The verdict in three sentences
Above 10,000 delegates a year, event platforms billed at 2 to 6 EUR per delegate cost more over three years than software the agency owns. For a MICE agency running 40 medical congresses a year, a custom tool finally brings registration, online payment, hotels, transfers, badges and a delegate app into a single database. Budget sits between 25,000 and 50,000 EUR with a Singapore agency (market estimate) and between 10,670 and 22,870 EUR on the Kolonell grid, with a 4-month timeline.
What medical congress software must cover
A medical congress stacks up constraints that a generic registration tool handles poorly: differentiated fees, pharma-sponsored delegates, CME attendance certificates and sponsorship disclosure under industry codes of practice. The table below summarises the modules and their share of budget, as 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Module | Content | Share of budget | Separate tool today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | member, non-member, trainee, early bird fees, sponsor codes | 20% | platform at 2 to 6 EUR per delegate |
| Online payment | card, PayNow, bank transfer, sponsor invoicing, refunds | 10% | payment provider, about 3% per card transaction |
| Hotels and transfers | hotel blocks around Marina Bay, airport shuttles | 15% | spreadsheet shared with hotels |
| Badges and access control | QR badge, scan per room, attendance count | 10% | badge software rented per event |
| Certificates and disclosure | CME attendance certificates, sponsorship export | 10% | manual re-entry |
| Delegate app | programme, floor plan, notifications, Q&A with speakers | 20% | third-party app at 3,000 to 8,000 EUR per congress |
| Exhibitors and sponsors | booths, packages, invoicing, exhibitor badges | 15% | spreadsheet and email |
The value comes mainly from the single database: a delegate who registers once finds their details from one congress to the next, and the agency builds a qualified file of several thousand healthcare professionals, in line with Singapore's PDPA.
Licence or custom: the 3-year calculation
Assumption: 40 congresses a year, 400 delegates on average, or 16,000 delegates a year. Amounts exclude GST and the payment fees common to all options.
| 3-year item | Low licence (2 EUR) | High licence (6 EUR) | Custom, local agency | Custom, Kolonell grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set-up | 0 to 5,000 EUR | 0 to 10,000 EUR | 25,000 to 50,000 EUR | 10,670 to 22,870 EUR |
| Per-delegate licences | 96,000 EUR | 288,000 EUR | 0 | 0 |
| Cloud hosting | included | included | 9,000 EUR | 9,000 EUR |
| Maintenance | included | included | 18,000 to 27,000 EUR | 6,480 EUR at 180 EUR a month |
| 3-year total | 96,000 to 101,000 EUR | 288,000 to 298,000 EUR | 52,000 to 86,000 EUR | 26,150 to 38,350 EUR |
| Ownership of code and data | no | no | yes | yes |
Below 5,000 delegates a year, a licence is often still the best choice. Above that, the gap widens fast, especially if you also pay for a delegate app at every congress.
A 4-month plan
- Month 1: scoping with project managers, delegate data model, fees and sponsor rules, mock-ups.
- Month 2: registration, online payment, invoicing, sponsor space for group registrations.
- Month 3: hotels, transfers, QR badges, delegate app as a progressive web app.
- Month 4: certificates, sponsorship export, dashboard, acceptance on a pilot congress of 200 delegates.
Running the first live congress on a mid-sized event limits the risk: acceptance adjustments usually take two to three weeks.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Mei Ling, director of a MICE agency based in Suntec City, runs 40 congresses a year for 16,000 delegates. She currently pays 4 EUR per delegate, or 64,000 EUR a year, plus about 6,000 EUR for one-off delegate apps.
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- Current cost: 70,000 EUR a year.
- Kolonell custom build at 16,000 EUR, plus 3,000 EUR hosting and 2,160 EUR maintenance: 21,160 EUR in year one, then 5,160 EUR a year.
- Saving in year one: 48,840 EUR, then about 64,840 EUR a year.
The investment is covered in under 3 months of operation, before counting the re-entry hours removed.
FAQ
Does the delegate app need to be published on the app stores?
No, a progressive web app installs from a link or QR code and works offline for the programme. Store publication is still possible, allow 2,000 to 4,000 EUR more.
How are pharma-sponsored registrations handled?
The sponsor gets a space to register its guests, choose hotel and transfer, and receives a single invoice. Amounts feed automatically into the sponsorship disclosure export.
Can the software handle the load when registration opens?
Yes, cloud hosting scales automatically for a few thousand simultaneous connections. A load test at 2,000 users is run before go-live.
Where is delegate data hosted?
In a Singapore or EU cloud region, with encryption and access logs, in line with the PDPA. A processing record and a 3-year retention policy ship with the tool.
Can we sell the tool to other organisers?
The code is yours: you can offer it white-label to medical societies. Allow 10 to 20% more budget for multi-client management.
Let's scope your project. Send us your yearly volume of congresses and delegates: we will price a scope between 10,670 and 22,870 EUR with a 4-month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
