From registration to results, sports event planners and CVBs are turning to technology to keep every detail on track. Whether managing complex logistics, coordinating communication across teams, or adapting to weather and safety challenges in real-time, digital tools and software have become essential to ensuring smooth operations and standout participant experiences. This is true for everything from local tournaments to international championships, as tech-driven solutions are transforming how planners organize, promote, and execute events of every size.
Here are some of the best tech tools for sports event planning, according to those in the biz.
1.Cvent
Cvent has established itself as a robust, full-spectrum event management platform that supports everything from registration and attendee management to diagramming and analytics, making it a powerful ally for sports event planners.
For instance, the NBA used Cvent’s Event Diagramming solution to automate seating for its All-Star Weekend and Draft events, reducing seating-planning time from approximately two weeks to four days—a 70 percent decrease in labor.
However, Cvent doesn’t just work for large-scale events. Any sports event where athlete registration, team check-ins, waiver capture, venue layout, hospitality seating, and sponsor management must be coordinated can benefit from this single, centralized workflow platform.
For sports planners, this means more time focusing on the participant experience, venue logistics, and stakeholder relationships, rather than getting bogged down in spreadsheets or disparate systems.
2. Haku
Haku is an all-in-one event-management platform developed for the endurance-sports and race-organization market, built to support everything from registration and customer relations management (CRM) to live tracking, results, fundraising, memberships, and analytics. It’s proven to be very helpful in her work, says Channing Muller, the principal and founder of DCM Communications, which handles all communications for Chickamauga Battlefield Races in Chattanooga, Tenn. She says Haku is the most effective software for registration setup, hands down.
“You can put together multiple different race distances and prices, and everyone gets tagged with what they purchase, so you can later send custom messaging,” she says. “Their support team is really helpful when you have questions, too.”
Additionally, all race-related email communications are stored in the Haku software, and having the segmentation by distance and year of participation is crucial for delivering the right email message to the right audience.
“For instance, when promotions are going on, we email past participants of any given race distance with custom messaging to entice them to sign up again,” Muller says. “Then, as the registrations come in, we send separate communications to those who have not registered to get them to sign up vs. those who did register and keep them excited for race day.”
3. WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business is Meta’s free messaging platform built for small and midsized organizations, offering advanced group messaging, broadcast lists, and automation tools that help manage large networks of athletes, coaches, and volunteers through a single interface.
“WhatsApp Business has been a revelation for coordinating with our regular players, coaches, and facility staff,” says James Cook, padel coordinator for Complete Padel, one of the fastest-growing padel organizations in the UK. “The app’s instant, familiar communication structure keeps scheduling and logistics simple while preserving the close-knit community feel that defines the sport.”
As padel begins to take off in the U.S., many new clubs and event organizers are facing the same challenge—how to maintain strong personal connections while scaling up rapidly. Complete Padel’s experience offers a glimpse of what’s possible: using tools like WhatsApp Business for day-to-day coordination, Textmagic for tournament-wide alerts, and Zoho Events for integrated registration and player management. Together, these systems create a scalable model that U.S. organizers could adapt as the sport grows from boutique clubs to national tournaments.
4. AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics are significantly transforming how planners and destinations manage events. From forecasting attendance and optimizing hotel blocks to predicting traffic or weather impacts, AI enables smarter and faster decision-making.
Additionally, fully integrated communication systems, which link city services, venues, and attendees through a single digital interface, are becoming a standard for many events.
Amy Hornocker, executive director of the College World Series of Omaha, explains how the complex event is supported by four primary partners: the NCAA, CWS of Omaha, Inc., MECA (the ballpark management group), and the City of Omaha, and AI helps keep things running smoothly.
“We rely on several technology platforms to streamline communication and enhance the fan experience,” she says. “In recent years, we launched an AI chatbot on cwsomaha.com to answer fan questions 24/7—saving staff significant time and resources.”
Additionally, AI has aided in providing real-time updates on traffic flow, parking, and rideshare access during major events.
5. Script Elephant
Visit Phoenix, the official destination marketing organization for the Arizona city’s region, champions Script Elephant, a software platform that streamlines live event planning and creates a seamless, immersive experience for both planning and production teams.
“With Script Elephant, the production team, AV crew, announcers, and planners have the ability to synchronize all the components needed to manage a live event,” says Sara Doyle, director of communications for Visit Phoenix. “Script Elephant considers all the variables past the standard logistics. In the current moment, the tool manages scripts, cues, and visual content, more than just the basic rentals. The tool accounts for real-time updates as well, making every script easy to read and sync immediately.”
The production tool also puts forth a monthly plan suited for all event planners, and the planning tool accounts for script running, scripting, permissions, and more to make the event’s behind-the-scenes process as error-free and straightforward as possible.
6. Microsoft 365 Suite
Adam Duvendeck, general manager of Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., home of the LA Galaxy, oversees hundreds of large-scale events annually, from MLS matches to global tournaments.
While it may come as a surprise due to its widespread availability and accessibility, Duvendeck has found tremendous value in leveraging the Microsoft 365 suite to streamline communication and coordination.
“Tools like Microsoft Teams, OneNote, OneDrive, and Power BI have become essential to our operations,” he says. “We’ve developed custom workflows and dashboards that enhance cross-functional visibility, improve real-time collaboration, and ensure thatall stakeholders—from internal teams to external partners—are aligned and informed.”
For instance, Dignity Health Sports Park custom-built a dashboard platform developed in-house using Microsoft Power BI.
“By integrating APIs from our ticketing, parking, concessions, and point-of-sale systems, we gain real-time insights into event performance,” Duvendeck says. “This allows our team to make data-driven decisions on the fly, optimizing everything from staffing to guest services and ultimately enhancing the fan experience.”
7. Playeasy Software
Playeasy is a digital platform designed to connect sports destinations, event organizers, and facilities in one streamlined system. It serves as both a marketing and management hub, helping destinations promote upcoming tournaments, showcase venues, and coordinate logistics with event planners.
For Visit Boise, the software has become a cornerstone of its sports event strategy. “For each event we work with, the software allows us to create a customized event microsite that has hotel information, group discounts for teams, and several nearby attractions that direct teams and athletes to Boise’s best attractions,” says Lucas Gebhart, associate director of sports sales for Visit Boise.
Through Playeasy’s plug-in, these microsites are embedded directly into Visit Boise’s own website, automatically generating a live, interactive events calendar that lists all tournaments and championships hosted in the city. Gebhart notes the integration saves staff hours of manual updates while giving visiting teams a one-stop digital guide to lodging, travel and entertainment options. “For planners, it’s an efficient way to centralize communications and logistics,” he says.
Together, these tools reflect the growing sophistication of sports event technology, proving digital coordination, real-time communication and risk management are nearly as important as the games themselves.
how Playeasy creates a customized event microsite. Courtesy Lucas Gebhart
