How ORA compares with manual booking and other event platforms
Cost, setup time, how exhibitors book and contract terms, side by side, so you can pick what suits your event.
The three options
Most organisers choose between keeping the manual process, licensing a full event-management platform, or using a booking tool built just for exhibitors.
| Feature | Manual process | Generic platforms | ORA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost model | Hidden staff time | Annual licence + add-ons | A$2,500 flat per event |
| Setup time | Rebuilt for every event | Weeks to months | 2 weeks from agreement to live |
| Exhibitor booking | PDF forms & email | Portal, but suppliers often separate | Book & pay in one place |
| Real-time visibility | Spreadsheets | Yes | Yes – bookings & payments |
| Contract lock-in | None | Annual / multi-year | None – per event |
| Local support | In-house only | Often offshore | Australian-based team |
Typical costs
Indicative pricing for full event platforms compared with ORA. Vendors quote individually, so check current pricing directly with each one.
Indicative figures, converted to AUD, as at October 2026. They are not quotes. Cvent, Bizzabo and EventsAir are trademarks of their respective owners.
When a full event platform makes sense
Platforms such as Cvent, Bizzabo and EventsAir cover the whole event: delegate registration, agendas, apps, venue sourcing and marketing. If you run many large events a year and need all of that, an annual licence can be good value.
When ORA makes sense
If your pain is selling exhibition space, ORA does that one job well, for a flat fee per event. It suits associations with an annual conference and trade hall, field days and ag shows, and expo organisers who want stands booked and paid online without a long procurement process.
When to keep the manual process
If you sell a handful of stands to the same exhibitors every year, email and a spreadsheet may be enough. Once you're past 30 or so exhibitors, or double bookings and late payments start costing you, the time adds up. Work out your cost.
Make your next event the easiest one yet.
Tell us about your event and we'll have your booking portal live within two weeks.
- hello@oraexhibitions.com.au
- Phone
- 0425 859 191
- Based in
- Australia