Swapcard, the Paris-based leading AI-powered engagement and matchmaking platform for premium virtual and hybrid events, has acquired Avolio, Inc., a registration platform headquartered in Atlanta and its event management software, IPReg.

This move is the first step in Swapcard’s answer to the biggest challenge organizers are currently facing: finding one technology partner that can run all their virtual, hybrid and face-to-face events throughout the year.

Swapcard, which ran more than 1,570 successful virtual events in 2020, experienced unprecedented growth in 2020, with a 400% growth in projected turnover and an increase in employees from 45 to more than 100 during the global pandemic. 

With such a successful year behind them, Swapcard has a vision to become the leading all-in-one platform for virtual and hybrid events, according to the company’s executives. 

With audience engagement, attendee networking, virtual marketplace, event platform and live streaming services already covered, the next natural step was to integrate registration into the platform.

“We are entering a new area where data will power experience,” said Baptiste Boulard, CEO and co-founder of Swapcard. “Clients want to control the entire data journey and provide attendees and exhibitors with one single login step, as well as create a custom experience for each user.”

With this acquisition, Swapcard is now able to meet organizers’ needs for one technology platform for their events, no matter the region. Swapcard has offices in Paris, London, Seattle, Montreal, Dubai, Singapore and New Delhi.

SXSW, NAMM Believe in Music Week, Expo 2020 Dubai and Informa are just some of the clients who have put their trust in Swapcard for upcoming events and will enjoy the all-in-one platform for their virtual and hybrid gatherings in 2021. 

Swapcard and Avolio – a History

Starting in the spring of 2020, Swapcard and Avolio have collaborated on a multitude of virtual events. The integration between the two systems was seamless from the get-go. 

Since 2000, Avolio has been building software designed for global conferences and trade shows. Avolio’s event management software, IPReg, which was built from the ground up to minimize the need for multiple technology solutions, served as the perfect tool for Swapcard clients with complex events in 2020, such as Black Hat by Informa Tech.

Avolio’s services for abstract management for attendees and exhibitors will help Swapcard achieve their goal of serving larger exhibition organizers and medical conferences. The team is looking forward to providing an improved experience for clients old and new.

“We realized in the Spring of 2020 that our clients needed to pivot away from face-to-face events and were requesting assistance with selecting the optimal virtual events technology for their companies and needs,” explained Mark Hubrich, CEO of Avolio. “We reviewed the marketplace of virtual events technology and deemed Swapcard to be the top solution in the industry. Every client we introduced them to agreed with our assessment and adopted the platform to engage their attendees and conferences.”

He added, “We believe 2021 will be another year of change and through Avolio’s technology platform and Swapcard’s leading technology for virtual events, we will be well-positioned to lead the industry with virtual and hybrid events. Joining the Swapcard team allows us to continue to guide the industry with creating technology solutions for the future of meetings, events and trade shows.” 

Swapcard will remain on an open platform where data can be pushed and pulled free of charge. The platform will continue to synchronize with other registration platforms on the market.

Swapcard is hosting their second virtual event, Evolve 2.0 Feb. 23-25, where experts speakers will be delivering insightful content, a community of more than 7,000 global event professionals will be networking, and where workshops and job boards will be available to all attendees. Register for free here. 

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