Looking for an Eventbrite Alternative? HighLevel Events Could Be Worth a Look

If you run events as part of your business, membership organisation, club or community, there is a good chance you have used Eventbrite or at least considered it.

But what if your event management system was already connected directly to your CRM, email marketing, SMS, WhatsApp, payment processing and marketing automations?

That is what makes the new HighLevel Events module particularly interesting.

HighLevel Events is currently in beta, so it is still developing and I would not suggest that every feature is finished or polished yet. However, from what I have seen and used so far, I have been very impressed.

For businesses and organisations already using HighLevel, I think this has the potential to become a very strong Eventbrite alternative.

What is HighLevel Events?

HighLevel Events allows you to create and manage events from inside HighLevel.

Depending on the type of event you are running, you can create:

• Free RSVP events

• Ticketed events

• Paid events

• Different event schedules

• Tickets and ticket types

• Online payment collection

Rather than having to bolt a separate event platform onto your marketing system, the event sits inside the same HighLevel account you are already using to manage your contacts and marketing.

That is where things start to get interesting.

Sell tickets and take payments from one place

For a paid event, you can create the event, set up the schedule, create the tickets and take payment.

For a free event, you can use an RSVP-style registration instead.

This makes it suitable for everything from networking meetings and workshops to annual dinners, awards evenings, seminars, training events and member meetings.

But selling the ticket is only part of the job.

You also need to know who is actually attending.

QR codes make checking people in much easier

When somebody obtains a ticket, they are issued with a QR code.

On the day of the event, that QR code can be scanned to check them in.

That might sound like a relatively small feature, but it solves an important problem.

You don't just know who registered or bought a ticket. You can keep track of who actually turned up.

That means fewer attendees slipping through the cracks and a much cleaner record of event attendance.

For organisations running regular events, that attendance information can become particularly valuable over time.

Where HighLevel becomes more interesting than a standalone ticketing platform

This is the part that excites me most.

HighLevel isn't simply an event ticketing platform.

It is a CRM and marketing automation platform that now includes event management.

So when somebody registers for your event, they are not sitting in an isolated event system. They can become part of your wider CRM and automation processes.

For example, you could use automation to send:

• Registration confirmations

• Event reminders

• SMS or WhatsApp reminders

• Directions and joining information

• Last-minute updates

• Follow-up messages after the event

• Invitations to your next event

• Review or feedback requests

• Offers relating to other products or services

That is a very different proposition from simply selling somebody a ticket.

The event becomes part of the relationship you have with that contact.

A real example: a local football referees' society

One organisation I am working with is a local referees' society.

They run different types of events throughout the year.

Some are regular meetings where members simply need to RSVP. Others are special events where tickets need to be issued and payment collected.

HighLevel Events gives us the ability to handle both from the same system.

We can manage the event registration or ticketing, while HighLevel can also handle the communication surrounding the event.

For a membership organisation, club or association running multiple events throughout the year, that makes a lot of sense.

Another example: an annual martial arts presentation evening

Another example is a martial arts school that runs an annual presentation evening.

This is a very different type of event, but the requirements are similar.

People need to register, tickets need to be managed, payments may need to be collected, and attendees need clear communication before the event.

Then, on the night itself, QR codes provide a straightforward way of checking people in.

Again, the important difference is that all of this can form part of the school's existing HighLevel CRM rather than being managed in a completely separate event platform.

HighLevel Events vs Eventbrite

I don't think the question is simply whether HighLevel can copy every individual Eventbrite feature.

HighLevel Events is currently in beta, and Eventbrite is a mature platform dedicated specifically to events.

The more interesting question is:

Do you really need another standalone piece of software to manage your events?

If you are already using HighLevel for your CRM and marketing automation, having events inside the same ecosystem has some significant advantages.

You can manage the contact before the event, communicate with them leading up to it, check them in on the day and continue the relationship afterwards.

That is potentially much more powerful than treating the ticket purchase as a standalone transaction.

Could HighLevel replace Eventbrite?

For some businesses and organisations, I think the answer could already be yes.

For others, particularly those with very complex event requirements, you would need to compare the specific features you require.

And it is important to remember that HighLevel Events is still in beta.

But based on what I have seen so far, I think HighLevel has got the fundamentals right.

The combination of events, tickets, payments, QR code check-in, CRM and marketing automation makes this a feature I will be watching very closely.

Already using HighLevel?

If you already have a HighLevel account and run events, this is definitely a feature worth exploring.

The real opportunity isn't simply replacing your existing ticketing software.

It is looking at the entire event journey, from somebody first registering through to reminders, attendance, follow-up and getting them to come to your next event.

That is where HighLevel's automation capabilities can really come into their own.

Thinking about using HighLevel?

If you are considering HighLevel and want to understand how it could work for your events, CRM and wider marketing, I can help.

I am a UK-based HighLevel Consultant working with businesses and organisations in the UK and internationally.

Rather than simply showing you another piece of software, I look at what you are trying to achieve and how HighLevel can be configured around the way your organisation actually works.

Book a Discovery Call with me and let's look at whether HighLevel, including the new Events module, could work for you.