With the growing trend of hosting online conferences these days, many corporations and organisations have jumped on the bandwagon to shift their events online.
Hosting a virtual conference would be simple, but how to host a satisfactory one, especially in an online setting, is not exactly a piece of cake.
Below, we have gathered 7 of the best online conference/event platforms you can use.
7 of the best online conference platforms you can use (#1 cannot be missed!)
7. Eventmobi | A global event app
EventMobi would be a good choice for your international event as they had worked with over 11,000 clients, providing a total of 26 languages. Apart from the basic features like registration, live polling, and networking, they also offer functions like Event Gamification. The organizer can set some challenges for the attendees. Points will be given after the attendee has committed a mission so to make the event more fun!
Source: Eventmobi Website
Key features
- Event registration
- Event networking
- Event gamification
- Appointment booking
- Polls & surveys
Pricing: Available on request.
Free trial provided.
6. Whova | A reward-winning app
Whova, a top event app that had won the Best Event App at the Event Technology Awards, helps virtual event organizers connect with all attendees easily. Their products have been used by global enterprises like America Express, HSBC, Ford, IKEA, etc. It offers a comprehensive professional profile so that people can view other attendee profiles before the event and meet outside after the event. Thus, an organizer can also request sponsor banner ads to gain more impressions.
Source: Whova Website
Key features:
- Personal agenda
- Announcements
- Live Polling
- Business card management
- One-on-one chat
- Sponsor Banner Ads
Pricing: Available on request
5. Aventri| A end-to-end event app
Aventri is an event app designed for different types of events like conferences, trade shows or meetings. They can help organizers to have a better understanding of their attendees. The organizer can get a comprehensive report on attendees’ app usage, session attendance, and connections made. Besides, Aventri can help the organizer to send notifications automatically to attendees based on their preferences or location.
Source: Aventri Website
Key features:
- Session Agenda
- Speaker
- Activity Feed
- Messaging
- Networking
- Floor Plan
- Exhibitors
Pricing: Available on request.
4. Eventee| Event app with beautiful design
Eventee maintains a beautiful design of the app and it is user-friendly enough for the organizer to create their event in less than 10 minutes. They have integrated with Twitter and Instagram therefore while the attendee has posted something related to the event will be shown on the app too. Users can enjoy every agenda planning as they can also create their plan on EvenTee.
Source: Eventee Website
Key features:
- Agenda
- Live feedback
- Newsfeed
- Live question
- Live polls
- Networking
- Integration with ticketing systems
- Information cards
Pricing:
- Basic plan for free
- Premium plan USD$499/event
- Enterprise plan USD$699/month
- Free trial provided
3. Superevent| A free download app
Superevent is suitable for companies that want to hold a small event. They provide all basic features for free to those who will organize an event within 50 attendees. The more important thing is they are also available on all devices, you can manage events no matter using Android & IOS system, on tablets, phones or Desktop too.
Source: Superevent Website
Key features:
- Social wall
- Messaging
- Q&A
- Voting
- Push notifications
Pricing: Free version provided; premium plan EU€ 299 up
2. Attendify| A user-friendly event app
Attendify provides an easy-to-use event app for both event creators and attendees. Event creators can set up the app quickly and all you need to do is drag and drop. Then, you can encourage connections with attendees by offering them app features like agendas, tracks, speaker bios, maps, sponsor lists and even more.
Source: Attendify Website
Key features:
- Introduction
- Photos
- Quick polls
- Private Messages
- Notification Center
Pricing: USD $999.00 per year. Free trial provided.
1. EventX | A one-stop event app in APAC
EventX offers full-stack event management solutions which make your event simple and impactful. The organizer can set up the event quickly via the app builder. To interact with attendees, organizers may maintain a live Q&A section with the attendees through the app. If you want to organize an event in China, EventX will be your best choice – The app is now available on the Huawei app store and supports the Chinese language.
Key features:
- Event agenda
- Business card scanning
- Notification center
- Sponsor list
- Live Q&A, Polling
Pricing: Freemium
Multiple platforms
EventX mobile App exists on iOS, Android and WebApp. It fits for physical, virtual and hybird events.
Global reachability (China, outside China)
If your event has attendees come from all over the world, including China and outside China. It is important to have a one-stop event solution for your event. In China, Facebook and Google services are prohibited. EventX's one-stop solution can help to solve this problem. EventX Solution is supported in China and the rest of the world. Its Event App is hosted on Apple Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Store.
Whether it is applicable to hybrid events
EventX event app can be used for physical events, virtual events and hybrid events. Its interaction module allows attendees to interact during the same event.
Industry use cases
There are many different use cases and past references across different industries.
Meet attendees online when we can not gather physically these days
Let EventX empower you and your event with an end-to-end virtual event solution; you will be able to entertain attendees 24/7 from all over the world.
5 Essential Elements To A Successful Online Conference
1. Compelling theme
Generally speaking, an online conference lasts for at least one or even two days. Imagine if the theme is tedious, your audience would not have a prolonged attention span for the entire event. Therefore, having an appealing topic and content is of crucial significance.
For a start, creating a well-thought-out event agenda and logistics is pivotal. A typical conference includes opening ceremonies, presentations, lunch and dinner sessions as well as breaks. In order to stand out from your rivals, it is advisable to add more colours to your online conference. Small group discussions and networking sessions, for instance, can be held during the event.
Aside from the content, when deciding the theme, it is equally important to take the tagline into consideration. “Creating Customer Connections”, for example, is a good slogan for a corporate conference, as it is not only catchy but it also utilises parallelism to demonstrate the theme in both precise and concise ways.
2. Good visualisation
Speaking of ways to deliver your messages, most of the speakers would consider speaking with some technical terms and jargon as well as presenting with appropriate body language and gestures.
However, none of the above-mentioned methods is as effective as leveraging data, graphics, animation and videos to visualise your ideas. Compared with solely articulating your thoughts, having a good visualisation helps to deepen your audience’s understanding of the content, thus enhancing their attention span and memory.
With online conferences, nowadays visualisation can be achieved and fully utilised in an easier way, as every participant can both clearly and closely view the visual elements on the online screen.
3. Engagement
Audience engagement is another crucial aspect that we should in no way ignore in an online conference. For the sake of facilitating engagement, live and pre-event polling can be embedded in the online conference. Not only can the live polling create a room for interactivity, but the pre-event one can also boost the audience’s show-up rates.
Since it can make the audience feel that the event is catered to their needs and expectations, they will be prone to show up to the online event, due to relevant content.
In fact, we can further think of some creative ways to enhance engagement. A reward system, for instance, can be integrated into the online conference. Attendees will be given some points for joining the event on time and other activities such as polling. Those points can be used to exchange some prizes, thus fostering audience engagement.
4. Networking
Networking can be regarded as a vital means for attendees to interact with each other. During online conferences, although the original lunch or dinner session is cancelled, there can still be room for discussion. Gamification, for example, can be integrated into the online event so as to add more colors and a sense of entertainment for networking.
To be more specific, it is not difficult to hold a photo competition for different themes. During lunchtime, instead of having a break to temporarily end the event, it can be replaced by a photo-sharing session. Given that some people might cook at home or have meals at some upmarket restaurants, they can take a photo of their food and share it with fellow attendees.
The one who can gain the highest appreciation from others can gain a prize. By doing this, attendees can interact in a more relaxing and enjoyable way, unlike only following the traditional approach of exchanging exchange online name cards and having discussions with other audience members in the breakout room.
5. Reliable service provider
As the saying goes, “sharp tools make good work”. Finding a reputable online event technology service provider is a prerequisite for a successful online conference. Without having an event technology company to provide relevant services for the event organisers, it is impossible to bring the event from offline to online.
Among all event technology firms, some of them can provide 3D demonstration, live streaming and real-time interactive functions. Conversely, some companies’ services are limited to only creating an online space for holding a virtual conference with fewer diversities in the product’s features.
Apart from that, a stable platform that can enable thousands of attendees to join the event at the same time is also another factor that we should take into account. Of course, having a good reputation like those platforms that are highly recommended and appreciated by many customers is also worth considering.
Conclusion
All in all, it is hoped that we can all be cautious about the details of online event management. As long as we bear the aforementioned elements in mind when running an online event, it is believed that event organisers can avoid making some unnecessary mistakes, thus hosting a fabulous event.
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing The Best Platform For Virtual Events / Online Conference
How do I host virtual events that are more interactive?
If you want to host virtual events that are interactive, you need to ensure the events platform it is held on is well-equipped for interactions and engagement. When choosing the best virtual events platform for your event, ensure that it has tools and features that:
- help reduce disruption
- make the virtual experience more immersive
- encourage and boost engagement between attendees and speakers/exhibitors
- allow customizations to include assets like images, logos, and videos on virtual booths
How do I evaluate the success of a virtual event?
This may differ from event to event depending on the goals and objectives. However, some of the factors event organizers would usually evaluate include Key Performance Indicators relating to:
- sales numbers/attendance,
- revenue vs overhead cost,
- sponsor recognition,
- social media activity, and
- feedback from post-event surveys.
How do I measure the engagement of a virtual event?
Measuring the engagement of a virtual event is important as it can give insights into how event organizers can improve on future events. Conducting live polls is one of the main ways to measure the engagement level of a virtual event. These polls will be able to show the participation and responses of attendees.
What are some best practices for hosting an online conference?
Some best practices you may apply when hosting an online conference include:
- Coming up with an agenda, and inviting only those who are directly involved - this prevents anyone from having to attend any unnecessary meetings
- Providing incentives for attending and engaging with the online conference - to promote attendance and audience engagement
- Making use of breakout rooms for more quality discussions
