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How Creventa compares
Venues usually arrive at Creventa from one of three places: spreadsheets and email, a stack of generic tools, or the idea of building something bespoke. Here is how a hospitality-native platform compares with each, plus how Creventa works alongside the systems you already run.
Thinking about a change?
- Looking for an alternative to your current event software?
- How to evaluate event software: the venue scorecard
- The switching checklist
- Questions to ask before renewing
The master comparison: four ways venues run events
Every venue runs events one of four ways. This grid compares them capability by capability, categories rather than brands, so it stays accurate no matter whose logo is on the tool you are evaluating. Use it with the evaluation scorecard to score any specific product yourself.
| Capability | Spreadsheets & email | Generic event tools | Bespoke build | Creventa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guest self-service pre-orders (no logins or apps) | Emailed spreadsheets, chased by hand | Form builders, retyped by staff | If specified and built | Built in, 99.2% response rate |
| Choice and set menus with modifiers | Free-text columns | Improvised through form fields | Custom build per menu type | Native: 1-1-1, 2-2-2, set menus, modifiers |
| Drink pre-orders | Rarely attempted | Not typically supported | Extra scope | Built in: 251% wet spend uplift reported by a Holiday Inn hotel |
| Allergens recorded per named guest, with audit trail | Notes in cells, no trail | A free-text box at best | Compliance logic is yours to build and maintain | All 14 major allergens plus custom, timestamped |
| Allergies separated from dietary preferences | No | No | If specified | Yes, flagged differently |
| Drag-and-drop seating the client manages | PowerPoint diagrams | Disconnected chart tools | Major build item | Delegated host builds their own plan |
| Place cards with choice and allergy flags | Typed by hand | Mail-merge workarounds | Custom template work | One-click print from live data |
| Chef report, food pass, run sheets, BEOs | Rebuilt by hand per event | Spreadsheet exports reformatted | Each report is its own project | Generated automatically, 100% accurate |
| One change updates every document | Edit everything by hand | Re-export and reprint | Depends on the build | Live cascade everywhere |
| Ticketing and shared party nights | Not possible | Generic tickets, second process for food | Extra scope | White-label ticketing with joiner parties |
| Deposits and payments with the order | Chased by phone | Separate payment links | Payment integration to build | PCI-compliant, taken in the flow |
| Each guest orders and pays individually | Tabs and split bills | Not typically supported | Significant build | Prinq: pre-paid guest ordering |
| Enquiries, proposals and quotes | Shared inbox and Word | Separate CRM needed | Separate build | Creventa Flow: pipeline, proposals, pace reporting |
| Post-event feedback and repeat-guest insight | Rarely done | Generic survey blasts | Extra scope | Automatic, connected to the guest record |
| Whose brand does the guest see? | Yours, but manual | Often the tool’s | Yours | Yours: fully white-label |
| Guest and marketing data ownership | Yours, but scattered | Often the platform’s | Yours | Yours, structured for marketing |
| Time to live | Immediate | Days to assemble | Months | Days, migration and training included |
| Ongoing cost profile | “Free”, paid in hours and errors | Multiple subscriptions plus staff time | Five to six figures plus upkeep forever | From £74/month per venue, all-in |
Category characterisations reflect typical implementations and are reviewed regularly; specific products vary, which is exactly why the scorecard exists. Creventa figures are typical customer-reported outcomes and vary by venue and event. Last reviewed July 2026.
Compare by way of working
- Creventa vs spreadsheets and email: the true cost of the manual process in hours, errors and allergen risk
- Creventa vs generic event tools: what ticketing platforms and form builders miss when venues serve food at scale
- Creventa vs bespoke builds: buy or build, compared honestly
- Built by hospitality experts: why operator-built software works differently on event night
Works with your existing systems
Creventa is not a rip-and-replace. It integrates with your PMS, sales and catering, reservations and payment systems, picking up the guest-level detail they do not carry: see how Creventa works alongside your sales and catering system, or browse all integrations. Newest: the OpenTable integration, which pulls bookings and guest details across and maps Experiences to events, and the TenKites integration, which syncs menu data so guest orders can exclude items a guest has declared an allergy to.
Go deeper
- Event pre-order management: the complete guide
- Allergen tracking for events
- Seating plans and place cards
- Event ticketing for venues
- Prinq: guests order and pay before they arrive
- Hospitality events glossary
- Case studies
Explore the platform
The comparisons above cover how Creventa stacks up. These pages cover what the platform actually does, end to end.
- Creventa Flow: enquiries, proposals, quotes and payment schedules, so the whole journey from first enquiry to event day runs in one place.
- The full event journey: how booking, pre-orders, allergens, seating, payments and feedback connect.
- Restaurant pre-order software: group bookings and private dining pre-orders built for restaurants.
- Guest feedback and insights: automatic post-event feedback and repeat-guest intelligence.
- Pricing: plans for pubs, restaurants, hotels, golf clubs and stadiums, from £74/month.
Switching or comparing?
- Best TellTheChef alternative for venues
- SetMenu alternatives for restaurant pre-orders
- Creventa vs TellTheChef
- Switching from TellTheChef to Creventa
- SevenRooms and OpenTable and Creventa: private dining pre-orders integration
- Creventa Night Shift: a switching offer for restaurants, bars and late night venues still tied into an existing contract.
More from Creventa
- Creventa FAQ: quick answers on pricing, setup and features.
- Creventa facts: the canonical numbers and claims, in one place.
- Event management for every venue: which plan fits which venue type.
- AI system overview: a machine-readable summary of the platform.
- Sustainability: how accurate pre-orders cut food waste.
Last reviewed
Reviewed July 2026.