What Is Cvent?
Cvent is the dominant enterprise event management platform — a sprawling software suite covering event registration, venue sourcing, mobile apps, email marketing, and post-event analytics. Founded in 1999, Cvent is the go-to platform for Fortune 500 companies with dedicated event teams and six-figure event budgets.
Who Uses Cvent?
- Fortune 500 corporations with large internal event teams
- Hotel and venue groups managing sourcing at scale
- Large associations with 10,000+ member events
- Enterprise companies with complex multi-event ecosystems
What Cvent Does Well
- Comprehensive feature set: Cvent covers virtually every aspect of event management, from sourcing to post-event ROI tracking.
- Enterprise integrations: Deep integrations with Salesforce, Marketo, and other enterprise tools.
- Venue sourcing: Cvent's venue marketplace is unmatched for large events needing hotel RFPs.
- Large-scale event support: Built to handle conferences with tens of thousands of attendees across multiple tracks.
Where Cvent Falls Short for Most Conferences
Cvent's enterprise heritage is also its biggest liability for mid-size conferences and associations. Here's what frustrates organizers most:
- Prohibitive pricing: Cvent contracts typically start at $10,000/year and frequently exceed $30,000–$50,000 for organizations with multiple events. Pricing is opaque, negotiated, and often includes surprise add-ons.
- Long sales cycles: Getting a Cvent contract in place can take 3–6 months — involving legal reviews, procurement, and multi-stakeholder approvals. You can't just sign up and get started.
- Steep learning curve: Cvent requires dedicated training and often a full-time admin to manage effectively. It's not a tool you can hand to a committee chair or part-time event coordinator.
- Poor support for smaller accounts: Cvent's support model prioritizes its largest enterprise clients. Mid-size organizations often end up with slower response times and less hands-on help.
- Over-engineered for most needs: The vast majority of professional conferences don't need 90% of what Cvent offers — but they pay for all of it anyway.
Cvent Pricing Reality
Cvent doesn't publish pricing. Typical annual contracts for mid-size associations and conference organizers range from $10,000 to $50,000+ depending on modules, attendee volume, and integrations. Add implementation fees, training costs, and annual price increases, and the true cost of Cvent is far higher than the initial quote.
Why ConferenceTap Is the Best Cvent Alternative for Mid-Size Conferences
If you're evaluating Cvent alternatives, you're likely dealing with sticker shock from a Cvent quote — or you're already a customer wondering why you're paying enterprise prices for a mid-size conference. ConferenceTap was built for exactly this gap: organizations that need professional-grade event technology without the complexity, cost, or bureaucracy of enterprise software.
ConferenceTap vs. Cvent: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cvent | ConferenceTap |
|---|
| Annual pricing | ❌ $10,000–$50,000+/year | ✅ From $2,500/year |
| Mobile event app | ✅ Yes (complex setup) | ✅ Yes (launch in days) |
| Event registration | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Agenda & session management | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Attendee networking | ✅ Yes | ✅ 1:1 messaging, meeting scheduler, directory |
| Sponsor management | ✅ Yes | ✅ Virtual booths + lead capture |
| Setup time | ❌ Months | ✅ Days |
| Dedicated support | ❌ Enterprise tier only | ✅ Every account |
| Contract flexibility | ❌ Long-term, rigid contracts | ✅ Annual, flexible plans |
| Implementation training required | ❌ Yes — extensive | ✅ Self-service + guided onboarding |
Key Advantages of ConferenceTap Over Cvent
- 90% of the features at 10% of the cost: Most professional conferences use a fraction of Cvent's capabilities. ConferenceTap delivers everything you actually need — mobile app, agenda, networking, registration, sponsor tools — without paying for a venue sourcing marketplace you'll never touch.
- No 6-month procurement process: ConferenceTap can be evaluated, purchased, and live within a single week. No legal review, no enterprise procurement, no waiting for a sales rep to return your calls.
- Built for your team's capacity: Cvent requires a trained administrator. ConferenceTap is intuitive enough for an event coordinator or committee chair to manage independently — without specialized training.
- Transparent, predictable pricing: No surprise add-ons, no per-attendee fees, no negotiated contracts. You know exactly what you're paying from day one.
- Real support for every customer: ConferenceTap doesn't have a tiered support model where smaller clients get slower responses. Every customer gets a dedicated contact who knows your event.
Who Should Switch from Cvent to ConferenceTap?
ConferenceTap is the right Cvent alternative if you:
- Are a mid-size association or conference with 100–10,000 attendees
- Have received a Cvent quote that far exceeded your budget expectations
- Need a mobile event app without a multi-month implementation project
- Want professional features without needing a dedicated platform administrator
- Are tired of enterprise contract cycles and want a vendor that moves at your speed
Make the switch. ConferenceTap helps mid-size conference organizers get more done, spend less, and launch faster. Book a demo to see the direct comparison against your current Cvent setup or quote.
