Accruent EMS Software vs Cvent Event Diagramming (Formerly Social Tables) | TrustRadius

What users are saying about

Score 9.1 out of 10

Based on 392 reviews and ratings

Score 8.9 out of 10

Based on 54 reviews and ratings

Pros

It's user friendly. By doing a little self-exploration one can find out the many features that EMS offers.
It is simple to add or remove conference rooms and provide details of the conference rooms.
I appreciate that there are different ways of reserving conference rooms. This allows each user to feel comfortable in their use of EMS by finding what works best for them.

Read full review

Conference Coordinator

Fredrikson & Byron, PALegal Services, 501-1000 employees

View all 173 answers on this topic

User-friendly. It's easy for us to train other team members/staff/volunteers to use the front-end system for registration and event check-in.
Social Tables is great for creating custom room layouts and diagrams.
Social tables is customizable. We're able to capture specific information for attendees, and can "tag" them when additional info is needed.

Read full review

Lisa Kelley, CMP

Events & Marketing Manager

San Diego Regional Chamber of CommerceCivic & Social Organization, 11-50 employees

View all 44 answers on this topic

Cons

There's no 'remote function' of the software. It's client server based. Some additional Server hardware is required to gain remote access.
On the backend, SQL is required and takes some technical knowledge to configure and maintain.
The reporting tool is lacking and can only provide limited or generic information. The tools needs to be able to provide customization when making a report.

Read full review

Verified User

Consultant in Information Technology

Information Technology & Services Company, 11-50 employees

View all 173 answers on this topic

A development that would be useful would be the ability to reorder the diagrams to a custom order in one event so that when exported as one document, they are in an order that can be customized to flow well for the meeting planner.

Read full review

Monique Frankfort

Destination Sales Executive

The WestinHospitality, 10,001+ employees

View all 44 answers on this topic

Likelihood to Renew

Accruent EMS Software 8.6

Based on 31 answers

Accruent EMS has always been a one-stop-shop for our organization when it comes to scheduling conference rooms, offices, apartments, services, etc. It has a wide array of reporting, and what isn't set up as a standard report, can usually be created as a query to report on the information you are looking for. Accruent EMS has pushed out new releases with updates to bugs and other add-ins and stays current and up-to-date with market trends.

Read full review

Verified User

Supervisor in Other

Legal Services Company, 1001-5000 employees

View all 31 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Usability

Accruent EMS Software 8.3

Based on 16 answers

Most new users would greatly benefit from (or possibly require) at least some training on how to use EMS, but the training doesn't need to be extensive for the users to get comfortable with it. Most functions are easy and straightforward, so users tend to not have many issues with it.

Read full review

Programmer/Database Administrator

Danville Area Community CollegeHigher Education, 201-500 employees

View all 16 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Reliability and Availability

Accruent EMS Software 4.0

Based on 4 answers

Currently I can only access EMS from my work computer, from in my office, on campus. While I'm sure this isn't an Accruent issue, and mostly our IT issue, Accruent hasn't exactly stepped up and tried to help when these issues have been addressed.

Read full review

Peggy Riann Aud

Catering Manager at Bon Appitet Management Company

St. Mary's College of MarylandHigher Education, 201-500 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Performance

Accruent EMS Software 8.3

Based on 6 answers

The only other software we use in conjunction with EMS is Epaper Signs by Visix. Once we worked out the initial bugs, the integration has been seamless. It does not slow down our software or cause any errors. Our signs are updated every 15 minutes with any problems.

Read full review

Administrative Assistant

Curris Center Administration Office, Murray State UniversityHigher Education, 1-10 employees

View all 6 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Support Rating

Accruent EMS Software 7.7

Based on 30 answers

Since the merger, our team has found that there are a select few of the tech team that can actually support our questions. More often than not, we have already tried the suggestions that they give us and they are either unable to answer our questions and submit them as update suggestions or they have to be sent to supervisor for an answer. Once or twice in the last year we have received bad advice that resulted in system issues.Prior to last year, the customer support system was at the top of the list of tech support departments that I have ever had to deal with, especially during our upgrade to 4.0.

Read full review

Higher Education, 1001-5000 employees

View all 30 answers on this topic

Cvent Event Diagramming (Formerly Social Tables) 7.8

Based on 48 answers

The support was exceptional, and they remained an arm's reach away for when we ran into any questions after we began using the tool. Overall, we experienced phenomenal customer service. We also had more than one web-based call where their team would walk us through examples and answer any questions we had.

Read full review

Events Software Specialist

Leading Real Estate Companies of the WorldReal Estate, 51-200 employees

View all 48 answers on this topic

In-Person Training

Accruent EMS Software 6.5

Based on 2 answers

we had brought out several consultants over the course of the past couple years and they have been fantastic from Brandy Cahill to Matt Luther

Read full review

Bartholomew Kallgren

Assistant Director: Conference & Event Management

Fairfield UniversityHigher Education, 501-1000 employees

View all 2 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Online Training

Accruent EMS Software 5.2

Based on 2 answers

nothing is as good as someone in person walking you through it but it was a helpful resource when needing to find out how to do something

Read full review

Bartholomew Kallgren

Assistant Director: Conference & Event Management

Fairfield UniversityHigher Education, 501-1000 employees

View all 2 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Implementation Rating

Accruent EMS Software 7.8

Based on 40 answers

I think one of the biggest things is to step back and see how you want your organization to function and use the product prior to quickly diving in and configuring. I think some (based on some EMS Live conference sessions I attended) built their systems on how they used their old systems or old processes, but thinking about how you want your organization to function moving forward will help you configure it the best way and make the necessary changes from the start rather than having to go back and adjust.

Read full review

Verified User

Supervisor in Other

Legal Services Company, 1001-5000 employees

View all 40 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Alternatives Considered

This isn't an area where we found a lot of competitors, but those we did see all seemed oriented toward even larger organizations than ours. Pricing was universally outside of our budget scope, and all focused on features we don't have any use for. We need(ed) a very straightforward room and equipment reservations system. Accruent EMS is the closest we found to fill that need.

Read full review

Verified User

Director in Information Technology

Law Practice Company, 201-500 employees

View all 173 answers on this topic

Cvent Social Tables is easier to use and has second to none customer service. Overall, we found that social tables provides a more lifelike, realistic depiction of the space, which is key when organizing massive show floors. It is also easier to show why certain booths are priced higher/lower than others due to where they are in the space.

Read full review

Verified User

Manager in Sales

Non-profit Organization Management Company, 501-1000 employees

View all 44 answers on this topic

Scalability

Accruent EMS Software 8.0

Based on 163 answers

Accruent EMS can be utilized for more than just conference rooms so you can use it for different department needs, whether it be facilities teams or vehicle rental. It is a system that is easily adjusted to meet departments needs.

Read full review

Brandon Burritt

Conference Services Manager

Capital One (Flik Hospitality)Banking, 10,001+ employees

View all 163 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Return on Investment

40% of my day was spent maintaining the old program...that EMS replaced. I spend almost no time maintaining EMS.
Multi-day reservations: I've had a tough time getting staff to understand not to create a reservation from 12 am to 12 am...because of the auto-setup/breakdown time the system adds. It confuses the system once that auto time is added and a multi-day reservation starts at 11:30 pm the day before and ends at 12:30 am the day after.
Multi-day: A user can't say it begins on Aug 1 and ends on Aug 5...through the web version. They create it for one day and then use 'recurrence', which took our staff some time to figure out. It then allows you to open and edit each day individually though.

Read full review

LAN Administrator

WinterthurMuseums & Institutions, 201-500 employees

View all 173 answers on this topic

This program allows us to be nimble in our communication with our vendors and clients.
This program has empowered my new staff members to solve problems discreetly and on their own, prior to bringing them to my attention. It is a key tool to our success.

Read full review

Verified User

Director in Sales

Entertainment Company, 51-200 employees

View all 44 answers on this topic

Screenshots

—

See All (5) Cvent Event Diagramming (Formerly Social Tables) Screenshots

Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Yes

Entry-level set up fee?

Required

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

Yes

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Yes

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Add comparison