Planning an in-person event should feel creative, purposeful, and energizing. Too often, the sourcing process feels like the opposite.
Planners open dozens of tabs, request information from multiple suppliers, compare proposals in spreadsheets, and try to build a clear picture from inconsistent photos, outdated floor plans, and long email threads. The work matters: but the process creates unnecessary friction.
That is the problem virsitour has worked to solve from day one.
virsitour has always been visual-first, with virtual site tours at the center of how planners explore hotels, venues, event services, and destinations. As we relaunch the platform, we are building on that foundation with a cleaner experience, more organized workflows, and better ways for planners and suppliers to connect.
The goal is simple:
Better information. Faster decisions. Stronger event connections.
The event planning process is changing
Event professionals are managing more complexity with less time. Budgets are under scrutiny. Stakeholders are often distributed across offices, cities, and time zones. Attendees expect more thoughtful experiences, while suppliers need to respond quickly and demonstrate value clearly.
Industry research reflects this pressure. A 2025 PCMA EMEA survey of 321 event professionals found that respondents were balancing “high-tech and high-touch” priorities: investing in digital tools while also focusing on meaningful, face-to-face experiences.
That balance is important. Technology should not replace human relationships. It should remove the administrative work that makes those relationships harder to build.
As Jaimé Bennett of PCMA explained:
“Technology should be our ally in amplifying human connection, not a replacement.”
For event planners, that means using technology to spend less time searching and more time thinking strategically. For suppliers, it means presenting accurate information in a way that helps qualified buyers understand what makes their offering right for a specific event.
Better information starts with seeing the full picture
A venue listing is more useful when it answers the questions planners are already asking:
- What does the space actually look like?
- How does the room flow from registration to meals to programming?
- Is the layout right for the event format?
- Can the venue accommodate the group size?
- What services, amenities, and technology are available?
- Does the atmosphere fit the organization and its attendees?
- What should the team know before sending an RFP?
Text alone cannot answer all of those questions. A polished description may explain a venue’s location and capacity, but visuals help planners understand how the experience could work.
That is why virtual site tours have always been part of virsitour. Planners can explore a space before arranging travel, involving clients, or scheduling a full site visit. Videos, photos, and virtual tours create a more complete first impression and help teams qualify options earlier.
The result is not just convenience. It is better decision-making.
According to research from PCMA, event professionals are increasingly using technology to support planning, logistics, and data analysis. In one PCMA survey, 91% of respondents said they use artificial intelligence in some way, with 35% using it for data analysis and reporting and 18% applying it to event planning and logistics.
The lesson is broader than AI: planners are looking for tools that turn scattered information into useful insight.
Faster decisions come from a clearer process
Better information only creates value when it is easy to use.
The relaunch of virsitour is designed around the way planners actually work: discover options, narrow the list, request information, compare responses, and move forward with confidence.
1. Source Virtually
Start with a visual-first search for hotels, venues, event services, and destinations. Search globally, from Paris, Tennessee, to Paris, France, and explore listings with the details that matter.
A professional event planner looking for hotels for corporate events may need guest rooms, meeting space, food and beverage options, transportation access, and technology capabilities. A marketing team planning a brand experience may care more about atmosphere, flexibility, production support, and shareable spaces.
The right event planning platform should make it easier to identify those differences early.
2. Compare Listings
Once you have a shortlist, compare the options side by side. This reduces the need to jump between websites, email threads, and internal documents.
A clear comparison helps planners evaluate the practical requirements: capacity, dates, location, services, and budget: alongside the qualities that make an event memorable. It also gives stakeholders a simpler way to review choices and provide feedback.
For executive assistants and lean planning teams, this can be especially valuable. A well-organized event venue finder helps turn an open-ended search into a focused set of possibilities.
3. Submit RFPs
When the shortlist is ready, send RFPs to multiple suppliers through the platform. The goal is to reduce repetitive work while giving suppliers the information they need to respond accurately.
Better event RFP tools support both sides of the conversation. Planners can communicate requirements more clearly, and suppliers can respond with proposals that are more relevant to the opportunity.
Industry expectations for speed are also rising. Research published by GBTA and CWT forecast the average daily cost per meeting and event attendee at approximately $169 in 2025. As costs remain significant, planners need to make informed choices early: and suppliers need to show how their offering supports the event’s goals and budget.
Stronger connections happen when both sides have context
A sourcing platform should not create distance between planners and suppliers. It should make the first conversation more productive.
When a planner can explore a supplier’s listing, watch a video, review photos, and take a virtual tour, the initial inquiry starts with context. The supplier is not explaining the basics from scratch. The planner is not asking questions that could have been answered before the first call.
That creates a better starting point for a real relationship.
For suppliers, a strong visual listing can help attract qualified leads. Planners who understand the offering are more likely to submit a relevant RFP and move forward when the fit is right. virsitour gives hotels, venues, event service providers, and destinations a way to showcase what they offer before the proposal stage.
Supplier participation is free, with commission paid when confirmed business is booked through the platform. That pay-for-performance model is designed to connect suppliers with planners who are actively sourcing: not simply browsing.
Suppliers can learn more about listing their property or service on virsitour.
From information to confidence
A faster decision is not a rushed decision.
The best event sourcing process gives planners enough information to move decisively while leaving room for professional judgment. It helps teams answer the most important questions early, identify gaps before they become problems, and bring the right people into the conversation at the right time.
Consider a company planning a multi-day leadership meeting. The planner may need to compare several destinations, review meeting layouts, understand guest room patterns, evaluate food and beverage options, and gather proposals from multiple properties.
Without a structured process, that work can take place across disconnected systems. With a visual venue sourcing platform, the team can:
- Search for destinations and suppliers that match the event brief.
- Tour spaces virtually before scheduling travel.
- Compare listings and proposals in one place.
- Share a more focused shortlist with internal stakeholders.
- Submit RFPs with clearer requirements.
- Connect directly with suppliers when it is time to discuss details.
This is how technology supports the human side of planning. It gives the planner more time to shape the attendee experience, manage expectations, negotiate thoughtfully, and build trust.
What better sourcing looks like for planners
As you plan your next in-person event, use these questions to evaluate your sourcing process:
- Can your team see enough of a venue before requesting a proposal?
- Are photos, videos, and virtual tours easy to find?
- Can stakeholders review options without searching through multiple email threads?
- Are proposals organized for side-by-side comparison?
- Can you send RFPs to multiple qualified suppliers efficiently?
- Is communication easy to track after the initial inquiry?
- Are you spending your time on strategy: or on administrative follow-up?
If the process feels fragmented, it may be time to rethink the tools behind it.
Explore the virsitour platform to see how visual sourcing, proposal comparison, and supplier communication work together in one event planning platform.
Better information is the beginning: not the end
The purpose of event planning technology is not to make events feel automated. It is to make the work behind them more manageable.
Better information helps planners understand their options. Faster decisions help teams protect time, budget, and momentum. Stronger event connections help planners and suppliers collaborate around the details that make an event successful.
That is the evolution behind the relaunched virsitour platform: a more focused way to source, compare, and connect without adding more chaos to the process.
Because when the sourcing experience is clear, planners have more room to do what they do best.
Plan the event. Not the chaos around it.
Start planning with virsitour and explore a smarter way to find group venues, hotels, event services, and destinations.
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