With the working world now moving into the era of working from home, finding a place where everyone can meet is almost impossible.
Your business may even have employees from all over the world that simply cannot commute to the office for a meeting. This is where virtual conference platforms come in.
Virtual conferences are practically identical to in-person ones with one key difference. They are hosted online rather than in an office space.
This allows people from anywhere in the world to be online at the agreed time, listen to everyone’s ideas, network, and have a sense of community within the business.
So, what ones should you be using to make your virtual conferences higher quality and beneficial for your business and employees?
We have put together a list of 5 of the best virtual conference platforms, their pros and cons, and a handy buyers guide so you know exactly what to look for.
Read below to find out more!
BigMarker
BigMarker software enables you to host any size virtual event, from a modest 1,000-person conference to a small webinar training session.
You can be in contact with your entire employee body at one time with BigMarker.
With standard features such as screen sharing, session recording, surveys, and attendee interaction through chat this is a great option for hosting a range of online conferences.
You also have the option to live to stream your conferences to social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
BigMarker gives customers the option to include company logos and colors in their digital gatherings, which is beneficial for businesses trying to raise brand recognition.
Additionally, it has built-in email marketing capabilities so you can quickly inform potential customers about your next event.
Not wanting to download any software? BigMarker is browser-based. All you have to do is search for the URL and login to begin hosting.
Pros
- Features. Screen sharing, surveys, session recording, and live chats are all features that you access with BigMarker. You can also live stream your conference on Facebook and YouTube.
- Marketing. Add your logo and company colors to your virtual conference for increased brand awareness. There is also a built-in email marketing feature to contact new leads.
- Browser-based. No need for you or your employees to download software to use BigMarker. Just search the URL and login to begin.
Cons
- Quality. You may find that when there are too many attendees that the audio and video quality decrease.
- Price. If you are seeking more features then there can be a significant cost increase.
GoToWebinar
In need of a virtual conference platform that allows you to host large meetings of up to 2000 people? GoToWebinar is perfect.
With a whole range of tools at your disposal, you can create worldwide events, not just weekly team meetings.
If you are in the business of promoting virtual conferences, or virtual events in general then the GoToStage branch is what you are looking for.
This is a feed that helps promote webinars to an audience of millions and helps you drive in an insane amount of traffic.
You can even check out your virtual conference performances with the detailed analytics dashboard. Here you can learn about the characteristics of your audience and how to make improvements.
Although, if you are not as equipped with virtual conference software then you may wish to find something more user-friendly.
Pros
- GoToStage. Allows your virtual conference or event to be promoted to thousands of potential viewers and drive in more traffic.
- Analytics Dashboard. Learn more about your audience and the performance of your conference.
- Attendees. Have up to 2000 attendees at your virtual conference with GoToWebinar.
Cons
- User-Friendly. If you are new to the world of virtual conferences then you may need to find another more user-friendly platform.
Hopin
In need of new, innovative methods to interact with your employees during virtual conferences? Hopin is one of the leading platforms when it comes to increasing attendee interaction.
Each location of the conference offers a special and intimate engagement with guests, including the reception, stage, presentations, networking, and exhibition.
While Hopin offers basic features such as chat, polls, and branded events, the scheduling tool is what makes it so desirable.
The tool is simple to use and makes planning events quick with no stress.
However, if you are in the business of running virtual conferences regularly and require a series of testing and rehearsal trials then Hopin can quickly become a large expense.
Each session is considered a new event with its own additional costs.
Pros
- Scheduling Tool. Make a series of conferences and events with the simple Scheduling tool.
- Attendee Interaction. Hopin uses new, innovative tools to increase attendee interaction and engagement.
- Brandable. Customize and brand your conferences to promote your business.
Cons
- Costs. Each new session has its own individual costs, whether it is a rehearsal or testing for a larger event on the horizon.
- Price. Each user can be landed with a bill for using Hopin. Even if it is only for one conference.
SpotMe
With the help of SpotMe, users may develop and broadcast events, webinars, training sessions, surveys, and a variety of other engagement strategies.
At every point of the virtual event lifecycle, SpotMe offers services to help its users, including speaker orientation, live video creation, live interpretation, and even help to create and build campaigns.
SpotMe is a beneficial virtual conference platform for those who are new to the world of virtual conferences.
With support at every step, you can create exciting, interesting conferences. Even if you have never even attended a conference yourself.
With a user-friendly interface, attendees and administrators alike can interact without having to learn complicated tools.
The platform features breakout sessions to help build teamwork skills, personalized agendas so everyone can remain on track with their goals, and a two-way communication system between event staff and attendees.
Each feature of SpotMe is designed to help you and your team work towards their objectives without technology being an obstacle.
However, if you are looking to use SpotMe for the long term, you may find your business having a rather large expense.
Before making any large commitments, SpotMe offers a free trial.
If SpotMe suits your annual budget then you may even consider purchasing some of the add-ons that are available to help with various production elements.
Pros
- User-Friendly. No need to have extensive knowledge of virtual conference platforms. SpotMe is super easy to use and navigate for both administrator and attendee
- Interactive Features. Breakout sessions, personalized agendas, and a two-way communication system all work to make everyone’s experience better.
- Free Trial. Before purchasing or subscribing to SpotMe you can sign up for their free trial and test the features out.
Cons
- Price. Once you have decided that SpotMe is the platform for you and your event, you may find their subscriptions to be rather costly. Some advanced packages will not list their prices.
Whova
Whova is a comprehensive platform for virtual events that enables you to stream sessions, playback recordings, interact with guests, build virtual booths, and more.
You can have all of your streaming and session analytics in one place to determine where you may have to make improvements.
Worried that your audience is not all equipped with state-of-the-art laptops? Whova is available on all devices including laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
You and your audience can access discussions, conferences, and webinars from anywhere in the world and at any time.
If you are looking to profit from your conferences then Whova is the platform for you. You can organize paid sessions and restrict access to those who have purchased a premium ticket.
As a result, only those who have registered will have access to the session footage. The session can also be moderated online or via a mobile device.
Pros
- All-in-one Platform. You can do it all from host conferences to larger, more in-depth events.
- Features. Share links, arrange contests among attendees, send reminders to attendees, and chat with your audience through the built-in chat feature.
- Access. Attendees can access Whova virtual conferences on any device at any time, anywhere in the world making it easier to have everyone in one place.
Cons
- Interface. With so many options and features available, the Whova platform can be rather overwhelming for new users. Those with little virtual events experience may not enjoy their experience using Whova.
Buyers Guide
When looking to subscribe or purchase a virtual conference platform software, there are a few key elements that can make or break your experience.
Below are the key features that you should consider when deciding which virtual conference platform you are going to use.
Audience Experience
Taking the time to discover the type of audience experience you wish to produce is considered the reverse method of the bottom-top approach.
You must consider what you want your audience to gain from this experience.
For example, information conferences may not involve as much interaction and therefore, will provide a different experience for your audience.
In this case, you would select a platform that has limited interaction features but it has a higher quality of video and audio.
On the other hand, if you wish to have a larger audience and a more interactive experience then you must select a platform that offers high-quality engagement tools and features.
Selecting a platform that does not offer decent interactive features could be the reason your conferences do not perform as well as you would expect them to.
Essential Features
Whether you are planning a simple conference with your marketing team or organizing a large virtual event of 1000 attendees, there are essential features you must have. This includes:
- Registration & Ticket Counters. This will allow you to see how many attendees have registered or purchased tickets to attend your conference. In the event that you are running a business-focused conference then this can be crucial to ensure everyone has registered and will be in attendance.
- Administrator Management. When organizing a conference there will often be a host of people giving lectures, answering questions, and of course, attending. You must be able to manage them all from your dashboard. If not, your conference could lose its structure and leave people confused.
- Event Promotion. From an event reminder to a built-in email marketing feature, your virtual conference platform should be able to promote your event to the right people. Without this feature, you may be missing out on a rather large audience base.
- Data Analytics. Before, during, and after your conference are all important moments to have an account of the analytics. In this report, you should be able to determine your conference’s performance, the characteristics of the audience, and whether improvements need to be made. Without a detailed analytics report, you may be lacking the knowledge to make your audience experience better.
- Integrations. By having integrations, you can make sure that your virtual event platform and event technology system are communicating important registration and attendee data. Utilize integration solutions to centralize your attendee data so you can analyze critical insights from events, such as session attendance and engagement, and act on leads more rapidly.
Accessibility
As your event is online, ensuring it is accessible for everyone to attend is crucial for its success.
In the modern day of technology, laptops, smartphones, and tablets have similar features. Being able to stream and access live events is one of them.
However, if your platform is not compatible with tablets and smartphones then you may be losing out on more than half of your audience.
Now people attend events from anywhere, at any time meaning that they may not be in their office or at home with a laptop.
Having your virtual conference accessible to all devices for anyone in the world could be the difference between success and failure.
This may mean paying a more expensive subscription, however, we recommend funding the cost to ensure everyone has access to your event.
User Friendly
Whether you are a seasoned vet when it comes to virtual platforms or are a complete novice, your virtual conference platform should be easy to use.
For both yourself and your audience, having a tricky dashboard that is hard to navigate could be the reason people do not attend your event.
Your platform must be able to direct your audience to your conference without having to go to hundreds of different places.
It should also only require one login for security, otherwise, audience members may become frustrated.
When organizing a series of virtual conferences, your virtual platform should make it simple.
With an easy-to-use scheduling tool, you could organize your events quickly and effectively.
Some platforms may also allow you to select a customizable template that can be emulated across all of your events.
Support
Working with several software providers necessitates being ready for multiple potential vulnerabilities.
It can be challenging to determine just which provider to call when issues develop.
You might even need to get in touch with more than one provider and then plan the simultaneous troubleshooting actions properly if the issue includes data flow between programs.
Being prepared for many potential vulnerabilities is necessary when working with multiple software suppliers.
It can be difficult to decide which supplier to contact when problems arise.
If the problem involves data transmission between programs, you might even need to contact more than one supplier and then correctly organize the simultaneous troubleshooting steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are new to the industry of virtual event platforms then you may find it useful to have some of the most frequently asked questions answered.
Below you can find the answers to some of the most common questions answered regarding virtual event platforms.
What Is A Virtual Event Platform?
A virtual event platform works to allow you to organize events that are similar to in-person conferences online.
Virtual event platforms provide various forms of engagement and interaction between the administrator and the audience.
People can access the virtual event from any device, at any time, anywhere in the world.
In other words, rather than being sat in an office with your team in front of you, you are all in different locations attending a meeting online.
Do I Need A Webcam To Host A Virtual Conference?
It is not necessary in order to take part. However, some attendees may want you to video chat with them, so you may want to have a working webcam and microphone.
How Can I Ask Questions At A Virtual Conference?
Virtual conference platforms offer a range of methods for interaction during the event. This includes:
- Chat features
- Q&A during or after the conference
- 1:1 audio and video chats.
Final Thoughts
You now have everything you need to begin organizing and hosting your virtual conferences!
Whether you require a virtual conference with your small team or wish to hold an industry event for up to 2000 people, there is a virtual conference platform for you.
Check out our top picks of virtual conference platforms and what they have to offer. Make your selection and host your own virtual conferences today!
