Over the years, I’ve experimented with a lot of tools to organize and streamline my business and work with clients. The ones listed here are my favorites (or ones that come highly recommended by friends).
In the spirit of full disclosure, some products mentioned on this page may be affiliate links, which means if you click on them to purchase I may receive a small commission or other compensation. You will not pay more for buying a product through this link. In fact, sometimes I’m able to offer special promotions to readers. I’m disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations regarding endorsements. Thanks for your support!
Marlys
Before I break the tools down by category, I have to mention my go-to source for discovering new software tools: AppSumo. In fact, many of the tools listed below I purchased during their “no-brainer” lifetime deal offers.
Organizing & Productivity
- TidyCal – Calendar booking tool (what I use)
- Plutio – Manage projects, tasks, invoices, and more (my personal favorite!)
- pCloud – File storage and sharing service (try it out with a generous free plan)
- Trello – Manage projects & tasks
- Slack – Manage projects & teams
- Evernote – Organize all your notes in one place
- ClickUp – Free project, doc, & time management
- AirTable – Part spreadsheet, part database (good for teams)
- OneTab – Too many browser tabs open? This free plugin organizes & archives them for you.
Note: If you’d like to have a free PDF chart that shows a comparison of Project Management Tools, simply click here to request it.
AI Tools
This category is exploding with new tools, so here are just a few of my favorites that can help with your trade shows and events. I also teamed up with Personify to create a special report, “AI for Exhibitors” – here’s where you can learn more about that.
- SuperCopy.AI – Create custom audience personas and content that’s tailored for each of them.
- HelloScribe – This assistant is so much more than a copy generator! Use it to brainstorm an entire marketing campaign, sales strategy, or event agenda – plus dozens of other tasks. (This link offers $20 off your first 3 months.)
- Voilá – This AI-powered personal assistant works as a browser plugin with a whole library of tools, including the ability to create custom actions.
- Happy Scribe – Create transcripts and/or subtitles for your conference sessions & events, using either AI or professional transcribers. (It’s what I use for Trade Show Insights episode transcripts.)
- GoZen Content.AI – This platform uses AI-powered research to generate SEO-friendly content and images.
- AltText.AI – You know you need AltText to make your website images more accessible, as well as SEO-optimized. Now AltTextAI can do that for you automatically! (Get 50 bonus credits when you use this link to sign up.)
- ArtSmart AI – This easy-to-use image playground is great for generating a variety of graphics in multiple styles for just pennies each.
Conferencing
- GoBrunch – Tired of doing meetings in a boring box? Here’s a fun alternative! You can even set up an “always-on” conference room for remote staff to gather at a moment’s notice.
- StreamYard – This is the streaming tool I used to broadcast Virtual Lunch and other livestreams. (My referral link gets you a $10 credit.)
- Free Conference Call – Audio and video conferencing, plus screen sharing; also international dial-in numbers
- Free Conference Calling – Host calls of up to 1000 with the option to record
- You may notice a current popular option is not listed here. That’s because I don’t recommend it, especially in light of previous security issues. If your organization insists you use it, here are important tips for how to improve the safety and security of Zoom calls.
Time Management
- RescueTime – Track your time spent automatically; free & paid plans
- Forest – Stay focused, plant a tree
CRM System
- SuiteDash – I’ve tried a lot of CRM systems over the years, and this is the most all-around solution I’ve found so far. It also serves as a client portal where you can share files, track billable time, send proposals or contracts and more.
- HubSpot – Their free version includes basic tools for sales and marketing, but if you want more you’ll need to upgrade to their paid plan.
Webinars & Virtual Summits
- Airmeet – A great option if you want your virtual event to combine education sessions, small-group discussions, and exhibits. But it’s the networking ‘tables’ that are my favorite feature! (They also have a free option for public events with less than 100 attendees.)
- HeySummit – Virtual summit management tool (speakers, sponsors, marketing & more)
- Eventee – While this started as a basic event app, it’s now evolved into a virtual event hub with session interaction, sponsor tools, matchmaking and more. And if you have a small event (less than 100 attendees), you can try it out for free.
- WebinarJam – If you’ve been on any of my webinars, you’ve seen this in action!
- WebinarNinja – Another great webinar option
- LOVO Studio – Create AI voiceovers or text-to-speech with dozens of realistic-sounding voices in multiple accents & languages.
- HappyScribe – Create transcripts and/or subtitles for your conference sessions & events, using either AI or professional transcribers. (It’s what I use for Trade Show Insights episode transcripts.)
- Virtual Event Success Kit – Take advantage of this collection of robust planning tools I created just for you!
Note: If you would like help setting up your virtual events, I can work with you as a virtual event concierge, moderator, or emcee. Please contact me for details.