Free tools for event professionals

Who these tools are for

Events run on a long list of small jobs: converting a client's slide deck the night before, drawing a seating plan, timing a running order, cueing walk-in music, checking a floor plan against the room. Most of the software built for events sells to organisers buying registration platforms. The people doing the work on the day often end up searching for a converter or a countdown timer at the last minute and hoping it's safe to use.

This directory is for those people: event managers keeping the plan together, production managers and technical directors, AV, sound, lighting and video technicians, stage managers calling the show, and planners and venue teams handling the details for clients. Every tool here does something useful in that work and is free to start with.

How tools are chosen and added

Anyone can suggest a tool. We check every suggestion by hand before it goes live: does it work, is it relevant to events, and is there a free way to use it? Each tool goes in one of 12 fixed categories, from Documents & Files and CAD & Floor Plans to Show Control & Timing, Audio & Comms and Compliance & Safety. We write a short plain-English description so you can tell quickly whether it fits your job.

We don't sell listings or placement, and the directory doesn't carry ads. When a tool changes its pricing or stops working, we update or remove it. If you spot one that's out of date, tell us at enquire@businesseventspace.com.

Tools we host ourselves

2 tools run here on Business Event Space: PageTurn, Table Plan. They're built around problems we kept hitting on shows, and you can use them free with an account. Everything else links straight to the maker's site, so you deal with them directly and their own terms apply.

Using a tool on a live event

Test anything new before show day, on the same machine and network you'll use on site. Keep an offline copy of files you can't lose. Check what a tool does with your client's data before you upload anything confidential. A tool that's free today can change its terms, so don't build a whole workflow on one you haven't checked recently.

Suggest a tool

If you use something that saves you time on events and it isn't listed, suggest it here. Tell us what it does and who it helps, and we'll review it. You can also browse event production companies and suppliers, or see what's most useful for your role.