Selecting the right virtual event platform for your event can mean the difference between a successful event and a failure.
There are hundreds of virtual event platforms on the market, and more arrive every day. Each online event platform has its strengths and weaknesses. It is essential that you choose the online platform that meets the needs of each individual event.
As you start your virtual event platform search, you need to know your event’s basic requirements. When do you plan to hold your event? How many attendees are expected to attend? What is the planned duration of your event? What are the preferred methods of engagement (broadcast, live streaming, pre-recorded content, video collaboration, 1:1 video, chat, Q&A, polls, networking, discussion forums)? Do you plan to have sponsors or trade show booths? Who is your audience, and how do they like to connect? What is your audience’s level of technical expertise? What is the ultimate goal of your event?
Knowing this basic information upfront will help you narrow the field of virtual platforms that meet your minimum requirements. Now you can create a shortlist and dig deeper into the capabilities and limitations of each platform. While completing your evaluation, functionality is important, but remember you also need to investigate support both prior to and during your event. What privacy and security requirements do they have in place? Do they have redundancies, and what are their uptime statistics. How comprehensive are their data analytics around your attendees’ interactions pre, during, and post-event? Depending on the goals of your event, each of these items will carry different weights during selection. An item that might be a deal-breaker for one event might not be important for another.
Below is a list of a few of the online platforms we have reviewed for our clients based on individual event requirements.
Virtual Event Platforms
Zoom
On24
Bizzabo
Intrado
SpotMe
MeetingPlay
Accelevents
Hopin
Adobe Connect
Remo
The sourcing and evaluation cycle should become part of every virtual event project plan. You are sourcing a venue for your event. Would you skip the sourcing step for an in-person event? No, so don’t skip venue sourcing for your virtual events. The more you evaluate event platforms, the easier it will become. You will know the questions to ask. You know the questions you forgot to ask in the past. As a result of this work, you will build a go-to list of meeting platforms to help expedite the process for similar events. But, remember that the industry is evolving quickly, and the capabilities of different virtual event platforms are changing daily. Keep updated on changes to the online platforms you have already evaluated, and keep looking forward to new ways to engage your attendees.
About Event Analytics & Design
Event Analytics & Design (EAD) is an event project management, event support, and technology management company specializing in virtual events, hybrid events & in-person/live events, registration services & attendee management, event technology, and event data analytics & engagement metrics. EAD excels in using data and technology to deliver exciting and innovative event experiences. Event Analytics & Design is a sister company to Typ A Marketing and a subsidiary of Video Illusions, Inc., a full-service production company focused on video production, web development including site design & online application implementation, brand development, multimedia creation, and corporate consulting. See all the ways that the Video Illusions, Inc. suite of properties (VIIP) can deliver a one-stop destination for all your branding, marketing, and programming needs. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Event Analytics & Design is the brainchild of two industry experts with the mission to revolutionize the event management industry. For more information, visit www.eventanalyticsdesign.com or follow @EventANDSF on Twitter or Instagram.