MeetingHand

What MeetingHand is

MeetingHand is conference management software. It is not a calendar-link tool for one-to-one appointments, so it sits in the booking and scheduling group by a different route: it lets an organizer publish an event, take sign-ups for it, run its program and check people in on the day. The home page calls it conference management software "for all event types and sizes" and sums up its pitch as "Powerful. Flexible. Easy." It lists 6 solutions: event registration, abstract management, an event webpage, event marketing, virtual conferences and event check-in.

The reader it serves is an event organizer at an association, a university group, a non-profit or a company running a conference. The customers quoted on the home page are the US Biochar Initiative, the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology, CALNENA and HelmsBriscoe, which tells you the audience is professional and academic gatherings. The company frames the result as "Awe-inspiring events and academic experiences."

What you build and how

You build an event, not an app. The home page describes a 3-step flow: "Build" ("Launch in-person, virtual, and hybrid events quickly and easily"), "Engage" ("Build connections that foster community and bridge distances") and "Automate" ("Say yes to less stress and more time with automated solutions"). The pieces are as follows.

Event registration. This is the first module listed: "Customizable, intuitive, and scalable registration forms to sign up attendees with ease." Under the heading "Versatility without complexity," the company says its registration software gives you the tools to "customize, personalize, and brand content," so you can create the look your clients want and their participants enjoy. Attendees get a personalized experience "from QR codes to schedule creation to cashless payments." For the forms reader, this is the form builder: a sign-up form for an event, with payment handled as part of registration.

Abstract management. This is the module that separates MeetingHand from a generic booking tool. The home page describes an "End-to-end abstract management platform; submission, review, evaluation, program and proceeding export." A conference that calls for papers or posters can collect submissions, send them to reviewers, record evaluations, build the program from the accepted ones and export proceedings in one place. The home page bullet calls it "Effortless abstract submission & review."

Event webpage. The company describes it as branded event websites built to engage your attendees: "Beautiful event website. On any device," with tools that make it easy to create a fully branded website and landing pages "in minutes." The headline for this module is "Secure your pole position on Google," so search visibility is part of the pitch. The company's blog says platforms like MeetingHand provide "handy and user-friendly event web page solutions for free, eliminating the need for coding knowledge," with registration, ticketing and attendee management tied into the site. Its guide to event websites walks through the steps it recommends: pick a platform, start from a template, customize it, add the essential pages and content, connect registration and ticketing, optimize for search and social sharing, then test and launch.

Speaker and program management. "Everything you need to deliver memorable, informative, and educational experiences to audiences across formats, is all in one place."

Event marketing. The module promises to help you "Promote your event worldwide" by personalizing your event awareness to expand your reach and drive registrations. A section on marketing and branding talks about promoting the event "your way" and giving attendees compelling reasons to attend by creating branded content for every touchpoint.

Virtual and hybrid events. "Host interactive virtual conferences with networking, streaming, engagement tools, and more." A section titled "Virtual & Hybrid Networking" says the platform covers "Virtual - Hybrid - In-Person" formats.

Event check-in. The sixth solution, listed in the menu and footer, is meant to "Streamline attendee check-in with a hassle-free QR Code solution and ensure a smooth start for your attendees." Combined with the QR codes in the attendee experience, registration and arrival run on the same records.

Data and reporting. "Track event performance with analytic solutions that let you harness the power of real-time data collection across all event formats - virtual, in-person and hybrid."

For the person registering, the experience is the event site, its registration form, a QR code and, for virtual events, the online conference. For the organizer, it is a set of modules that can be used together or one at a time, as a conference moves from call for abstracts to registration to the event day.

What the pages state about pricing, support and customers

The home page links a Pricing page but shows no figures itself. 2 buttons appear together: "Sign Up Now - No credit card required" and "Book a Demo," so you can open an organizer account without a card and use a demo to talk through cost.

Support is part of the pitch: "We offer the kind of support that lets you sleep soundly at night. From conception to completion, we've got you covered before, during and after the event." The site also offers case studies, a knowledge center for guidance and troubleshooting, a help center, a feature list and a contact address. Customer quotes on the page back up the support claim.

• Charles Hegberg of the US Biochar Initiative says, "As they are still building out the package and expanding capabilities, there was a need to have them directly involved with doing a few processes and fixes. They were on it very quickly. The customer service and support was stellar."
• Michaela Pichler of the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology says, "We are fully satisfied with both the system as well as the service offered by MeetingHand. For our users, the system is very acceptable and we hardly have to explain things since the registration process is very logical."
• Mark Chase of CALNENA says MeetingHand "has proven to be a good fit for our non-profit organization planning needs" and recommends it to organizations "looking for an alternative to the larger, event-planning websites that continue to increase pricing year over year."
• Katie Forte of HelmsBriscoe says the team's treatment of customers "really instills the confidence in you that they will do everything they can to make sure you are satisfied."

Who it suits and who it does not

MeetingHand suits a conference team, an academic association or a non-profit that needs sign-ups, paper or abstract handling, a public event site, promotion and check-in in one system, and wants to run in-person, virtual or hybrid events. Customer quotes point to smaller organizations that found larger event platforms expensive, and to teams that valued a vendor willing to get involved in setup and fixes.

It does not suit someone who wants a personal booking page for 1:1 meetings, such as a coach or consultant selling time slots; this is built around events and their programs. And since one customer notes that the product was still expanding its capabilities, a team relying on one specific feature should see it working in the demo.