The events scene has changed dramatically in recent years, shifting in favor of the virtual realm. Due to the increasing demand for virtual events brought about by global events and technical developments, event planners and corporations looking to engage with their audiences remotely have an abundance of options at their disposal.

Virtual event platforms are evolving at a rapid pace as we approach 2024, offering a wide range of options, features, and functionalities. Never before has it been more important to select a platform that perfectly fits the goals of an event, audience engagement tactics, and technical specifications.

The goal of this thorough guide is to help you negotiate the treacherous world of virtual event platforms in 2024

 

 

. This resource will act as a guide to help you choose the best virtual event platform for your particular needs, whether you’re organizing a business conference, trade fair, webinar series, or any other kind of online meeting.

The environment of virtual events is always changing due to the rapid advancement of technology. As such, we will also discuss future projections and emerging trends so that you may anticipate and get ready for the next big developments in the field of virtual event platforms.

What is a Virtual Event platform?

A virtual event platform is an online platform or digital environment created to help organize and conduct different kinds of conferences, meetings, events, and get-togethers in a distant or virtual setting. It functions as a full online platform where users of internet-connected devices, such as PCs, smartphones, or tablets, may participate, interact, and attend events from anywhere in the world.

These platforms have an abundance of features and tools designed to mimic the experience of live events, all the while utilizing digital technology to improve connectivity and engagement. Virtual event venues are capable of hosting a variety of events, such as but not restricted to:

Conferences and Trade Shows: They offer exhibitor spaces, keynote talks, networking rooms, and virtual booths.

Workshops and Webinars: Interactive tools are provided by platforms for discussions, Q&A sessions, polls, and presentations.

Meetings and Networking: They facilitate organized meetings, breakout spaces, and individual or group networking.

Features like multimedia presentations, chat rooms, live video streaming, virtual exhibit halls, tools for engaging attendees, and analytics to monitor attendance and behavior are common aspects of virtual event platforms.

With the use of these platforms, participants will be able to interact, learn, collaborate, and network virtually while participating in an immersive and engaging experience that does not require physical presence from speakers, exhibitors, or organizers. In order to meet the many needs of companies, organizations, and individuals doing virtual events, virtual event platforms are always innovating to provide more sophisticated features and capabilities.

What features do the best Virtual Event platforms have?

The top virtual event platforms have a rich feature set that is intended to give attendees immersive, interesting, and interactive experiences. Among the essential characteristics that leading virtual event platforms frequently have are:

Customizable Virtual Spaces: These are online platforms that let event planners personalize the setting to fit their particular branding, theme, and needs.

Live Video Streaming: Smooth and excellent live streaming features for panel discussions, keynote addresses, presentations, and other live events.

Interactive tools: These include live Q&A sessions, polls, surveys, chat rooms, and interactive sessions that encourage audience participation and interaction.

Collaboration and Networking: Tools that promote networking opportunities include breakout rooms, virtual lounges, appointment scheduling for one-on-one meetings, and group chats that let participants get in touch with presenters.

Exhibition and Sponsorship Spaces: Online booths or spaces for exhibitors or sponsors to promote goods and services, interact with visitors, and create leads.

Analytics & Reporting: Comprehensive analytics capabilities to monitor participant numbers, popularity of sessions, attendee engagement, and other KPIs that offer valuable information for post-event analysis and enhancement.

Compatibility and accessibility: Compatibility features guarantee that the platform is compatible with a wide range of devices and operating systems and that it is easy to use for people with different needs.

Security and privacy: Extensive security protocols to preserve information, defend against online attacks, and guarantee safe access to the event platform for both hosts and participants.

Best virtual event platform checklist

• Scheduling and built-in live streaming
• Invites and notifications
• Diverse content options
• Recording and playback
• Community forums, Q&As, Polls
• Member profiles and messaging
• “Ticketing” options, payment gateways, and the option for tiered pricing.
• The option to carry on the community after the event.
• Upsells into courses, masterminds, etc.
• Single Sign On (SSO)

The best Virtual Event platforms

1. BuddyX

BuddyX is a creative and adaptable community platform that provides an extensive feature set intended to build lively online communities. It sticks out as a potent WordPress theme designed especially for creating online instructional environments, community forums, and social networking websites. BuddyX has gained recognition as the go-to solution for developing dynamic and interactive online environments because of its extensive functionality and customizable possibilities.

BuddyX likely allows event organizers to personalize the virtual event space, enabling branding, theme customization, and tailored environments that align with the event’s objectives. BuddyX probably uses a range of interactive tools, like surveys, audience participation options, live Q&A sessions, chat capabilities, and other features, to promote engagement and communication between participants, speakers, and exhibitors.

2.  Hopin

Hopin is a platform that provides a virtual venue for attendees of live, virtual, and hybrid events. Customization, a “Livestream Studio” to let you personalize your production and presentation, and some marketing elements like personalized landing pages are among its features. This can be used with onsite management for tasks like printing badges if you’re organizing a hybrid event.

Features

Hopin’s features are always changing in order to meet the ever-changing needs of virtual events, and the platform is becoming known for its adaptability, scalability, and capacity to accommodate events of all shapes and sizes.

• Live streaming and concurrent video sections
• Virtual lobby
• Group and private messaging
• Mobile apps
• Recordings and replays
• Breakout rooms
• Analytics

3. Bevy

Virtual conferences for big corporations

Bevy was focused mostly on live events, but with the pandemic made the shift to virtual events. It’s popular with big corporations. Bevy gives a space to host a virtual event. It also gives you a custom page builder to create your event landing page, and a community to keep the discussion going.

Features of the Conference Schedule

• Talk & Direct Messages
• Separate rooms
• Plans of Action
• Automatic check-ins
• White labeling
• Sponsor display
• Online lobby data analysis

Bevy also includes some helpful integrations, such as the option to live stream via Zoom and Facebook or YouTube.

The high cost of Bevy is one of its drawbacks. Many of the greatest features—such as live broadcasting, networking tables, limitless guests, and the lobby—are exclusively available with the conference package, which may cost as much as $25,000 per event.

4. Run the World

A relatively new platform for virtual events, Run the World highlights that its features will make your Virtual Event more enjoyable and captivating and will prevent you from hosting events that will send your guests to sleep.

Run the World has numerous useful tools for creating events, including pre-made templates for “Cocktail Party,” “Presentation,” and “Fireside Chat.” If you’re not very experienced, these templates will provide you with a wonderful place to start when creating your virtual event design. In addition to the standard event services, Run the World provides breakout sessions, private chats, discussions, and more. It may be a great choice for repeating events because it is also on a monthly basis, in contrast to some of the previous options that are pay-per-event.

Having saying that, the platform has its limitations. It is devoid of community features as well as many of the more feature-rich event functions found in the best conference software. Having said that, it’s an affordable, straightforward event platform that could be useful for someone who hosts small events frequently and doesn’t want community features.

Features

• Registration & tickets
• Landing page
• Customized color scheme
• Cocktail party
• Round table discussion
• Chat and email

5. Aventri

With a lot of features, Aventri is a powerful platform designed to support virtual conferences. Apart from providing a venue for conference speakers, it also offers other useful tools to facilitate networking among attendees, such as matchmaking and one-on-one meeting scheduling. Along with many other useful tools for fostering community relationships, it offers session-wide chats, breakout rooms, and polls with Q&A.

It mimics several aspects of actual events, such as lobby areas and sponsor booths with branding. Lastly, it has some good built-in event management features, like spending, email marketing, website building, and attendee management.

Features

• Live streaming
• Q&A + Polls
• Breakout rooms
• Speaker management
• Sponsor booths
• Analytics
• Marketing features

6. Convene

Given that Convene is mostly renowned for their live events, they present an intriguing use case in the virtual event area. They offer a variety of real event spaces that you may book, in addition to member-only workplaces and conference rooms.

However, Convene expanded its capabilities to include virtual events as a result of the pandemic. Convene’s event platform, albeit basic and sharing some functionality with other platforms on this list, is not what sets them apart. They use a hybrid approach to events and provide production support, such as a producer and team members, to make the event run well.

This indicates that Convene is most likely a better choice for mixed events in one of their carefully chosen live locations—that is, for events that have a substantial budget. The price for a two-hour event starts at $5,000, but if you want all of the features, it will definitely cost you closer to $25,000.

Features

• Branded event site
• Producer & tech support
• Control room & production team
• Video editing
• Live stream speaking and panels
• Production graphics
• Green room
• Live chat
• Breakout sessions
• Analytics
• 30-day event playback

Final Thoughts on Best Virtual Event Platform?

In 2024, there are an abundance of virtual event platforms to choose from, all with different functions and features to suit different types of event requirements. Finding the ideal virtual event platform for your particular event depends on having a clear grasp of your goals, target audience, and ideal levels of involvement.

We’ve gone over the key elements to take into account while assessing virtual event platforms in this guide. The range of factors to be taken into account, from technological aspects, safety precautions and customization choices to interactive elements and engagement tools, underlines the significance of a thorough review.

Platforms such as BuddyX and Hopin, among others, have become major players in the ever-changing virtual event market. They provide a wide range of features that make the experience immersive and interesting for both organizers and guests.

Use the knowledge from this guide, carry out in-depth analyses, take into account practical use cases, and rank the platforms according to how well they meet the particular requirements of your event. Equipped with this understanding, you can choose with assurance a virtual event platform that enhances your event experience and offers outstanding value to your guests in the ever-changing virtual meeting space.