In Case You Missed It
On BizBash this month, we shared a number of insightful, tech-forward case studies, including a look inside Zoom's hybrid event strategy for its own annual conference, along with an interactive digital scavenger hunt from Elton John and Google Maps and a metaverse-based experience for NFL fans in partnership with Fortnite. And in a recent guest column, a variety of tech leaders shared their top strategies for leveraging event technology to know and grow your audience.
Event Technology We're Excited About This Month
For an on-site wearable that makes life easier for attendees and organizers alike
Last month, event management platform Bizzabo launched a new wearable tech solution called Klik Experiential and its new SmartBadge, which builds on technology from Klik, a Montreal-based tech start-up that Bizzabo acquired last year. With the simple click of a button, attendees can check into sessions, download content, exchange contact info, and more—and, in turn, event organizers can quickly capture priceless behavioral data in real time. Other features include a customizable lights feature, digital heat maps to visualize where attendees are spending their time, gamification options, and an exhibitor portal for easy lead retrieval.
“As excited as event professionals are to once again gather in person, they’ve faced the prospect of losing access to vast amounts of data gleaned from virtual event experiences,” said Bizzabo CMO and co-founder Alon Alroy in a recent interview with BizBash. “In-person events have always held enormous data potential, but they’ve long been a black box: full of insights but impenetrable. Our wearable technology gives organizers access to that rich data source.” Read more. 
Bizzabo’s new wearable event tech allows attendees to exchange contact information with the click of a button. (Goodbye, business cards!)Photo: Courtesy of Bizzabo
For a simple, customizable webinar platform
This week, tech company Hopin announced the public rollout of Hopin Session, a new lightweight video product to create interactive webinars and meetings. Hoping to address the issue of low webinar turnout rates, Hopin designed Hopin Session to offer more interactive, engaging features for attendees—while still making it simple and easy to use for hosts. Highlights of the web-based offering include customizable branding options; fun engagement features like reactions, confetti, music, and breakout rooms; a range of security features and integrations; and detailed engagement analytics data. Session has three self-serve plans for users to choose from: free, pro, and business.
“We’re excited to begin rolling out Session as we think more broadly about providing community-building experiences,” said Hopin’s chief technology officer, Badri Rajasekar. “As market demand has evolved, customers are increasingly asking for easy-to-use, easy-to-manage products. Breaking industry standards for webinar experiences, Session is unique in its capabilities for driving genuine engagement and connection for its customers and their audiences, and is the first of many lightweight products that will come from Hopin.”
To future-proof the event travel and registration process
In-person, hybrid, and virtual event tech company InEvent has launched its V&H Pro Plan, which aims to merge travel coordination tech with in-person event tech. Comprehensive features of the platform include flight management, luggage tracking, and coordination of other event transportation and housing details, plus QR code registration, badge printing, email communications, and data and analytics.
"With innovations such as our V&H Pro Plan, InEvent is looking toward the future,” said InVent CEO Pedro Góes in a press release. “For us, it's about designing an immersive experience that begins from the doorstep of the attendee to the destination point—taking the stress out of logistics, housing, hospitality, and more."
To cultivate strategic partnerships with industry peers
CampfireSocial, a private professional network designed for member-based or attendee-driven organizations to form meaningful connections, recently launched IGNITE!, which it's billing as an exhibitor-only professional network. Utilizing CampfireSocial technology, IGNITE! streamlines the engagement experience for exhibitors, industry partners, and sponsors so they can network amongst peers directly, form strategic partnerships, identify other companies for cross-collaboration opportunities or joint responses to RFPs, establish referral relationships, and more. Highlights include curated suggestions of strategic partnerships, monthly webinars and custom educational content, and groups dedicated to specific needs.
"Exhibitors attend events to convert attendees into buyers, but they also attend to form strategic partnerships with fellow exhibitors for lead generation and cross-collaboration opportunities,” said Erica Bishaf, the founder and CEO of CampfireSocial. “The time is now to provide a year-round solution that allows our most valuable industry partners to cultivate these relationships, and IGNITE! is that platform."
Partytrick provides its users with organized guides to be sure they know what to do from as far out as 14 days before an event up to the minutes before.Photo: Courtesy of Partytrick
Virginia Frischkorn launched Bluebird Productions, an Aspen, Colo.-based luxury event planning company in 2010—and when the pandemic brought live events to a halt, she sought out a new venture. The result? Partytrick, which launched in October and aims to bring event planning services to the masses. The digital, membership-based platform, which can be accessed from any web browser, offers everything needed to plan an effective bash, from curated event ideas to shopping lists to timed reminders up until minutes before doors open.
"When you use Partytrick, you’ll get customized reminders via SMS or email that help make sure you’ve contemplated the when and how of producing an event," Frischkorn recently told BizBash. "Our reminders make sure you know when to send out invites, when to order decor pieces, when to confirm your menu, when to empty the garbage, when to turn on your music... the list goes on and on." Read more.
The Latest Updates, Funding, and Merger News
Event Leaders Exchange (ELX) has partnered with event management tech company Hubilo to host a professional community for industry leaders. The ELX professional community will bring together the most senior corporate event leaders of large global organizations to share ideas, receive industry insights, solve problems, and engage in actionable conversations—and the Hubilo partnership will give the group a virtual presence that allows for networking, conversations, and virtual think tanks.
Virtual and hybrid event platform 6Connex has again successfully achieved its renewal of the global ISO 27001 certification for its event technology suite—meaning the company has met or surpassed security standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards, and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Event management platform vFairs has named Michael Burns as chief revenue officer and Asghar Husain as chief financial officer. Both leaders bring two decades of experience to the role—Burns with global go-to-market teams across a number of industries, including event tech, legal tech, and marketing, and Husain with various companies in the technology and business services sectors.
