Review July 2021
The Background
The brain-child of Johnny Boufharad , Hopin was founded in June 2019 ( so pre-Covid ) as a result of him having to isolate due to an auto-immune condition that prevented him from attending conferences and events .
Hyper-growth really started in February 2020 , following a $ 6.5 million investment . This was followed by further investment rounds of $ 40 million in June , $ 125 million in November and a staggering $ 400 million in March 2021 .
In terms of users , Hopin went from around 10,000 in February 2020 , to six million + in March 2021 and ranks # 1 in the top 100 UK start-up list ( Traktion Q1 2021 report ).
Hopin ’ s success , in my view , emanates from four key factors : An all-in-one container to deliver an excellent virtual event ; functional and easy to use ; timing due to the pandemic ; and pricing as it is affordable , compared to bespoke virtual venues and products .
Key features :
Hopin has five key areas that cover the basics of most events . It has aligned them with what one might expect when attending an in-person event , namely to meet ( reception ), learn ( stage ), share knowledge ( sessions ), network and do business ( expo area ).
Reception : Like any event , this is the first place you get to where you will find the main event information , full schedule , who is speaking , sponsor information and the expo booths taking part .
Stage ( s ): Keynotes and presentations are a major part of any event and the Hopin stage works well , with an RTMP channel that is either Hopin ’ s own or external streams .
Streamyard is the preferred streaming option as it offers great features to make spate presentation slick and
Hopin
Hopin states it is the first all-in-one live online event platform creating engaging virtual events that connect people around the globe . EON founder and certified Hopin consultant , Franco de la Croix- Vaubois gives his verdict
professional . The main stage is limited to just five people on stage , including screen sharing , although on the Business Plan , you can have multiple stages .
Hopin bought Streamyard for $ 250 million and this will soon be integrated I ’ m sure . You will then be able to have up to 10 people on stage using Streamyard .
Sessions : What we would normally refer to as breakout rooms for more in-depth , interactive discussions , panels and presentations . Hopin has some great features here for audience participation , including open rooms , moderated , invite only or hidden rooms . All these enable organisers to run as many breakout sessions as they want and only show the relevant ones according to the schedule and / or segments of the audience .
Networking : I have to say this is one of my favourite features as you genuinely do not know who you are going to meet . Networking is a key part of any event and is one of the top reasons people attend events , virtual or in-person . The feature comprises randomised one-to-one networking , where you will only meet that person once and can exchange ‘ business cards ’ to connect .
Expo : Whilst the expo area functions really well , engagement in this area has been slow due to the online experience being so different to the in-person experience one might expect in a traditional exhibition . The expo term is partly responsible . A better way to describe it would be a ‘ showcase ’ area - less of an exhibition stand but more of a demo / showcase zone , where businesses can showcase their products and services .
Layout
Fairly clear to use , you navigate the different areas of the event on the left of the screen , educate in the centre of the screen , showing whichever area you are in ; and communicate in the panel on the right of the screen , with features including chat , people tab , messaging and inviting people to meetings or video calls . There ’ s also a polling and Q & A function , which are quite basic , but with Sli . do now integrated , there is plenty to help audience engagement . Each of the event areas can be turned on or off , except for the reception area .
Hybrid
As as we ease out of lockdown , hybrid is going to play an increasingly important part in events , now that organisations have realised that virtual can work really well . It will be interesting to watch over the coming months how