For meeting professionals, COVID-19 hit the fast-forward button on what had been a gradual transformation towards becoming event technologists. Now, planners are working overtime to understand the attendee experience, functionality, and pricing of online meeting platforms, and to develop an online-event strategy in this new environment.
It doesn’t help that the landscape is changing so quickly. While the list of virtual meeting tools is already lengthy—Glisser, Zoom, GoToMeeting, ON24, Adobe Connect, partneringONE, Brella, Hopin, and Pathable are just a sliver of what’s out there—there’s a steady stream of new meeting platforms and virtual meeting consultancies. Here are eight developments since mid-May:
June 1: Aventri launches its own virtual meetings tool, which is integrated into the company’s event management software and is aimed at mid-sized meetings, such as training and customer events. For larger meetings, the company will to work with tech partners Evia and Intrado Digital Media.
June 1: Atlanta-based event design firm WM Events adds a new focus with re:EVENT-tion, with strategies for online and hybrid events
May 31: Event management platform EventsAIR releases a virtual and hybrid meeting platform called OnAIR that can handle webinars and live broadcasts, live breakout groups, exhibitions, e-poster sessions, and private meetings.
May 27: Origination Global, a London-based events agency, launches a sister organization, The Virtual Event Company that will work with its tech partners to deliver immersive virtual experiences, from product launches and award ceremonies to conferences and trade shows.
May 26: Meeting management services and software provider eventPower releases a new Virtual Events Platform that integrates registration, the online agenda, attendee portals, speaker portals, and more in conjunction with videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom.
May 21: Online events startup Run the World, focused on establishing person-to-person networking within the online event experience, raises $15 million in a Series A funding.
May 13: Omnipress, which works with associations to produce printed and digital materials for attendee education, offers a new virtual conference platform that delivers pre-recorded video sessions and speaker materials.
May 12: Streampoint, a registration and housing event technology platform, launched StreampointLIVE, a virtual events platform, incorporating integrations with customer-relationship and attendee-management tools.
