Conference software is an umbrella term for two very different product categories: video conferencing tools for online meetings and conference management software for organizing meetings, congresses, and symposia. Anyone searching for "conference software" should therefore first clarify which problem they need to solve – holding a meeting or organizing an event.
Also known as: Conference software, congress software, meeting software, conference management software
Typical for: Scientific congresses, professional conferences, annual meetings, symposia
Not to be confused with: Video conferencing software (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex)
What is conference software?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the term conference software is often used in everyday language to refer to video conferencing tools – i.e., programs that allow people to see and hear each other and share screens online. In the event industry, however, conference software traditionally refers to conference management software: systems that organizers use to plan and execute a conference from the initial announcement to final billing.
Both categories have their place, but they solve completely different tasks. A video conferencing tool broadcasts a presentation. Conference management software ensures that the presentation exists in the first place: it collects submissions, organizes the review process, plans the program, sells tickets, and issues invoices.
Video conferencing software vs. conference management software
- Purpose: Video conferencing software enables real-time conversations and presentations. Conference management software organizes the entire lifecycle of an event.
- Typical users: Video conferencing tools are used by teams, educators, and anyone meeting online. Conference management software is used by event organizers, program committees, Professional Congress Organizers (PCOs) as well as finance and administrative departments.
- Timeframe: A video call lasts from minutes to hours. A conference is prepared over months – from the call for papers to the confirmation of attendance.
- Core features: For video conferencing tools, these are video, audio, chat, and screen sharing. For conference management software, these include submissions, reviews, program planning, registration, ticketing, invoicing, and check-in.
- Examples: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex on one side – specialized conference software like Converia on the other.
Core features of conference management software
- Submissions and Reviewing: Abstract management, call for papers, peer reviewing, and double-blind review with reviewer assignment and evaluation forms.
- Program Planning: Scheduling of sessions, rooms, and time slots, speaker assignment, and publication of the program and a book of abstracts.
- Attendee Management: Online registration, ticket categories such as early bird or member rates, discount codes, and group bookings.
- Payment and Invoicing: Payment management, correct handling of mixed tax rates and reverse charge, e-invoicing, and accounting exports.
- Attendee Management: Centralized administration of all individuals and roles in attendee management, including cancellations and rebookings.
- On-site: Digital check-in, QR code check-in, and badge printing.
- Post-event: Certificates of attendance, including CME credits for medical training, as well as analytics.
When is a video conferencing tool enough – and when is it not?
For an internal online meeting, a webinar with open registration, or a small workshop, a video conferencing tool is usually sufficient. However, as soon as one of the following requirements arises, video conferencing tools reach their limits:
- Contributions need to be submitted and reviewed by a program committee.
- There is a program with parallel sessions over several days.
- Participation fees with different prices, deadlines, and tax rates must be processed.
- Invoices must be legally compliant and suitable for accounting.
- The event takes place annually and should build on the data from the previous year.
In these cases, conference management software is the right tool for the job. Trying to manage these tasks using video conferencing tools, spreadsheets, and email inboxes quickly leads to a fragmented setup of five or six disconnected solutions that require manual integration and become increasingly difficult to manage as your data grows.
How both categories work together
For hybrid events and online congresses, both categories complement each other: the conference management software handles registration, the program, and access permissions, while the broadcast takes place via a streaming or video conferencing tool or a virtual congress platform. The key is that attendee data and the program are maintained in only one place – rather than separately in every tool.
Selection criteria for conference management software
- Coverage of the entire process: From submission to invoicing in one system instead of several individual tools.
- Complex pricing and tax logic: Early bird rates, member discounts, mixed tax rates, and reverse charge must be manageable without workarounds.
- Data protection: Hosting in the EU, GDPR compliance, and a clean data processing agreement.
- Recurring events: Templates and data from previous years should be reusable for the next annual meeting.
- Interfaces: A documented REST API as well as exports for accounting and other systems.
- Accessibility: Accessible registration and submission forms for all participants.
Conference software in Converia
Converia ist Konferenzmanagement-Software für mehrtägige Fachkongresse, wissenschaftliche Tagungen und medizinische Fortbildungen. Abstracts, Programm, Teilnehmer und Rechnungen laufen in einem System zusammen – statt in sechs verschiedenen Tools. Videokonferenz-Funktionen im Sinne von Zoom oder Teams ersetzt Converia nicht; für Online- und Hybrid-Formate steht mit der Virtual Venue eine integrierte virtuelle Kongressplattform bereit.
Related terms
- Congress – Formats & Trends
- Abstract Management – Abstracts / Program / Speakers
- Attendee Management – Ticketing & Registration
- Virtual Congress Platform – Formats & Trends
Conference software for submissions, programs, registration, and billing—without exporting data between individual tools.