Where spreadsheets still work
If you only have a handful of contacts and no need for rapid capture, a spreadsheet can be enough.
Where they fail
They are slow in the moment, weak on context, and poor at surfacing what needs follow-up next. The result is usually a list that grows faster than it gets used.
What a dedicated event app adds
Faster capture, event context, note structure, and timing-aware follow-up. The point is not complexity. It is better momentum.