Bizzabo’s Alon Alroy on Cracking the Hybrid Code
Mar 04, 2021
Good luck trying to have a conversation about events in 2021 without using the word “hybrid.” The consensus is that a vast majority of conferences, conventions and trade shows will incorporate a virtual element when returning face-to-face, most convening in-person for the first time since 2019. Dig beyond that general thought process, though, and the specifics are a bit hazy. “There’s a reason you’re hearing about those generalities,” said Alon Alroy, co-founder, CMO and CCO of Bizzabo. “No one has cracked it yet.” Truth be told, that code for hybrid success might be different for each event… more
Digital Health Passports Ease Path for In-Person Events
Mar 02, 2021
International travelers are used to presenting passports to enter foreign countries. Event attendees may very well have a similar requirement going forward — one tracking health status. Sharemy.health is quickly establishing itself as the go-to platform for major organizations to ensure safety while bringing back face-to-face events. With clients including the U.S. Olympic Committee, Major League Baseball, universities and live events, the cloud-based software’s offerings include a digital passport providing proof of vaccinations.  The offering comes as the Centers for Disease Control and… more
What Not to Do with Video Marketing
Feb 23, 2021
The motion picture was created in 1892, and arguably perfected by the time of Charlie Chaplin. Yet, event companies still trip over themselves trying to produce and distribute video. Monique Elwell, president and COO of Storyvine, a guided video technology platform whose clients include IBM, has seen her fair share of cringe-worthy mistakes. Often, she says, these miscues stem from overthinking the process. Anyone involved in marketing knows video is the gold standard of content (sorry, writers!). That knowledge is a blessing and a curse. Expenses and circumstances mean professional, high-… more
Feb 18, 2021
Designed to inspire and educate event professionals to produce exceptional virtual and hybrid events, the Virtual Events Institute works to serve the global events community by providing education, knowledge, innovation and best practice to ensure digital event excellence. In an effort to help further that mission, VEI has been busy forming partnerships with industry-leading companies to prepare both contract and full-time event workers with the versatile skill sets that these specialized events demand. Take a look: Soundings Many event companies confronted the necessary evil of laying off… more
Five Big Technology Trends Shaping the Events Industry
Feb 11, 2021
When General Motors rolled out its new electric battery capabilities at CES last month, the car advancement was only part of the story. The presentation, viewed by thousands at the entirely virtual trade show, was a case study for how the world will consume information in the future. INVNT, an innovative branding and events company, partnered with GM to create virtual environments to simulate the car company’s research and development laboratory. The keynote team used 3-D imagery to take a deep d(r)ive into the inner workings of the technology. Making this all possible was a mixed-reality… more
How Technology Can Maintain Safety at Meetings and Events
Feb 02, 2021
When discussing the future of events, Convention Data Services President and CEO John Kimball draws an analogy to Walt Disney World. With one click of a button, a guest has for years been able to gauge the length of ride lines and determine his or her group’s next stop. “Nobody wants to wait in line,” Kimball said. This is especially true when registering for a conference. Before, long lines were a mere (or more) nuisance upon arrival. But in the coronavirus era, annoyance turns to unsafe as congestion in exhibition halls risks the spread of a once-in-a-century disease. What if those lines… more
EventPower Platform Lights Up Corporate Meetings
Jan 26, 2021
Hewlett Packard planned to send 2,000 attendees to Nashville for an event in May. There were 270 presentations ready to go, featuring a combined 700 speakers. Rather than let a little thing like a pandemic let all that work go to waste, HP’s planners reached out eventPower, the company behind its event platform, about transforming all those sessions into a digital event. Laurie Powell, vice president of business development of eventPower, had a simple response: “Why not?” In the technology-dependent world of today’s trade shows, conferences and other events, vendors like eventPower must… more
How to Pull Off a Winning Virtual Presentation
Jan 21, 2021
Tracy Judge, founder and chief connector of Soundings Connect, is as poised a person as you’ll ever meet. A former corporate meeting planner at Maritz Global Events, Judge runs her own company, a network for freelance event professionals, while contributing to many industry organizations and causes. She has an uncanny ability to build relationships and rise to any challenge, and is a popular speaker for events. So, when Judge admits that the process of putting together a presentation in a virtual studio spooked her, it is noteworthy. “I had terrible anxiety,” she said of prepping for the… more
Swapcard Acquires Avolio, Inc. and Integrates Registration into Event Platform
Jan 14, 2021
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… more
WalkMe Hopes to Be a Silver Lining in a Cloudy COVID Sky
Jan 07, 2021
It was a dark and stormy night. The internet connection in Maor Ezer’s Israeli home kicked out only for the senior vice president of marketing at WalkMe to return to a Zoom call via a mobile hotspot. The scenario speaks to 2020’s challenges and the rewards that can be reaped by those agile enough to quickly adapt from business as usual. In the case of WalkMe, a digital adoption platform, the decision was to build fast, with company leaders like Ezer believing their product is a solution to challenges that have been amplified during the pandemic. Conceived when CEO and Co-founder Dan Adika… more
Partner Voices
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.  Remodeled Guest Rooms MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las more