This comes up a lot, especially with year-over-year events.
The main difference is control. Cloning copies everything from the old event - including outdated dates, pricing, contacts, hidden settings, or features you may not even be using anymore. That's usually where bad or stale info sneaks in.
Templates, on the other hand, act like a clean "starting point." You decide what should always carry over (registration structure, paths, workflows, core settings) and leave out anything that changes each year. If you keep the template updated, each new event starts fresh instead of inheriting last year's issues.
Does it solve the bad-data problem? Mostly yes - as long as the template itself is reviewed and maintained.
What tends to work well in practice:
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One template per event type
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Always build new events from the template, not last year's live event
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Do a quick annual refresh of the template before launching the next cycle
Cloning still has its place for quick variations, but for consistent YOY events, templates usually mean less cleanup and fewer surprises.
Leah
Dir. of Meetings
Transportation Intermediaries Association
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Leah Marshall
Meetings Director
Transportation Intermediaries AssociationUnited States
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