Planning a school event comes with a never-ending list of to-dos. Creating schedules, sending invites, confirming presenters, and praying the projector works on the big day. 

When you’re drowning in details for that back-to-school night or career fair, what tool do you reach for? Event management software? Project management software? Both? Neither?

Let’s break down what each tool is built to do, so you can choose the right fit and spend more time creating meaningful experiences for your students.

Key Takeaways:

  • Event management software is built for the fast-moving, attendee-focused experiences, while project management software is built for longer-term planning and coordination.
  • Event management software simplifies tasks like registration and scheduling, freeing educators to focus on creating impactful events.
  • Project management software is great for ongoing projects, but can feel confusing for dynamic school events like parent nights or assemblies.

What Is Event Management Software, Anyway?

Event management software is a platform built specifically for organizing and carrying out events in real time. Think of it as your trusty assistant for things like scheduling sessions, managing registrations, sending reminders, and tracking who shows up.

Say you’re planning a parent night. You need to coordinate session times, notify families, and check-in attendees. You’re probably sending multiple emails every day and wasting time updating spreadsheets manually.

Event management software cuts down on repetitive tasks and scattered communication. You get more time to focus on creating an experience that actually connects.

What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software, on the other hand, is designed for bigger, broader projects that unfold over weeks or months. It’s great for task assignments, Gantt charts, document sharing, and long-term milestones.

Project management software tools are great for complex, multi-month projects like curriculum design or overseeing a school renovation, where you’re coordinating tasks with clear deliverables and dependencies. But when it comes to running a K-12 school event with 300 parents next Thursday? It often feels like overkill.

Event Management Software vs. Project Management Software: A Side by Side Comparison

So, how do you know which tool fits your needs? Here’s a side-by-side breakdown:

FeatureEvent Management SoftwareProject Management Software
Best for Live events with attendees, virtual, and hybrid events.Long-term internal projects.
TimelineShort, focused timelines.Extended timelines.
Use casesParent nights, PD days, career fairs, multi-day conferences.Curriculum design, construction projects.
Main featuresPersonalized schedules, registration, badge printing, custom branded event website, attendance tracking, real-time updates, mobile-friendly.Task assignment, deadlines, file sharing.

School Event Coming Up? Here’s When to Use Each Tool

If you’re planning an event that involves attendees, scheduling, and communication across teams, go with event management software. Common use cases include:

  • Career Fairs (easily check reports and feedback).
  • Year-round professional development (organize workshops and track attendance).
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences (manage schedules and RSVPs).
  • Student showcases or talent shows.

Sched helps schools do all of this in a single platform, with tools that were built for educators (zero tech skills required).

That’s what DCMO BOCES realized when they ran four career day events across counties. Sched helped them organize 1,200+ students and 40+ business speakers in one central platform, without getting IT involved. It saved their team days of preparation and made the experience easier for everyone involved.

Just like you wouldn’t use a whiteboard to run a live concert, you shouldn’t use project management software to run a live event.

Choose project management software for projects like:

  • Curriculum redesigns (track tasks over months).
  • School renovations (manage budgets and contractors).
  • Planning your school’s yearlong reading initiative.

The Real Benefits of Using the Right Tool for Managing Your Event

Event management software can take a huge load off your plate when it comes to school events. Planning a parent night or a school assembly means taking care of millions of details: scheduling rooms, emailing families, coordinating volunteers. 

A tool like Sched takes those repetitive tasks off your plate and allows you to:

  • Build a schedule and share it with one click.
  • Send automated reminders to parents or school staff.
  • Track attendance without clipboards.
  • Send invites, reminders, and last minute updates automatically.
  • Let families and staff have their personalized schedules.
  • Collect feedback right after the session or event ends. 

You can even start for free with smaller events, and the best part is that it’s so easy to use, there’s no need for IT support.

Less stress. Fewer spreadsheets. More time for the work you actually want to do.

How to Choose the Right Event Management Tool for Your School

Here’s the simplest way to decide:

Ask yourself: “Am I planning something that happens on a specific day, or managing a long-term project?” If it’s an event with attendees, event management software is your best bet.

Having the right tool is about getting the job done while making your work more focused on your students and community. Sched gives you the support you need to run your event, so you can focus on the parts of the job that actually matter: delivering meaningful experiences that last.

As the Director of Professional Learning at Belton ISD noted: 

“Sched helps you to be able to have that backwards planning. Meeting those deadlines when you want things to be done.”

Ready to simplify your next school event? Try Sched for free and see how simple it can be to build your schedule, send invites, and keep everything running smoothly.