Choosing the Right Event Platform: Top Questions and Leading Research Sources

When it’s time to invest in any new technology, information from trusted third-party sources is invaluable. A vendor’s own claims provide useful initial information, but for more verification as the pool of contenders shrinks, many buyers turn to expert research firms, trade publications, industry association resources, and real-life customers of all the platforms they’re considering.

For event platforms, the new 2025 Gartner^® Magic Quadrant™ for Event Marketing and Management Platforms will undoubtedly help event teams (and their colleagues on the marketing, sales, and executive teams) make the right buying decision.

We’re excited to announce that RainFocus was just recognized as a Leader by Gartner in the 2025 Magic Quadrant. This is our second consecutive placement in the Leaders Quadrant. According to Gartner, “Leaders execute well against their current vision and are well positioned for tomorrow.”

We think these recognitions are a fitting reflection of our ongoing innovation and commitment to helping our customers elevate their events and deliver event ROI. A few recent comments on Gartner Peer Insights™ also speak volumes.  

For example, advantages like industry know-how and cooperative support can only be truly verified by clients. These are the people who have worked alongside our team in onboarding meetings, during pre-event planning sessions, seated behind on-site registration desks, and everywhere else along each step of their event journey:

“[RainFocus’] dedication to customer service and satisfaction is one of their top priorities. The product offering is strong, reliable and trustworthy. They are experts in their field and can be relied on to not only meet one’s needs but push the envelope in strategic ways to improve processes and stay on top in the field.”

-Program Manager, Software Industry ($1B–$3B)

“The platform is customizable and easy for the users to navigate. The support we have received from our customer success manager and solution consultant has been outstanding. We have been able to make successful updates to our event using the RainFocus technology, including adding more personalization and increased opportunities to engage with our customers.”

-Director of Marketing, Software Industry ($500M–$1B) 

Buyers evaluating event platforms should also always look deeply into the specifics, especially in an era of rapidly developing AI capabilities and an increasing need for seamless integrations and data access.

A sea of customer testimonials or a full-length research report may seem overwhelming. Make sure to zero in on what features and capabilities matter the most for your organization. If you’re experiencing challenges or incompatibilities with your current solution, those are an ideal starting point.

Here are some core questions for event platform vendors: 

1. Versatility: Does the platform flex to meet the needs of your in-person, virtual, and hybrid events? Will it accommodate everything from global conventions to exclusive executive meetings? Can it scale up to accommodate your anticipated event growth? Will you be able to reuse components and workflows for efficiency? 

2. Integrations, data, and reporting: Are there integrations with the rest of your tech stack? Martech and salesforce automation platform integrations will likely be the most important. How is data shared between the event platform and other tools? What level of custom reporting is available? 

3. All things AI: Does the event platform incorporate AI tools that solve users’ common challenges? What are the agentic AI capabilities? Are each company’s ongoing inputs to generative AI tools secure and private? 

To access the full Gartner Magic Quadrant for Event Marketing and Management Platforms and research the current platforms in greater depth to discover which is right for you, click here.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, MAGIC QUADRANT and PEER INSIGHTS are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences, and should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Event Marketing and Management Platforms, By Christy Ferguson, Precious Ozokpo, Amy Jenkins, Halle Stern, 10 June 2025