WHICH
PLATFORM
IS BEST
FOR YOUR
VIRTUAL EVENT?
The events industry is completely on its head,
1/3rd of events are expected to bring in $0 of revenue, and the vast majority of those bringing in revenue are still at a negative return on investment. But, many of our clients are managing to make record sales.
While revenue is the primary concern, the secondary is: how to produce events going forward….
LIVE EVENT PLATFORMS ARE THE INTERNET’S NEW VENUES.
Every major event organizing software now has a virtual component that is “hybrid ready”. And while some attempted to build out video-game VR like worlds, there is a reason Netflix UX does not look like a movie theatre. We have found over 50 different offerings, we have investigated the top 20, and ran client events on 5 different platforms. With so many choices, analysis paralysis can take hold..
Most events going virtual completely wiped out the ticket pricing, and the sponsors are not showing up. The outlook sounds grim.
But, we see something extremely positive from this. It has normalized virtual events for millions, and has created an exponentially larger audience pool for events to reach. Over 2020, the events we ran had attendees from almost every continent. We saw people staying up late, waking up early, and watching quick replays. People can and will participate from all over the world. Meeting people “where they are at” is what makes niche events work even better than before.
The decisions made when planning a virtual event are radically different than in-person. Namely, will the content be live, simu-live, or pre-recorded? And if live, what kind of interaction will you be allowing for attendees?
For many years, at Rock Solid AV, we have produced all three: live, simu-live, and pre-recorded. We always suggest clients choose a real live broadcast with elements of pre-recorded content intercut. Live production has a completely different feel than pre-recorded and is an easy transition to the upcoming hybrid events that will be ubiquitous in the coming years. Pre-recorded content makes virtual attendees feel as though they are “just watching a video” when we want them attending a powerful event, live breaks down that digital barrier.
Our most successful clients, that are making record sales and profit, are those who have gone all in on live broadcast. Just because virtual can be pre-recorded, does not mean it always should. The power of live broadcast carries the weight of a television show that calls on at-home viewers to engage and interact.
Imagine if Conan O’brien decided to take questions from the audience, and you were able to ask your question in real time from your home, that is an exciting virtual experience.
For Hybrid events, the content and stage production is almost the same as In-Person but requires the virtual component to be more much than an afterthought. The main stage for hybrid events are identical to an in person event but require a live video production and a distributed broadcast for the virtual-audience. The virtual-audience broadcast for a hybrid event can be as simple as live- streaming what signal is being sent to the IMAG on an LED/projector. Alternatively, a well produced live broadcast puts the virtual audience in a better multi-cam seat than the in-person audience and allows for the audience to actually jump on camera themselves to interact.
Once you and your AV team decide on the broadcast strategy , the next choice to make is the “Virtual Venue”
or platform.
THE THREE CLASSIFICATIONS OF
PLATFORMS
1.
Event Planning
SoftwareThese platforms are what most think of when using a “virtual event platform”. These platforms were all originally built to plan, ticket, register, and accompany attendees at in person events, and most have simply added a livestream player to their agenda in the attendee facing app.
Every platform has positives and negatives, but the big players in the space are Hubb, Bizzabo, Cvent, Aventri, Pathable and Hopin.
The key is that these platforms are event software that have added a video component. Be wary of platforms that have tried to build out their own video streaming and conferencing backend instead of relying on zoom or some other video conferencing platform. With many rtmp and streaming microservices, some companies have chosen to go with less stable systems either for cost or code integration reasons. Also, the ”main stages” on these events are typically just an embedded livestream player and paying 10k for a one time use of a “platform” for your livestream player is pretty pricey.
The main reason to consider the event planning software is for the networking. Some were purpose built to link people at events even before the pandemic and they have a leg up on the others.
2.
Social Media EventSocial media companies have launched these recently, some are still in beta. They are offering increased awareness plays by finding attendees on their platform and then helping get it filled. They have livestream components but mostly just operate with a “single virtual stage” with one livestream for the event feed. They are working on interactivity but engagement is mostly through comments.
This does allow for the comments to be easily pulled and combined with graphics for on screen display in real time like news shows do with twitter comments. But having an attendee actually jump on camera as you call on them for a question… not there just yet.
Social media events are for awareness and branding. Facebook in particular loves livestream and live events, and gives an extra boost to help those producing them. Once you know your target audience, going after views and boosting content even after production can increase viewership dramatically.
3.
Conferencing
SoftwareThe virtual event space exploded with offerings throughout 2020 and by the end of the year, many events no longer wanted to use “just conferencing software”. Though it may seem like a simplistic approach, conferencing platforms break down the barrier of the virtual divide. Attendees feel “there” and “in the event” as opposed to “watching the event”.
The 1000 lb gorilla in the conferencing software space, that everyone turned to when the pandemic struck, is ZOOM. Why? Because while Skype long paved the way, zoom just worked better. We believe it is largely due to their prioritization of audio bitrate and audio algorithms to make all attendees intelligible.
If your virtual event requires attendees to really feel the live experience, conferencing software achieves this. If you have a niche event with high engagement, using conferencing puts attendees in the event and goes way beyond a passive experience.
HOW TO CHOOSE?
Really… it depends on the event and the goals of the event. The traditional event planning software can be most useful for trade shows and conferences where attendees meeting each other is just as important as the content.
Social Media Events are great for awareness plays where the goal is more of a content marketing operation in the first place.
The conference solution is for more “how to” workshops and real interactivity between host/speakers and attendees. While this type of platform can be great, it can start to look pretty amateur and fast.
At Rock Solid AV we help clients use every type, because each event has its different objectives, specific parameters, and revenue targets.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR HYBRIDAs In-Person comes back, picking an event planning software that has a great UX for virtual attendees will be key. I do think in-person events will be back in full force in the near future, but virtual is not going away. It has unlocked events for a new demographic that did not attend events before, and for many different reasons.
What makes virtual attendees feel like they are present? Some of the best ways are: Networking opportunities, seeing themselves on the main feed, being shouted out by name, gamification, and the ability to interact with the speaker.
As time goes on we can get more creative and test new ways to engage both virtual and in person, but here are our top engagement tools for hybrid events.
1 Scheduled Video Conference for speaker Q&A. This is almost essential. Typically right after the speaker ends their talk, we can take questions from in person and virtual all in the same zoom room and it can really turn up the dial for virtual involvement in the discussion, to be seen and heard by all is powerful.
2 Cross platform polling and games that combine in-person and virtual results so that all attendees feel their feedback is being heard.
3 Trade show virtual booths that actually attract attendees just like in-person.
MONETIZATION OPPORTUNITIESWhile monetization is different from before, there are some very powerful new opportunities with hybrid. Before the pandemic some events were not even on video. That meant people had to be there in person and this not only limited the reach of the event but also the opportunity to use the content to its full potential. Here are our top tools for monetization.
1 More highly paid talks by sponsors. Because the stream is the main feed, digital viewers are more likely to watch a sponsored session instead of dipping out. As with any sponsored session they need to stay engaging, and not loose the audience, but the “main stage” has even more power.
2 Video segmentation and selling recordings. People at home are already inclined to watch “video”, selling recordings becomes a necessity not an optional up-sell.
3 Streaming out parts of the event un-gated to pull in more attendees with the powerful content at the start of each day. Before virtual you would never expect a high number of attendees to hear about and show up day-of. The virtual event world is completely different in this regard.
TOP 5 VIRTUAL/HYBRID
EVENT PLATFORMSWe love working with new platforms and channels as each offer something a little different. But here are our top 5 favorites, each with their own superpowers. The thing to keep in mind is most “Main Stages” are livestream embeds but some offer multiple options for content delivery, and finding what fits your organizational needs and audience is key. (NOT IN RANKED ORDER)Simplicity for planners and attendeesFreemium – $2634/year with Enterprise add ons
Viewstub brings all-in one ticket sales and streaming that can deliver broadcast quality streams to attendees without any download or interphases to get in the way. It is made for Event Agencies and Planners. You can embed in a custom coded page to dress it up or keep it simple and host the event directly on their site. Great for simplicity, and simplicity typically wins.Virtual First Platform10k-20k/ per event and moves up depending on options and breakout rooms
Pathable has been around since before the pandemic and helps large events operate completely virtually. They really shine with the large format multi breakout sessions and they help people connect for networking. More of a true platform for hosting the attendees and content, not all the robust tools for planning that some of the other platforms have. For Sales and ConversionHopin $99.00/month-10k
Hopin was built to sell and integrates with CRMs. It has robust planning features, ticketing systems, and a beautiful interphase. They also have a “chat-roulette” style networking option and offer booths for vendors.
Networking
$99/month – $500 with enterprise add ons
Swapcard is one of the big platforms that existed before Covid and was designed to help attendees navigate events and find meaningful networking opportunities. Networking is where swapcard thrives, they use AI to pair attendees and suggest opportunities. Once the pandemic hit they added many features that make their already robust platform operate seamlessly for virtual.
Engagement
$150/year – $5000/year
Nothing has the ability to break down the “virtual barrier” quite like zoom, people really feel there. However, to make it look the part of high-end event, it requires more than just a zoom link. A professional team and AV crew is highly recommended to bring the production value up, or risk looking like a typical zoom meeting and far from an exciting event. Custom event dashboard, and integration with ticket sales all come a-la-cart but can be integrated to improve the experience for attendees.
Have questions or need some help?
We’d love to chat!