They looked like a bargain. Until the invoice wasn’t the problem.
You chose the cheaper platform. £2k for the year. Basic site builder. DIY ticketing. Clean enough interface.
And at first glance, it worked. The landing page launched. Registrations trickled in.
But then…
- The font clashed with your brand, and there was no way to fix it.
- The “easy” CMS required 14 Slack messages and 3 internal rewrites.
- Your Head of Partnerships asked, “Can we send sponsors their data?” and you weren’t sure who owned it.
- SEO performance? Minimal.
- UX? Functional, not beautiful.
- Worst of all? You spent your most expensive resource: your team’s time.
This is the hidden cost of cheap platforms:
They don’t break your budget. They break your momentum.
Let’s break it down: what “cheap” really costs you
1. Time (you didn’t think you were spending)
- Editing page layouts → 5 hours
- Rewriting nav flows → 3 hours
- Fixing attendee support issues → 9 hours
- Onboarding sponsors manually → 6 hours
🕒 Your £2k platform cost you 23 hours in month one.
At £50/hour in internal time? That’s £1,150 in hidden labour already.
Now multiply that across your team.
2. Brand Dilution
Prestige events aren’t just attended. They’re judged.
Every moment — from invite to registration to reminder email — either adds polish or erodes it. Cheap platforms offer:
- Limited brand control
- Generic UX
- Third-party domains and footers
- Amateur visual design
You feel it. Your attendees feel it. So do your sponsors.
Good brands don’t feel “template-y.” They feel tailored.
3. Poor SEO, No Long-Term Visibility
Cheap platforms often host your site on their subdomain. They don’t implement structured data. They lack speed optimisation and index control.
Result?
- You rank for nothing
- Your event has no digital shelf life
- You start from zero next year
Great event platforms build digital equity. Poor ones vanish after closing day.
4. Data Ownership Confusion
Whose domain is it? Who controls the CRM? Can you export ticketing data?
Too many “affordable” tools own what you think is yours.
- They control your DNS
- They restrict exports
- They charge extra to white-label
- They retain sponsor data
If you don’t control the backend, you don’t control your business.
5. Mental Load
The worst part? You feel it. Every day.
- Constant toggling between tools
- Re-explaining instructions to freelancers
- “Hacking” design to make things work
- Feeling a step behind your vision
Cheap platforms don’t save you stress.
They convert clarity into complexity.
So what’s the alternative?
Not “another tool.”
Not “a better SaaS.”
You don’t need a platform you can use.
You need one that’s built, owned, and run — for you.
What prestige event leaders choose instead
Presso isn’t a product. It’s a private commission.
We only build 10 platforms a year — each one custom, white-glove, forever-managed.
Here’s what that means in real terms:
✅ Your brand, domain, data — 100% yours
✅ No CMS, no logins — just outcomes
✅ SEO, UX, CRM, ticketing — handcrafted and maintained
✅ Internal experts, not outsourced freelancers
✅ 100% done-for-you, in a matter of weeks
Quiet power. Not noisy tools.
The cheap platforms don’t look bad — until the big moments when they do.
When your CMO checks the landing page.
When a sponsor asks for performance stats.
When you’re staring at a half-filled venue, wondering where the leads went.
You don’t need more “tech.”
You need fewer decisions, higher outcomes, and a partner who gets it.