2022 Virtual Platforms: The Top 5 Virtual Platforms
With a constantly-changing speaking landscape due to new COVID variants, the industry is seeing an increase in virtual and hybrid events. While many people prefer in-person events like conferences, industry expos and company training, event planners are making difficult decisions in order to be in compliance with everchanging local restrictions and requirements. One way to avoid the uncertainties that come with planning an in-person event is to consider going virtual so that the event is more accessible and safe for attendees.
After a year of trying over 30 different platforms, we have ranked our 5 favorites below based on user-friendliness for speakers and viewing experience for the audience.
1. Zoom
Zoom, now a household name for many, is known for its simple, user-friendly layout. Zoom has been adopted by almost every industry as a safe alternative to in-person meetings. Below are some of the pros and cons we’ve come across in the last 2 years of being almost completely virtual.
Pros:
- Zoom Video Webinar allows you the flexibility to host events with groups as small as 100 people or audiences as large as 10,000 based on your needs.
- The user-friendly layout is simple and intuitive. The host can control capabilities for presenters and attendees from desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and conference rooms.
- Zoom also has the option to stream your events across social channels with Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and other custom service integrations.
- Depending on the type of environment you are trying to create, you can mute or unmute panelists, and promote attendees to panelists, giving them audio and video capabilities for enhanced engagement.
- Easy to manage audience engagement tools like Chat, Q+A, and polling, attendee “raise hand,” and panelist functionalities allow attendees to interact with each other and the speaker.
- Most importantly, audio and stream quality was optimized to reduce buffering.
Cons: While Zoom capabilities are quite robust, some may feel like this virtual event platform falls short of delivering on a true virtual event experience. With other competing platforms offering customizable avatars and virtual conference floors with sponsored booths for attendees to interact outside of breakout rooms and workshops, you may end up paying more to use Zoom in conjunction with added layers to get the full effect of a virtual expo.
For most, Zoom offers all of the bells and whistles needed to host a virtual event. With included IT support, virtual event hosts can plan an engaging and successful keynote event without worry. As they say, no one ever got fired for using Zoom!
2. hopin
Designed for audience interaction, the hopin virtual venue is built specifically for speaking events. Just like an in-person conference, attendees can move in and out of virtual rooms and enjoy the content and connection offerings provided.
Pros:
- Whether you’re planning a closed sales kickoff meeting for your team or selling tickets to an open industry conference, hopin offers you a multitude of options for your event, whether your audience is 50 people or 50,000 people.
- Engage your attendees by offering live events and hands-on sessions, invite sponsors to engage with attendees via expo booths. The HopIn platform’s features are designed to mimic the live in-person experience for optimal engagement.
- Platform customization allows you to reflect your brand by applying your branding and style. You’ll have the option to change the colors of the event interior to your branded colors so your company will be recognized at a glance.
- Stage (and backstage): The hopin stage lets you broadcast your content to hundreds of thousands of people on live video – and makes it easy for speakers to prepare and share video and slideshow presentations compatible with Apple Keynote, Microsoft Powerpoint, and Google Slides.
- Most importantly, audio and stream quality was optimized for the audience for the best viewing experience.
Cons: In this hyperconnected world, no one wants to register for another account. While registration is easy, you (and attendees) will need to set up a hopin account in order to join sessions.
When hosting an event, the goal should always be to make the experience as smooth as possible for the audience. Like Zoom, hopin’s virtual speaking capabilities include a live chat and plenty of interactive engagement tools. For larger events, this virtual event platform checks all the boxes.
3. Brella
Much like hopin, Brella is designed to be customized for events large or small and fosters engagement and interactions between attendees. Below are some of our favorite features:
- Brella is one of the first virtual platforms to offer solutions for hybrid events. Combine the convenience, reach, and cost-effectiveness of virtual meetings with the excitement and vitality of in-person events to share your story with patients, HCPs, and internal teams.
- With multi-livestream hosting, you have the option to host multiple event live streams directly in Brella and gain insights on performance, attendance, and more. This is especially helpful if you want to gain insights for future events.
- Empower your sponsors & create a marketplace in Brella. By boosting sponsor ROI with booths, lead generation, and ads you create opportunities to increase attendance and participation.
- Brella allows you to upload demos, brochures, info decks and more for attendees to view and download to ensure you get the most out of your event.
- Even if your attendees can’t shake hands, they can still talk face-to-face. Easily book meetings with relevant attendees and have a video call within the platform.
- Most importantly, audio and stream quality was optimized to reduce buffering.
For those looking for a “match-making” experience, Brella’s artificial intelligence helps to connect relevant attendees and allows them the option to chat virtually. This defining feature is a game-changer for those looking to host a more intimate networking experience.
Cons: Brella has plenty of engagement tools if that is what you are looking for. For simpler events and meetings, this virtual event platform maybe a little too robust. Save your time and money and consider whether your meeting actually needs all of the options.
4. Airmeet
Airmeet’s virtual event platform centers on interactivity and keeping audiences engaged – a requirement for any virtual platform. With all the distractions of working from home, retaining participant attention is increasingly difficult.
Pros:
- Brighten your virtual stage with interactive tools like polls, Q&A’s, chats,
“raise hands” and emoji reactions, - Airmeet offers a free version for small, public events (up to 100 attendees).
- For those planning a tailored, larger event, Airmeet has a customized reception, unlimited exhibition booths, and unlimited networking tables.
- Airmeet is accessible via desktop or mobile apps for audience viewing.
- Most importantly, audio and stream quality was optimized for the audience for the best viewing experience.
Cons: Airmeet works with Zoom as a plug-in to create the best possible experience for your audience. As one would expect, using multiple platforms may cost extra. While we did not see it firsthand, some have also noted that the app may be prone to crashing.
Airmeet’s interactivity features in addition to its versatility are optimal for those who are looking to increase engagement and personalize the experience for audiences of all sizes.
5. 6Connex
6Connex was created with the purpose of driving engagement in a secure environment for viewers worldwide. For this reason, 6Connex is ideal for hosting an engaging virtual event for your team.
Pros:
- 6Connex guarantees you will work with their dedicated client support team to architect and launch the perfect virtual event for your business.
- Whether it’s for your marketing & sales team, HR team, virtual career fairs, or virtual conference, 6Connex has the flexibility to adapt to your needs.
- Leverage an integrated webcast platform for presentations, demos, and more.
- Incentivize attendees to interact throughout the environment with games and contests.
- Attendees can participate from anywhere with any device that supports a browser. Their virtual technology platform also supports multiple languages and global time zones.
Cons: While it certainly was not a dealbreaker, we’d like to see a larger chat box to help boost audience engagement.
Overall 6Connex is an easy-to-use platform and offers tons of interactive features for an entertaining and inclusive event.
Other Notable Virtual Event Platforms
The beauty of the world we’re currently living in is there is no shortage of options. Many companies or organizations are limited to specific platforms due to increasing cyber-security threats. That said, we’ve included notable mentions for platforms we like and use (despite their shortcomings).
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is the default web-conferencing platform for many companies. This virtual platform offers a reliable, secure connection for both people with Microsoft accounts and those without. Many teams use this tool for small business meetings, but many may not be aware that it is capable of hosting larger events (via Microsoft Teams Enterprise).
Pros:
- Microsoft Teams allows users to virtually connect one on one, lead a team training, or host an interactive webinar for up to 1,000 attendees.
- Dynamic view intelligently arranges meeting elements for optimal viewing. When people join, turn on video or present, Teams automatically adjusts the layout.
- Showcase your brand with a customized registration page and keep attendees informed with confirmation emails. Measure impact with attendee reports.
- Host fun and interactive webinars with dynamic presenter views, real-time polls, and live reactions.
Cons:
- Since this is a Microsoft software, you can expect that it will work best with PCs and Microsoft Powerpoint. This can be particularly difficult if you are inviting an outside speaker who uses a Mac or Apple Keynote.
- Specifically for Mac users, Microsoft Teams’ known issues also include video buffering and audio clarity issues when playing embedded videos in a presentation. The audio plays from the host’s speakers (not through the computer), so the speaker will need to hold an external mic up to the speaker to make the audio louder/clearer. Your audience will notice less than perfect audio quality or may not be able to hear the audio at all without an external mic.
The good news is companies are always making improvements, but it’s a good reminder to always check with external speakers on their AV requirements to ensure you are adequately prepared to find a work-around.
vMix Call
vMix Call is the answer to those looking for added production features to allow easy interviewing, highlighting, and interviewing speakers. This software is recommended for those with a production team or production experience to facilitate smooth transitions between speakers and sessions.
Pros:
- vMix Call is an easy way to add guests to your live production. Simply add a new vMix Call input to vMix and share the provided website with your guest to log in. Repeat this process for as many guests as you need up to the 8 available in vMix Pro. Note this is for the Production side, not the attendee side.
- vMix Call integrated Automatic Mix Minus for every remote guest which eliminates echo and saves time. Automatic Mix Minus allows vMix Call to provide true full-duplex audio without compromises for crisp high-quality speech even under tough conditions.
- vMix supports multiple overlay channels, virtual sets, and templates which can be used to enhance your production and dazzle your viewers. Everything else you need for any live show is also included such as integrated streaming to your favorite providers and built-in recording.
Cons:
- If your speaker is sharing slides via screen share, the chat function is not viewable.
- The control room noise is always “hot,” and can be distracting for your speaker if your production crew is not mindful.
- Specifically for a presenter using slides, the system works best when the AV team is able to centrally upload the slides. Unfortunately, the program does not have a built-in remote clicker for the presenter to advance slides, so you may consider using a virtual remote clicker.
While we do not recommend this software for beginners, vMix Call is a great option for those familiar with audio and video productions. Be aware that screen sharing can be troublesome since it requires a second, separate machine to display presentations.
Final Considerations
When planning your virtual event, it is important to consider the end goal. While the obvious considerations for choosing a virtual event platform are largely audience-focused (ex: audience size capabilities and interaction tools), it is important to consider the host/speaker features as well. Often overlooked, it is necessary to confirm whether the platform you choose is compatible with your host or speakers’ presentation styles. For example, if you have a digital leadership speaker or a video storyteller, it is important that you choose a platform that allows high-definition multimedia sharing. When making a final selection, you might ask the following questions:
- Does this platform allow me to share presentation slides? (i.e. Apple Keynote, Microsoft Powerpoint, etc.)
- Does the platform allow the presenter to advance the slides or will you need a remote solution?
- Does the platform stream videos in HD?
- Will this platform support Q+A and, if so, what will that look like?
- What kind of audience engagement features do I need?
- Is there a “backstage” feature in the platform? If so, how easy (or complicated) is it to transition from one speaker to the next?
When possible, it makes the most sense to select your speaker lineup prior to choosing a platform. A good reminder that it is important to consider all of your users’ needs to ensure your audience gets the most out of their virtual experience. By choosing a versatile, user-friendly platform your event is sure to be a success.
