live polls are fine, but real engagement comes from utility — Q&A, ratings, networking, and personalised agendas.

·4 min read
product

Your event budget has two sides. Most platforms only track one

Event platforms track what comes in. ema now tracks what goes out too. Purchase orders, vendor bills, expense claims, and cashflow in one place.

·3 min read
industryopinion

Build vs. buy: when custom event tech makes sense (and when it doesn't)

An honest look at when buying event software is the right call, when building custom makes more sense, and where the middle ground lives.

·4 min read
product

Building a knowledge base your attendees will actually read

Most event info lives in PDFs nobody opens. A searchable knowledge base fixes that and saves organisers hours of repetitive questions.

·3 min read
productworkflow

Event software built around the work

How ema supports the practical details of event production, from exhibitor requirements and programme changes to on-site preparation.

·3 min read
productintegration

ema is API-first. Here's why that matters

Most event platforms say they have an API. ema was built around one. Every feature, every endpoint, no exceptions.

·5 min read
company

Why we publish a public changelog

Most event platforms ship updates silently. We publish every change. Here's why that matters.

·3 min read
productworkflow

How connected event workflows work in ema

Follow an exhibitor booking from sales to on-site delivery, with the programme, documents and event team working in the same context.

·3 min read
workflow

Corporate events: the budget and approval problem

Corporate events mean procurement, approvals, and competing departments. Here's how ema keeps the process moving without the politics.

·5 min read
productworkflow

CPD/CE tracking should not be a spreadsheet job

CPD/CE is not hard to manage when the records are connected. It gets expensive when teams try to fix it after the event.

·4 min read
comparison

Cvent alternative for modern event teams

A practical look at why teams compare Cvent with ema when pricing, access, speed, and event operations matter.

·3 min read
operationsindustry

Data privacy for event organisers: the practical version

What data you actually collect at events, what the law requires, and how to handle it without a legal degree.

·4 min read
opinionindustry

The annual contract needs to die

Annual contracts in event software protect the vendor, not you. Month-to-month should be the default.

·3 min read
productopinion

Digital signage that runs itself

Event signage is either static and wrong by lunchtime, or expensive and disconnected from your data. There's a third option.

·5 min read
product

Document management that doesn't mean "shared drive"

ema keeps event documents with the records they belong to, with version tracking and permissions. Less searching through email and shared drives.

·4 min read
operationsopinion

Operating software for event agencies

Agencies need event software that connects tasks, schedules, documents, budgets, clients, suppliers, and live delivery.

·3 min read
industryopinion

Your event budget lives in a spreadsheet. That's a problem

Event budgets stuck in Excel mean no live data, no real-time visibility, and a lot of 'let me check.' There's a better way.

·4 min read
opinionproduct

Your event data should be yours

Full data export, API access, no lock-in. If you want to leave, take everything with you.

·3 min read
operations

The event day checklist you'll actually use

A short, practical event day checklist focused on what actually goes wrong. Morning, during, and end of day.

·4 min read
productopinion

Event marketing needs more than clicks

Platform metrics are useful, but event marketers need to know what campaigns did to registrations, revenue, attendance, and engagement.

·4 min read
industrycomparison

Event software: a buyer's guide that isn't a sales pitch

Real questions to ask vendors, red flags to watch for, and what good event software actually looks like. No disguised pitch.

·6 min read
industryopinion

Event tech is a decade behind the rest of SaaS

Event management software is stuck in 2015. The rest of SaaS moved on. Here's why, and what it would take to catch up.

·4 min read
operations

How to communicate with exhibitors without drowning in email

Exhibitor communication is a volume problem. Here's a practical timeline and the case for moving it out of your inbox.

·4 min read
productworkflow

Exhibitor compliance without the chaos

Managing insurance, electrical compliance, OH&S, and booth specs for 50+ exhibitors. There is a better way than spreadsheets.

·5 min read
industryopinion

The exhibitor experience at most events is broken

Exhibitors pay thousands for a booth and get a PDF manual and an email chain. The experience needs to be better.

·4 min read
workflow

Festival production at scale

Festivals are organised chaos. Multi-stage schedules, hundreds of vendors, thousands of attendees. Here's how ema handles it.

·5 min read
workflowproduct

Setting up your first event on ema

A practical walkthrough of your first 30 minutes on ema — from creating an event to asking the AI agent about it.

·5 min read
productopinion

Floor plans don't belong in PowerPoint

The case for interactive, data-connected floor plans over static files that break the moment something changes.

·4 min read
workflowcompany

From spreadsheet to platform: what the migration actually looks like

Moving from spreadsheets and email chains to ema. What transfers easily, what needs rethinking, and the honest timeline.

·5 min read
industryopinion

The hidden cost of "free" event tools

Free event tools look cheap until you do the maths. Per-ticket fees, feature walls, and data silos add up fast.

·4 min read
product

Registration that doesn't take a cut

Flat per-registration pricing vs. percentage-based fees. Why the per-ticket model breaks down at scale.

·4 min read
comparisonworkflow

How to compare event platform quotes

A practical way to compare event software quotes across platform fees, support, usage, migration, and hard-cost services.

·3 min read
company

How we decide what to build next

A transparent look at how ema prioritises feature requests — and why not everything gets built.

·4 min read
industryopinion

Why most platforms get hybrid events wrong

Hybrid isn't 'livestream the keynote and call it a day.' Most platforms bolt on a streaming link. Here's what hybrid actually requires.

·4 min read
productopinion

Indoor wayfinding at events — without the hardware

Software-only indoor navigation for events using pre-built venue floor plans, A* pathfinding, and QR positioning. No BLE beacons required.

·4 min read
comparisonopinion

7 signs your event platform is holding you back

Specific, recognisable pain points that signal it's time to evaluate alternatives. If you recognise more than three, start looking.

·4 min read
workflow

Managing 50+ exhibitors without losing your mind

The operational reality of managing a large exhibition — from booth assignments to invoicing — and why email and spreadsheets stop working at scale.

·5 min read
operations

Managing event volunteers without a separate system

Volunteers are essential to events but usually managed in spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups. There's a better way.

·3 min read
workflow

Managing speakers from CFP to stage

A practical walkthrough of the six-stage speaker lifecycle — from call for papers to event day — and what changes when it all runs in one system.

·6 min read
integrationworkflow

Microsoft 365 for event teams: a proper integration guide

How ema connects to Entra ID, Teams, Calendar, and SharePoint — the tools your event team already uses every day.

·4 min read
workflow

Multi-day, multi-track scheduling without the pain

Building a conference schedule across 5 rooms and 3 days is genuinely hard. Here's a workflow that doesn't fall apart when things change.

·4 min read
productopinion

Networking features that people actually use

Most event networking tools are designed for demos, not humans. Here's what actually gets used — and what sits ignored.

·4 min read
productopinion

Why ema doesn't charge per seat

Per-seat pricing punishes collaboration. ema prices around event operations instead, with packages from $499/month and no per-seat fees.

·3 min read
productopinion

One platform vs. five point solutions

The real cost of tool sprawl for event teams isn't subscriptions. It's context switching, data silos, and hoping someone updated the other four tools.

·4 min read
company

How ema handles your event data

A plain-language explanation of where your data lives, who can access it, and what we do and don't do with it.

·4 min read
workflowoperations

Your event generated 80 hours of content. Now what?

How to turn recorded sessions, speaker slides, and photos into lasting value with VOD, transcripts, and content libraries.

·4 min read
operationsworkflow

Post-event reporting: what to measure and why

Most post-event reports stop at headcount. Here's what actually matters — and why connected data beats more data.

·5 min read
productopinion

Real-time collaboration isn't a feature, it's the baseline

Figma, Notion, and Google Docs figured this out years ago. Event platforms are still emailing spreadsheets around. That needs to stop.

·3 min read
productopinion

Real-time means one change, everywhere

When you update a session time, it should update on signage, in the app, on the web, and on the ops console. Instantly.

·4 min read
workflow

Running a conference with 200 abstract submissions

The submission-to-schedule pipeline for mid-to-large conferences. From CFP to published programme, without the spreadsheet chaos.

·5 min read
product

A schedule builder that actually thinks

Most event schedules are built in spreadsheets. Here's what happens when your schedule builder knows about rooms, speakers, and conflicts.

·4 min read
operations

Writing a CFP that attracts good submissions

What makes speakers want to submit to your call for papers — and what puts them off. Practical tips for better CFPs.

·5 min read
industryopinion

Speaker management is not an inbox

The speaker workflow from CFP to stage should be one connected pipeline, not 200 emails and a spreadsheet.

·3 min read
operations

What sponsors actually want to see in a post-event report

Most sponsors get a PDF with headcount and photos. The ones that renew get data-backed reports with real ROI metrics.

·4 min read
productopinion

Stop building event websites from scratch

Your event website should pull from your event data, not the other way around. Registration, schedule, speakers, exhibitors — one source of truth.

·4 min read
integrationproduct

Event payments with Stripe: no middleman fees

ema connects directly to your Stripe account. You pay Stripe's fees, not a platform percentage on top.

·3 min read
industryopinion

Sustainability in events: beyond the buzzword

Practical steps for reducing event waste through digital-first approaches, better data, and honest expectations.

·4 min read
comparison

Switching from Bizzabo: what changes

Bizzabo handles attendee experience well. If you need production-side depth too, here's what changes when you switch to ema.

·5 min read
comparison

Switching from Cvent: what to expect

A practical guide for teams considering the move from Cvent to ema. What you gain, what's different, and how to plan the transition.

·5 min read
comparison

Moving beyond Eventbrite

When you've outgrown ticketing and need actual event management, here's what switching from Eventbrite looks like.

·4 min read
comparison

Switching from Stova

Stova merged three platforms into one brand. Here's what changes when you move to software that was built as one product from the start.

·4 min read
comparison

Switching from Swoogo: a practical guide

What you gain, what's different, and whether moving from Swoogo to ema makes sense for your team.

·4 min read
comparison

Switching from Whova: what's different

From event app to full platform — what changes when you consolidate production tools and attendee experience into one system.

·4 min read
product

Why event teams need their own task management

Asana, Monday, and Trello don't understand event deadlines, exhibitor dependencies, or approval workflows. Event teams deserve better.

·4 min read
comparisonindustry

The true cost of event software

Subscription price is just the start. Here's a full breakdown of what event platforms actually cost when you add up every line item.

·5 min read
operations

Venue coordination: rooms, capacity, and the AV problem

Venue details live in one place, the schedule in another, AV requirements in a third. Here's how to fix that.

·4 min read
industryopinion

Your venue needs an event technology layer

Venues compete on location, capacity, and catering. Technology is the missing layer — and the one that actually differentiates.

·4 min read
industryopinion

What attendees actually want from an event app

Event apps are packed with features nobody opens. Here's what attendees actually use — and what they ignore.

·4 min read
workflowindustry

Why associations need event software that understands members

Association events are not standalone moments. The software needs to understand members, learning records, and long-running relationships.

·3 min read
productoperations

Why event check-in fails (and how to fix it)

Venue Wi-Fi, single points of failure, badge printer jams, no offline mode. The real reasons on-site check-in breaks down.

·4 min read
workflowindustry

Why event marketers need first-party outcome data

Clicks explain interest. First-party event outcomes show whether campaigns produced registrations, attendance, revenue, and real engagement.

·4 min read
industryopinion

Why is event software so expensive?

Enterprise event platforms cost $15k-50k+/year. The reasons have nothing to do with the software being worth that much.

·4 min read
industryopinion

Why event software pricing is broken

Event software pricing is often built around hidden fees, seat limits, and hard-to-compare quotes. Here is what should change.

·3 min read
productworkflow

Why we built ema

Event teams need connected workflows. Here is how ema brings commercial work, planning and on-site delivery into one platform.

·3 min read
productworkflow

The product decisions behind ema

Connected records, useful AI, shared workflows and clear permissions: the decisions that shape how ema supports event teams.

·3 min read
integrationproduct

Connecting your events to Xero

ema's Xero integration syncs invoices, payments, and revenue data so your event finances and accounting match automatically.

·3 min read
productopinion

Your event content is smarter than you think

Events generate hours of recordings that nobody watches. AI transcription, chapter markers, and searchable libraries change that.

·4 min read

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