Built around the work
The system follows the way event businesses actually sell, plan and deliver.
About Planellio
Built from real experience in the event industry
Planellio exists because event businesses need more than a diary, a payment link and a spreadsheet. It is designed around the everyday work of selling, planning and delivering events.
Built from real-world event operations, not generic software assumptions
Designed for event operators, not generic admin
Bookings are only one part of the job. Planellio supports the full journey across clients, contracts, payments, staff, automations and reporting.
Designed to scale
Start simple, then add staff operations, venue workflows and reporting as you grow.
Focused on clarity
Teams and clients see the information they need without digging through inboxes.
Founder story
Want the full story behind why Planellio was created?
If you want to understand how Cramer Events, BoothBook growth challenges, NHS workforce systems, Mandatrax, security deposits, rostering and automation all shaped the platform, the founder story page takes you through the full journey.
What the story explains
- Why the platform came from real event operations
- Why a traditional booking CRM stopped being enough
- How NHS rostering and automation experience influenced the product
- Why Planellio focuses on operations as much as sales
Built on real operational experience
Planellio is shaped by hands-on experience across both event operations and complex system environments.
Event industry experience
Built from running real events, managing bookings, clients, payments and staff in live environments.
Healthcare systems background
Developed with experience in large-scale workforce systems, reporting and rostering across complex organisations.
Designed for complexity
Planellio is built to handle real-world complexity, not simplified demo workflows that break under pressure.
Designed differently to typical booking systems
Many systems are built as shared platforms with limitations that appear as businesses grow.
Clear structure
Workflows are designed to follow real booking and operational processes rather than forcing generic structures.
Consistent performance
System behaviour remains predictable as data grows, avoiding common scaling issues found in shared environments.
Built for long-term use
Planellio is designed as a system businesses can rely on as they grow, not something they outgrow.
Built as a developing platform, not a fixed product
Planellio is continuously evolving based on real-world usage, feedback and operational requirements. The system is actively developed to improve workflows, expand capabilities and support growing event businesses.
This approach allows Planellio to adapt as requirements change, rather than remaining static or limited by early design decisions.
Partner Portal and trade bookings
A controlled booking channel for venue partners
Planellio combines venue and partner trade rates with a live Partner Portal. Authorised users can check availability, create venue-managed bookings and work with the calendars, documents, contracts, payments and reports their effective permissions allow.
Partner-specific rates
Create trade pricing and approved booking choices for the venues and event partners your business works with.
Availability and booking
Partners can switch linked venues, check general and specialist availability and create trade-rate bookings.
Permission-controlled access
Control client, financial, note, document, report and export access separately for each partner and venue.
Project Management
Plan from enquiry to quote, booking and the complete project lifecycle
A corporate activation or other enquiry-led project can be planned, quoted to the client and converted into a booking while retaining the continuing project. An existing booking can also be converted into a project.
Stages, tasks and checklists, documents, project financials, payment milestones, suppliers, costs, deliverables and client approvals remain connected through event delivery and any work that continues afterwards.
How event platforms compare
Feature-by-feature comparison of common approaches used by event businesses.
| Feature | Basic booking tools | Generic CRMs | Planellio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking and sales | |||
| Event CRM and enquiry pipeline | Limited | General sales pipeline | Event-focused CRM |
| Public booking journey | Basic forms | Usually separate | Enquiry, selection, extras and confirmation |
| Packages, add-ons and service options | Limited | Manual setup | Built around event services |
| Quotes, invoices and payment tracking | Sometimes | Often separate tools | Connected to each booking |
| Additional-day pricing | Limited | Manual workaround | Supported on higher plans |
| Client experience | |||
| Client portal | Basic client pages | Usually not event-specific | Planning, payments, contracts and documents |
| Contracts and e-signatures | Sometimes | Often third-party | Included in the booking workflow |
| Client forms and event details | Limited | Generic forms | Designed for event planning details |
| Shared files and documents | Limited | Separate storage | Connected to the client and event |
| Operations and staff | |||
| Staff portal | Sometimes | Usually separate | Available on Professional and Business |
| Job assignments | Basic notes | Task workaround | Built for event delivery teams |
| One-click venue directions | Rare | Manual links | Available from staff job details |
| Timesheets and staff invoices | Usually separate | Usually separate | Submission, approval, costs, evidence and payment status |
| Partner relationships | |||
| Venue and partner trade rates | Manual notes | Custom fields | Dedicated module support |
| Venue Partner Portal and trade booking creation | Usually not available | Often a manual handover | Live with per-user, per-venue permissions |
| Project management | |||
| Event tasks and workflows | Basic notes | Generic tasks | Event delivery workflows |
| Team coordination | Manual process | Generic task lists | Connected to bookings and staff |
| Operational handovers | Email or spreadsheet | Manual workaround | Structured delivery process |
| Automation, reporting and scale | |||
| Automations | Basic reminders | Generic automation | Built around booking and operational steps |
| Reporting dashboard | Basic booking totals | General reports | Bookings, sales, finance and workload visibility |
| Finance visibility | Payment status only | Separate accounting view | Connected booking and finance overview |
| Custom domain support | Sometimes | Depends on setup | Available across all plans with CNAME |
| Platform structure | |||
| System structure | Shared platform | Shared platform | Isolated per business |
| Development approach | Fixed product roadmap | Generic product roadmap | Continuously developed around event operations |
Platform summaries
Basic booking tools
Useful for taking enquiries and simple bookings, but often become harder to manage when payments, paperwork, staff and reporting need to work together.
Generic CRMs
Strong for general sales activity, but event teams usually need extra tools or workarounds for packages, contracts, client portals and delivery workflows.
Planellio
Designed as event business software from the start, connecting bookings, clients, payments, contracts, staff operations, venue management, project workflows, automations and reporting in one system.
Your workflow matters
Help shape Planellio around real event businesses
Tell us about your event business and we’ll show you how Planellio could fit
Independent comparison
Don't just take our word for it
Use ChatGPT to independently compare Planellio with the event-business platforms you're considering. We've prepared a broad prompt that asks for a current, balanced review.
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