Abstract management, a broad term that roughly refers to all the tasks that are involved in the organization of abstracts, is not similarly straightforward and linear. When managing abstracts for conferences and for symposia, event planners have to account for the collecting, segregating, allocating, reviewing and subsequent matching and publishing of these abstracts. That sounds like too much for the ordinary task manager to do all by themselves.
Well, it is, in fact, a whole lot of fragmented tasks, the minutiae of which the planner in charge simply cannot ignore. When working with abstracts by hand, there is possibly no way to tell when one will be finished with sorting the entire stack of submissions. One submission may go through the process with zero things to be fixed or looked at, whereas you might encounter another abstract that overflows with errors to be fixed.
While modern researchers and event management personnel are undeniably skilled to minimize human errors to the maximum, the need for automated software tools to help with abstract management is pressing. When an event organization chooses to invest in an abstract management tool, it does not necessarily imply that one’s manual workforce is unskilled or careless in their approach. It is simply an aid to make things considerably easier for all individuals involved.
In this blog, we are giving you a lineup of the top 5 abstract management platforms in the market right now. Know all about what they offer and how you can narrow down on the best abstract management tool for your event’s needs.
Dryfta- Academic First and End-to-End
While Dryfta caters to most kinds of events in the contemporary industry today, it was initially designed for universities and scholarly associations. This means that Dryfta has its roots going strongly down the abstract management space. The platform’s features are built to be compatible with abstract management facets such as calls for papers, peer review and multi-track programs. It skillfully fuses both abstract and conference management under one system that you can sign up for, rather than having to subscribe to multiple individual tools.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $1,499 a year for events with 100 participants or fewer. For larger events, Dryfta offers flexible quotes upon request. Simply head to their website and submit an inquiry for an estimate to be mailed to you, hassle-free.
Dryfta works best when:
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- You want to run academic and research-focused conferences that prioritize or are heavily dependent on structured peer review.
- You want your submissions, review, scheduling and attendee communication all organized in one system. You dislike fragmentation of your event management tasks and having to piece together multiple tools.
- You want state-of-the-art automation in session scheduling but still hope to have some autonomy over the larger structure of your program.
Cvent- Enterprise Grade With Abstract Management
Cvent Express, the refurbished version of the main Cvent platform, gives teams access to core enterprise event tools such as registration, check in and reporting at a lower cost level than the full product. Cvent’s enterprise grade solution for abstract management will suit smaller companies and other entities the best. If you are an organization that wants to avail trusted enterprise software but cannot justify the expense of the highest-tier plans, Cvent could be your knight in shining armor.
Pricing: Cvent pricing for express and abstract management is quote only so the final figure depends on the event’s scale and configuration.
Reasons to consider Cvent for abstract management:
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- You already use or plan to use Cvent for wider event operations and want abstracts in the same system.
- You need deep customization of submission forms and review criteria plus enterprise grade audit trails.
- You run many events each year and want a more standardized workflow.
Ex Ordo- Made for Scholarly Peer Review
Ex Ordo focuses on scholarly and research based conferences and is built around abstract and paper management. Its workflows match the needs of academic events with multiple tracks, several submission types, panels and symposia and multi round reviews.
Pricing: Ex Ordo uses a quote‑based, license model rather than a public flat price per month or per event.
The platform is best known for:
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- Ex Ordo has allocation tools that easily match submissions with suitable reviewers.
- The presence of flexible abstract forms allows organizers to adjust sections, add conditional fields and define marking as per their needs.
Accelevents- Abstracts Inside a Multi-Format Software
Accelevents has positioned itself as an all round event platform for virtual, hybrid and in person formats with strong tools for ticketing, live streaming and sponsor management. A key feature is its mobile app that lets organizers send live alerts about sessions and updates, which becomes important once your abstract-driven program is running. Networking tools, exhibitor management and support for hybrid delivery help organizers present accepted abstracts in a way that encourages interaction among participants and sponsors.
Pricing: Pricing starts at about $7000 for large business and enterprise events and the company also offers pay as you go and monthly enterprise plans for smaller conferences. Given its relatively expensive price point, Accelevents will work best as an abstract-driven program when an organization approaches it as part of a larger revenue strategy.
Accelevents suits you if:
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- You are someone who runs hybrid or virtual conferences where attendee experience and sponsor value have as much importance as the submission pipeline.
- You want one environment for ticketing, content delivery and attendee activity instead of a separate back office abstract tool.
Bizzabo- Content Inside a Marketing-Led OS
Bizzabo focuses on large corporate events and B2B conferences where content, marketing and attendee experience must work together. Instead of targeting abstract management alone it presents itself as an Event Experience OS that powers event websites, email campaigns, analytics and links with company marketing systems.
Pricing: Pricing usually starts around $18,000 a year or on a monthly per user basis. The costing is deemed higher than many of its competitors but which the Bizzabo justifies as worthy of its extended features and customer support.
For events that collect proposals or session ideas, Bizzabo stands out in how it connects approved content with the rest of the event funnel.
Teams can:
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- Build branded event sites that place your sessions and your speakers in a professional manner.
- Utilize marketing tools to promote specific talks and tracks to selected audiences.
- Review analytics for attendance and interest across sessions to improve future calls for proposals.
A Final Review
Even within this short list, picking the ‘best’ abstract management tool can be a tough egg to crack. Perhaps you find more than one platform appealing. Or you seem to have found your perfect platform, which is well beyond your intended price point. As an event organization, you have multiple elements to consider and deliberate over.
To narrow down your options, ask yourself some introspective questions and take plenty of time before narrowing down on your ‘perfect’ abstract management companion tool. But if in doubt, sign up for a free demo with Dryfta today.