Conference management software handles the work behind the programme: calls for papers, abstract submission, peer review, speaker management and the schedule. Academic and association events usually need strong review workflows, while professional conferences lean on speaker and attendee tools. Pick by how your content gets chosen.
The programme is the hard part
Ticket sales get all the attention, but anyone who's organised a conference knows the real work sits in the programme.
Somebody has to open the call for papers, chase reviewers, juggle speakers who change their minds and publish a schedule that still makes sense the week before. In 23 years in marketing I've watched plenty of events come together, and the organisers who stay calm are the ones who've stopped doing all this in spreadsheets.
How does your programme get chosen?
Peer review. Academic and scientific conferences need abstract submission, reviewer assignment and decisions, often with posters or proceedings. Look first at tools built for scholarly events.
Curated speakers. Tech and professional conferences often run a call for papers but pick speakers by committee. A lighter call-for-papers and speaker tool may be all you need.
Whole-event platforms. Larger associations and corporate events may want registration, attendee apps and marketing in the same system as the programme.
Conference tools at a glance
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| ConfTool | Submission and review | Submissions, reviews and registration together |
| Cvent | Event management platform | Event marketing and attendee engagement |
| EasyChair | Conference system | A conference system to explore in a demo |
| Eventsforce | Event management | Organisers running a portfolio of events |
| Ex Ordo | Conference management | End-to-end scholarly and technical events |
| Fourwaves | Abstracts and registration | Abstracts plus an event website |
| OpenConf | Abstract and peer review | Abstract management for events and journals |
| Oxford Abstracts | Academic abstract management | Academic conferences with poster sessions |
| Sessionize | Call for papers and speakers | Call for papers and speaker management |
| Whova | Event app | Attendee app with registration |
Ten conference management tools
They're listed in no particular order, sorted A to Z, and every line is drawn from how the vendor describes its own product. Treat them as claims to check in a demo.
ConfTool
Best for: Preparing and organising submissions, reviewing, scheduling and participant registration for on-site or virtual events.
Cvent
Best for: Planners who want event management, marketing and attendee engagement software from one platform.
EasyChair
Best for: Organisers looking for a conference system; the vendor's homepage says little more than that, so ask for a walkthrough.
Eventsforce
Best for: Organisers who want an intuitive, all-in-one event management solution across a whole portfolio of events.
Ex Ordo
Best for: Professional, technical and scholarly events that want an end-to-end conference management system.
Fourwaves
Best for: Conferences that want abstracts, peer review, registration and the event website run from one place.
OpenConf
Best for: Events and journals that need abstract management and peer review, with ease of use a big part of the pitch.
Oxford Abstracts
Best for: Academic conferences managing everything from abstracts through to an interactive poster gallery.
Sessionize
Best for: Running the call for papers, the schedule and speaker management in one tool.
Whova
Best for: Conferences that want an event app plus online registration, event management and event marketing help.
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Export the schedule in a standard format
This one gets overlooked until the week of the event. Speakers and attendees want sessions in their own calendars, and your venue team, your app and your website all need the same timetable. IETF RFC 5545, a Standards Track document, defines the iCalendar data format for representing and exchanging calendaring and scheduling information such as events, independent of any particular calendar service or protocol.
In plain terms, if your conference tool can export sessions in that standard format, people can add them to whatever calendar they use. Ask about it in every demo, and ask what happens to those exports when a session moves after you've published.
What reviewers and speakers notice
Ask, too, how the tool handles the people who submit. Authors want a clear confirmation, a way to check their status and a decision email that doesn't land in spam. Get that wrong and your inbox fills with 'did you get my abstract?' messages in the busiest weeks.
Your reviewers are usually volunteers doing you a favour. If the system makes it hard to see their assignments, score a paper or leave comments, they'll be slow, and your timeline slips.
Speakers notice the admin too: confusing forms, lost bios, three emails asking for the same headshot. A tidy speaker portal makes your event look organised before anyone arrives. For the people side of it, here's how to book the right speaker for your event.
Work backwards from the event date when you choose. The call for papers, the review window, the decision emails, speaker confirmations and the published schedule all need to fit, and most of the pain comes when one tool handles the first half and you're copying data into another for the second. Ask each vendor to show you the whole run, from a blank submission form to a session on the published schedule.
Demo checklist for organisers
- Can reviewers be assigned automatically, and can I stop conflicts of interest?
- Can authors edit a submission after the deadline if I allow it?
- How do speakers update their bio, photo and slides?
- Can the schedule go out to a website and an app at the same time?
- What exports do I get, and can I take all my data with me when the event's over?
My advice for conference organisers
Match the tool to your review process, not to the size of the logo on the vendor's homepage. A scholarly conference with a heavy peer review load needs dedicated abstract and review software, and it'll save your committee a lot of chasing. A tech conference picking a couple of dozen talks may be happier with a simple call-for-papers tool and a separate ticketing system. Only move to a whole-event platform when you're sure you'll use the registration and attendee features as well.
Whatever you choose, run a test submission and a test review before you open the call. It's much easier to fix a confusing form before the submissions start arriving. And if you're booking headliners too, here's a plain guide to what a keynote speaker does.
Do you make conference or abstract management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What is conference management software?
It's software for running the programme side of a conference: calls for papers, abstract submission, peer review, speaker management and scheduling. Some platforms add registration and attendee apps.
Is conference management software the same as event ticketing?
Not quite. Ticketing tools sell places. Conference management tools focus on choosing and organising the content, though some do both.
What should academic conferences look for?
Abstract submission, reviewer assignment, review forms, decision emails and support for posters or proceedings. Test the reviewer experience, because volunteers will use it most.
Why does calendar export matter?
A standard calendar export lets speakers and attendees add sessions to their own calendars and keeps your schedule consistent across your website and app.
