STOVA Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing & More

As a host, making the right choice of an event management company can be a burdensome task. You have to keep quite a few things in mind; the pricing, the features, customer support, and the platform itself. This Aventri review will help you make the right decision. 

What is STOVA?

STOVA, formerly known as Etouches, is an event management and venue sourcing platform that offers streamlined event processes, real-time data analytics, customer engagement, and logistics for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. 

Founded in 2008, STOVA has helped more than 70,000 event professionals to plan, execute, and host events. Backed up by years of experience, STOVA has deep knowledge of the event industry. This makes it a pro with event management and marketing. 

This platform offers features such as registration, attendee engagement, data analytics, marketing, and venue sourcing. It can be a perfect option for marketers, event planners, administrators, travel managers, and meeting planners. Their mobile app is one of their most important and renowned features, and has been commended by many users. However, it does have its drawbacks, so users do look for Aventri alternatives.  

STOVA Key Features

Here are some of the key features offered by the them:

1. Email Marketing

STOVA offers one of the most flexible email marketing platforms. It  is easily customizable and helps you target the right attendees. Email campaigns assist you with event promotion, create awareness, and help you communicate with your audience.

The platform offers personal event promotion, customized email templates, email triggers for all stages of the event, and campaign tracking. 

Here are some of these email marketing features:

•  Email campaign segmentation by audience to get the right information
• Email builder to customize your email with HTML 
• 40 merge fields for email body content & subject lines 
• Email milestones at every stage of the event to avoid manual work
• In-depth reports to measure real-time campaign results including click-through rates, open rates, & conversion rates
• Attendee registration data for email campaigns 

2. Check-ins and Badges 

A great way to impress your attendees is to have a safe and secure check-in process to begin with. With STOVA’s check-in and badging features, your attendees can enjoy  user-friendly and contactless entry to the event. These features include:

• Integrated registration for a contactless & safe check-in 
• No printed collateral needed with scanned data live updates showing attendee count, attendance, tracing, & more 
• On-site badge printing to save time & resources 
• A seamless iPad check-in app that offers a deeper understanding of the event activity with real-time check-in data dashboard

3. Virtual booths 

STOVA’s virtual booths help sponsors connect and communicate face-to-face with event leads through integrated video conferencing. This helps convert potential leads into sales opportunities. You can get complete insights of the leads and opportunities generated at the events. This helps you have a better event ROI. 

These virtual booths provide your customer-facing teams to interact and look out for higher-quality leads. With face-to-face interaction, event attendees can communicate efficiently and lock in more leads.  

Here are some features you can avail with these virtual booths:

• Integrated video conferencing 
• Valuable communication with prospects in a one-on-one setting with integrated notes, chats & surveys  
• Sharing of all the important and meaningful digital collaterals such as eBooks, guides, PDFs, & more 
• Complete guidance on how to improve your sales pipeline, & turn your events into revenue drivers 
• Schedule meetings through virtual booths 

4. Mobile App

STOVA’s mobile app keeps your virtual and in-person attendees engaged and connected. Available to download for Android and iOS, this mobile app brings in the flexibility to plan, promote, and execute all your events under one platform. 

You can effortlessly build your agenda for breakout sessions, meetings, and keynote presentations. The best part is that you can easily access the event content later or on-demand. You also receive real-time notifications that inform attendees of any important changes or cancellations. 

Here is what STOVA’s mobile app offers:

• Attendee activity including live polling, voting, surveys, & session rating 
• Contactless access to the event and its activities 
• In-depth insights & attendee journey reporting
• Direct chat & 1:1 networking features 
• Customizations available for event branding

5. Reporting & Analytics

STOVA offers a complete and comprehensive reporting and analytics feature that assists you with tracking, measuring and comparing the key metrics of your event. It also tracks user journeys for detailed insights.

The visual dashboards help you identify and organize valuable data so you may be able to make more informed decisions. 

Some of these reporting features are::

• Measure data at any point during the event to analyze 
• Easy-to-read reports that can assist in interpreting data 
• Valuable insights that drive a better ROI
• Making comparisons between online and offline attendee journeys 
• Integrations with some great platforms such as Salesforce, Marketo, and Hubspot 
• Leverage STOVA’s open API from any of your existing software tools 
• Create attendee & customer profiles to keep records in your CRM and databases

STOVA Pros & Cons

Aventri provides decent event solutions for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. Here are some advantages you can enjoy with this platform.: 

Pros:

1. Easy Registration Process

With STOVA’s registration feature, you can easily track registration, print badges on-site, follow the attendee journey, and build custom reports.

The benefits with STOVA’s registration module are enormous. It helps you streamline your registration process for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. In case you have a recurring event, this registration feature lets you copy settings. This saves you a lot of setup time. 

You can also change colors, upload images, and enjoy the duplication option. However, there are a few troubleshooting issues within the registration module. 

A user found the services smooth and effective. The user also appreciated the quick response time by the team.

2. Design Customizations 

STOVA offers many customization options with different features. According to a few users on G2, the customizations options are excellent since they let you have a completely branded event. 

3. Mobile App

STOVA’s mobile app is one of the best features it provides. Many users have reviewed their mobile app to be extremely user-friendly, smooth and interactive. The mobile app can be a great addition to your event as it can cater you and your attendees together. 

The mobile app experience is reviewed to be extremely intuitive, and customizable which makes it a great option to have your own branded app for the event. The user interface is clean, modern, and up-to-date. 

Cons: 

Here are some cons you must consider if you’re planning to use for you next event:

1. Ease of Use 

Many users have found the platform to be difficult to set up, use, and navigate. 

When setting up the event, a user on G2 felt the need for proper training sessions, especially for the non-technical staff.

Many users have reviewed vFairs as an extremely user-friendly platform that is easy to set up, use, and administer. Moreover, we have an outstanding customer support team that helps you get familiar with the platform.

2. Product Direction

A client on G2 stated that STOVA doesn’t really offer a clear product description to new users. They are given access to training sessions, but that is not enough. Project managers play a very important role here. 

A user on G2 reported that they were subjected to additional cost by the platform. The user also stated that they are not clear with their pricing policies.

Another user on G2 found the platform on the expensive end of the market.

The best part of vFairs is that we make sure we’re 100% transparent with our clients. Whether it’s the pricing or the product walkthrough, we make sure to discuss everything beforehand. We will let you know if we think your event does not require a certain feature and will also let you know which one might be a great add-on. 

From the onboarding till the end of the event, we’re crystal clear!

3. Quality of support 

STOVA has mixed reviews when it comes to the quality of support offered by their customer support and project management teams.

A user on G2 seemed to be extremely disappointed with their customer support. He reported that they were assigned an account manager, but believed that these managers were not as helpful as they should be.

However, vFairs is known to offer the best customer support in the industry. We have designated project managers who will walk you through each and every step till you’re familiar with the platform, and are able to function on your own. 

In case of any queries or issues, our project managers are available 24/7, even during the weekends. For us, clients come first!

How to Get Started with STOVA?

Getting started with STOVA is pretty simple. A good starting point would be to book a free demonstration. This will allow you to understand what their platform has to offer and whether it matches your requirements or not. 

You can also book an appointment with their sales representative by filling in the requirements form. Their sales representative will get back to you as soon as possible to discuss further details. You may discuss your queries and they will walk you through the platform and its features. 

Final Verdict

I think we’d agree that STOVA is a decent event management platform.

However, there are a few aspects that prevent users from having an optimal experience. Great customer support is extremely crucial to any business. In addition, the team needs to offer more training solutions and clearer walkthroughs.  

When compared to STOVA, vFairs seems to offer much more! vFairs offers unique, interactive features, a rocking support team, a platform that makes a statement, and a seamless user experience! 

vFairs: STOVA’s Better Alternative

vFairs is the perfect alternative for STOVA. What lacks in STOVA is clearly what we’re commended for! 

5 Reasons Why vFairs Is A Great STOVA Alternative 

1. Impeccable Customer Support

We offer complete support from the onboarding to the end of the event, and after. The customer support team is always there to support you and answer any queries you may have. 

2. Virtual events that feel real 

The platform provides virtual and hybrid events that give you the feeling of being at an actual event. Its features include dynamic lobbies, custom avatars, and 3D designs that give your event the on-site venue effect. vFairs provides a unique experience when compared to STOVA. 

3. We hear you!

In addition, the vFairs team is constantly updating its features to meet requirements and go beyond basic events.

4. User-friendly platform

vFairs platform is super easy to set-up, manage, and administer. Our onboarding process is the perfect guide you need to get familiar with our platform and use it like a pro. 

5. All-in-one Platform

Whether it’s hosting virtual, hybrid or in-person events, vFairs helps you take your event to a whole new level. With our amazing tech stack and immersive features, nothing will hold you back. Your dream event will just be a decision away. 

What’s Next?

Feel free to contact us or request for a demo to start your vFairs journey.

Want to have a look at other reviews? Well, you’re in for a treat! Enjoy reading these reviews so you can make the right decision for your next event!