Back in the naive days of April 2020, when we weren’t exactly sure where COVID would take the event world, we dissected our top virtual platform picks, where we explored ON24, Zoom Webinar, Airmeet, and AnyMeeting.
You might ask “But that was so long ago, cred! Aren’t there so many new players in the game and other platforms we should be considering?” You’d be right! Since a myriad of new platforms have come on the scene, we update you below, highlighting their big draws.
Looking for a plug + play / best ease of use? Hopin is your best bet. This user-friendly platform makes it easy to build your event. Their straightforward and clean design keeps things light and organized—however, with that benefit comes a lack of customization and branding options.
The fact that this platform is an all-in-one offering also delights its users. Since Hopin uses its own video capabilities, there’s no need to integrate with Zoom or Vimeo to display your event’s video stream. This means one less item to worry about incorporating into your day-of task list. Though there are no replays available for a Hopin event, you are able to download the content and distribute to your attendees.
Can I play pre-recorded content for attendees? Yes, but it must be integrated via Vimeo, Wistia, YouTube, etc. All live content can be done right in Hopin (no other video platform needed) but that changes if you include pre-recorded material.
How are the attendee engagement opportunities? Hopin offers private, event-wide, and session-wide chats. Video networking and private calls are also available. During content, attendees can vote in session polls and ask Q&A.
Looking to host multiple events throughout the year on a budget? Brella is here for you. If you and your team plan to organize several different webinars and/or virtual conferences this year, Brella offers to scale your pricing plan to provide discounts on a multi-event contract.
Outside of its cost-effective persona, this platform prides itself on its AI networking capabilities, matching up attendees with each other to best serve them before, during, and after the event. Downsides include its customization capabilities and the fact that you aren’t able to charge attendees for event tickets directly in Brella.
Is this considered an “all-in-one” platform? No, because livestreamed and pre-recorded content must be embedded via Vimeo, Zoom Youtube, etc. There is no video content tool offered on Brella.
Am I able to host multiple tracks? Yes, so long as your video integrations can withstand.
Tell me about its sponsorship capabilities. There are plenty! You can go “live” with attendees straight from the virtual sponsor booth, or just stick to chat, and there are advanced visitor tracking and analytics offered.
If full customization potential is what you seek—Big Marker might be just the one for you! This platform offers extensive branding options including white label and custom domains available for an additional cost. You can brand each session page as well via page backgrounds, speaker photos and bios, and more. The team at Big Marker is very hands-on with your customization requests.
Do I have to integrate with any other platforms for the live streaming piece? No. You can use Big Marker’s tool for that. However, anything pre-recorded must be embedded via Youtube or Vimeo.
Will my content stay up for attendees to replay? Yes, for two weeks post-event and recordings are also available for download.
Can I charge event attendees for tickets right in Big Marker? You can!
What about networking—can attendees connect with others over video? Unfortunately, Big Marker does not offer video-on networking, which can be a downside if that is a large part of your virtual event goals.
Planning to need several integrations for your virtual conference? Swapcard has you covered. This platform integrates with most major solution providers (HubSpot, Salesforce, Cvent, Eventbrite, and more) so you can get the most return on investment out of your event. The attendee experience isn’t so bad either—in fact, it’s great! You can start connecting with other event attendees as soon as registration opens. It is Swapcard’s standard to leave your platform open for 12 months post-event to give attendees every opportunity to take advantage of the engagement capabilities.
Are the customization options a heavy expense? Actually, Swapcard offers full customization of fonts, colors, backgrounds, wording & more without any additional charges to you. Custom domain capabilities are set to arrive this year as well.
Is there an app for that? Yes. Swapcard does offer the ability to customize an app for you (starting at $1,000).
What if I want certain content to only be available to specific ticket types? Then you may have met your match! Swapcard allows you to control what people see based on if they fall into the VIP category, sponsor, staff, etc.
We at cred are so thankful that technology has been able to replicate the event experience in this new virtual era. We hope this review has been helpful for your big platform decision. We know it can be overwhelming, but that’s what we’re here for!
Don’t have time for all the research and inquiries? We’ve done it for you! In case you missed it, we’ve teamed up with The Craftsman Agency to offer assistance in stepping up your virtual event game. We’ve created a guide to assist in narrowing down your platform search and selecting your best fit. It includes our top six choices based on our extensive experience with virtual platforms, and a comparison of their key criteria and features.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’re interested in learning more!