Innovation and investment continue to fuel the meeting technology scene. Here are six developments raising the bar on virtual and hybrid event options.
• 6Connex, a platform for virtual and hybrid events, has integrated Amazon Personalize from Amazon Web Services into its Soar and Rise products to deliver personalized recommendations to attendees. The AI tool uses registration information and interactions during a virtual event to determine attendees’ networking and content interests. Recommendations can be made in real time or after the live event is over.
• Frameable has announced an upgrade to its Social Hour platform. The tool, which allows virtual event participants to move from “table” to “table” and engage in conversations with small groups, is now a self-service product. Users of all paid service tiers (basic, pro, enterprise) can now build and host customized events on their own, including complex multi-room or multi-track experiences.
• UgoVirtual, a digital platform for virtual and hybrid events, has added four new engagement tools that can be activated using QR codes in the virtual environment: 3D Objects allows attendees to view three-dimensional models of physical products. AR Portal creates virtual doorways that can shift attendees from one virtual environment to another (for example, a virtual sponsor showroom). Digital Swag provides filters for smart-phone cameras that can encourage social shares and allow for brand placement. And finally, Holograms creates realistic 3D videos that can be used for an on-demand president’s welcome or other content.
• Alice & Smith, a Canadian video-game developer that specializes in alternate-reality games, and experiential agency Youville Haussmann Park have collaborated on a new digital event solution called MetaVenue. Targeting large-scale events and promising customizable, immersive digital engagement, the company has attracted early users such as Genetec, Paradox Interactive, and Lightspeed.
• In mid-June, private equity firm Sunstone Partners announced a $75 million investment in MeetingPlay, a software platform for delivering virtual and hybrid events and other meeting tech solutions. MeetingPlay, originally in the business of mobile event apps, event registration platforms, and indoor wayfinding solutions, is one of virtual/hybrid event platforms included in Marriott International’s Connect with Confidence program.
• For virtual events to reach a worldwide audience, translation services are critical—and booming. Interactio, a remote interpretation platform, announced in May that it had raised $30 million in Series A funding from Eight Roads Ventures and Storm Ventures. The money will be used to increase staff in support of recent growth.
