For many years, businesses and individuals who had to organize, plan, and execute events had little choice but to rely on professional event managers. They were the only ones with the required skills and contacts necessary to handle the tasks within budgetary constraints. Now, however, the very same digitization that has started to drive changes in every other industry has reached the event planning market, providing some solutions that can allow a non-event manager to organize and manage an event like an expert.

The options for doing so run the gamut from tools for managing seating arrangements to platforms that allow users to inquire and book conference hotels and even receive individual hotel proposals without ever picking up a phone. Together, these tools can simplify the process of event planning and make it a viable option even for the smallest of organizations. Here's a look at four of those tools, including what they do and which parts of the market they're geared toward.

1. Social Tables

As any professional event planner can tell you, making sure that seating arrangements make sense can make or break an event. All it takes is one poorly-located table, or one mismatched guest pair to ruin everything. That's where Social Tables comes in. It's an event planning software suite that manages seating layout design, seat assignments, and guest check-in for all kinds of social events. With it, an event planner can make sure to make the most effective use of the venue space they have, and seat attendees together in logical ways, either by request or by organizational groupings. It's an oft-overlooked part of the event planning process, and Social Tables makes it a snap.

2. Eventbrite

Another useful digital platform for event planners that has gained quite a reputation in recent years for being behind some of the biggest concerts and corporate events anywhere is Eventbrite. An online platform for event invitations, ticketing, and on-site check-in, Eventbrite allows users to even take advantage of site-provided equipment rentals and on-demand staffing, which can be a big help for anyone who's organizing a one-off event. If needed, Eventbrite will even provide a professional event manager to make sure everything goes smoothly. It's like hiring an event planner, but without the major expense that comes with it.

3. ALLOCABO

One of the most difficult parts of planning an event is finding a venue that's both suitable for it and also available when you need it. ALLOCABO makes that task a breeze by providing an all-in-one conference hotel sourcing and booking platform that does all of the heavy lifting for you. Just by visiting allocabo.com, event planners can do everything from requesting a free proposal from a venue they're interested in, to booking the time and space needed when they've made a decision to go forward. They make it easy to find a free conference hotel venue to suit any type and size of event, making the platform an ideal first stop for event planners, both professional and otherwise.

4. DoubleDutch

Of all of the digital tools that event planners can use to great effect, there is none more comprehensive than DoubleDutch. It's geared mostly toward large-scale trade shows and events, and it allows an event planner to build a customized event app that attendees can use both prior to and during the event. It also integrates powerful data analytics and features a full-blown CRM system in the backend to manage relationships with attendees and to provide high-value personalized experiences to drive sales and marketing goals. Essentially, if you need a tool that will make sure every person coming to your event leaves feeling like they were the star of the show, DoubleDutch is the way to go.

Next-Generation Event Planning

Going forward, it's reasonable to expect that these event planning tools and others will further refine their offerings, and in many cases merge to form more useful platforms. Already, though, it's clear that these options in their current form make for a powerful event planning arsenal that anyone can use to plan, promote, and execute an event that will be a great success. Together, they're yet another example of how digitization is making things more efficient, affordable, and effective for businesses and individuals in ways we would never have imagined possible.