Events and meetings are different workflows. An event is a one-to-many occasion managed through registration, capacity, tickets, check-in and attendance. A meeting is a smaller scheduled interaction between specific people, such as a one-to-one introduction or a committee session, driven by invitations and participant lists. Randel runs both in the same white-label platform and records each one on the member profile, while the video call itself can still happen in Zoom, Google Meet or a similar tool.
By the Randel team · Last reviewed September 27, 2026
Treating every gathering the same way creates friction. A committee session does not need a ticket, and a conference cannot run on individual invitations. Separating the two workflows lets each one stay simple.
| Aspect | Events | Meetings |
|---|---|---|
| Typical purpose | Conferences, workshops, socials, webinars | Introductions, committee sessions, check-ins, mentoring |
| Who takes part | Open to members or the public, often many people | Specific invited participants, one-to-one or small groups |
| How people join | They register, sometimes by buying a ticket | They are invited by the organizer or another member |
| Limits | Capacity limits and ticket rules | The participant list itself |
| Payment | Tickets or charges when the event is paid | Usually none |
| What is recorded | Registration, check-in and attendance | Participants and the schedule |
| Where it happens | A venue or an online session | In person or in a video tool |
Most communities run a mix of both formats across the year. A simple rule helps: if people choose to attend and you need to control numbers or collect payment, it is an event; if you decide who takes part and the value is in the conversation between specific people, it is a meeting.
Getting this right early keeps records clean. When a monthly peer circle is set up as an event, the team ends up managing registrations nobody needs. When a members-only workshop is handled as a series of invitations, nobody knows how many seats are left or who actually came.
An event workflow is about getting the right people registered, controlling capacity and knowing who actually attended. In Randel, the same steps apply to in-person and online events.
Set the date, format (in person or online), description and who the event is for.
Define capacity limits and, for paid events, tickets charged through the organization's own Stripe account.
Members register from the branded member experience, and the attendee list updates as they do.
Use check-in on the day to confirm who arrived, rather than assuming every registrant attended.
Attendance lands on each member profile, so participation becomes part of the member history.
event registration, capacity and check-in features → association event management from registration to attendance →
Meetings are lighter but more frequent. Their value comes from consistency: the right people meeting regularly, with a schedule everyone can see.
Decide whether it is an individual meeting, such as an introduction, or a group meeting, such as a committee or peer circle.
Send invitations to the specific members involved so everyone knows who is expected.
Meetings appear in a centralized schedule, which avoids clashes and scattered calendar threads.
Hold the conversation in person or in the video tool your community already uses.
Participation is one of the clearest signals of whether a member is getting value. Seeing it in the same place as billing status means the team can act on it, for example by inviting a quiet member to a small group meeting before their renewal rather than after a cancellation.
An attendee list stored in a separate tool answers only one question: who came to this event. When events and meetings sit on the member profile next to plans, payments and signed documents, the team can answer more useful questions:
Video tools are good at what they do, and most communities already have one. Randel manages the organizational layer around meetings, such as scheduling, invitations and participants, and the call can still happen in Zoom, Google Meet or another provider.
The goal is to keep the relationship data in one place, not to force every communication function into a single application. Members keep the video tool they know, and the organization keeps a record of who met whom.
For networking groups, meetings are often the core product. Randel recommends recurring check-in meetings twice a month, where members share what they are working on and what help they need. AI-suggested introductions with affinity scores can then turn into individual meetings, and resulting referrals and transactions can be tracked.
networking community platform with matchmaking and referrals →
Usually as a meeting, because participants are specific and invited. If the session is open to all members and needs registration or a capacity limit, such as an annual general assembly, an event fits better.
Yes. Tickets and other in-app charges go through the organization's own Stripe account. Randel takes no commission on those payments; Stripe's own processing fees apply.
Compare registrations with check-ins to see no-show patterns, note which members attended for the first time and follow up with members who registered but did not arrive.
Events can be in person or online. For a gathering with both audiences, agree during setup how you want to register and check in each group so attendance stays accurate.
A complete association event workflow, from setup and eligibility rules to check-in, attendance and a post-event review.
A fair comparison: when a ticketing platform is the right tool and when events should live with member records.
Keep members participating all year: discoverability, a steady rhythm, easier introductions, onboarding and engagement you can measure.
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