Frequently Asked Questions

venMan is a comprehensive cloud-based platform for professional management of events, venues, staff, equipment, and finances. The software is designed for event organizers, concert promoters, exhibition builders, cultural institutions, and any company that regularly organizes events. From initial planning through execution to post-event processing and billing - venMan covers the entire event lifecycle.

While Excel is suitable for simple lists, venMan offers a specialized, automated solution with real-time collaboration, intelligent staff planning, integrated financial management, and automatic invoicing. You save up to 80% of administrative time through automation of recurring tasks, central data management, and seamless integration of all event processes. Additionally, you benefit from professional workflows, approval processes, and comprehensive reporting capabilities.

Yes! We offer a 14-day free trial for all plans. You can test all features without restrictions, create your own events, and invite your team. No credit card required. After the trial period, you can decide whether to subscribe to a paid plan. Your data remains preserved throughout.

Extremely fast! After registration, our interactive onboarding wizard guides you through setup in 4 simple steps: welcome screen, organization settings, team invitations, and optionally creating demo data. The entire process takes less than 5 minutes. You can then immediately start planning your first event.

Yes, we support data import! venMan offers flexible import functions for Excel/CSV files. Our support team is happy to help with larger data migrations and creates custom import scripts for your existing systems if needed. Enterprise plans include personal onboarding support with data migration.

venMan is flexible for all event types: concerts, festivals, trade shows, conferences, corporate events, sporting events, theater performances, private celebrations, and much more. Each event can be individually configured with custom categories, fields, workflows, and approval processes. The software adapts to your requirements - not the other way around.

Staff planning in venMan is intelligent and automated: Define staffing profiles with qualification requirements (e.g., 'Technician Level 2', 'Stage Manager', 'Security'), set shift times, and assign staff. The system automatically checks availability, qualifications, and working time limits. Staff receive automatic notifications about assignments. Time tracking is digital, and all hours are automatically documented for payroll.

Absolutely! venMan offers extensive template functions. Save complete event configurations including staffing profiles, equipment lists, budget structures, and workflows as reusable templates. When creating a new event, simply select the appropriate template, and all settings are automatically applied. This saves enormous time when planning similar events.

venMan offers dedicated location management: Record all your venues with floor plans, capacities, equipment features, and special characteristics. Each location can have multiple floors/areas (e.g., Main Stage, VIP Area, Backstage). Store location-specific contacts, access times, loading docks, technical connections, and safety requirements. When planning events, you immediately have all relevant location information available.

Yes! venMan offers a comprehensive calendar view with month, week, and day views. See at a glance all planned events, bookings, staff assignments, and equipment utilization. Filter options enable viewing by location, event type, team member, or custom categories. The calendar is interactive: drag & drop to move events, quick actions to edit, and color coding by status or priority.

Asset management in venMan is comprehensive: Record all assets with serial numbers, purchase dates, maintenance intervals, and current locations. Categorize equipment by type (audio, video, lighting, stage, transport) and status (available, rented, in maintenance). Upload photos, technical data sheets, and maintenance protocols. The system automatically warns of upcoming maintenance and shows utilization per asset.

Yes, equipment planning is seamlessly integrated: During event planning, you see in real-time which equipment is available. Reserve assets for specific events and time periods. The system automatically prevents double bookings and shows conflicts. You can define equipment bundles (e.g., 'PA System Small') for faster planning. All reservations are visible in the asset calendar.

Yes! The rental module enables professional equipment rental: Mark assets as 'rentable', define rental prices (daily rate, weekly rate) and volume discounts. Create rental quotes and contracts with automatic availability checking. Customers can request equipment through the public rental portal. After approval, invoices are automatically created with correct rental periods. All rental transactions are documented in the system.

venMan offers integrated maintenance management: Define maintenance intervals per asset (e.g., every 6 months, after 100 operating hours). The system automatically creates maintenance reminders and to-dos. Document performed maintenance with date, technician, work performed, and costs. When maintenance is due, the asset is automatically marked as 'limited availability'. Maintenance histories are fully traceable for audits and insurance.

Invoicing is fully integrated and automated: Create invoices directly from events, rentals, or manually. All event costs (staff, equipment, external services) are automatically captured and can be transferred to invoice items with one click. The invoice is generated as PDF with your company logo, all legal mandatory information, and optional DATEV compatibility for your accounting. Sending is automated via email.

venMan supports modern and traditional payment methods: For platform subscriptions, we accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) via Stripe and PayPal. Amazon Pay is in preparation. For customer invoices, you can specify all common payment methods (bank transfer, SEPA direct debit, PayPal). Enterprise plans also allow invoice purchases with individual payment terms.

Yes, absolute legal security: All generated invoices contain the legally required mandatory information according to §14 UStG (consecutive invoice number, tax ID, VAT breakdown, service period, payment deadline). PDF export is DATEV compatible and can be directly imported into your accounting software. For international customers, correct VAT treatment is automatic (reverse charge for EU B2B transactions).

Yes! venMan supports flexible payment terms: The default is 14 days after invoice date, but you can set individual deadlines for each invoice. For multi-stage projects, you can even define different due dates per invoice item (e.g., deposit immediately, balance after event). The system automatically recognizes due dates from OCR-scanned receipts. Overdue invoices are highlighted in the dashboard.

The OCR (Optical Character Recognition) function automates receipt capture: Simply photograph or scan a receipt (invoice, receipt, cash register receipt). venMan uses Google Vision AI to automatically extract the following information: amount, date, vendor, invoice number, VAT rate, due date, and payment details. You review the recognized data, assign the receipt to an event or cost center, and save. The original receipt is archived in a revision-safe manner.

Yes, comprehensive budget controlling: Define a total budget before the event and budgets per category (staff, equipment, catering, marketing, etc.). During planning and execution, venMan automatically captures all costs and shows budget vs. actual costs in real-time. Warnings appear when budgets are exceeded. After the event, you receive a detailed cost report with variance analysis. Historical budget data helps plan future events.

The number of team members depends on your chosen plan: Starter plan allows up to 5 users, Professional up to 25 users, Enterprise unlimited users. Each team member receives a personal account with individual login credentials. You can additionally create external workers as freelancers or temporary workers (without their own login) who are only scheduled for specific events.

venMan offers a granular role and permission concept: Predefined roles are Owner, Administrator, Manager, Planner, Viewer, and Custom Roles. Each role defines which modules are visible and which actions are allowed (view, create, edit, delete, archive). You can also create custom roles with individual permissions. Example: An 'Event Planner' can create events and assign staff but cannot see financial data.

Yes, full real-time collaboration: All changes are immediately visible to all team members. Multiple people can work on an event simultaneously - conflicts are automatically detected and resolved. Integrated commenting allows discussions directly on events, assets, or tasks. Notifications inform team members of relevant changes (e.g., 'Event status changed', 'New comment', 'Assignment created').

Team invitation is simple and secure: Go to Settings → Team, enter the new member's email address, and select the desired role. The system automatically sends an invitation email with a secure activation link. The recipient can set their password by clicking and immediately receives access according to their role. You can revoke invitations at any time or change roles afterward.

Your data is stored in highly secure data centers in the EU (Germany) and is subject to strict German and European data protection laws (GDPR). All data is transmitted encrypted (TLS 1.3) and stored encrypted (AES-256). Multiple daily backups at geographically separated locations guarantee maximum data security. Access is logged (audit log). ISO 27001 certification is in preparation.

Yes, full GDPR compliance: venMan meets all requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation. You have full control over your data and can request information, correction, or deletion at any time. Personal data is only stored when necessary for operations. We provide a data processing agreement (DPA). Your data is never sold to third parties or used for advertising purposes. Detailed information can be found in our privacy policy.

Multi-layer security: Each account is protected by a strong password (min. 8 characters, letters + numbers + special characters). Optionally, you can activate two-factor authentication (2FA) for additional protection. Session timeouts automatically log out inactive users. Every action is logged in the audit log (who changed what when). Automatic warnings occur for suspicious login attempts. IP whitelisting is available for enterprise plans.

Absolute transparency and control: After cancellation, your account remains active in 'read-only' mode for 30 days - you can view and export all data but cannot create new data. Use this time for a complete data export (Excel, CSV, JSON). After 30 days, all personal data is irrevocably deleted. On request, we can perform the deletion immediately or extend the read-only period. You receive a deletion confirmation via email.

Yes, venMan offers a comprehensive REST API for developers: The API enables access to all core functions (events, assets, staff, invoices, customers). Use webhooks for real-time notifications on data changes. The API is RESTful, uses JSON, and is secured with modern OAuth2 standards. Comprehensive API documentation with code examples (JavaScript, Python, PHP) is available in the developer portal. API access is available from Professional plan.

Yes, multiple integration options: DATEV export for seamless transfer to DATEV software (standard interface for tax advisors). CSV/Excel export for import into any accounting program. Direct integration with DATEV Unternehmen Online is in development. Partner integrations are planned for Lexoffice, sevDesk, and FastBill. For Enterprise plans, we develop custom interfaces to your specific ERP/accounting solution on request.

Yes, calendar synchronization is available: Export your event dates as .ics file (iCal format) for import into all common calendar apps (Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar). Bidirectional synchronization (real-time sync) via CalDAV is in development. Team members can automatically sync their personal assignments to their calendar. For Enterprise plans, integration with Microsoft Exchange is also possible.