11 expert-approved event planning tools

As an event planner, you deserve the perfect tools to help you adapt and stay organized. 

The ultimate event planning toolkit should include design, project management, and communication tools — plus a few hands-on resources. 

Here’s a look at expert-approved event planning tools that can help streamline your planning process from start to finish.

zkipster Audience: the premier guest management tool for event planners

zkipster Events provides powerful guest list management, seating, and check-in features to help you build a well-rounded toolkit for strategic event planning.

Our Audience product empowers you to take a strategic, long-term approach to guest management, offering a high-level view of your entire network. It supports better personalization and efficiency at every stage, from planning to execution.

Centralized guest directory

Audience serves as a master directory for managing all contacts across your events. 

Rather than managing contact lists in isolation, Audience provides a central hub where all contact data is stored, updated, and easily accessible.  

Key benefits:

• Identifies duplicate entries and gives users full control to update or discard information drawn from multiple events
• Enables unified data management that’s clean, consistent, and reliable
• Maintains enriched contact records, including event history engagement
• Helps event planners identify their most engaged and important guests
• Supports the creation of data-driven guest lists to match every event’s goals

Audience is hugely valuable for all kinds of organizations - agencies, luxury brands, media companies, diplomatic organizations, corporations, and nonprofits - especially those that host many events each year. 

Rich contact profiles

Each contact stored in Audience has a persistent, evolving profile that becomes more detailed over time. 

These contact profiles go beyond names and emails, serving as comprehensive records of guests’ interactions and preferences built from every event they attend.

Data included in profiles:

• Detailed contact information
• Up to 100 multiple-format custom fields and 100 color-coded tags for building customized profiles (e.g., dietary restrictions, VIP status)
• Attendance history
• Engagement tracking across events
• Activity log displaying who made updates, what they changed, and when they made the change

Rich contact profiles make it easy to personalize every step of the guest journey based on attendee engagement, interests, and event history.

Advanced segmentation and tagging

Audience provides robust segmentation tools that allow planners to organize and categorize guests using filters and tags. It gives you maximum control over how guests are sorted, invited, and notified.

Key benefits:

• Build highly targeted filters to instantly identify specific contacts
• Create dynamic contact segments based on up 30 filters (“Top Donors,” “Returning Attendees,” or “Local Media”)
• Group contacts by behavior, demographics, event history, or custom attributes
• Import your Approved guest lists into Events for improved targeting of invitations, messaging, seating, and follow-up

This feature is essential for complex events with layered invitation strategies. 

It helps event organizers prioritize VIP guests and deliver specific messaging that resonates with each segment.

Team and organization-wide access

Audience is designed for collaboration. It allows teams across departments, cities, or countries to access the same shared guest data securely and in real time.

Key benefits:

• Breaks down silos between planning, marketing, and executive teams
• Reduces redundant data entry and communication
• Ensures a consistent attendee experience at every touchpoint

Audience is a major asset for organizations managing different types of events across several distinct teams or business units. It ensures everyone is working with the same accurate, up-to-date information. 

Integration with zkipster’s event tools

Audience connects seamlessly with zkipster Events, including tools for RSVPs, invitations, check-in, seating, and more. 

The native integration supports effortless data transfers between Approved guest lists and live event workflows.

Key benefits:

• Eliminates the need to re-upload or recreate guest lists for each event
• Maintains continuity between events, building smarter and more personalized experiences

This feature is extremely useful for organizations that run repeat or series-based events, such as annual fundraisers, executive briefings, or brand activations, where consistency and relationship-building are key. 

It also saves time. Users can not only revisit the event, communication, and seating formats from previous events, but also access historical guest information maintained in Audience.

zkipster Events: the ultimate tool for event planning

zkipster Events gives event planners full control over how events are managed, who attends, and how guests experience the events. 

These guest and event management tools allow you to handle everything from list creation to real-time check-in while maintaining high standards for personalization, security, and collaboration.

Guest lists

Keep your contacts organized and easy to navigate by separating them into guest lists with categories like VIPs, media, internal teams, and sponsors. You can have unlimited guest lists for every event.

Features:

• Create and manage multiple guest lists for different events
• Import guests from Audience or spreadsheets, or sync directly with CRM platforms

When viewing a guest list in Events, you can filter by guest status (confirmed, checked in, etc.), sessions, and floorplans.

Guest profiles

Guest profiles help you deliver tailored experiences for each guest. 

Features:

• Each guest is assigned an event-specific profile
• Add specific custom fields such as dietary restrictions, professional affiliations, or internal notes
• Upload profile photos for quick visual identification
• Guest profiles from multiple events can be consolidated in Audience to create a comprehensive contact history

Whether greeting someone by name or ensuring their meal preferences are met, you can use zkipster Events guest profiles to provide thoughtful, unforgettable moments for your guests.

Guest segmentation

Effectively structure and manage different groups within Events by segmenting your guests.

Features:

• Create multiple guest lists for different groups (e.g., “Confirmed VIP,” “First-time Guest”)
• Use custom fields to capture relevant guest information and preferences

• Organize guests by lists to control seating, communications, and check-in flows

These features are especially helpful when managing multi-tiered access, invitation strategies, or seating plans for complex events. Audience allows for advanced tagging and comprehensive guest segmentation across multiple events.

Real-time sync and collaboration

Features:

• Guest lists sync live across all devices and users

• Multiple team members can collaborate simultaneously without conflicts or overwriting data

Ideal for large or distributed teams, real-time syncing ensures that departments like PR and operations are always working from the latest guest information, making coordination seamless and responsive.

Consent and data privacy

Features:

• Fully GDPR-compliant guest data management
• Built-in communication consent management with email unsubscribe functionality, WhatsApp opt-in requirements, and country-specific restrictions for SMS compliance
• Specific user permissions and access controls to protect sensitive data, including check-in permissions for temporary staff and custom schemes for Enterprise accounts

Essential for events hosting high-profile or international attendees. These tools help maintain data integrity, privacy, and legal compliance without sacrificing ease of use or team access.

Project management and event planning tools

Notion

If you’re seeking a simple but cohesive new way to manage projects, Notion operates like a digital command center. 

Team members can use Notion to collaborate effortlessly in real time, ensuring every detail aligns with your vision of a successful event.

Notion’s thoughtfully designed templates simplify the event planning process no matter the format — be it an in-person event, a hybrid event, or a simple webinar. 

With robust integrations for CRMs, email marketing tools, and other event technology, it blends beautifully into any broader event management software suite. 

Trello

With its signature Kanban boards and intuitive layout, Trello is ideal for those who desire a more elegant project management solution. 

It easily assigns tasks, tracks progress, and glides through your event workflows. Trello’s intelligent integrations ensure you’re always in step with your planning team, while its mobile app keeps you poised and informed even during onsite moments. 

As part of the Atlassian ecosystem, Trello integrates with:

• Jira, for advanced project tracking
• Confluence, for documentation and knowledge sharing
• Loom, for video communication

These integrations create a comprehensive productivity suite for better team collaboration. Sophisticated yet practical, Trello is essential for any event professional who values beauty in form and function.

Monday.com

‍Monday.com uses customizable workflows and intelligent automation to provide powerful, visual management tools for your most complex event projects.

The platform offers multiple project views — from timeline and Gantt charts to workload management dashboards — so your team can visualize their progress and resource allocation at a glance. Its automation capabilities take care of repetitive tasks, while advanced reporting features give real-time insights into performance and productivity.

Monday.com also shows you who on your team is overloaded and redistributes work automatically, catches roadblocks before they become a problem, keeps feedback in one place instead of scattered across emails, and gives you a clear view of your budget so you can course-correct before costs spiral.

Communication and collaboration tools

Slack

‍Slack offers real-time messaging, intuitive file sharing, and sleek integrations with your favorite project management tools. 

Create dedicated channels for AV, catering, or guest logistics and you’ll glide through the event day knowing every detail is in place.

Its mobile app keeps you in touch with team members during onsite coordination, making it an elite staple of event planning tools. Slack’s Huddle feature is perfect for on-the-go catchups. 

Whether you’re finalizing your floor plans, handling a last-minute update for the VIP lounge, or managing vendor notifications, Slack’s custom channels keep conversations organized and flowing.

Zoom

Whether you’re meeting with international stakeholders, briefing your flower designer across time zones, or rehearsing a keynote with a high-profile speaker, Zoom fulfills all your conference call needs. 

It’s especially valuable for coordinating virtual events, hybrid online events, and high-touch event marketing. Zoom’s high-quality video meetings and intuitive breakout rooms ensure an effortless event planning process.

When paired with your preferred event management platform, it supports your meetings and the full scope of your communication needs.

Calendly

‍Calendly’s refined approach to scheduling means you’ll no longer juggle back-and-forth emails to arrange planning calls or rehearsal slots. 

Instead, simply share your availability and let speakers, vendors, or clients book a time that suits them. It’s automated, easy to use, and polished.

Calendly’s intuitive time zone management and calendar integrations make it a perfect choice for managing rehearsal schedules, site walkthroughs, and pre-event briefings.

Design and branding tools

Canva

When designing graphics and branding for your events, Canva’s graphic design tools feel like the creative partner every planner should have. 

With stylish templates for invitations, signage, social media posts, and presentations, Canva allows you to produce stunning, on-brand materials that elevate your event’s look and feel. It even features its very own website builder.

Its user-friendly drag-and-drop editing means even those without a design background can produce professional materials in minutes, leaving more time to perfect the guest list or finalize ticket sales. 

From chic save-the-dates to custom menus, Canva easily combines your creative vision into every part of the event experience.

Figma

‍Figma offers a collaborative workspace where your creative team can direct the visual details of every event, but it’s evolved far beyond traditional design tools. 

With design prototyping and live collaboration, it’s perfect for working hand in hand with graphic designers on custom signage, branded visuals, or even your mobile event app interface. 

Figma’s expanded design suite now includes Figma Make for AI-powered design automation, Buzz for centralized asset management, and Sites for creating event websites. 

It’s the professional design environment where every member of your team can play a role in refining the event’s branding.

Frame.io

For events where storytelling plays a central role, such as a red carpet intro or a luxury product reveal, Frame.io provides a polished platform to manage your video content with finesse. 

Use it to collaborate with your production team and clients as you review promotional reels or post-event highlight videos.

It’s excellent for event professionals who want to add video assets to their overall event marketing strategy. With time-stamped feedback, version history, and smooth approval workflows, Frame.io ensures your visual storytelling is as exquisite as the event itself. 

Non-technical essentials

Emergency kit

Your event-day insurance policy. Stock it with safety pins, tape, chargers, and a mini sewing kit. Keep it near the event registration kiosk or backstage so you’ll always feel prepared.

Swatch books & samples

A designer’s secret weapon. Fabric swatches and material boards ensure every drape, napkin, and floral ribbon aligns with your original vision. Consult onsite to prevent any missteps in palette or texture.

Two-way radios or walkie-talkies

For when texts won’t cut it. Reliable, real-time communication that keeps your team connected across sprawling venues or estates, especially during setup and showtime.

Utility belts or hands-free bags

Chic meets sensible. Tuck in essentials like your phone, pens, headset, and breath mints so you can get through the day with both hands and head free. Ideal for floor managers and master coordinators alike. Don’t forget to include comfortable shoes for venue walk-throughs.

Whiteboard and sticky notes

Don’t overlook the traditional whiteboard. It’s perfect for everything from mapping logistics to planning last-minute shifts in roles and timing. A quick look at this dashboard keeps the whole team in sync.

To plan an event that runs flawlessly, you need the finest tools and event planning software. 

From guest profiles to real-time collaboration, zkipster ensures precision and personalization at every step. With Audience, you gain a centralized, intelligent contact hub for creating standout guest lists across different events. Use these powerful software solutions and non-technical tools to plan your next event.

Header Image: The Aspen Art Fair Opening Cocktail and Private Dinner, Presented by Buccellati, Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado. Photo by Jason Sean Weiss / BFA.com ⓒ BFA

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