Virtual platforms
Platforms for change
THE CONFERENCE DIRECTOR’S MICHELLE FANUS GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE
VIRTUAL EVENT SOFTWARE PLATFORMS ON OFFER
ith the lockdown ban on
live events, virtual events
have been a God-send -
saving the bacon of many
organisers over the past few months.
However, now that many are moving
out of survival mode, how can virtual
events really drive value and what
should planners be looking for when
selecting a delivery platform?
I’d like to share some tips for
creating more value from your virtual
events and compare and contrast here
online event software platforms in my
comparison grid, below.
Meeting and event organisers
should be looking for a software
platform that:
1. Creates a delightful experience for
all attendees
2. Ticks as many boxes as possible to
meet the criteria set and, if not, can be
integrated seamlessly with other
software platforms e.g. registration or
live streaming solutions
3. Is good value for money and can
translate into a hybrid platform when
we return to live events
4. Is the best platform for the specific
event concept in question – avoiding
the one size fits all approach
5. Offers customisable digital spaces
for branding and sponsorship packages
6. Has in-built reporting and analytics
7. Offers event set up and management
support
Generating value from virtual
events
The biggest obstacle on the road to
virtual event success for most
conference organisers is that it’s
difficult to replicate certain event
formats in the virtual model. You just
can’t make a virtual event personal
enough to match the live experience.
So what’s the value that live events
bring and how do you unlock that
potential virtually?
1. Content is King
Knowing what content to deliver to
your audience is an obvious place to
start. Create value with compelling
content and people will flock. We’ve
Broadcast &
Livestream, 1 to
many (Webinar)
Meetings &
Groups, many
to many
Keynotes, Panels,
Breakouts/Streams,
Roundtables
Conference/ Awards
Format
Networking,
1-2-1’s, Chat
Interaction Polls,
Q&A, Surveys
Gamification
Reporting &
Analytics Lead
generation,
tracking, user
engagement
Virtual Exhibition
Audience Personas/
Avatars Lobbies and
Branded Spaces
Zoom
Q&A
Lifesize
HD quality
Keynotes & panels only
Go2Meeting
Go2Webinar
Keynotes & panels only
Glisser
*Full support
Comprehensive
No digital avatars
Hopin
Q&A
No digital avatars
Blue Jeans
HD quality,
1-50k
<150 pax
Immersive video,
whiteboards, note
taking feature
All in the Loop
EventsAir
ONAir
*Registration
ON24
INEXPO
*Full support
vFairs
Fully immersive
Multi-lingual
No digital avatars
No digital avatars
No digital avatars
Digital avatars
Digital avatars
WorkCast
*Full support
14 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 108