The conference is designed for educators, child-serving professionals, administrators, and decision-makers including principals, department heads, and lead teachers. Classroom teachers, counselors, social workers, and school psychologists are welcome to attend. This event will provide an extensive array of insights, strategies, and tools to create trauma-sensitive schools. 

Attendees will gain an understanding of trauma-informed resilience-building strategies, tools, and products, empowering educators to make a positive impact on their students’ lives. Notable speakers Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, former Surgeon General of California, and Dr. Ross Greene, author of “The Explosive Child” and “Lost at School” will be speaking at the event. 

“Using vFairs has streamlined so much of our conference planning – with the ability to have our registration, virtual platform, and in-person conference app all in one place,” says Julie Beem, Executive Director of ATN. “It’s our goal to reach as many educators and others serving children as possible, and vFairs solutions help us to reach farther. This year we’ll be able to showcase more speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors and connect their resources to our attendees.”

The Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference continues its innovative hybrid approach for the third consecutive year. This approach maximizes accessibility and outreach to educators and professionals worldwide. Since 2018, the Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference has equipped over 10,000 educators from across the US and around the world with trauma-informed, resilience-building strategies. These approaches have positively impacted more than 275,000 students, making it a pivotal event in the field of education.

“We are glad that the vFairs hybrid event management platform is helping ATN create trauma-sensitive schools by meeting their specific needs, and providing valuable support for the event.”, said Muhammad Younas, vFairs CEO. 

About Attachment & Trauma Network

Join educators and other child-serving professionals from across the US and around the world at the Largest Gathering of Trauma-Informed in the World. This is the 7th annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference. Attendees can join us in Dallas, Texas, February 18-20 and/or join us Virtually on February 22 & 23.

About vFairs

vFairs is an all-in-one event management platform that powers in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. Our event technology helps companies worldwide host custom, immersive events, and achieve incredible results. The platform features a virtual events platform and mobile app, each offering immersive virtual venues, advanced networking, world-renowned customer service, and many features that help you host unforgettable events.

We have made sure that this list covers the best event management software that has all the necessary tools required to streamline the event planning process for you.

10 Best Event Management Platforms in 2023

1: vFairs: The Ultimate Event Management Platform

vFairs offers a range of solutions for any virtual event type that includes but is not limited to trade shows, conferences, job fairs, open days, benefits fairs, etc. The virtual event software offers a remarkably impressive range of third-party integrations and accessibility features as well. vFairs has also been consistently ranked among the top virtual event platforms by customer reviews on G2 and Capterra.

You can create, promote, manage, and execute an entire virtual event on this one platform. The platform has exceptional networking capabilities and also offers gamification tools that can make your event more fun. Moreover, the platform also offers effective email marketing tools, in-event and post-event reporting dashboards, and a stellar customer service experience. 

Event Registration & Ticketing 

vFairs offers easy-to-use event registration and ticketing solutions for all types of events through an event landing page. You can set up a completely customized event landing page with an online registration form, event agenda, and other details. Attendees can fill out the form and pay through payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, Fatora, etc. The online registration form makes it easier for event hosts to manage attendee data as well.

vFairs also offers ticketing solutions, especially designed for paid events. The online registration form can be set up into various tiers differentiated by add-ons, exclusive content accessibility, and ticket price. Some of its most recent platform updates also allow add-ons like exclusive webinars. Online tickets can be generated and sent through email and you don’t have to do anything manually.

Onsite Check-ins with VenueGear

One of the biggest challenges at any large scale event is handling the long queues of attendees at check-in time. Manually taking attendance or handing out entrance passes can be a cumbersome job and might require man-power as well. vFairs offers a seamless event tech stack that can help you manage onsite check-ins for your hybrid or in-person events.

The vFairs VenueGear offers remarkable feature additions like a custom registrations and ticketing landing page. You will also get access to a custom badge-printing app, badge covers, and lanyards with your event branding. VenueGear is an all-in-one event management offering that can take care of event ticketing, attendee check-in management, and also include a mobile app. You can also add on gamification features like a QR scavenger hunt for engagement management at in-person events.

vFairs Mobile App

The vFairs all-in-one mobile app can make event management and resource distribution among attendees and speakers seamless. If you are looking to attract more attendees you can set up your event on the mobile app as well. It can make the event a lot more accessible and easy to navigate for attendees as well. 

Event attendees can build their own calendar and get access to all resources like brochures, videos, presentations, etc. on their phones. This will also help you reduce your carbon footprint and create a more sustainable and paperless event. The app is also great for including fun gamification features like the QR Scavenger Hunt and easily sharing contact information with others through QR codes.

vFairs Badge Printing Mobile App

vFairs offers an exclusive app for badge printing for in-person events. The app is free to download and can make check-ins completely contactless and easy to manage. You can design custom badges and lanyards ahead of time. Then at check-in all you need to do is enter the attendee or speaker’s credentials and print out the badge.  

vFairs Discover – Event Marketplace

Event marketing and promotions can be easy with the vFairs event marketplace platform called vFairs Discover. You can list your event on the marketplace and promote it through the platform, gather registrations, and collect sponsorships and partners. The vFairs Discover platform can help you market your event to a much larger audience and grow your reach in a hassle-free way.

Listing your event at the marketplace can help you get the attention of event sponsors and exhibitors looking for an event to attend. Events are listed into various categories differentiated by event type, topic, etc. It can be your one go-to place where you and your potential attendees come to look for the events that interest them the most.

Attendee, Speaker & Exhibitor Management

The vFairs platform makes it easy to manage all of the content for your event through useful tools, detailed guides, and hands-on training sessions. The platform facilitates uploading documents directly to booths and event landing pages. You can also help out attendees by uploading all speaker information in the Speaker Hub. It can have attendee bios, their session details, and chat options.

Setting up attendees and exhibitors for the event is easy with training videos, demos, and dedicated support. Easy set-up for booths allows the exhibitors to choose a layout for their booths and upload unlimited downloadable resources. Attendees can log-in online smoothly with log-in support from the vFairs customer service team if any problem arises.   

Easy & Customizable Booth Setup

The vFairs platform offers full control over how you want the exhibit hall to look like. You can choose from templates like scrolling and overhead hall view and add multiple halls based on your requirements. Exhibit halls can also have animated logos, graphics of your choice, custom booth designs, and sponsorship areas for generating revenue.

Inside the booths, the platform offers functionality like chat rooms, downloadable document hosting, outbound link tabs, chat queueing, and meeting scheduler. All these features can make managing a booth easy sailing for booth reps even if they have heavy traffic. The customizable booths allow sponsorship opportunities and exhibitors can set up their booths according to their brand image. The booth setup is fairly easy through the booth setup form that is self-explanatory and easy to fill out. Dedicated project managers can also help you run online booth setup training sessions with booth exhibitors.

Event Marketing

Email marketing can be one of the most effective ways to boost event registrations and get more attendees to log in. vFairs, being a complete event management solution, offers a remarkable email builder for running your event marketing campaigns. You can fully customize your emails, use dynamic elements, and grab attendee attention. The email builder is a simple drag and drop tool that is easy to set up.

You can also integrate the platform with CRM and marketing automation tools to help. Planning pre-event hype emails, registration reminders, and post-event check-ins is easy with the vFairs email marketing tool. You can segregate the email lists and only send a specific email to certain attendees e.g., the ones logged in right now. This is a powerful addition that can streamline event marketing and management for you within the same platform.

In-Depth Event Reports

One of the most crucial benefits of hosting any event is getting access to attendee data and behavior patterns. The vFairs platform takes event reports to a whole new level. The analytics dashboards are available for event organizers and exhibitors. These dashboards show real-time data that can be translated into actionable insights by exhibitors and hosts. Attendee information, number of booth visits, number of logged in attendees, number of webinar views, and number of clicks on an in-booth link are only some of the metrics that you can collect.

Post-event reports are also very easy to extract with the vFairs platform. You can download a consolidated PDF report for the entire event and all the metrics will be graphically displayed. Such numbers and tabulations are a great way to gauge the success of your event. You can easily pick out the star performers of your event and pay close attention to what didn’t work as much as you had hoped.

Webinar Content Management

Webinars are the highlights for many virtual events and the vFairs platform offers an immersive, interactive, and visually-appealing webinar experience. The platform supports live, semi-live, and recorded webinars that attendees can play back as many times as they want. The webinar also includes moderated live Q&A, polls, and quizzes through Slido and Kahoot.

The accessibility features like multilingual support, subtitles and closed captioning, transcription, and sign language support can help you make your webinars accessible for all attendees. Moreover, you can restream all webinars to social media channels simultaneously through the vFairs platform as well.

Customized Features for Each Solution

Not all events are the same and vFairs has customized features that fit the needs of yours. For instance, if you are hosting a job fair, you can set up attendee search, auto-match, and job board functionalities. These can help recruiters and prospective candidates attending the event make the best of the collaborative tools that are available. The attendee search can filter out candidates, the job board makes it easier to find suitable roles, and the auto-match filters out most suitable candidates for you.

The vFairs platform also offers a virtual shopping cart that is a great feature to have for virtual trade shows. Multiple exhibitors can set up a virtual shop within their booths, close deals, and process orders within the platform. Virtual conferences can set up a poster hall that is a dedicated space to showcase presentations and scientific research. Paid events can set up tiers within the platform that allow and restrict access for certain user profiles.

2: Hopin

Hopin promises events that enable real connections with humans through creative event spaces and networking tools. Hopin can help you create engaging virtual events with ease and simplicity whether they are small conferences or events with 10,000 attendees. If you want your event to be simple yet dynamic and powerful enough to engage all audiences at scale, then Hopin might be right for you.

Hopin: Key Features

Hopin has some features that can help you manage your event in a more organized way. Here are some of them.

Customized Event Landing Pages

While Hopin does not offer an immersive 3D virtual environment, it does offer a customized and easy to build landing page for your event. You can build and design the landing pages as you like, adding your organization’s branding or other dynamic elements. 

The landing pages can be a great way to make a good first impression on your attendees and reflect your logo, background, and colors. You can use them to promote your event, talk about your event’s key highlights, and drive registrations. However, most other event management tools also offer the same and this isn’t a stand-out feature.

Live Streaming Management

Hopin allows you to live stream guest speaker sessions, panel discussions, or webinars to a greater audience without the need of any fancy equipment. This can be a great feature to have for hybrid events. The live streaming sessions through the platform can be executed professionally without any production experience. You can also use the same streams to broadcast pre-recorded videos over multiple channels. 

There are tools available to edit the video as it plays. You can add logos, banners, overlays, and a lot more to make it look more professional. The platform also offers a virtual green room that can help you manage guest speakers. Streaming in-person events to various online channels simultaneously is a good feature to have but you might be able to do the same with other event management platforms as well.

Engagement Capabilities

Hopin claims to make your virtual events as engaging and immersive as possible. For that, they have a bunch of networking tools that can help take your event up a notch. Attendees can connect with each other directly through 1:1 meetings or talk to a bigger group through group chats and video calls. The engagement tools empower and enable attendees to personalize their communication channels and make the most of their connections.

However, Hopin lacks more novel engagement tools like matchmaking or spatial connect features that competitors like vFairs have. Moreover, you may be left wanting for more if you’re hosting an in-person event as Hopin doesn’t offer much support.

Fun Integrations

Hopin also allows attendees to connect in fun ways through third-party app integrations. The platform allows you to download well-known apps for photo booths, live quizzes, games, and Q&A sessions. These integrations are easy to incorporate into your virtual event and can level it up.

Pricing

Hopin offers a bunch of different pricing options that you can subscribe to on a monthly or an annual basis. Hopin offers a free plan that enables hosting up to 2 hours long events with up to 100 attendees. However, for longer, bigger, and more dynamic events, you will have to choose one of the paid plans. 

The Starter package costs $99 per month while the Growth package is $799 per month. If you want a completely customized solution with in-person and hybrid event support as well, you can get in touch with their representatives for more information.

Pros & Cons 

Here’s what users have to say about Hopin.

Pros

“The analytics feature is fantastic, allowing you to see in real-time what is going on at the event, as well as analysing data post-event.” – Ollie J., Festival Director

“The platform provides all the different options for different needs – a fully pre-recorded event, a mix of live and recorded videos, multiple live speakers, and so on. I loved how your could configure everything based on what you wanted to get out of it.” – Agnes G., Sr. Product Marketing Specialist

Cons

“The price, I see Hopin as a great solution and platform for higher budget, you pay on a monthly basis and get all the features, it’s well designed but a little expensive when you have many events and clients like us.” – Ouali B., CEO & Founder

“The whole registration and login process turned out to be a mess. Some registrants could not find their confirmation emails and the only way to resend them was to have support send them. A couple people ended up registering again and I had to refund their previous registration.” – Ed T., CEO

“There were several instances in which speakers couldn’t access the backstage of the event, causing stress in the minutes before a virtual event.” – Administrator in Wholesale

3: Cvent

Cvent claims to have got you covered whether you’re hosting a small event or a larger conference with attendees from around the world. It offers diverse and complete solutions for planning and building your event to connecting your audience and executing a dynamic virtual event. If you’re looking for a platform that offers a variety of seamless integrations that will add immense value for attendees and hosts, Cvent might be right for you. It offers great third-party integrations such as CRMs and event marketing tools.

Cvent: Key Features

Registration & Marketing Tools

The Cvent platform offers a single solution for all things related to your event management. There are effective ways that you can promote your event and attract more registrations through email marketing tools and customized website landing pages. You can design your event as you like and drive more traffic through the landing pages. However, you may have to do most of the marketing yourself as there is no event listing platform or added marketing services for most plans.

Moreover, once you have a fair share of leads, you can send payment reminders via email, collect more attendee information, and make sure you don’t lose touch with the attendees. Email marketing strategies like a drip campaign are easier to manage and execute with the Cvent platform. The platform doesn’t offer proprietary email marketing features and it is similar to most competitors who may offer less expensive plans. 

Event Content Management

Content on your virtual event can include resources such as welcome videos, walkthrough videos, presentations, pre-recorded webinars, etc. Cvent can make it simpler to manage all the content that goes onto the platform. You won’t need to download additional supporting software to keep the content up-to-date. Uploading, distributing, and updating content can all be done through the Cvent platform.

You can also manage speakers through the Cvent platform and assign various tasks to them through it. This way, you don’t have to worry about collecting webinar or session content from them and uploading it before the event goes live. You can simply automate speaker task assignment and all speakers will receive a to-do list. But if the speakers somehow miss the list or aren’t tech-savvy enough, you may end up with an even bigger problem.

Exhibitor Management

Managing and checking in with all your exhibitors can be an important and daunting task, especially during live days. The exhibitor management capabilities of Cvent can be of great help as it includes a self-service exhibitor portal. Exhibitors can update and manage their profiles, set up booth tasks, manage booth staff, and get actionable insights through the portal.

It also makes it easier for booth staff to manage their appointments and calendar schedules throughout the day. Exhibitors can download and access leads, get information about licenses, and purchase sponsorships easily. However, you may need to offer extensive training to exhibitors for seamless execution before live days which demands more effort and time.

Pricing

Cvent offers customized plans based on your event’s scale and added features. However, if you want to learn more about how the product works and get details about their solutions, you can request a demo online. The website has a small online form that you can fill out and one of their team members will get in touch with you. There are no set plans or prices mentioned on their website, so this is the best way to extract more information.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“I love that all of our event registration information can be stored in one place that anyone in our team can access. This saves a lot of manpower hours in the pre-planning phase of events.“ – Justina H., Events Director

“I love that the event app offers Live Q&A during sessions instead of having to run around with a microphone not knowing what attendees will say.” – Laura A., Event Manager

Cons

“Some of the technology does not perform as intended. Support is available up to the event but on live days of support in the middle of an event it is hard to get problems solved in a timely fashion.” – User in Media Production

“The reporting for website performance as well as data collection is not intuitive and is very limited. They tried to build custom reports but we still couldn’t get the information we needed.” – Administrator in Marketing & Advertising

4: Eventbrite

Eventbrite is a popular event ticketing platform that offers payment management, tiered packages, complete platform customization and email confirmations and reminders. It can be a good fit for smaller events like a conference or a huge concert. If you are only looking for an exclusive ticketing platform then it doesn’t get better than Eventbrite but you can’t expect a complete event management solution. 

Eventbrite: Key Features

Eventbrite Marketplace

It is easy to create a custom event page with Eventbrite Marketplace. You can design it according to your event and organization branding and the event type and then post it on the Marketplace. This is a great way to get the word out about your event and start selling tickets. 

The Marketplace helps you create recurring events as well so you don’t have to repeat the process every time you’re hosting. Moreover, it is also easy to connect with ticket buyers through email blasts and reminders. However, you can do all of that with a simple built-in email builder and social media ad campaigns without having to list your event anywhere. Some other event marketplaces can also list your event free of charge and get you some more traffic. 

Mobile Functionality

Eventbrite allows attendees to sign up through the web and mobile phone. When a prospective attendee comes across an ad or a promotion about your event on their phone, they should be able to register from the same device. This can somewhat increase ROI by reducing ad bounce rate and make your event more user friendly. Eventbrite also has a mobile app that users can browse through to find the events that interest them.  However, according to some user reviews the app does not offer many customization options and may not meet the need for all users.

Pricing

Since Eventbrite isn’t a full-service event management platform, it can be a bit pricey considering you will need other platforms in association with it. However, if you are more concerned about streamlining ticketing for your event, then an exclusive platform can help. 

The platform may charge you a certain fee per ticket and the ticket price on Eventbrite may be higher than the actual ticket price. Although there are no platform charges per ticket if your event is free. The platform offers three pricing editions: essentials, professional, and premium, along with a free trial. Essentials pricing is 2% + $0.79 per paid ticket and Professional pricing is 3.5% + $1.59 per paid ticket. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

“You can create recurring events, which we’ve found particularly helpful as we don’t need to keep setting up monthly events.” – Administrator in Marketing & Advertising

“There are other ticket portals which we have used but they always seem to be more complicated; we’ve never had to contact Eventbrite support as it’s all self explanatory.” – Ally G., Administrator

Cons

“There is no means to customize the ticket page. The ticket-buying page is confusing for users that are not IT savvy. For example, there is no ‘BUY TICKET’ Button. The page is also littered with so much unnecessary stuff.” – User in Civic and Social Organization

“Please use other platforms that actually value their customers – Eventbrite is not part of that group.” – Agency in Media Production

5: Whova

Whova is one of the leading event management system providers that offers to save time and lets you stay in complete control of your event. The event management capabilities of Whova promise to make the job easy for you with speaker management, in-depth analytics, badges, attendance management, and more valuable features.

If you are looking for a full-circle event management feature set that is easy, fast, and innovative, then Whova can be a good choice. Unlike other event management solutions, you can design, implement, and promote an entire event with just one platform.

Whova: Key Features

Speaker & Content Management

The speaker center from Whova is similar to Cvent for its content management capabilities. You can completely avoid going back and forth with a number of guest speakers trying to set their session up for them. Instead, Whova enables them to directly upload their session details, speaker bios, headshots, and other resource material. This makes the content collection process as streamlined as possible. Although, you can expect to have to put some effort in platform training for speakers.

The Whova platform also offers over 16 ready-made templates for the speaker information page of your event website. You can choose one of these templates and avoid all the manual design implementation and its complications. It is as easy as a copy and paste. But this also means that you won’t have complete customization control.

Live Polls

Knowing how your event is doing in real-time can be a real challenge. With Whova, it isn’t that big of a deal because of live polls and surveys during the event. You can use the available questions and poll templates as a starting point to save even more time. Live polls can help you ask attendees in-session questions and get discussions going. Collection of votes and doing a headcount is also simple and accurate with Whova. 

The live polls and surveys can be answered directly through the event app or even through email. This makes it easier for event attendees to share their thoughts with event management, session hosts, and other attendees.

In-Depth Analytics & Event Reports

The Whova dashboard is a great place to review and strategize your event management with real-time, pre and post event analytics. You can see who is visiting your event pages and interacting with your content before the event. This can point out potential loopholes in your event strategy and give you time to quickly realign your priorities and event promotion strategy.  Post-event event reports can also point out what worked best for your event so you can focus on it for recurring events.

Real-time event data metrics include ticket sales, event attendee check-in status, gamification activities and their results, live polls and surveys, etc. The post event reports are also ready-made that you can download to analyze the success of your event and see how engaged your attendees were. These numbers can be great to have, but how you use them totally depends on you as a host.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“Whova has everything you need for a conference platform – but without the ridiculous price tag! For small organizations, it’s ideal!” – Lauren M., Senior Executive Director

“….their customer service is top-notch. They are extremely accessible, super knowledgeable, and very friendly. We always feel like we are in the best of hands.” – Michelle S., Executive Director

Cons

“A major lack of customization is prevalent throughout the system — this of course leads to its simplicity.” – MJ C., VP Operations

“The technical support is mediocre at best, it’s not the most user-friendly conference app, and they changed pricing after the contract was signed.” – Angela B., Customer Event Coordinator

“Whova’s customer service is lacking greatly. Their Customer Success team is very rigid and inflexible with their wishy-washy terms of service.” – Michael H., Program Manager 

6: Zoom Events

Zoom Events can help you in hosting single and multiple day conferences. However, it lacks some of the more advanced features from competitors like vFairs like customizable exhibitor hall and booths, gamification, advanced networking features, etc. So, it can be great for small scale events if you’re not looking for an all-out virtual event platform.

Zoom Events allows up to 500 registrations on the platform for any virtual conference, which is a far smaller number compared to other competitors. However, if all you are interested in is hosting a small event with immersive webinars, then it is a good choice.

Zoom Events: Key Features

Conference Set Up & Management

Zoom Events can help you design multiple types of events whether they are aimed for a global audience or an internal team. You can use the platform to set up free or paid events with varying tiers.

The platform also facilitates single-day, multiple-days, and recorded event screenings. You can play one session, multiple sessions, and even concurrent sessions and record them for on-demand replays as well. However, as it lacks gamification and networking capabilities, your attendees may end up having webinar fatigue.

Event Builder

The platform offers a simple event builder tool that can help you customize the event’s feel and look. You can change the colors to reflect your company’s branding and set up your own speaker profiles and session information. 

You can also use the event builder tool to create your own sessions and build them out as you want. Managing the content for speaker sessions is easier to upload and distinguish for each session as well. However, the customization options are far less than what you’d get with an all-in-one event management solution.

Event Analytics

The best feature for any event management platform is the analytics dashboard. Here you can use real-time data and actionable insights to figure out how successful your event is. Zoom Events analytics dashboard provides data for attendee engagement, ticket sales, revenue generation, event registrations, etc. It does not include separate dashboards for event admins, host, speakers or exhibitors.

Pricing

The Zoom Events platform is $890 per year for a single license. However, with a Zoom Events license you also get all the benefits and capabilities for a Zoom Webinar license. You will be able to schedule webinars in the Webinar portal of your event, add 1:1 chat option for attendees, and integrate with CRM and marketing automation tools.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“Zoom also allows for breakout room creation which allows different small groups to separately meet, make decisions then join in the main meeting.” – Lina M., Student

“I like the functionality of Zoom, especially the ability for organizers to make participants visible or not, muted or not, access chat features, and engage with the Q&A feature. As an attendee, I enjoy the ‘reactions’ option and breakout rooms.” – Kailey G., CEO

Cons

“There are much better and cheaper solutions, especially for the webinar.” – Hamit D., Digital Marketing Specialist

“I dislike that it consumes so much of my computer resources and freezes randomly.” – User in Higher Education 

7: Hubilo 

Hubilo is one of the top all-in-one event management and hosting software that can help you from creation to execution of your event. Apart from the event hosting functionality of the platform, it also offers basic networking features, marketing tools, custom landing page designs, ticketing management, and event analytics dashboards. Hubilo offers a robust email marketing engine and it can be a good choice if you’re looking for a platform that can help you market your event as well. 

Hubilo: Key Features

Event Landing Page

When you start building your event, the first thing you need is to create a landing page. The Hubilo platform offers custom landing page designs that facilitate event ticketing and registrations. You can customize the page to reflect event branding, add event agenda, information about sessions and speakers, and advertise unique features of the event.

The process is simple and straightforward with the Hubilo Landing Page Builder. You can add custom elements, use forms and add widgets to wow first-time visitors. The Builder allows previews for your landing pages and it is compatible with phones and laptops. However, users have complained that customization options for certain page layouts are limited as compared to competitors.

Registrations & Payments

Hubilo platform facilitates adding on various payment gateways for online ticket sales through the event landing page. You can sell and manage all your ticket sales for paid events or registrations for free events through the same platform. 

The platform offers support for ticket sales in different currencies and also facilitates refunds. You can add multiple tiers to your tickets for restricting and allowing access for webinars or exclusive content for user types and give out discount codes as well. However, users have faced complications while creating discount coupons as the process may not be as simple as it sounds.

Email Marketing Engine

Hubilo’s email marketing tools can help you manage entire event marketing campaigns through this one platform. You can make event attendee lists and send out event invitations or reminder blasts through the email builder. You can target specific attendee groups and send out email notifiers.

There are various email layouts that you can choose from and edit the content as you like. However, some users don’t like that the email builder does not allow you to completely customize the look of your email and has a restricted format.

Pricing

There are three different plans mentioned on the Hubilo website and what they include – Advanced, Pro, and Enterprise. However, there is no pricing mentioned and you will need to connect with their sales team to get more information. The website allows a side-by-side comparison for all three tiers to show what each of them can include. Here is what the table looks like:

Pros & Cons

Pros

“The platform is user-friendly, both backend and front end. On the organizer’s side, we could navigate the options quickly, and everything was straightforward.” – Bryan S., Marketing & Graphics

“The ticketing, the database, the Newsfeed, the agenda page, and especially the gamification features that our clients really appreciated to enhance the delegates engagement throughout their conference.” – Pauline L., Director of Operations

Cons

“Several break out rooms failed because the host could not connect the speaker and his/her slides and/or video.” – Rick V., Principal

“I have to toggle between dashboards to update details of an event. Please keep it all on ONE dashboard for convenience.” – Agency in Environmental Sciences

8: Timely Event Ticketing

Timely event management platform isn’t an all-in-one solution for setting up virtual events but it can help a great deal with managing ticketing and calendar. From creating your event and listing it on Timely to the actual execution, the platform facilitates you at all steps.

You can promote your event using the marketing solutions, organize everything with the calendar tool, and set up attendee registrations and check-ins. This can be a good alternative to solutions that offer ticketing and registrations only but a more holistic event management platform will have more functionality.

Timely Event Ticketing: Key Features

Event Calendar

Timely lets you create a custom event agenda for your attendees which can be accessed through mobile and web. You can also customize it according to your brand image and logo to attract your audience. The event calendar can have single-day, multiple-days, and recurring events and the set up only takes a few minutes.

The event calendar listing can help you manage, share, and monetize your event. The platform allows you to add images, tables, documents, videos, and meeting links to your calendar. You can make a white-label event listing for your website with striking visual design. All you have to do is embed the code in any webpage and the calendar can be a part of your own website as well.

Event Registration Tools

Timely event registration feature set can help you streamline the entire ticketing process for your attendees. You can add value to their experience by choosing the online RSVP feature. It is seamless and easy to manage and might increase your event attendance as well. You can also create custom online registration pages through Timely to match your organization’s branding. The registration page templates are already available and you don’t have a lot of room for customization. 

The Timely Event Registration system can be integrated with your existing website and it will still look professional and native. However, all this will only work if you already have an event website which is an additional steep cost. Many other competitors, like vFairs, offer to create custom landing pages for your event that can have registration forms and agendas.

Event Ticketing Solution

Timely also offers a seamless event ticketing solution that is a self-service portal accessible through web and mobile. Attendees can buy tickets online and pay from them securely through the portal without any hassle. The ticketing solution can also include an online RSVP or check-in service to add more value to your attendees’ experience.

The ticketing solution can be incorporated with the event calendar so any and all leads can be converted to ticket sales. However, all this can get expensive if you’re hosting on another virtual event platform. A more holistic solution that offers a complete event management toolkit along with other hosting features might be a better choice.

Pricing

Timely event management platform claims to offer the lowest charge per ticket sale. They charge 2.5% + US$ 0.90 per ticket sold. They also offer a free event calendar software plan which can be suitable for individuals. However, if you are an SME with multiple events a year, you will need the Premium event management software plan. They offer a free 10-day trial for it but there is no pricing available. You can book a meeting with one of their sales reps to get a personalized plan for your event. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

“I like how user friendly it is to add items to your calendar. The layout and look of calendar is great also.” Kat D.

“I love how flexible this software is! We have events that repeat throughout the year with random breaks and weeks/days off. This software makes event management a breeze.” – Stephen O.

Cons

“I think their biggest downfall is the lack of a knowledgebase on how use certain aspects of the software.” – Vicki L.

“Once we figured out that we ere using the online cloud version and changed our systems, was great but getting there was a hassle.” – Jean Y., Food & Beverages

9: Airmeet

Airmeet is a powerful event management platform offering a range of different solutions. The AirControl solution in particular can help take away all the stress from planning and managing your virtual event. AirControl gives you all the tools necessary to help make your event a great experience for event attendees.

No matter what the size or type of your event is, AirControl gives you the ability to manage all with a single dashboard. So, the solution is tailor-made for larger virtual events as well as small online conferences. The software can assist with everything from event entry to ticketing with immense customization options available every step of the way.

Airmeet: Key Features

Ticketing & Registration 

Event registrations can be one of the most difficult things to manage and you may not be able to do it without a proper ticketing system. Airmeet can help set up event ticketing, online payments, and registration management through the platform. You can easily set up various tiers for paid events and restrict or provide more access to exclusive ticket holders. 

Attendees can buy tickets online and pay through secure gateways without any hassle. You can get access to attendee information such as their names and contact details. This information can be used to send them automated emails and reminders.

CRM Integrations

CRM and email automation tools can be important tools for event management. Airmeet offers easy and quick third-party integrations with your already existing event management tools. You can set everything up within the same platform and avoid the hassle of shifting data from one place to another. 

Airmeet makes the integration process easy and straightforward so your event organizers and managers can take the stress out of the way. Whether you are hosting a small event or a larger one, Airmeet can be a great choice.

Pricing

Airmeet has a bunch of different solutions and you can get your perfect plan by choosing what you need. There is a Pricing page on their official website that mentions a free and three other paid plans.

The Starter plan starts at $500 a month, Professional plan for $1500, and the Enterprise plan usually has a custom quote that you can ask their sales team for. The Airmeet Professional plan is for when you are only looking to host a one-time event and it starts at $5000 with 300 attendees. You can add tools like AirStudio+, AirStudio 3D, and AirControl Hybrid for additional costs depending on your event requirements.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“The platform itself is pretty user-friendly. Airmeet made it possible for our participants to connect in real-time, hopefully leading to new business partnerships and investments. Additionally, support staff was really easy to reach when we had issues.” – Emily C., Program Manager

“Airmeet allowed us a very visually appealing platform for our event and was easy enough to navigate through that it didn’t cause big problems. We were able to engage with attendees effectively in different ways.” – Jeremiah G., Head of Sales

Cons

“There is an unduly lengthy sign-in process for every log-in, which is a huge put-off.” – Abhijit P., Head of Student Affairs

“Airmeet’s conference management features and customer support were both quite bad. We had a number of issues setting up the event and full lack of features for managing tickets / attendees.” – Administrator in Event Services

10: GoTo Webinar

GoTo Webinar is one of the emerging favorites when it comes to event management software. It is an all in one webinar and conference platform with event management services as well. GoTo Webinar also offers an event producer for extensive white-glove and technical support throughout your event. They will handle all the behind-the-scenes technicalities while you focus on your attendees and give them good value for their time.

Whether you are hosting a small event or a big one, GoTo’s remote support, event analytics, and powerful integrations can upscale your event.

GoTo Webinar: Key Features

Email Marketing Automation

GoTo Webinar can also help market your event with its built-in email marketing features and contact list management. You can send out email blasts to all event registrations and manage the responses through the powerful CRM and email automation software integrations. However, users have had issues with the platform’s interface as it may look outdated as compared to other platforms.

Attendee Management

Handling attendees, managing their data, and making sure all of them get what they were promised sounds like too much work. GoTo Webinar can help you with attendee management features like contact card management, event registrations, ticketing support, etc. Tickets can also be purchased online through the event platform. However, GoTo Webinar only accepts payments through Stripe whereas other platforms can give you more options. 

You can have full support in getting the attendees to the event and making sure there are no login issues. However, this is where the platform lags behind some of its competitors. There are minimal interactive and networking features available for attendees. There is no way that attendees can communicate with each other and that leaves a lot to wish for during a virtual event.

Engagement Dashboard

The platform also offers reliable event reports that you can download and view later as well. There is an engagement dashboard that can highlight key in-event analytics such as number of webinar views, etc. You can use these analytics to understand your attendees better and know which mediums are getting you most traffic.

Moreover, the attendee reports can be quite comprehensive so you can analyze behavior and keep them more interested in the event. The analytics facilitate tracking engagement, NPS, performance, and other important metrics.

Pricing

There is a pricing page on their website that offers detailed information about their plans and packages. There are four plans, Lite, Standard, Pro and Enterprise with some basic features and the ability to add-on more as you like. However, a free trial is only available for the Pro feature which makes it the most popular one as well. The pricing of the platform plans are $59 per month for Lite, $129 for Standard, $249 for Pro, and $499 for Enterprise. The prices can be toggled to other currencies like AUD, CAD, GBP, and EUR from the same page which is a convenient add-on.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“One great item that it seems no other platform offers is the ability to give more than one person (panelist or organizer) keyboard and mouse control so that the transition between speakers is nearly seamless.” – Lisa C., Education Manager

“Not only can I ask my registrants custom questions, but I can set up automated follow-up emails, edit my recordings before posting a link, track registrants based on a source code, download multiple types of reports, and I’ve never had a glitch during a live event.” – Christina B., Director Marketing Programs

Cons

“The interface is very challenging both for organizers/panelists and for participants. It is very clunky and not user-friendly.” – User in Hospital & Healthcare

“It takes forever to log on and launch the application, and it is prone to freezing mid-webinar.” – Tony V. 

FAQs

How to choose the right event management software?

Choosing the right event management software can depend on what you are looking to achieve out of the event. So, the first thing that you need to do is figure out your own expectations and requirements. Do some research on the best platforms that offer the solutions that you’re looking for. Then, read up on each of them and weigh their pros and cons keeping your event budget and pricing in mind.

What are the factors to choose the right event management software?

Some must-haves for any event management software are:

• Ticketing solution
• Event landing page
• Email marketing automation tools
• Powerful integrations such as CRM software
• In-depth in-event and post-event reports
• An immersive virtual environment
• Dedicated customer service

How much does an event management software cost?

An event management software can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars monthly. Most event software solutions offer annual licenses.

Designed for a diverse audience, the COP28 Virtual Ocean Pavilion is tailor-made for individuals interested in marine and environmental policy, spanning government, industry, NGOs, and academia. Specifically aimed at those intrigued by the ocean’s role in UNFCCC COP28, the event offers a comprehensive program that includes live events on 22 November, 30 November, 8 December, and 12 December.

Participants will also have access to on-demand content from 22 November 2023 to 12 January 2024. The virtual platform features 12 interactive exhibit booths, a Treasure Trove of ocean-related information, and a complete overview of all COP28 ocean-related events. Additionally, an optional educational quiz and links to on-location interviews with COP28 delegations will provide insights into the ocean’s impact at COP28.

According to Global Ocean Forum’s spokesperson Sarah Davidson, “The COP28 Virtual Ocean Pavilion is a groundbreaking initiative that brings together diverse voices to highlight the ocean’s significance in climate negotiations. Our virtual platform offers accessibility and inclusivity, presenting a unique opportunity for global engagement in the critical conversation about our planet’s future.”

What sets the COP28 Virtual Ocean Pavilion apart is its virtual nature, making it easily accessible to a global audience. As an inclusive initiative, the event stands out for its presence on the exclusion COP28 ocean-related events calendar. The platform offers not only live events but also interactive exhibits, ensuring a dynamic and engaging experience for all participants.

Participants can also look forward to the following exhibits:

About the Virtual Ocean Pavilion

The Virtual Ocean Pavilion is an online platform dedicated to raising the visibility of the ocean and showcasing why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet. It aims to democratize the ocean at COPs and promote unity and inclusivity, whilst increasing knowledge, commitment, and action for the ocean-climate nexus at key events during the UN Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai, UAE, 30 November-12 December 2023. It is also a key tool in increasing transparency and equitable access to climate discussions and information.

About vFairs

vFairs is an all-in-one event management platform that powers in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. Our event technology empowers companies worldwide to host custom, immersive events and achieve incredible results. The platform features a virtual events platform and mobile app, each offering immersive virtual venues, advanced networking, world-renowned customer service, and many features that help you host unforgettable events.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the significance of attendee experience, how it influences booth success, and provide practical strategies for creating an exceptional attendee experience at your booth.

Significance of Attendee Experience at Trade Show Booths

On a recent episode of the EpicEvents podcast with Jim Cermak, the central topic of the discussion was “Booth Flow”.  As a professional trade show trainer and consultant, Jim describes booth flow as the experience and journey attendees go through when they visit a booth, and he believes it’s a critical factor in determining the success of a trade show. 

When someone shows up at your booth, what do they experience? What is the journey that you take them down? This experience, more than anything else, could be the make or break of the success of your participation at the event.

It’s crucial to grasp that attendees are the lifeblood of your booth’s success. Their experience within your booth serves as a pivotal factor that can substantially impact your brand’s reputation and determine your ability to attain your objectives. Let’s delve deeper into why attendee experience holds such significance:

Networking Opportunities

Trade shows are unique hubs for forging connections. They bring together potential customers, partners, and industry peers under one roof. Attendees get the opportunity to connect in person, fostering relationships that can be immensely valuable. An exceptional attendee experience can set the stage for meaningful interactions, helping you establish a network that may lead to future collaborations, partnerships, or sales.

Brand Perception

The impressions attendees form about your brand during their interactions at your booth are a crucial factor in shaping your company’s image. A positive experience leaves a lasting impact, leading to a favorable view of your organization. On the flip side, an uninspiring experience can tarnish your brand’s reputation. Attendees often equate the quality of your booth experience with the overall quality and professionalism of your business.

Lead Generation

One of the primary goals of any trade show booth is to generate leads. Engaged attendees – those who are genuinely interested and excited about what you offer – are more likely to willingly share their contact information. You can then transform this information into valuable leads for your sales and marketing teams to follow up with after the event. An exceptional booth experience can make the difference between passive attendees and proactive leads.

Impact of Attendee Experience on Booth Success

The attendee experience isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a critical component of booth success. A well-crafted experience can lead to increased foot traffic, higher engagement, and better conversion rates. Here’s how you can attract attendees to your booth and offer them an unforgettable experience. 

1. Create an Eye-catching Booth Design

An appealing booth design is your first opportunity to attract attendees. Your trade show booth design is the initial handshake you extend to potential attendees. To make a lasting impression, consider incorporating elements that are visually striking and distinctive.

Unique shapes can set your booth apart from the crowd. While standard rectangular booths are common, experimenting with different shapes—like circular or triangular layouts—can pique curiosity. Bold colors, when used tastefully, can make your booth stand out even from a distance. However, ensure that these colors align with your brand identity and evoke the right emotions.

Attention-grabbing displays are also essential for drawing attendees in. These displays can take various forms, from interactive installations to eye-catching product showcases. They should provide a glimpse of what your brand represents and what attendees can expect to discover within your booth.

2. Incorporate  Compelling Visuals

Visuals are a powerful tool for conveying information and creating an emotional connection with your audience. High-quality graphics, images, and videos can speak volumes about your brand’s value proposition.

Graphics should be well-designed and visually appealing, reflecting your brand’s identity. They should be clear, easy to understand, and consistent in style. Images can tell a story, showcasing your products or services in action and helping attendees visualize their benefits.

Videos can be particularly compelling. Short, engaging videos can communicate complex ideas quickly. They can demonstrate product features, share customer testimonials, or provide a virtual tour at your booth. 

3. Utilizing Lighting and Signage Effectively

Don’t underestimate the power of simple things like lighting, smells, and sounds; they can make your booth unforgettable. Strategic lighting and signage are crucial for guiding attendees’ attention within your booth. According to Jim, “Lighting can create focal points, drawing attendees’ eyes to specific areas or products. For example, spotlighting a new product or a live demonstration can generate intrigue.” It’s essential to strike a balance between highlighting key areas and avoiding excessive brightness, which can be overwhelming.

Clear signage is equally important. Attendees should be able to quickly grasp your booth’s purpose and what you offer. Use concise messaging that conveys your unique selling points. Bullet points or short phrases can be more effective than dense paragraphs. Ensure that signage is positioned at eye level and well-lit for readability.

4. Engaging Attendees Effectively

Engaging attendees effectively is a critical component of enhancing their overall experience at your trade show booth. It involves creating an environment where attendees are not just passive observers but active participants in meaningful interactions. Here’s how you can achieve this and make your booth memorable:

Interactive Activities

Engage your booth visitors with interactive activities that capture their interest and curiosity. These can include product demonstrations, hands-on experiences, or interactive games and quizzes. Interactive activities provide attendees with a reason to spend time at your booth, giving you an opportunity to connect with them on a deeper level.

Knowledgeable and Engaging Booth Staff

Your booth staff plays a pivotal role in attendee engagement. They should be well-trained in your products or services and possess effective communication skills. Approachability, enthusiasm, and a willingness to actively listen to attendees’ needs are other crucial traits. Staff should be ready to answer questions, provide information, and initiate conversations.

Tailoring the Pitch

One-size-fits-all approaches rarely work at trade shows. Instead, tailor your engagement to individual attendees. Start by understanding their needs and pain points. Ask open-ended questions to uncover their specific challenges and goals. Then, customize your pitch to address their unique requirements. This personalized approach makes attendees feel valued and more likely to engage.

5. Body Language, Tone, and Personal Traits

The non-verbal cues exhibited by your booth staff can significantly impact the attendee experience. Encourage your team to maintain open and approachable body language. Smiles, eye contact, and a welcoming posture create an inviting atmosphere. Additionally, tone of voice matters, it should convey confidence and enthusiasm, mirroring the excitement of the event.

Attendees instinctively react to the body language of booth staff. Open and approachable body language signals friendliness, making attendees more comfortable approaching your booth. Train  your booth staff to speak to prospects in a tone that conveys emotions, enthusiasm, and professionalism. It’s an auditory cue that sets the mood for interactions. A confident tone suggests expertise and assurance in your offerings. It reassures attendees that they are dealing with knowledgeable professionals. 

6. Offer Giveaways and Contests

Offering food, giveaways and hosting contests at your trade show booth is a surefire way to elevate the attendee experience. Jim believes food holds a unique power, “food brings back memories and engages attendees on a personal level; it’s a powerful way to connect.” A simple candy bowl can start conversations and attract qualified leads; it’s a fun way to get the conversation started. These tactics serve as powerful magnets, drawing in attendees with the allure of prizes, freebies, and the thrill of competition. Beyond merely attracting booth traffic, giveaways and contests create a sense of excitement and engagement, making attendees feel valued and appreciated. 

These interactions also provide an opportunity to showcase your products or services, gather valuable data, and leave a memorable impression. By strategically structuring these initiatives, you not only enhance the attendee experience but also generate leads and extend your brand’s reach beyond the trade show floor.

The Role of Event Technology

Event technology plays a critical role in elevating the attendee experience at trade show booths. It offers innovative ways to capture and hold attendees’ interest, keeping them engaged and making their interactions with your booth more memorable. 

Engagement Tools

Utilizing event technology, you can implement a variety of engagement tools such as interactive polls, surveys, and live Q&A sessions. These tools encourage active participation from attendees. Interactive polls and surveys enable you to gather valuable insights, while live Q&A sessions facilitate real-time interactions, addressing attendees’ questions and concerns. These tools not only keep attendees engaged but also provide a platform for meaningful conversations and data collection.

Virtual Reality

Incorporating virtual reality experiences at your booth takes attendee engagement to a whole new level. VR can provide immersive product demonstrations or virtual tours, allowing attendees to explore your offerings in a more interactive and engaging way. Whether it’s a 360-degree tour of your services or a hands-on product showcase, VR creates a memorable and impactful experience that sets your booth apart from the rest.

Interactive Touchscreens and Displays

Interactive touchscreens and displays with user-friendly interfaces empower attendees to explore your products or services at their own pace. These interactive tools offer a more personalized and self-guided experience, increasing engagement and information retention. Attendees can navigate through product catalogs, watch informative videos, or access in-depth information about your offerings. By allowing attendees to interact with your content, you empower them to tailor their experience, making it more relevant to their needs and interests. 

Conclusion

The attendee experience at trade show booths is the cornerstone of booth success. By creating an eye-catching booth design, engaging effectively through body language and tone, offering giveaways and contests, and harnessing event technology, you can enhance the attendee experience, leading to stronger connections, higher lead generation, and ultimately, greater success at trade shows. As you plan your next event remember this advice Jim Cermak shared with us, “Attendees are not just visitors; they are potential partners, clients, and advocates for your brand. Treat them to an exceptional experience, and you’ll reap the rewards.”

Watch the complete webcast here: 

However, it’s pretty challenging to figure out which hybrid event platform to choose for your event. When people see across event platform sites, it’s hard to understand precisely what each platform offers and how valuable it can be for your event. This is why we have rounded up the 10 best hybrid event platforms with in-depth analysis to help you make the best choice for your next event.

10 Best Hybrid Event Platforms for 2024

1. vFairs

vFairs is a leading in-person, virtual and hybrid event platform that offers 3D virtual environments, personalized booths, immersive rooms, networking lounges, integrations, custom venues, live help desk and much more! It’s a one-stop solution for all your hybrid event needs. As per the G2 Fall 2022 report, vFairs is the Leader in Mobile Event Apps, Event Marketing, Event Networking and Matchmaking, Event Registration and Ticketing and Virtual Event Platforms! Along with this, vFairs has also been awarded with Best Relationships and Best Usability in the Enterprise market. 

vFairs: Key Features

3D Virtual Environment

vFairs’s virtual 3D environment provides a platform for attendees to exchange opinions and network with the right people. It adds value to hybrid events and offers more than just content streaming capability. Although nothing can fully replace in-person events, with vFairs you can get pretty close. With customized 3D virtual venues, attendees can network, join breakout sessions, participate in activities, and explore products in a fully immersive environment.

vFairs helps you design virtual venues that mirror people’s experiences in person, including a custom virtual venue that looks exactly like the physical venue. In addition, you can create spaces that serve the same functions as what people would be doing in-person. For example, you can create virtual exhibit halls where they can wander and interact with the booths, virtual auditoriums to interact with the presenters and others in the audience. Lounges are also available for networking and connecting with users onsite and online via the virtual platform or mobile app.

Mobile App

An event mobile app is essential when aiming to deliver a seamless event experience. You can use the vFairs mobile app to connect the attendees in virtual and in-person sessions and to form a community. Attendees can share videos, images, thoughts, and experiences.

They can also build profiles with their photos, interests, bio, and thoughts. Profiles can help individuals with similar interests form strong connections. vFairs mobile app also provides features such as questions, polls, and the ability to measure attendee satisfaction, engagement, and return on investment.

In-person Event Management

With vFairs, you can manage your onsite event with ease. Collect event registrations, on-site check-ins, and user management while delivering an unmatchable on-site event experience. vFairs VenueGear offers the perfect set of tools and features to help your audience enjoy a real and lasting on-site event. vFairs VenueGear includes:

• Easy attendee registration and ticketing
• Check-in gear
• Badge printing
• Event App
• Scavenger Hunt
• Photo booths
• Social Media Wall
• On-site support
• Event Reporting

Networking

vFairs help your exhibitors and attendees develop connections and relationships within your event with its user-friendly networking and chat features. A profile search and filter function is beneficial for on-site and virtual attendees as they can easily find anyone they want to talk to. Networking can be done in numerous ways, including;

• Smart Matchmaking

Smart Matchmaking connects event attendees with users based on similar responses. You can get these responses with a questionnaire. You can then be automatically matched with other users whose responses match yours through timed video chats. This gives you the quintessential networking experience. 

• Spatial Connect

Spatial Connect simulates a physical, social experience. You can move around a virtual space as your avatar, turn your camera & mic on/off, switch between theme-specific rooms, and make private conversations with close-quarter audio. You also get access to native reporting, where you can keep track of the time spent by attendees in the Spatial Connect space. 

• Contact Cards

You can share contact information via contact cards, so future correspondence is possible. In the case of in-person attendees, they can share contact information through QR codes. 

• Breakout Rooms

Breakout rooms are small groups designed to help attendees network with one another or discuss a particular subject matter more in-depth. Attendees can enjoy a more personalized virtual event experience with breakout rooms. These rooms help virtual attendees discuss after the session or when a module ends. Each group is assigned a group discussion leader who records conversations, manages the advanced controls, and monitors polls.

• 1:1 Chat

Attendees can interact with exhibitors, fellow attendees, and admin through 1:1 text chats. These private conversations can bridge the virtual and in-person attendees, as in-person attendees can access the virtual event through their mobile phones while onsite. 1:1 Audio and Video chats can be great for interviews, sales discovery calls, and more.

• Group Chat Rooms

Group chat rooms are assigned to each group on the vFairs event. For example, some of you might like a group chat room for all the attendees – in-person and virtual. In addition, visitors at a specific booth can have one for themselves. Hosts can also have themed chat rooms for particular events.

• Ad-hoc Text/ Audio/ Video Chats

Ad hoc chats, be it through text, audio, or video, can be highly beneficial for attendee networking. These chats let attendees set up their chat rooms and start conversations with whomever they invite. This gives them the liberty to have detailed discussions with whomever they want.

• Moderated Q&As

Moderated Q&As offer a great deal of clarity. Attendees can submit their questions to a booth and booth representatives can decide whether they would like to share the answer publicly.

Reporting and Analytics

vFairs virtual events offer in-depth data beyond visitors’ attendance. With detailed, perceptive graphs, virtual event data covers event registration, logins, webinar and exhibit booth traffic, chat metrics, and other engagement data. The data analytics are primarily available within the dashboard of the virtual events platform and you can easily export them. These analytics allow close monitoring of attendees’ behavior and assist with post-event reporting for the organizers.

In-person components of hybrid events are primarily small since large gatherings are not a possibility. Therefore, organizers often center on collecting attendees’ feedback on-site. This helps establish whether the event was satisfactory or exceeded expectations. 

Pricing

You can contact us here if you plan to host your next hybrid event with vFairs. A dedicated project management team will be with you at every step to resolve all your queries. Contact us today!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “vFairs provided a great platform to host a hybrid event with in-person and virtual components. It also bridged the divide so that in-person and virtual attendees could interact.” – Jennifer R. – Communications Consultant.
• “Every aspect of the vFairs platform impressed me. The sleek graphics, the simple build process and the round the clock support from a dedicated Project Manager made the entire process easy to navigate and so enjoyable.” – Leeann M. – Training Co-ordinator
• “vFairs provided us with a hybrid solution that integrated seamlessly with our production team in-person. There were no glitches or issues, and our project manager was there every step of the way to address numerous problems that I had.” – Ryan C. – Marketing & Communications Specialist.
• “We organised a hybrid conference and wanted a visually stunning and user-friendly immersive virtual platform. The final product co-produced with vFairs met our expectations almost completely (80%, if you have to put a number on it).” – Thaura G. – Scientific Officer.

Cons

• “Some of the backend interface is a little clunky, mainly in the exhibitor hall set up, but not prohibitively so! Just in the time we’ve used vFairs, it seems like they’re frequently making improvements to the product.” – Alena A. – Graphic Designer and Marketing Specialist

2. Bizzabo

Bizzabo is a virtual and hybrid event platform. It lets you manage events, connect audiences, engage communities, and generate strong business results. Bizzabo describes itself as a platform that allows you to combine event data in a single location, analyze reports and set up integrations with payment processors. Although Bizzabo offers much, it can be a plus for some but overwhelming for others. 

Bizzabo: Key Features

Mobile App

Bizzabo mobile app, available for Android and iOS, helps you deliver a more personalized event experience. Users can log in from anywhere and at any time. 1:1 meetings, messages, Q&A, chats, polls, etc., are all available with the Bizzabo mobile app. However, users complain about frequent updates, which hinder their experience.

Networking

Bizzabo began as a mobile app with significant features such as networking and social media integration, live polls and audience reaction systems. However, you must set everything up yourself, which can be challenging.

Event Analytics

Bizzabo provides centralized, dashboard-based analytics that highlights event trends. It also gives essential information such as total revenue, ticket sales, conversions, attendee counts, etc. But according to users, the reporting capabilities can be improved. 

Pricing

Bizzabo doesn’t share its pricing model publicly. You need to contact them for a pricing model.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “Bizzabo is easy to use and has helped us convert our on-site events to hybrid events.” Administrator in Computer Software
• “The back end of Bizzabo makes for a very intuitive experience for event planners.” – Marc B. – Marketing Coordinator

Cons

• “The integration with Kaltura is great for virtual events but it also sometimes causes problems that the Bizzabo team isn’t able to fix.” Jaci F – Vice President
• “I would love to see more reporting capabilities or dashboards for attendee data by the custom questions we ask at checkout.” – Candace G – Marketing Event Manager
• “ The interaction between onsite and virtual participants was limited, but I have not found a solution to solve this yet.” – Holly S. – DEI Specialist

3. SpotMe

SpotMe combines all of your hybrid event requirements. You can develop branded experiences across the web and app, as well as live and on-demand. This aids in the production of high-quality events. 

SpotMe’s web and mobile apps allow you to connect with virtual and in-person event participants. You can also use interest-based matchmaking to generate networking opportunities, award the most active members, and develop your community. However, a steep learning curve makes it hard for users to navigate through the platform. 

SpotMe: Key Features

Mobile App

SpotMe offers a mobile app for both iOS and Android.  You can brand your mobile event app from the menu to the icons. This will also help you increase your brand footprint. However, users complain about some drawbacks of the mobile app. For example, there is limited optionality to enhance the existing features within the app.

Networking

With SpotMe, you can use participant matching to help attendees find people they should get to know. Users can have an unlimited number of direct or group chats with other users or start 1:1 or group video calls on the web with up to 20 users. However, since SpotMe is a bit expensive, users tend to look for cheaper options with the same features. 

Integrations

You may integrate CRM and registration platforms using its marketplace and Zapier. All event management, video creation, and app development capabilities are available and you can access them simply from your browser. Although, users complain about frequent updates that can be frustrating. 

Live Captioning

SpotMe interpreting, captioning, and translating tools enable you to communicate with your audience across accessibility and linguistic boundaries. While keeping captioning and interpreting in nearly 20 languages, you can reduce accessibility expenditures for events. Since there’s too much happening, users find it challenging to navigate through this feature. 

Pricing

SpotMe offers four different pricing models:

• Starter (Up to 2 virtual, hybrid or in-person events)
• Business (Up to 5 virtual, hybrid or in-person events)
• Advanced (Up to 25 virtual, hybrid or in-person events)
• Enterprise (Custom plan)

You can reach out to them for additional pricing details. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “They are a great partner to work with and continue to develop their software to cater for the new virtual and hybrid event space.” – Henry H. – Managing Director.
• “It is interactive and easy to use and like the functionality.” – Verified User in Research

Cons

• “The technology isn’t always reliable onsite and the level of expertise varies from SpotMe contact to SpotMe contact. There are often outages and updates that we aren’t aware of ahead of time that end up causing issues onsite.” – Administrator in Professional Training & Coaching.
• “The administrator side is absolutely nauseating to learn, navigate, and manage.” – Megan M. – Industry Marketing Specialist.
• “I would recommend the account management team have much closer contact with us to make us aware of exactly what services you offer.” – Verified User in Pharmaceuticals

4. Hopin

Hopin is among the top-recognized hybrid event platforms. Attendees of a Hopin event can walk freely between different rooms, just like at an actual venue, thanks to the platform’s many interactive zones. In addition, participants can engage with other visitors in its networking area by starting random video conversations with them at predetermined times.

With Hopin, you don’t have to use separate platforms for registration, live streaming, email, and analytics. Hopin works with pre-recorded content, live broadcasts, and RTMP streams, so you can keep things simple or go all out with your video production. However, such bundles sometimes come at a premium; therefore, Hopin is on the pricier side. 

Hopin: Key Features

Networking and Engagement

Hopin offers 1:1 meeting opportunities between attendees and vendors for networking. Attendees feel more engaged due to interactive content, social media walls, and polls. Although the reporting tools for attendee engagement need improvement.

Virtual Experience

A Hopin hybrid event offers a virtual experience that includes webcasting, customizable event lobbies, chat rooms, and exhibit halls. But, the visual templates can look dated and don’t offer immersive networking opportunities.

Mobile App

The Hopin mobile app is available on iOS and Android. It helps streamline video networking, real-time participation and accessibility. The Hopin mobile app makes it easy for in-person and virtual attendees to connect and join sessions in real time. However, there is a learning curve for users. 

Pricing

Hopin offers four different pricing packages that are: 

• Free ($0/month) *they will start charging based on additional users past 100.
• Starter ($99/month)
• Growth ($799/month)
• Advanced Plan (You can contact them for advanced pricing plans)

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “Hopin is definitely worth checking out, as it’s a great platform for hosting virtual/hybrid events.” – User in Education Management
• “The platform provides all the different options for different needs – a fully pre-recorded event, a mix of live and recorded videos, multiple live speakers, and so on.” – Agnes G. – Senior Product Marketing Specialist

Cons

• “The only downfall would be the data reporting side as for hybrid events it is difficult for us to pinpoint which delegates logged in from the physical venue and which delegates remotely.” – Fahmida N. – Event Manager (Online/ Hybrid)
• “It would be really useful if you could develop a check-in in Hopin for hybrid events as well.” – Anita G. – Eventmanager
• “There is a significant learning curve for administrators setting up the platform for an event.” – Nia G. – Program Coordinator

5. Aventri

With Aventri’s event management platform, hundreds of brands can organize exciting virtual, live, and hybrid events that develop global connections. It has features like attendee registration and is user-friendly for event organizers. The ability to create templates out of mundane happenings is Aventri’s most powerful feature. Therefore, you can relax knowing you won’t have to start from zero while organizing a hybrid event.

Aventri’s technology also integrates with third-party tools such as HubSpot, Marketo, and Salesforce. Aventri employs advanced data processing and analytics to help users improve events. It uses tags and hubs to investigate how attendees react and engage at each stage of the process. However, Aventri pricing is on the higher side, so users tend to look out for other reasonable options. 

Aventri: Key Features

Mobile App

Aventri provides a branded mobile app where users can input their preferred content and services, and Aventri will handle the entire production process. It allows Aventri users to connect effortlessly with all guests and attendees. But unfortunately, Aventri is a little expensive, according to users, and there are extra costs for added features. 

Analytics

Aventri employs cutting-edge data processing and analytics to assist users in improving current and future events. You can track metrics that will assist you in demonstrating effect to key stakeholders such as sponsors, exhibitors, management, and others. However, users require technical support to navigate through the reporting tools. 

In-person Event Management

With the help of Aventri’s integrated on-site hardware technology, you can design a secure on-site or hybrid event environment. Using Aventri’s selection of hardware techniques, such as tap n’ go pods, tabletop readers, or mobile devices, you may control and manage attendee flow with guest access to ensure event efficiency.

With the selection of badges available in either plastic or paper card stock that are scannable using NFC or UHF technology, you can also boost guest check-in efficiency and expedite processing. But unfortunately, many features come with an additional price.

Pricing

Aventri pricing is not disclosed publicly. You will have to contact them for a demo and a specific quote for your event. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “It has made the entire event management process easier. It is user-friendly for my guests and very easy for me to see who has registered and their corresponding responses to the registration page.” – Lilly S. – Marketing Analyst.
• “The software itself is easy to use and is pretty much user friendly.” – Rachel B. – Director, Association Project Management

Cons

• “The reporting system is complex. It would be pretty much impossible to maneuver successfully without dedicated support.” – Clayton B. – Associate Digital Marketing Specialist.
• “The price is rather high and there were some extra fees. We had difficulties with payment processing. It was not easy to use with the other systems we already have well established for our business.” – Kaitlyn V. – Partner and sales associate.
• “I feel their website / e-registration module could be improved in both looks and functionality, and I think it’s disappointing a mobile app feature is no longer included with their desktop plan pricing.” – Stephen M. – Communications

6. Cvent

Cvent is well-known for its hybrid conference platform, allowing easy event registration and management. Custom websites, email marketing, a check-in app, virtual and hybrid event solutions, payment tracking, and data analytics are all part of Cvent’s Event Management Platform. 

Cvent assists you in managing each stage of the event lifecycle while offering the data and insights required to maximize your value. You will have a single platform with everything you need. As a result, you can engage your audiences, maximize sponsor value, and collect critical event data whether the event is in-person, virtual, or hybrid. However, one major drawback is the learning curve, making it hard for new users to navigate the software.

Cvent: Key Features

Event Management

Cvent allows you to automate event management duties. To manage invitees and registrations, you can use the built-in address. You can also give stakeholders over 100 standard reports developed on the platform. However, there’s little room for creativity. 

Reporting and Analytics

Cvent generates a report on the entire events’ activity, providing significant information. You can better understand the impact of events, audience engagement, and costs, resulting in improved marketing ROI. But, it can be challenging to navigate through Cvent due to the learning curve.

Cvent Attendee Hub

With Cvent, you can add online and app-based technologies to any event to increase and extend participation. With access to essential event information, participants, and sponsors, Attendee Hub enables in-person and online attendees to construct unique event journeys and keeps them engaged.

Pricing

You need to contact Cvent for a detailed pricing model, as it is not available publicly. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “I love that all of our event registration information can be stored in one place that anyone in our team can access.” – Justina H. – Events Director.
• “The intuitive platform gives out-of-the-box solutions that can be customized to fit your business needs and set you up for success.” – Verified User in Real Estate

Cons

• “As virtual events are gaining more popularity, the software should only enable the workflows based on the event type selected like virtual, physical, or hybrid.” – Jetender V. – Program Manager.
• “If you are a new user, learning how to navigate Cvent and get the most out of it can be an adjustment.” – User in Computer Software.
• “There is a lack of customisation in the tool, which can be improved; the system also faces many outages issues.” – Bharat B. – Assistant Manager

7. EventMobi

EventMobi is a well-known hybrid event platform that provides polls, Q&A sessions, and gamification features. The adaptability of the platform makes it stand out from other options. It also simplifies integrating with well-known platforms like Marketo and Salesforce.

Using the specific solution, event planners may create websites and email invitations, as well as collect registrations and supervise the full online check-in process. EventMobi’s virtual space is a configurable online sector for different conferences, including video-on-demand and live feeds.

EventMobi: Key Features

Mobile App 

With EventMobi, you can give your visitors a customized mobile event app experience that puts content, networking, interaction, and navigation right at their fingertips. With the flexible event application from EventMobi, you can create the ideal atmosphere for events of any scale. However, there is some room for improvement with the attendees’ user interface.

Event Registration

The registration feature of EventMobi gives you access to a robust and integrated backend that allows you to create any registration experience you want. However, the platform is not intuitive on the admin side, according to EventMobi reviews. 

Email Marketing

You may use EventMobi to create invitation lists to segment your email list and invite certain persons. You may also develop unique templates for denied invites and RSVPs and send automatic emails, notifications, and event reminders. But it can be tiring to do everything on your own. 

Pricing

EventMobi offers a custom pricing model for each event. You can contact them through their website for additional pricing details.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “They have wonderful support to help you each step of the way. We are now able to offer hybrid meetings to all of our members” – User in Transportation/Trucking/Railroad.
• “I had a few custom changes that needed to be made and the EventMobi support team took the time to understand the changes needed and had them completed within a few minutes.” – Robert H. – IT Manager

Cons

• “The platform wasn’t very intuitive on the admin or user side. We constantly had attendees calling or emailing who couldn’t navigate the platform” – Kiley C. – Program Coordinator.
• “While the platform itself is excellent, although a few sections can be tedious to edit and enter information.” – Kim T. – Conference Coordinator.
• “We would like to see more advanced features for access controls for certain sessions.” – Emily S. – Conference Manager

8. Hubilo

Hubilo is a hybrid events platform that provides engaging experiences for attendees and assists you in reaching business objectives. Hubilo reviews emphasize the gamification and engagement components that enable event planners to raise audience participation.

Furthermore, Hubilo integrates with prominent payment systems such as Stripe, as well as marketing automation and sales tools such as Salesforce and HubSpot. Attendees can watch and engage in real-time using Hubilo’s event app (available for both iOS and Android). Although the platform is amazing, users cannot altogether avoid feature glitches.

Hubilo: Key Features

Engagement

With the help of interactive chats, reactions, polls, surveys, social media integrations, and other features, Hubilo helps you to boost involvement and give your audiences a chance to express their opinions. You can also encourage attendees to network and attend sessions by encouraging friendly competition and rewarding healthy play. One drawback is that users can only customize within the given framework of the system.

Custom Branding

Using Hubilo’s custom branding feature, event organizers may build an event that matches the appearance and tone of their organization. Sponsor, partner, and exhibitor areas can all have their own branding.

Event Registration

Users can create an event registration page to sell various tickets and receive money. Free, normal, VIP and reduced tickets are among the tickets that users can sell. Hubilo accepts payments through payment systems such as Stripe and Chargebee. However, users complain that tickets lack customization options. 

Pricing

Hubilo offers three pricing plans;

• Advanced:  Ideal for small-scale virtual events with limited attendees.
• Pro: Suitable for mid-sized virtual events or small to mid-sized hybrid events.
• Enterprise: Ideal for mid to large-scale virtual and hybrid events hosted by corporations and event management companies.

You can get in touch with them through their website for detailed pricing. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “The platform is pretty straightforward to use and easy to set up.” – User in Financial Services.
• “The solution is flexible and can be configured based on the requirements of your events.” – Bryan S. – Marketing and Graphics

Cons

• “Ticketing could have been better with more customizable options, sessions also lacking customizable options.” – Victor Y. – Senior Associate
• “No updates or manuals are provided when changes are made to the platform. No updates are given to customers, and they have to log in to be surprised with new features.” – Edger M – CEO – Small-Business
• “Setting up a multiple track agenda is a long process.” – Jackie A. – Director of Events

9. BigMarker

BigMarker’s hybrid events platform allows you to create all of your sessions, presenters, and exhibitors in one location while automatically developing the digital touchpoints required to engage in-person and virtual visitors. 

BigMarker offers 15+ virtual modules, which are essentially independent customizable web pages. They enable you to create your landing page, tickets, main stage, expo booth, and other virtual meeting spaces, making designing your hybrid event enjoyable and easy. Event hosts are invited to combine several modules with building their dream event. However, there are too many additional costs involved.

BigMarker: Key Features

Mobile Event App

Through the event app, participants can participate in live Q&A sessions, Ask-Me-Anythings (AMAs), and upvote questions, providing moderators with a live list of the most popular queries in real-time. However, there is still room for improvement as competitors like vFairs offer much more in terms of event apps. 

Virtual Event

You can share up to 9 webcams and exhibit content inside your virtual events, such as presentations, films, or your entire screen. Attendees can talk, raise their hands, and ask questions. But unfortunately, BigMarker is still commonly recognized as a webinar tool, which means it is somewhat limited compared to other hybrid event platforms.  

Event Management

BigMarker is web-based, so there are no downloads or installations required. You receive your own virtual conference room that you may brand with your company’s logo or theme. You can embed your events on your website to host them directly. However, there are too many options so users might get overwhelmed.

Pricing

BigMarker offers monthly and annual subscriptions. There are three pricing models, including

• Basic: Up to 1,000 Live Attendees
• Enterprise: Up to 10,000 Live Attendees
• Enterprise+: Up to 500,000 Live Attendees

You can contact them on their website for additional pricing details. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “BigMarker is very responsive to user feedback and continually offers new features.” – Patrick F. – Information Technology Manager.
• “What we like most about the platform is that it’s all inclusive and it also makes automated processes such as webinars more customizable without the difficulty of trying to figure out how to use it.” – Eddie C. – CEO

Cons

• “Creating hybrid/virtual events is not in the base license but rather an add-on (that’s too bad), it would be much better for customers to have everything included in a single license without a “buy-up”.” – Ross S. – Owner / Partner.
• “The options are sometimes confusing as you have too many and it might be hard finding the setting that you are looking for.” – Manuel G. – Founder.
• “Could use more native integrations (you need to use Zapier for any other integrations)” – Sunny T. – Founder

10. WebEx (Socio)

Webex Events is a full-service event management platform designed to power virtual, in-person, and hybrid events that improve attendee experiences. Webex Events provides the resources you need to create a successful event, whether it’s a conference, a trade fair, or an internal event. However, Webex users complain about a difficult-to-use interface and in-event polling issues.

WebEx: Key Features

Mobile App

The mobile app is configurable and enables on-the-go access. Mobile attendance can increase participation, but the mobile app leaves much to be desired. Users complain that the experience isn’t as immersive as the web platform and that not all capabilities are available on iOS devices.

Event Customization

Webex allows event organizers to customize their event colors, branding, and layout. The platform offers a few templates and options screens, but the aesthetics have some room for improvement. 

Engagement

Your audience may connect with your brand, your sponsors, and each other at WebEx hybrid events thanks to engagement options like session chat, moderated Q&A, polls, gamification, and video rooms. These, however, are only generic aspects; in terms of engagement, competitors in the market, like vFairs, offer much more.

Check-in and Badge Printing

Webex Events, formerly Socio, streamline your check-in and badge printing process by offering a comprehensive solution for your software, hardware, and on-site support needs. An on-demand or distributed check-in experience is an option. Attendees can check and confirm the information on their badge or use Fast Track Check-in to expedite the process. However, there is much room for improvement as there are very few customization options. 

Pricing

The WebEx pricing is not available publicly. You can request the pricing by contacting them through their website. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “Socio was one of the most user-friendly platforms we demoed when trying to establish a hybrid conference.” – Elisa F. – Executive Director
• “My favorite part is the ability to truly modify the visuals to make it look branded and cohesive to the event you’re creating.” – Michele B. – Customer Experience Manager

Cons

• “As the features expand, the product is starting to push past our budget range.” – Susan H. – Marketing & Digital Design Coordinator
• “On the technical side, customizations can take a long time.” – Jodi H. – Development Director
• “The only downside for me is the cost.” – Joyce S. – Executive Director

Conclusion

Hybrid event is one event, but it can provide two experiences for two distinct audiences. Therefore, you must choose the ideal event platform to make the most of it. vFairs is an all-in-one platform for hybrid events. It lets you create a fun and attractive hybrid event for your audience, complete with polls, live Q&As, live streams, on-demand content, registration pages, and more.

vFairs is an excellent choice for people who want an efficient tool to help them build their hybrid event from start to finish. Contact us right away to begin your free trial.

FAQs

What Are Hybrid Event Platforms and Features?

The goal of a hybrid events platform is to let you use the advantages of both online and in-person event planning. Its primary objective is to unite live and virtual audiences and provide them with the same level of participation as if they were in the same room. 

What Is the Difference Between In-person, Virtual and Hybrid Events?

In-person events require all the attendees to be present in a physical location at the time of the event, virtual events are those in which everyone attends online, and hybrid events combine the two, where some people participate in person and others attend online.

How Do Hybrid Events Work?

Hybrid events are, quite simply, a mix of live and virtual events. You take your live event, complete with an audience, content, and more, and add a virtual component so your audience can participate and engage with your event, no matter where they are.

Are Hybrid Events Cheaper?

While they are typically more expensive than in-person events, there are also many ways event planners can save money with a hybrid event and see a higher event ROI. Let the audience and event goals be your guide when it comes to hybrid event budgets.

Which Is the Best Hybrid Events Platform?

Although there are many hybrid event platforms in the market, vFairs is a leading all-in-one solution with a 4.7/5 rating on G2. vFairs offer an integrated and seamless event experience for your in-person, remote and on-the-go attendees with a powerful hybrid events platform. So whether you want to host a hybrid conference, workshop or meeting, you can deliver a positive user experience for all your attendees with a feature-rich solution.

What Are the Top Challenges of Hybrid Events?

One of the main challenges of hybrid events is to keep both the attendees, virtual and in-person, equally engaged and have them enjoy a similar experience. Therefore, choosing the right on-site venue and deciding upon a high-value adding virtual events platform is a great challenge.

What Technology is Needed for a Hybrid Meeting?

The first and foremost technology essential is a virtual platform where you can host the feed live. For production, high-quality cameras, lighting, and microphones are essential. The production team directs a live feed through the control room or A/V equipment for live streaming. 

Event organizers have to consider all the available options and choose the solution that best suits them. Pricing and available features are important considerations for picking the right platform. If you have decided to host a virtual trade show and are looking for suitable virtual event platforms, here are some of the best options.

10 Best Virtual Trade Show Platforms in 2023

1. vFairs – 2023’s Best Virtual Trade Show Platform

vFairs is one of the best virtual event platforms and offers multiple solutions and event types. Whether you are looking for a platform for a trade show, a job fair, networking events, and conferences, it has what you need. You can use the platform to create immersive event lobbies with great networking features like chat rooms, roundtables, and smart matchmaking. In addition, the platform is one of the few that offers excellent solutions for hybrid and virtual events. 

According to the G2 Fall 2023 report, vFairs has been awarded as the Leader in the Virtual Event Platforms category! Speaking specifically about virtual trade shows, vFairs offers fantastic layouts for exhibit halls that make up for an immersive experience. vFairs virtual trade shows are the best way for businesses to meet potential customers. 

vFairs: Key Features

Interactive Exhibit Booths

The exhibit hall is the most critical area of any virtual trade show, as this is where most customer interactions happen. vFairs offers different styles for exhibit halls and booths that exhibitors can choose to showcase their services and products. The platform allows customers to look through product catalogs and place their orders within the booth. In addition, they can engage with potential customers, link to their website pages, and collect business cards from potential customers.

Attendee Engagement Tools

vFairs offers attendee engagement tools that ensure businesses get the most out of their exhibit booths. For example, exhibitors can connect with customers through voice, video, and text chat options. In addition, gamification tools like scavenger hunts, trivia quizzes, and leaderboards can boost attendee engagement. 

Personalization

The platform offers an excellent level of personalization for each event. From the main lobby to each exhibit hall booth layout, event organizers get to choose what they want. Moreover, you can add different features to your event halls, welcome videos, custom-designed 3D event lobbies, and gamification tools.

Live and Semi-Live Events

Event organizers can host various live and semi-live keynote speaker events and Q&A sessions. As a result, they can increase event attendance and engagement and keep everyone informed of the latest event happenings.

Live Reporting Tools

vFairs offers event data that gets updated in real-time. For example, event organizers can see how many online attendees and exhibitors, the total number of logins and registrations, attendee activity, etc. 

Attendee Search Filter

vFairs lets exhibitors and event hosts search for relevant attendees with the attendee search tool. Attendees can look through relevant keywords such as company name, attendee name, email, or designation, and exhibitors can quickly find a list of attendees to network with.    

Mobile Event App

The highly engaging vFairs mobile event app is available for Android and iOS devices. The mobile app gives users access to the same event features – but it happens on the go. Event attendees can join webinars, visit vendor booths, and interact with media through the app.

User Journey

The backend of the vFairs platform offers excellent features and event organizers can log in as an admin to explore them. The User Journey helps organizers track user behavior throughout the virtual trade show. For example, admins can search for an attendee profile, check out their number of log-ins and the booths they visited, and follow their tracks. 

Pricing

You can get a custom quote by scheduling a detailed demo with one of vFairs’s experts. You can contact vFairs here.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “The best part of the vFairs platform is the combination of access to DIY controls and partnering with a Project Manager for personalized assistance. We had both helping hands to guide us along, and the ability to make edits on the fly.” – Jennifer R. – Communications Consultant
• “vFairs was the best fit for our annual trade show/expo. We reviewed several platforms, and nothing else could provide this fantastic presentation and experience.” – Norma M. – National Event Manager
• “Swag bags are a great idea for downloadable material.” – Ben T. – Director
• “Setting up and designing booths for a virtual trade fair. It was quite a great activity and the outcome was awesome. The booths looked very real and beautiful” – Angele M. – UI/UX Design for OER platforms

Cons

• “Uploading images to booths was a little glitchy in some cases.” – Ben T. – Director

2. Brella

Brella is an option for businesses that want to develop a personal connection with their potential customers. Virtual trade shows are about networking with potential customers and sealing the deal. Brella has some networking tools and virtual event features that can help bring businesses and customers together. However, the networking features aren’t the most immersive compared to other event platforms like vFairs.

Brella: Key Features

Virtual Booths

Brella provides a virtual booth that exhibitors and sponsors can use to collect leads, display their brand and engage prospects. They can also use multimedia content interactive integration features like polls, chats, etc. Virtual booths are customizable with PDFs, Google slides, videos, quizzes etc. However, the Brella virtual booths lack the 3D virtual component. 

1:1 Meetings

The virtual event platform offers solutions for AI-powered matchmaking and the ability to create 1:1 meetings between attendees and exhibitors. As a result, vendors can filter attendees by their buying intent and network with those interested in their products. In addition, the 1:1 meetings can bring potential buyers and business reps a step closer to closing the deal. The platform, however, doesn’t offer much for the natural following stages of customer acquisition. 

Online Marketplace

Brella offers an online marketplace to event organizers to drive more revenue, boost ROI, and engage event attendees. The microsites are optimized for conversion but lack the personality of a 3D virtual environment.

Schedule Meetings

The virtual trade show platform allows attendees and vendors to schedule meetings through a meeting board. Exhibitors can schedule one-on-ones with qualified leads without any back and forth with the meeting scheduler. It automatically highlights and finds mutually available times for easy scheduling. While it can make event attendees’ and organizers’ lives easier, it isn’t a unique feature.

Space for Sponsors

Sponsors are essential stakeholders for any event, virtual or otherwise. Brella allows event organizers to book space for virtual trade show sponsors within the event. They can also host sponsor events to drive attendee engagement and traffic to their booths.

Pricing

Brella offers a custom pricing model that you can find out by contacting them directly. 

Pros & Cons

Here’s what users had to say about Brella:

Pros

• “It is easy to set up and only takes a couple of days.” – Kristoffer L. – CEO
• “Brella is a one-of-a-kind tool to enable networking in your events among the attendees.” – Nivas R. – City Leader – Chennai & Bangalore

Cons

• “It is an exceptional platform, but it lacks intuition and sometimes its use tends to be frustrating, adding that it does not contain a free system to get to know it a little and be sure that you want to buy it.” – Amelia g. – Senior Software Engineering
• “I wish there were more customizable features, especially on the home screen. It would also be great to be able to send out custom emails within the platform.” – Heather T. – Project Assistant
• “The interface is only in English and that a sponsor needs to have “root access” in order to modify their booth.” – Bea J. – Tarugoconf manager

3. Webex

Webex is a virtual event platform that offers end-to-end functionality and support for event organizers. The virtual event platform provides support throughout the event for hosts, event attendees, event marketers, and exhibitors. Webex supports live and on-demand streaming and offers some third-party integrations as well. However, Webex users report issues with in-event polls and a difficult-to-use interface.

Webex: Key Features

Event Communities

Event organizers can bring like-minded attendees together through event communities. The communities can have exclusive content that drives discourse, boost topic-based discussions, and keep the audience engaged. However, there are limited ways to join communities, and recording the meetings for later use is also tricky.

Mobile App

The fully customizable mobile app allows attendees to log in to the event on their mobile devices. The mobile app is intuitive and provides access to all resources on the go. Mobile attendance can boost engagement, but the mobile app leaves much to be wanted. Users say that the experience isn’t as immersive as the web platform and all functions aren’t available on iOS devices.

Event Customization

Webex allows event organizers to customize their event colors, branding, and layout. The platform offers a few templates and options screens, but the aesthetics have room for improvement. 

Engagement & Networking

Participants can communicate ideas, opinions, and resources during WebEx trade shows to boost event engagement. You can also provide your participants with a social feed that serves as the event’s unique personal social media platform and allows them to post images, exchange comments, and participate in conversation threads. 

There are additional native tools like session chat, Q&A, polling, etc. Users complain, however, that the networking capabilities are not configurable because they are unable to eliminate particular aspects based on the audience’s individuality.

Pricing

The WebEx pricing is not available publicly. You can request the pricing by contacting them through their website. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “My favorite part is the ability to truly modify the visuals to make it look branded and cohesive to the event you’re creating.” – Michele B. – Customer Experience Manager
• “It’s truly amazing how interactive this platform is for the participants.” – Haylie T. – Learning and Development Coordinator

Cons

• “As the features expand, the product is starting to push past our budget range.” – Susan H. – Marketing & Digital Design Coordinator
• “On the technical side, customizations can take a long time.” – Jodi H. – Development Director
• “Our company is currently using the WebEx events app for our trade show. The mapping feature is not my favorite for the trade show booths. You have to upload the floorplan and make each booth a zone.” – Administrator in Transportation/Trucking/Railroad

4. HexaFair

HexaFair is another virtual event platform that offers networking and integration tools for hosting virtual trade shows. Unfortunately, the platform doesn’t provide many exhibitors who want to arrange live demos with the attendees. However, chat options and the attendee directory feature can help with networking. 

HexaFair: Key Features

Pre-Recorded Demos and Sessions

The platform doesn’t offer support for live demos within booths, but exhibitors can record their sessions for the attendees. When an attendee visits a booth, they can watch the pre-recorded video and then leave any questions they may have about it. Attendees can also leave their business cards for further discussion.

Teleport Navigation 

The Teleport navigation tool can get attendees to a particular booth without having to scroll through it all. While this can improve the attendee experience, it reduces their chances of finding something valuable that they weren’t looking for in the first place. 

Lead Management

With HexaFair, exhibitors may control all booth activity, particularly booth leads. You can scale your events easily on the go for better booth sales & audience participation. You can also make a list of the things exhibitors need to do in order to finish their onboarding and responsibilities. However, as per user reviews, there is not much scope for booth customizations.

1:1 Meetings

One of the benefits of holding a virtual trade show with HexaFair is that buyers may arrange one-on-one encounters with sellers. The integrated meeting calendar enables more efficient scheduling and fruitful interactions. However, this is not a unique feature as many competitors offer it. 

Pricing 

HexaFair offers three different pricing models:

• Starter ($249 USD per month): For small engaging events, fairs, training sessions
• Business ($699 USD per month): For events and fairs with interactive booths
• Pro: For large virtual and hybrid conferences, events and tradeshows.

You can reach out to HexaFair team for more pricing details.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “The platform is very easy to set up.” – Rekha N. – Content Specialist | Video Creator | Designer
• “Excellent customer and technical support from HexaFair team.” – Refiloe M. – Editor

Cons

• “The user interface and user experience still has room for improvement.” – Zauriel T. – Organizing Team
• “It wasn’t compatible with many devices which it must considerating the natural use case of the software.” – Mayank A. – Co-ordinator
• “No Facebook or Youtube Live Streams can be embedded.” – Martin S. – Managing Director

5. SpotMe

SpotMe offers solutions for small-scale events like webinars or elaborate events like virtual trade shows. The virtual event platform offers customization of your event through presets and templates. You can add logos and brand colors, but a custom design is where it could get complicated for some users. 

SpotMe: Key Features

Engagement Tools

The platform offers some basic exhibitor and attendee engagement tools like Q&A sessions, polls, and other networking tools. The attendees can visit different booths, tune in to live webinars and network with the brands they’re most interested in. Adding more advanced immersive engagement tools can add value to the platform.

Event Builder

The event builder tool can help event organizers build the entire event from the platform’s backend. It offers complete customization of colors, branding space for hosts and sponsors, and templates for designs and layouts. However, the need for a dedicated project manager can make navigating the backend challenging.

Mobile-Friendly

SpotMe offers mobile-friendly events; attendees can also tune in through their mobile devices with an app. This can increase engagement, more logins, and boost reach to a more significant number of people. Building a fully customizable and white-labeled event app can be a costly solution, though. 

Pricing

SpotMe offers four different pricing models:

• Starter (Up to 2 virtual, hybrid or in-person events)
• Business (Up to 5 virtual, hybrid or in-person events)
• Advanced (Up to 25 virtual, hybrid or in-person events)
• Enterprise (Custom plan)

You can reach out to them for additional pricing details. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “The staff were incredibly helpful and would always work to implement requests.” – Agency in Medical Practice
• “SpotMe is dedicated to hosting great interactive events.” – Henry H. – Managing Director

Cons

• “The administrator side is absolutely nauseating to learn, navigate, and manage.” –  Megan M. – Industry Marketing Specialist.
• “I think customization could be more user-led, sometimes I think that the back and forth with the designer could be streamlined if users were allowed to make changes/upload information themselves.” – Administrator in Think Tanks
• “I would recommend the account management team have much closer contact with us to make us aware of exactly what services you offer.” – Verified User in Pharmaceuticals

6. Accelevents

Accelevents offers a range of networking tools and third-party integrations to help event organizers arrange a virtual trade show. The attendees can interact with exhibitors through text and video chat options, leave their business cards at booths, and download available content. In addition, exhibitors can post demos, link to their websites, and customize their booths. 

Accelevents: Key Features

Live Streaming

This virtual event platform has live-streaming capabilities. Exhibitors and event hosts can live-stream welcome videos and demos, make important announcements, host live talks, and conduct webinars. The platform, however, can be glitchy at times and users have had issues with studio and speaker features.

In-Event Integrations

The platform offers third-party integrations like CRM, social media channels, email marketing tools, live streaming tools, etc., to enhance capabilities. 

Live Polls

Accelevents also offers a live poll within the virtual event platform to gauge attendee engagement and boost participation. The in-event polls can also help keynote speakers, event organizers, and exhibitors. However, some users have reported needing help with post-event poll and survey data management because of duplicate entries. 

Networking

For attendees, Accelevents also provides networking opportunities, enhancing the experience. With the use of a dedicated live stream, promotional movies, downloadable materials, and 1:1 conversation, you can engage participants directly in your booth and turn them into prospective customers. Although networking is an advantage, the Accelevents learning curve is steep if you have not used this kind of software before. 

Pricing

Accelevents offers four different pricing models;

• Starter: $500/event
• Professional: $5,000/event
• Scale: $125/month
• Enterprise: $1,250/month

You can contact them for additional pricing details. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “There are opportunities to customize just about every part of the experience to make it 100% your event.” – Mary-Beth S. – Virtual Assistant
• “We’ve felt great support from everyone at Accelevents.” – Andrew E – CMO

Cons

• “The mobile app could use some more of the features that the desktop version has.” Rich B. – Owner, Host
• “We have the Enterprise level plan, so you do get a dedicated resource for initial training and to get you started, but after that you are pretty much on your own to figure things out.” – Nick B. – Director of Marketing Strategy
• “The learning curve is steep if you have not used this kind of software before.” – Bruce L. – Vice President-Publisher

7. Whova

Whova markets its virtual expos and trade shows as its top solution and might not be the best choice for all your events. Event organizers can control the layout and design of the event with customizable booths, event colors, and branding. In addition, it offers some essential event marketing tools and an online registration feature. However, they don’t offer chat moderation tools or dedicated tech support.

Whova: Key Features 

Custom Digital Booths

The custom digital booths provided by Whova showcase sponsors and exhibitors. Attendees can discover more about companies by reading the content displayed in each booth. However, Whova interface is a bit outdated and it doesn’t offer a 3D virtual booth like vFairs.

Engagement Tools

Whova offers audience engagement tools so that the attendees are present and participating. For example, your event can have live Q&A sessions with speakers, in-event polls, social media walls, and other gamification elements. However, the leaderboard can sometimes create unnecessary notifications.

Community Board

The virtual event platform also offers a community board that boosts discussions. The attendees can use this board to chat with each other and discuss mutual interest topics for effective networking. But unfortunately, the community board can generate a lot of push notifications for new posts and user activity which can get annoying.

Event Analytics

Event analytics tools can offer insights for event organizers. Following what the analytics show, organizers can make future virtual trade shows even better. The analytics can be complicated and the platform doesn’t offer a dedicated project manager like vFairs to help you out. 

Pricing

The Whova pricing depends on various factors like event type, size and features required etc. You can contact them on their website for a quote.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “Easy to trackdown and message attendees before, during and after the event – easy to keep track of the daily agenda.” – Marc B. – Research Analyst
• “Whova is incredibly intuitive and easy to use.” – Michelle S. – Executive Director

Cons

• “The interface feels a little outdated, and I couldn’t send notifications from my iPad or iPhone.” – Linden T. – Executive Director
• “The feature to scan business cards does not work so well.” – Ivette M. – Attorney-at-Law
• “Does not seem too friendly for the consumer as a user, only for the administrators. The app lacked basic functions like a quick sign-up for events.” – Luis P. – eCommerce Lead

8. 6Connex

6Connex is an event platform for hybrid, virtual, and in-person events. 6Connex is a quick solution for hosting virtual trade shows that don’t involve a lot of technicalities. It is a simple virtual event platform that covers the basics and may not have everything you want.

6Connex: Key Features

Gamification

The platform’s leaderboard feature allows event hosts to boost attendee engagement. Each activity, like a login, attending a webinar, or visiting a booth, warrants points. In addition, platforms like vFairs offer various gamification tools to create a more immersive experience for attendees.

Branded Exhibit Booths

The virtual event platform has a virtual environment where the attendees can visit different booths. The exhibit booths are customizable, and exhibitors can brand them however they want. In addition, improvements in the interface can make the attendees feel like they’re roaming around an actual exhibit hall. 

Networking

The event platform also offers some networking tools for attendees and exhibitors. The primary purpose of a virtual trade show is to enable attendee and exhibitor interactions. However, the platform does not offer video interactions or video discussion rooms. Exhibitors can only text potential clients.

Pricing

6Connex pricing model is as follows:

• Launch Eventory – Starting at $3,000.00 with one-time purchase
• Launch Immersive – Starting at $12,500.00 with one-time purchase
• Rise – 1 License Per Year
• Soar – 5 License Per Year

You can contact them on their website for advanced pricing. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “The dedicated 6Connex contact was so helpful and always on hand for any queries.” – Stacey J. – Event Manager
• “The ability to customize the environment is great.” – Grace G. – Sr. Manager of Global Benefits Strategy, Experience, & Delivery

Cons

• “The platform is not responsive across variable screen sizes.” – Lilian M. – Consulting Work
• “It is on the higher end of cost for virtual platforms, especially if you are only planning to utilize the platform for one event during your annual subscription.” – Administrator in Philanthropy
• “The back end of the system is a bit bulky with multiple layers, but once you navigate a bit and get familiar, it is intuitive. It can be a lot to absorb initially for new users.” – Scott C. – Manager, Digital Support

9. Hopin

Hopin can help you set up a virtual trade show with vendors, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees. The virtual event platform supports various third-party integrations and RTMP streams, and you can also set up pre-recorded videos and demos. However, their packages can be on the pricier side.

Hopin: Key Features 

Email Marketing Tools

The virtual event platform can also help event organizers market their virtual trade shows. The built-in email marketing tool allows you to customize and send out emails. In addition, you can automate and schedule emails whenever you want. Unfortunately, the tool has to be set up from the backend, which can be challenging to figure out independently. 

Virtual Experience

A Hopin virtual trade show can have a virtual experience that includes webcasting, customizable event lobbies, chat rooms, and exhibit halls. However, the visual templates can look dated and don’t offer immersive networking opportunities.

Attendee Engagement

It offers 1:1 meeting opportunities between attendees and vendors for networking. Attendees feel more engaged due to interactive content, social media walls, and polls. However, you can improve the reporting tools for attendee engagement. 

Pricing

Hopin offers four different pricing packages that are: 

• Free ($0/month) *they will start charging based on additional users past 100.
• Starter ($99/month)
• Growth ($799/month)
• Advanced Plan (You can contact them for advanced pricing plans) 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “The platform provides all the different options for different needs – a fully pre-recorded event, a mix of live and recorded videos, multiple live speakers, and so on.” – Agnes G. – Senior Product Marketing Specialist
• “I like the platform and the way people can navigate around the different virtual areas.” Nat O. – Co Production and Engagement lead

Cons

• “The Salesforce integration has been SUCH A PAIN. It doesn’t work and our admin is having to do manual uploading.” – Anna C.
• “There is a significant learning curve for administrators setting up the platform for an event.” – Nia G. – Program Coordinator
• “One of the downsides is the fact you are limited to your attendee numbers.” – Katie J. – VP of Operations

10. ON24

ON24 is built with marketers in mind and offers event marketing tools. However, they focus more on providing conference and webinar solutions than trade shows. Here are some event features, engagement tools, and integrations it offers. 

ON24: Key Features

Engagement Features

The virtual event platform allows your virtual trade show customization and you can design as you like. Once event organizers get their way around the complicated user interface, they can add tools like live polls, live Q&A sessions, gamification features, and surveys. 

Generating Leads

The virtual event platform offers tools within your virtual trade show to get you leads. For example, the booths can have customizable buttons that allow attendees to request demos, start a chat, or book meetings.

Virtual Lobby

The virtual event platform allows event organizers to design and build a customizable virtual lobby. So, you can design an event lobby that sets your event apart from others and allows for a more immersive experience. However, as the platform doesn’t offer a fully responsible and dedicated project manager, it can be hard to navigate through technical difficulties. 

Pricing

You can request a quote by contacting ON24 on their website. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “It is very user-friendly and easy to navigate.” – Antonio L. – Customer Training Manager
• “From a technical standpoint, ON24 is smooth to operate even for beginners.” – Guillaume D. – Marketing Manager

Cons

• “It does not give enough flexibility to customize and sometimes goes down.” – Aditya C – Customer Success Manager
• “ON24 is great, and as a whole we don’t have issues, but we do struggle with some of the reporting features.” – Sydney S – Content Developer
• “Support is really slow to respond.” – Verified User in Information Technology and Services

Summing Up

The above list of virtual trade show platforms can help narrow your search for the best platform for your next event. Make sure you read reviews, note down your requirements, and review the available features on these platforms. An informed decision is usually the right decision so make sure you do your research.

vFairs is an all-in-one solution for a virtual trade show. It offers stunning 3D designs along with custom layouts for branded booths. You can join in anywhere through the mobile app. Lastly, live chat tools, 1:1 text, audio and video chat ensure maximum interaction between visitors and exhibitors. Contact us today to start planning your next virtual trade show!

FAQs

How Do Virtual Trade Shows Work?

Virtual trade shows have interactive features like live chat, chat rooms, one-on-one or group video calls, Q&A, live or on-demand webinars, webcasts, lucky draws, and more that allow exhibitors and attendees to talk to each other directly.

How Do You Plan a Virtual Trade Show?

The primary step in planning a virtual trade show is finding the appropriate event software to help you achieve your objectives and maintain open lines of communication with exhibitors. You may create a virtual trade show with increased accessibility for attendees that feeds the sales pipeline for yourself and exhibitors using a virtual trade show platform.

What Are the Advantages of a Virtual Trade Show?

Virtual trade shows are highly beneficial since they are accessible from anywhere, at any time, and there is no need for costly rental or travel expenditures. Furthermore, virtual trade shows allow you to access more prospective clients than traditional trade shows.

What Are the Disadvantages of a Virtual Trade Show?

One disadvantage to a virtual trade show is that they are not very personal. You don’t get the one-on-one interaction with potential customers that you do at in-person trade shows where you get to speak to each interested person.

Why is a Platform Required to Host a Virtual Trade Show?

A virtual trade show platform can be incredibly advantageous to businesses in various ways. For starters, it can assist companies in scaling their events by exposing them to a global audience. It also increases the visibility of their products and services. Lastly, it can give firms helpful marketing resources and assistance in tracking and measuring the success of their events.

In recent research, it was found that over eighty-eight percent of event profs hosted one virtual event in 2021. Over twenty-eight percent of event profs hosted over ten virtual events in the same year. And although it has now become safer to host in-person events, the survey found that over ninety-five percent of event profs will continue hosting virtual events as part of their event strategy.

Virtual conferencing is the most cost-effective and interactive way to network and connect with the target audience when combined with professional event organizers. Gladly, with the demand for virtual and hybrid events, many virtual event platforms have taken tasks on their shoulders.

Best Virtual Conference Platforms To Look Out For in 2023

Following are the best virtual conference platforms that offer a mesmerizing online environment for your audience and help with knowledge sharing and unlimited networking opportunities. 

1. vFairs: Best Virtual Conference Platform

If you are even slightly familiar with the virtual conference and management world, you must have heard about vFairs. vFairs is a leading virtual and hybrid events platform around the globe.

The company offers a wide range of event management solutions. The platform has maintained a 4.7/5 star rating with over 12,500 reviews from its satisfied customers. vFairs is one of the most successful virtual conference platforms out there. Virtual conferences with vFairs allow attendees from around the globe to connect with each other and maximize knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities.

Advanced Virtual Conference Features by vFairs

Organizing and executing a virtual event is not an easy game to play. However, finding the best virtual conference platforms for your events can tone down the hurdles.

The exceptional team of professionals at vFairs not only offers 24/7 customer service but with dedicated project managers, all the event duties are under control. 

With vFairs virtual conference solution, you can provide attendees and sponsors a platform to share new ideas and spark interesting conversations. The platform offers unlimited advanced networking features with its virtual conference solution, which helps reach a greater audience without having to travel. 

From featuring intuitive 3D virtual venues to virtual exhibit booths, content-sharing features, networking features, and much more, vFairs is filling up its customers with endless advanced event features!

To help you further understand how vFairs works, here are a few of the virtual event platform’s key features. 

Dynamic Virtual Environment

In order to grab a diverse audience for your virtual conference you have to make sure that the virtual environment that you offer has the power to appeal to the audience. The more attractive and interactive your virtual environment is the higher your engagement and registration rate will be at your event. 

The easy way to accomplish this mission is by partnering with the best virtual conference platforms like vFairs. vFairs not only offers a dynamic environment but offers the right sort of virtual environment designs to capture your attendee’s attention. 

The popular online virtual platform offers the best virtual environment with its animated 3D lobby. You can keep your attendees super engaged by replicating real-life venues in the digital world. vFairs lets you choose your preferred exhibit halls, booth design, and auditorium. 

Chat & Networking

After educational purposes, networking is the biggest reason why attendees participate in a virtual conference. To boost your virtual event success you have to invest in chat and networking features. 

To help your attendees and exhibitors develop strong relationships in their industry, vFairs offers a plethora of networking features.vFairs allows attendees to connect through video, audio, and text chat. Attendees can also use matchmaking tools to build a better and stronger connection with people of similar interests.

Furthermore, breakout rooms, profile search capabilities, meeting schedulers, chat transcript, and more. 

There is so much more to explore with vFairs networking features. If you are interested, click here to learn about the networking features we offer. 

Advanced Engagement Features

Once you have decided to opt for the virtual event, you must ensure the event has everything to keep the audience engaged. vFairs offers a large list of engagement features that helps in making even the most tedious webinar an interesting virtual event. 

Keeping an audience active in a virtual event can be challenging. The platform lets you boost participation through Q&As and polls during the live event. You can also gamify your conference and set up push notifications and in-event alerts. 

Moreover, realistic 3D designs for visualization, polls, trivia, quizzes, multiple presentation options, and video platform integrations are also in the widely-ranging engagement features list.

Event Reporting

Once you have highly detailed metrics and statistics in hand for your event you can evaluate success and gauge the behavior of your attendees. To get real-time updates on how your virtual event is performing, you need to book your event with vFairs.

vFairs reporting features let you receive real-time metrics such as how many people have joined the conference, webinar reviews, and booth visits. The real-time reporting of your event not only helps you determine the ROI of the event but also helps with future marketing practices. 

You can also download chat logs and transcripts of your event with reporting features. The reporting tools are hands-on with tracking audience behavior and delivering insights from post-event reports. 

5-Star Customer Support

A virtual event equipped with all the best virtual conference platform features is amazing but only if it’s supported with top-notch customer service. When hosting a virtual event, being left high and dry is the last thing you want. Therefore, joining hands with vFairs not only helps you with advanced virtual conference features but also comes with 24/7 customer service. 

Apart from 24/7 global support, vFairs offers a dedicated project team for your event. The virtual event platform provides live technical support and experienced end-to-end project support to ensure your events take off and finish smoothly.

Smooth Integrations

One of the best parts about joining hands with one of the best virtual conference platforms – vFairs – is the seamless integrations that it offers. You can integrate a large number of apps into your virtual conference. 

CRM and Sales automation apps like HubSpot, Marketo, SalesForce, Oracle, and Zapier are partnering with vFairs for smooth integration. Integrations enhance the event experience for you, your sensors, and your exhibitors. 

Moreover, conference and video streaming tools like Zoom, Vimeo, WebEx, YouTube, and ReStream also help with seamless video interaction in your virtual conference.

vFairs Pricing

Unlike some of the major virtual conference platforms that overcharge customers for increasing attendee count, vFairs offers unlimited event registration. Not only this but vFairs transparent pricing policies allows customers to get a customized quote for their event. It means that you can adjust the pricing of your event depending on the features you want. 

You can also get a free personalized demo of all vFairs features and choose the best ones for your event. With vFairs you can gain access to shareable product presentations, industry-specific testimonials, and references. 

By now, you must have generated interest in vFairs. We recommend you not wait around since almost every business is looking for the best virtual event platforms and no one wants to miss out on a platform that offers unlimited attendee count! To get a custom quote from vFairs, you can contact the vFairs team now!

Reviews on G2

Here is what customers have to say about vFairs:

2. WebinarJam

WebinarJam is a cloud-based solution that creates and conducts webinar sessions for businesses. The software also helps with live streaming on Youtube and Facebook. However, with the world leading towards engaging in high-quality virtual events, WebinarJam is still an ‘only-webinar solution’.

WebinarJam lets you reach 5000 people in one presentation. The platform also helps with advanced webinar solutions such as automated webinars, scheduling replays, streaming, and more. However, unlike other best virtual conference platforms, WebinarJam has a slight learning curve. 

Unfortunately, even after restricting its features to webinars only, WebinarJam still does not offer the option to host an automated webinar. 

WebinarJam Features 

WebinarJam carries a 3.7 out of 5-star rating on G2, but does offer a few features that can amplify attendee engagement. The following are the features: 

HD Feature

With WebinarJam you can share a PowerPoint presentation or anything in between in high-definition and high-quality video. WebinarJam HD video and audio features are applicable to all devices including desktops, laptops, tablets, or phone. 

WebinarJam allows you to broadcast events through private webinar rooms. Moreover, specific features from WebinarJam are noteworthy. For instance, WebinarJam offers live features like the panic button, attendee spotlight, and always-on space available for users. 

Even though the platform offers high-tech precision at a good price the experience of this feature still heavily depends upon a strong internet connection. This means that if your internet connection goes down you will have to witness your webinar going downhill. 

Automated Webinar

The automated webinar feature lets you set up a webinar in advance. If you want to host an error-free webinar, then automated webinar lets you create a webinar from the beginning until the end without any intervention. However, you can not showcase your hosting skills in an automated webinar solution offered by the platform. Therefore, keeping an audience engaged in your error-free webinar without a host can be a real challenge.  

Live Chat

WebinarJam empowers flexible networking options. Live chat, questions, and answers, private comments, highlighted comments, and sticky announcements are some of the features to keep your attendees fully hooked.

Attendee Spotlight

Even though WebinarJam does not offer a widely-ranging networking opportunities to its attendees, its attendee spotlight feature helps participants in accomplishing a sense of purpose in the event. Through this feature hosts can invite attendees to join during presentation. While being put at spot might not be the best thing for an introverted attendee, it can be encouraging for others.

Attendee Count

One of the main features that WebinarJam promotes is its ability to host 4-hour meetings, live tracking, and webinar with a group of attendees of over 5,000 and six presenters. However, platforms like vFairs who offer similar features with unlimited attendee count make this feature somewhat less appealing by comparison. 

Customization

Unlike vFairs that offers fully immersive and customizable virtual venues, features and alot more, Webinar Jam software restricts customization to event landing page, mainly focusing on the registration button. The platform allows businesses to customize their landing pages with promotional marketing content, call-to-action buttons, and links.

WebinarJam Pricing

Following are some of the plan and pricing packages by WebinarJam: 

• Starter Package: This package includes 1 host, only a 1-hour maximum duration for the virtual conference, and a limit set for $39/mo.
• Basic Package: This package includes 2 hosts, 2 hours maximum duration, and a limit of 500 attendees for $79/mo.
• Professional Package: This package includes 4 hosts, 3 hours maximum duration, and a limit of 2000 attendees for $299/mo.
• Enterprise Package: This package includes 6 hosts, 4 hours maximum duration, and a limit set for 5000 attendees for $379/mo. 

Pros & Cons 

Pros

“Ease of use when cloning a webinar. What often takes hours with other systems can be done with a couple of clicks in WebinarJam, and that includes the deep integrations between tools.”

Brady P.

Cons

“It allows us to run both live and recorded webinars (EverWebinar) meaning I don’t have to present and everything happens automatically. It allows us to scale our marketing efforts” – Brady P.

“Running a parallel webinar at the same time based on the users, Scheduling the webinar at our desired time even without any live from our end, Record a video as it was live and can broadcast as many times as we are online, creating a specific chat for each webinar.” – Verified User in E-Learning

“I dislike some of the design choices and limitations. I would like to choose some UI colors to match my brand, and I’d like more customization of the reminder emails” – Jonathan T.

3. GoToWebinar

Unlike its sister product, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar is a whole suite of webinar software products. The platform enables you and your team to connect with clients around the globe. 

Although the solution offers crystal clear webinars, it is still far behind to provide a complete virtual conference/event solution to its customers. 

Furthermore, the platform supports integrations but lacks in providing a smooth user interface or affordable pricing.

It is safe to say that high pricing with limited features in the platform does not sit well with the customers.  

Features of GoToWebinar

With fifty-three thousand customers, GoToWebinar offers a bunch of virtual event features you can choose from.

Flexible Modes

From its flexible webinar modes to powerful data encryption, privacy features, customized dashboard, and easy payment processing, these are GoToWebinar’s flexible features. However, even after advertising its flexible features, customers that have used the platform find the interface hard to learn. No one appreciates the learning curve that comes with new webinar software.

Custom Registration Forms

With GoToWebinar you can create custom registration forms or quizzes to capture registrant info and understand who is coming to your event. However, the platform do not offer additional security features for protection of participants data. This might not sit well with the attendees that do not wnat to compromise on their personal information in a virtual event.

Interactive Features

The software also offers interactive features, insightful analytics, customizable modes, and other factors that help with conducting a smooth webinar session.However, attendees can participate in the session through the hand raise option, the networking opportunities will be limited with the platform. The platform lacks in providing extensive networking features for audience  that wants to make the most out of the virtual event opportunity.

GoToWebinar Pricing

Following are the plans and pricing offered by GoToWebinar Jam: 

• Lite Package: The package is for $59 and limited to 250 participants.
• Standard Package: This package is for $129 and is limited to 500 participants.
• Pro Package: This package is for $249 and is limited to 1,000 participants.
• Enterprise Package: This package is for $499 and is limited to 3,000 participants. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

“Gotowebinar is a very stable platform, which provides a good delegate experience, and is great for organising educational webinars. It provides excellent statistics after an event, and the bulk upload of delegates is a useful feature.” – Verified User in Education Management

Cons

“If you are in start mode, waiting to officially begin the live webinar, you cannot allow the presenter to test the PowerPoint polls, etc. one last time without the audience seeing the screen.”- Lisa C.

“Two things that I dislike about GoTo Webinar are the ability to use break-out session rooms and the ability to have multiple users be the super admins on an account” – Joshua R.

“One thing I dislike that is the chat window user interface is not user-friendly. chat window interface can be more interactive.” – Sukumar S.

4. Livestorm

Similar to WebinarJam and GoToWebinar, Livestorm offers solutions limited to webinars and online meetings.  

Only if you are looking for ways to run a simple online meeting or opt for a full-fledged webinar session, then Livestorm can help you run a smooth event. With Livestorm, you can access the solution on multiple devices without affecting your brand design. Although application features can not be compared to a platform that offers only a browser-based solution, your target audience can access webinars using their mobile and desktop regardless of location. 

Moreover, even after offering a solution limited to webinars and online meetings, Livestorm poses a limit on attendees count as well. 

Features of Livestorm

The top features of Livestorm include on-demand, live, and pre-recorded sessions, end-to-end engagement, dashboard analytics features, and real-time events updates. Here are some more key features of the platform: 

Event Automation

You can automate the start and end of the event. You can automatically play a video to offer a live video experience. 

Multi-Language Support

Livestorm offers multi-language support. The platform offers support in 24 languages. 

Recording Control

You can start, pause and stop recording to focus on what is relevant and what is confidential. 

Dial-in Phone

This feature helps limiting the dependency on internet connection. Participants without the internet can dial in through phone in the event.

Attendee Count

With Livestorm you cna host virtual events with attendees upto 3,000. While this might sound fascinating at first but a number best virtual conference platforms like vFairs offers unlimited attendee count applicable to all plans. On the other hand, Livestorm offers 3,000 limit of attendee only for the enterprise plan. 

Livestorm Pricing

Following are the plans and pricing offered by the platform:

• Free: The package offers up to 30 active contacts and up to 20 minutes limited webinar sessions.
• Pro: This package includes 100 to 500 active contacts and a duration limited to 4 hours.  The package is $88/mo.
• Business and Enterprise: The pricing details are not open to the public. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

“Livestorm is very powerful at managing webinars. Great for presenters to control the event, and take over if other have issues. Focused on webinars rather than day to day meeting needs which zoom, teams, meet etc are really focused for.” –Grant K.

Cons

“Each speaker has to turn off the notification SOUND manually (in people/chat views on desktop; in settings on mobile) each time they log in to the event room. That’s quite annoying – I wish we could have the notification sound off 100% of the time.” – Julia Y.

“I wish it way much much easier to find access links to provide for the guest speakers. The HubSpot integration definitely could get way better too. As of now we cannot use Livestorm’s custom object fields in reporting natively. It’s also a bit tough to create workflows that catch on-demand / reply views and ensure each session is unique when there’s many webinars on the go at once.” – Dylan Y.

“The new google docs presentation support would be so cool in normal daily meetings, but the slide support is pretty much useless for a webinar as it can’t enter presentation mode – but all users can edit it live! The login process can be a bit clunky for invited speakers if the event is currently hidden. But in the stuff that matters, it just works so well.” – Grant K.

5. Eventzilla

Eventzilla made it to our list of best virtual conference platforms only for being a help to other virtual conference platforms. Eventzilla is an event registration and ticketing software program. The software allows mobile check-in, email invitations, and other features to assist event organizers. 

Surprisingly, even with a single job in hand, which is to cater ticketing and registration needs of event organizers, Eventzilla lacks in providing accuracy in ticket sales information.

Eventzilla Features

Following are some of the key features of the platform:

Scheduling

The feature allows you to schedule multiple speaker sessions. For instance, you can manage an event where the registrants can choose from a range of sessions. Registrants will have a choice to choose the sessions they want to attend. 

Check-in

The feature allows hosts with seamless check-ins. It also offers no coding requirement for registration work and more. The platform allows three check-in options;  Manual check-in, Scan mode check-in and Check-in through App. However, the platform lacks in providing robust or additional security features. For example, the platform allows attendees to log into the event through their Google Account. On the other hand one of the best virtual conference platforms like vFairs offers 2FA, SSO and other additional security features to make sure only relevant registrants make it to the event. 

Event Management

If you are still wondering how Eventzilla benefits your event since it’s not an event organizing or management solution, then here is what it is for. The platform is best suited for agencies and event planners that run multiple events but struggle to find a single registration and ticketing platform. Therefore, if you are in any way dealing with varied events and the struggles it comes with them, Eventzilla can help you with monthly fees or the registration fee process.

Eventzilla Pricing

Based on the details on G2, Eventzilla has segregated its plans and pricing based on the single attendees. Here are the packages: 

• Plus Plan for Paid Events: The package stands for 2.9% + $1.50 per registration.
• Basic Plan for Paid Events: The package stands at $1.50 per attendee.
• PRO Plan for Paid Events: The package stands for 1.9% + $1.50 per registration.

Pros & Cons

Here is what customers have to say about Eventzilla on G2:

Pros

“The most interesting thing about this software in my opinion is: having the detailed tracking of sales you can have at an event, having everything in order makes me feel so happy.” – Katty P.

Cons

“There are some vagaries with reporting and some features only available with paid subscriptions or features.” –Verified User in Computer Games

“Some lack of customization tools, extra charges for using any other payment processor besides internal.” – Chris P.

“I would say that Eventzilla can be sort of confusing at first to set up for certain event, or if you’re using it period for the first time. When we have run events without such digitized platforms in the past, knowing what parts to bring online and which to keep the traditional way takes lots of planning.” – Max J.  

6. Demio

Demio is a webinar solution that makes it easier for businesses to host, attend and revisit a webinar. Limiting the event purpose to a webinar, Demio lets you join the live webinar without needing to download any software. If you are only looking for a platform to conduct a webinar, then this feature will ease the burden on the part of your audience. 

What we found shocking is that the platform offers standard and priority customer support. Unlike the best virtual conference platforms in the list, Demio separates its customer service based on the plans a customer chooses. It would be nice if the platform chose to treat all customers equally, regardless of the plans and pricing. 

Features of Demio

Following are some of the key features offered by Demio: 

Distraction-free Webinar

If you are looking for ways to host a distraction-free webinar, you need to contact Demio. Demio offers a solid structure to registration, marketing, and promotion features to conduct a practical webinar.

Although Demio focuses on eliminating distraction in its signup form to increase the attendee’s registration, some of its non-flexible features contribute to the opposite. For example, you can not change the registration page layout with Demio. You can also not change the live room layout for attendees. The un-friendly customization leads to a negative impact on the platform. Many event organizers look towards event management solutions that offer high customization and flexibility options. 

Attendance Management

Attendance management has become smooth with Demio. It maintains a member database, exporting them to CSV files and checking their registration status. 

Networking and Engagement Feature

Networking opportunities and building a better connection with attendees. Further, the platform offers a vibrant event platform to boost audience engagement and helps you upload presentations directly from Demio. However, the dissapointing part is that the replay options of the webinar do not allow questions and answers. 

User-friendly Interface

Demio is well-regarded for its critical features like a user-friendly interface, customization option, webinar appearance, and excellent data tracking.

Demio Pricing

Here is how Demio has divided its plans and pricing: 

• Starter Package: The package is limited to 1 host and 3-hour session limit. The package costs $34/mo.
• Growth Package: The package is limited to 5 hosts per account and an 8-hour session. The package costs $69/mo.
• Premium Package: This package starts at $250/mo. Further quotation is required. 

Pros & Cons

Here is what customers have to say about the platform: 

Pros

“This is a great platform to host video content on-demand if you need some really good analytics about time watched on video, etc. It’s easy to use and a great experience for the end user.” Lauren N.

Cons

“The only downside to demio, which I understand they are working on is allowing us to get more detailed analytics on who watched our webinar recordings. Our company is very big on analytics and demio already provides a lot of data from our past webinars, but we are just looking for a little bit more.” – Michael H. 

“You can’t delete the logo once you have it uploaded. If you don’t have your logo, which shows very small and has very limited ways to customize the format, Demio’s logo will show up. But there are situations when you embed certain forms and you don’t want the logo at all. There is no ala carte way to get adons. For example, when you want to have an option of an automated event, you have to increase the size of the audience, And that can get very expensive.” – Radek W.

“There are no different rooms for different sessions at one time. Although, they informed me that this feature is in consideration.” – Stilyan M.

7. ClickMeeting  

ClickMeeting is a feature-rich webinar and online meeting platform best suited for freelancers and micro-businesses. The platform is hands-on and accommodates a large audience. With its booth, marketing, registration, and networking features, you can host a significant event without any hurdles.

ClickMeeting is another browser-based online meeting platform. As we said above, browser-based platforms are only beneficial when you opt for a simple webinar and do not want to add the burden of downloading on your attendees. Apart from this, browser-based platforms limit the event’s creativity and interactiveness. With a mobile event app, you not only keep your attendees engaged with advanced features but there is so much more you can offer to exhibitors. 

Features of ClickMeeting

Following are some of the key features by the platform: 

Tool variety

The platform offers basic virtual meeting tools such as creating polls, surveys and screen sharing. While these tools are beneficial for a online meeting, it is not as extensive to reach more attendance for a virtual conference. 

Customization

Eventhogh the platform lack immersive customized user experience as vFairs offers, it helps with pre-loaded tempelated and customized call-to-action buttons. 

Translation

The feature offers real-time translation into fifty-two different languages.

Engaging Features

Apart from screen sharing, white board, polls & surveys, the platform is not equipped with advanced networking or engaging features for the audience. Even in a large webinar you have to depend upon the basic engagement features with-in the platform i.e a private chat option.

Integration

The platform offers the option to run low stream on Youtube and Facebook.

ClickMeeting Pricing

All the specializations mentioned above come with a heavy price. ClickMeeting’s pricing model does not match the capabilities it offers. So if you are into paying for overpriced webinar solutions, you might want to stick further. Following are the pricing details: 

• Live Package: The package is limited to 1 host and costs $25.
• Automated Package: The package is limited to 1 host and costs $40/mo.
• Custom Package: This package is too limited to a single host but the pricing details are customized as per the requirements. 

Pros & Cons

Here is what customers of the event software have to say about ClickMeeting on G2: 

Pros

“Clickmeeting is almost ideal platform for online education and webinars. If you are a teacher you would love it. There is a dashboard where you can draw, good process for prior upload of presentations, recordings, and control over your audience. Very nice and supersonic support.” – Verified User

Cons

“The scope of the organization’s needs is not advanced enough for us to notice any shortcomings of this tool. At the moment, the topic is developmental.” – Maciej M.

“Meetings were limited to 25 people (including presenters). Presentations uploaded to ClickMeeting server’s memory sometimes lose their quality. Participants can’t turn on a camera during webinar – only presenters can do that.” – Jakub W.

8. Accelevents

Accelevents claims to be an all-in-one virtual and hybrid events platform. The platform aims to empower event organizers and marketing professionals to drive sustainable growth to their events and businesses. Unlike ClickMeeting, Accelevents is best suited for small and medium sizes events. The virtual event platform uses software that lets you host a virtual or hybrid meeting with some interactive features.

Nevertheless, the software offers a browser-based interface and a mobile event app. However, surprisingly, most customers find the desktop version much more compatible with their events than the mobile version. It is primarily because the mobile version does not have all the interactive features that the desktop version offers. 

Features of Accelevents

Ticketing and Registrations

With the platform customization options, you can tailor the event ticketing and registration for each event. 

Integrations

The top features offered by Accelevents is integrations. You can integrate event management tools like HubSpot and SalesForce into your event.

Custom Events

The platform lets host create custom events. You can design the entire event experience with a customized look and feel for each section.

Live Session

The live session feature is easy to monitor, activating your event hub, segmenting the audience according to demographic, and more.

Accelevents Pricing

Accelevents do not offer pricing transparency which is a factor that can throw customers off the bat. However, here are the pricing details on the website: 

• Starter Package: The package starts at $500/event.
• Professional Package: The package starts at $5,000/event. 

Pros & Cons

Here is what customers have to say about the platform: 

Pros

“While the platform was very easy to navigate, the live chat support and everyone we worked with from the Accelevents team were so helpful and quick with responses.” – Amber S.

Cons

“The JavaScript-based code can sometimes cause a challenge when multiple event managers are looking at working on the same element at time. The last to edit save feature of the asynchronous but automatic saves can create a dueling piano situation for event managers.”-

Andrew E.

“We had a period of downtime with their Engage > Send Email feature. It was down for about 2 days. Luckily, it was NOT the two days leading up to our conference.” – Dave F.

“I may have just missed this somewhere, but I didn’t like how there was no formal tutorial on how to set up the platform for our event. There are so many useful tools on the platform that I know we probably missed out on due to simply not being aware that it exists. So a brief tutorial would’ve been helpful. I also wish there was an easier way to give a “test run” of the event without having to go through the process of duplicating it.” – Verified User in Medical Practice

9. Zoom   

With limited features, Zoom is still one of the most versatile virtual event platforms. It is a cloud-based video conferencing platform that can also be used for audio conferencing, webinars, meeting recordings, and live chat. 

Zoom is primarily used to interact with co-workers when in-person meetings are impossible. The application saw a massive boom during the pandemic days when companies wanted to adapt to the remote working culture quickly. At the same time, Zoom emerged as a powerful tool to keep team members in touch and continue daily workflows. 

Zoom is not the best option if you want to conduct a large-scale webinar or virtual event. If you’re going to find the right platform to run a seamless and grand virtual event, then instead of opting for Zoom, you should consider a highly-regarded events platform like vFairs. 

Nevertheless, Zoom can work fine for a primary virtual conference.

Features of Zoom

The key features of Zoom include the following:

Build your event

Zoom lets you customize your event through step-by-step event builder guide. Although an event builder guide sounds good it is not as comforting as a dedicated project manager onboard. Unlike vFairs that tops the chart with its customer support, Zoom lacks in providing good customer support even to the users with subscriptions. 

Even though Zoom does not disclose the customer support pricing on its website, the platform requires you to pay additional cost for customer support for Access, Premier and Premier+. Paying for customer support always takes us to a shocking end.

Networking

With Zoom your attendees cna build network profile to foster their connection. However, initiating stronger relationships between attendees and exhibitors comes with a price. Zoom lacks in providing security to its attendees who do not want to be a victim of uncalled for activities in a virtual event.

Multiple Reality Rooms 

Multiple reality rooms help participants with sharing content in the platform more easily.

A Raise Hand Button

This feature lets participants participate in a online meetings or ask questions without verbally intervening.          

Zoom Pricing

Following are how Zoom pricing plans are divided: 

• Basic Package: The package is free but with a limit of 100 attendees and 40 minute conference duration.
• PRO Package: This package is for $149.90/year and is limited to 100 attendees.
• Business Package: This package is for $199.90/year and limited to 300 attendees.
• Enterprise: The pricing of this package is not disclosed by Zoom but its attendee count is limited to 1000. 

Pros & Cons

Here is what customers have to say about Zoom on G2: 

Pros

“It’s an easy to use platform. They’ve taken all the fear of using technology away.Especially for those who didn’t grow up using technology.” – Ruben LC.

Cons

“It requires strong wifi and internet connectivity. If your internet speed goes down, video and sound quality go down, and video freezes sometimes. It is a little disappointing while you are in the middle of presenting or meeting.”- Verified User in Entertainment

“Zoom tends to use a lot of bandwidth, so if my internet is unstable, I have to turn off my camera in order to hear people more clearly. It is not a huge deal. It can just be inconvenient.” – Jamie T.

“Sometimes it crashes or takes too long to load, but that’s usually only when I have multiple applications open at the same time! Overall, I don’t have any issues. I wish you could react to messages in the chat feature, but that’s not a make or break issue.” – Kaitlin H.

10. Cisco Webex/Webex Meetings

Webex is a cloud-based virtual conference platform that made it to our list of best virtual conference platforms and offered various ways to make your event productive and interactive. 

The platform lets you host webinars and virtual conferences with over three thousand participants. 

Features of Cisco Webex/Webex Meetings

You can access multiple interactive features such as a sponsor exhibition hall, many break-out sessions, and robust data encryption standards. Here are some more features: 

End-end Management

With Cisco Webex you can customize your event for a more personalized virtual event experience.

Live stream

Host can create a professional TV like experience 

With the Live Stream option. 

HD Video and Audio

The feature lets you stream video and audio in HD quality. However, many customers have also complained about experiencing audio issues with the platform. 

Easy Content and Screen Sharing

Hosts can easily share content and their screen in an online meeting.

Animated Virtual Backgrounds

Animated virtual backgrounds can keep the audience interested in an online meeting for a longer period of time.

Cisco Webex/Webex Meetings Pricing

The pricing details are not disclosed on Webex by the cisco website. 

Pros & Cons

Here is what customers have to say about the platform on G2:

 Pros

“The best thing about Webex Meetings is that it allows you to hold high-definition video conferences with others. The clarity of the videos is excellent, and you can customize the video’s layout to suit your needs better. Whether you need to share a presentation or want to communicate with others in real time, Webex Meetings is an ideal solution.” – Marianne C.

Cons

“With every piece of software there comes quirks and bugs. so far, the bugs have been minimal. Had to go down for an Organization transfer/change to put all under one Organization.”  – Jeremy S.

“The things that I dislike about Webex are as follows,

Firstly, it’s not user-friendly for me it is hard to use.

I don’t like its paid plans because it is costly and offers fewer features.

Webex’s android app is so bad that I would never use it again.” – Vishvjit S.

“The thing I detest the most about Cisco is how diffcult it seems to use. Some functions are diffcult to grasp, and more customer support would be beneficial.” – jamal u.

FAQs

What is the best platform to host a virtual conference?

If you are looking for the best virtual conference platform to host a virtual, hybrid, or in-person event, then you should consider vFairs.vFairs is a leading virtual and mixed events platform around the globe. The platform has maintained a 4.7/5 star rating with over 12,500 reviews from its satisfied customers.

How do you make virtual conferences more engaging?

To ensure your virtual conference is engaging, you must choose a virtual event platform that offers interactive features. Interactive features include virtual exhibit halls, events gamification, reports & analytics, and more. 

What does the platform use for virtual meetings?

You should choose a virtual conference platform that offers seamless software solutions for a successful virtual conference. Unlike traditional virtual conference platforms, vFairs offers mobile app solutions and desktop versions to ensure events are more engaging and purposeful. 

What makes a virtual conference successful?

By offering your attendees more networking opportunities, you can aim for success for your virtual conference. For this, you must choose the best virtual conference platform that offers fantastic networking features. 

What is the difference between virtual events and webinars? 

The virtual conference is more interactive and flexible. Virtual conference deals with a lot of features. On the other hand, webinars are based on single-session where attendees are listening rather than participating. 

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About vFairs

vFairs is an all-in-one event management platform that powers in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. Our event technology empowers companies worldwide to host custom, immersive events and achieve incredible results. The platform features a virtual events platform and mobile app, each offering immersive virtual venues, advanced networking, world-renowned customer service, and many features that help you host unforgettable events.

If you’re not sure what you should be looking for when searching for the best virtual exhibition platform for your next event, this list can help.

10 Best Virtual Exhibition Platforms in 2023

1. vFairs

vFairs is one of the best and complete virtual exhibition solutions that will help you initiate, create, market, and manage your virtual exhibition. vFairs offers some fantastic networking, marketing, and analytics features that will help you wow a global audience. When you’re looking for a virtual exhibition platform, you need to think of the features as value-adds for event hosts, exhibitors, and attendees. vFairs offers something for everyone as it will assist you as an event host with event management features, help exhibitors with booth features unlike any other, and wow attendees with a remarkable virtual environment and engagement capabilities.   

Virtual Environment

An impressive environment for your next virtual exhibition can wow attendees and make a solid impact. vFairs offers some game-changing virtual environment features that are fully customizable to your needs. The virtual environment is one of the most loved features on the vFairs platform and includes rooms like a main lobby, auditoriums, immersive exhibit halls, and engaging networking lounges. 

The environment offers customizable animated avatars and virtual booths for exhibitors and sponsors. The 3D designs are realistic and will instantly hook attendees. Whether you want a simple layout with color changes and branding or want to mirror an actual physical venue, nothing is impossible.

Networking Features

Without effective networking features, your virtual event can fall flat. You need to choose a virtual event platform that offers immersive networking opportunities for attendees and exhibitors alike. The vFairs platform offers video, audio, and text chat capabilities along with more novel features like Spatial Connect, Roundtables and Smart Matchmaking.

These new networking features will put an end to webinar fatigue and make networking online a more natural experience for your attendees. Striking up a conversation can be much simpler with ice breaking questions in smart matchmaking and a more natural setting with Spatial Connect. Topic-based roundtables also make it easier for attendees to join in the conversations that they’re most interested in and connect with like-minded people.

Interactive Exhibit Hall

A virtual exhibition, at its heart, is all about disseminating information and showcasing things by exhibitors to the event attendees. Most of this information sharing will probably take place through the Exhibit Hall. Therefore, the importance of choosing a platform with an interactive and innovative exhibit hall cannot be overstated. vFairs offers great features for the exhibit hall that can both improve the physical look and the practicality of your virtual exhibition.

There are a few different hall views to choose from depending on how you want your hall to look like. You can also add multiple halls to the same event with completely different functionality. The exhibit booths are also extremely easy to set up and all exhibitors need to do is fill out a self-explanatory online form. The vFairs team also provides training videos, catch-up calls, and live day support to facilitate exhibitors even more. 

Impressive Booth Feature Set

Virtual exhibitions are all about sharing information at the booth. The vFairs exhibit booths allow you to talk to everyone who has a question, provide them with the right information, upload downloadable documents to your booth, link out to external pages, and so much more. One of the most impressive features is the Chat Queueing feature inside booth chats. It can make it a lot easier to handle the traffic at your booth. 

Your exhibitors can also choose from multiple professional-looking booth design templates and then make them their own. You can also add custom graphics and avatars and use your brand’s colors. Book meetings, give visitors access to useful resources, and allow them to interact with booth reps through booth chat. You would think that all these features mean it will be difficult to set up the booth, but that’s the easiest part. The booth setup starts from a simple form where exhibitors can upload all the booth content and that’s it, they’re set.  

Document Hosting

The vFairs virtual exhibition platform offers unlimited document uploads within the virtual booths. Exhibitors can upload documents, videos, presentations, brochures, etc., for booth visitors. When visitors find something worthwhile, they can save it for viewing later in their virtual Swag Bag. This is an impressive feature because it makes it easy for attendees to gather information without being overwhelmed by too much at once. It is a convenient option that adds value to the overall attendee experience.

Event Marketing

vFairs is more than just a platform to host virtual events, you can also use it to market your events. The event planning phase will start off with designing a custom landing page for your event. You can also choose a custom URL for the landing page and design it however you want. The landing page can help you draw more traffic and registrations and is a great way to share event information and agenda. 

The platform also offers a built-in email marketing engine that allows you to design customized emails and build email lists. You can also target specific user types or groups for example an email sent out to logged in attendees only. You can also market your event by publishing a co-branded press release with vFairs and get a lot more eyes on your event through the vFairs News page and social media. Moreover, vFairs also has an event marketplace called Discover where you can list your event and attract more potential attendees.  

Event Reporting & Analytics

Event analytics can be a fantastic way to gauge the success of your event with real numbers and statistics. vFairs offers multiple analytics dashboards for event organizers and booth exhibitors. The booth Exhibitor Dashboard can show tabulations for booth visits, link clicks, resource downloads, and other metrics. This is a stand-out feature that can take your virtual exhibition up a notch.

Other metrics also include real-time event analytics, user journeys for exhibitors and organizers, resource downloads, product views, etc. You can also download a detailed post-event analytics report that has all you need to know to understand the highs and lows of your event.

Event Gamification Tools

Webinar fatigue is a real thing and as an event host, there is a lot that you can do to help your attendees feel more engaged. Gamification tools like scavenger hunts, trivia, spin the wheel, and leaderboard are effective features of the vFairs platform. Not only can they make your event fun and memorable, they can also be a way to generate more revenue.

You can add sponsored games to your event and add more value to your sponsorship proposals. Hiding scavenger hunt items in specific areas of the platform can help boost traffic to a webinar or a booth. Leaderboards can help you motivate your attendees to perform certain actions like logging in every day, attending a webinar, etc. Prizes can also be sponsored for leaderboard winners, spin the wheel, or trivia.

2. EventX

EventX promises to make your virtual exhibitions global with a boosted attendance and engagement for your business. They offer some basic virtual event features such as live streaming options, virtual booths, lead generation, and secure payments. However, the virtual event platform might be a few steps behind when it comes to networking features. Spatial Networking, Roundtables, Breakout Rooms, etc., can be a great way to bring exhibitors and attendees together and EventX does not have such capabilities.

The platform also offers lead capture tools that can help you get the word out for your event with the right target audience. They claim to have a diverse list of social connections that you can send out invitations to. However, it might not be as effective for events that focus on niche markets only. An event marketplace like vFairs Discover might be a more superior option to market your event.  

EventX: Key Features

Reliable Hosting Platform

The EventX hosting platform claims to offer a reliable virtual venue for your virtual exhibitions. You can set up an event website, set up marketing campaigns, and manage your contact lists through the same platform. It also offers an immersive environment with virtual booths that exhibitors can customize according to their brand image. 

The event platform also offers some networking features so that exhibitors have a good chance to connect with attendees. All these features are very high-level that a basic virtual exhibition platform needs to have. So, EventX can be a reliable hosting platform if that’s all you’re looking for but there are more advanced platforms also available.

Event Marketing Capabilities

Getting the word out about your event and making sure it reaches the right audience can be an important step of the process. EventX tries to solve that problem with their lead capture and email marketing features. 

You can use the platform to manage your contact lists and use their built-in lead capture feature to generate leads and spread information about your product or services. However, some users believe that the program does not offer detailed instructions and can sometimes be difficult to navigate.

Pricing

EventX offers three different payment tiers that offer varying feature sets. If you’re looking to host a small event, you can opt for the EventX Lite which is free to sign up for. There are no pricing details available for the other two tiers: EventX Pro and Virtual Event & Expo and you will need to contact their sales department for a customized plan. The website also has a high-level comparison for the features you will get for each plan:

Pros & Cons

Pros

“Easy to use, UI friendly, lite ver is enough to run a small event.” Konie T, Busines Analyst

“The product is very easy to use. As an event organizer, the administration work including ticketing, attendance management, reporting, is usually the heavy lifting work – but eventX helps us to streamline everything – saved a lot of admin work and time where we can focus on marketing. By the way, they also help you market the event with their network.” – Hin Lok C., Co-Founder

Cons

“I dislike one thing about this product and it always creates confusion to organize any event. It is because the clients need proper description and instruction about any product they are going to use for themselves but it lacks in explaining the clients with proper description about their product.” – Olivier G., President Chez GL Events

“It might be a little complicated to have the virtual expo set up.” – Vivian L., Marketing & Communications Manager

“More visualized data reporting would be great.” – Alice C., Assisting Marketing Manager

3. Hexafair

Hexafair claims that they can replicate the entire floor plan for your in-person exhibition onto a virtual venue in five minutes. That is a really bold claim as you can expect others to take at least two weeks to set up your virtual event. Some other exciting features include ticketing and registration, contact card sharing, and customized 3D avatars for a more immersive feel.

Hexafair can be a great choice if you’re looking for a reliable, quick, and interactive virtual exhibition venue. However, there are not a lot of engagement features to connect attendees and exhibitors with each other. 

Hexafair: Key Features

Immersive 3D Experience

The Hexafair virtual exhibition platform offers a 3D avatar and environment experience that not many competitors offer. The platform can mimic a real in-person venue as well if you want virtual attendees to attend a digital twin for your organization’s building. The Metaverse environment can be a step closer to making your attendees feel more engaged in a virtual setting. However, it does not make up for a lack of more robust networking and gamification features.

As a competitor, vFairs also offers a fully immersive 3D environment with animated avatars and customized mirror images for in-person venues. But on top of all that, they also have novel engagement features like Roundtables, Spatial Networking, group and 1:1 audio and video chats, Smart Matchmaking, etc. Hexafair can add more networking features to enhance the overall attendee and exhibitor experience.

Event Analytics

The Control Panel within the platform offers great insights to the overall activity happening in the exhibition. The analytics can track various metrics like booth activity, lead capture, and also gather all attendee information. Exhibitors get access to downloadable reports that can help them understand and gauge attendee interest in their booth. They can also transfer these reports to a CRM instantaneously.

Event Branding

If you are looking for ultimate customization, Hexafair can help you with that. They offer a robust and 360 degree branded virtual event platform. You can design your event to showcase all your products and services to a wider audience and use your organization’s branding around the lobbies and halls. 

The customizable event branding can also be a great way to sell more sponsorship deals for your virtual exhibition. The customization allows you to consider more spaces for sponsorship visibility. You can add sponsor logos around all the rooms of the platform and can even host sponsored webinars and other events.

Pricing

Hexafair has a very detailed and transparent pricing page on their website. They mention three different licenses that you can get on a monthly or per event basis. For $249 USD per month, you can get the Starter plan which can be great for smaller events. However, if you want access to interactive booths you can opt for the Business plan for $699 USD per month. 

They also have a Pro plan but pricing values for that are unavailable online. You may have to get in touch with the Sales team to get more details. However, the pricing page can be a great way to start off as it lays out most of what you will need.

Pros & Cons 

Pros

“I especially want to commend the live streaming services and chatbot that promoted a positive tone for the event. This is the most effective tool that I have encountered. It demonstrated positive and supportive team functioning of co-operation and cohesiveness.” – Sureshkumar M., Software Engineer

“The platform is very easy to set up. It just takes 5 mins to set up the event. Comes with all integrations and responsive features. Live chats, on-demand videos, streaming, broadcasting, breakout rooms and many more. Also provides a unique event website feature. No hidden costs in registration and ticketing.” – Rekha N., Content Specialist

Cons

“I like to see more native integrations with CRMs and email marketing tools.” – Vimal G., Marketing Manager

“No Facebook or Youtube Live Streams can be embedded. 3D Models could be improved slightly.” – Martin S., Managing Director

4. Dreamcast

Dreamcast is an all-in-one virtual events platform that offers a 360-degree virtual environment to give your virtual exhibition an immersive feel. Dreamcast offers end-to-end support for designing and executing a virtual exhibition with immersive exhibit booths and 1:1 communication channels. It offers a unique DIY booth-builder that can facilitate complete customization of virtual booths for exhibitors and vendors. 

However, it might not be the best option compared to others according to user reviews on G2. The event configuration option is rated 2% below average on G2 and might be a bit complicated. Reporting and networking features are there but fall short as the G2 rating based on user reviews put them as 2% below average and average respectively.

Dreamcast: Key Features

DIY Booth Builder

Dreamcast offers a do-it-yourself style booth builder that offers immense customization capabilities. You can choose the style of your booth and build it as per your likes and dislikes. The booth can have your choice of buttons, tabs, color, banners, and company branding. You can edit and change even the smallest details like the colors and shapes of buttons on your booth. The booth builder also allows touchpoint customizations to make the attendee experience more seamless.

However, the extreme level of customization seems to be an excessive feature that may not be as fruitful as marketed by Dreamcast. The shape and color of buttons are less important than basic functionalities like booth networking features, document hosting, external link tabs, etc. So, it might be a good addition to have but it isn’t a proprietary or must-have feature.

Communication Integrations

The virtual exhibition platform from Dreamcast offers a series of third-party integrations for effective attendee and exhibitor communication. You can integrate apps like WhatsApp and Zoom to ease communication among all attendees. The platform also offers a meeting scheduler and agenda builder for attendees. 

Exhibitors and attendees can search for others during the event and set up meetings with them through the B2B meeting scheduler. There are multiple methods of 1:1 communication as well such as audio, video, and group chat features.

Pricing

Dreamcast offers no information about their pricing on their website. You won’t find a standalone pricing page or any information about how they calculate and give out price quotes. The only way to connect with them is to fill out a small online form requesting a product demo. However, according to G2, they have three different pricing tiers – the basic, lite, and pro.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“The best thing about the entire virtual event has to be the incredible assistance that team Dreamcast provided throughout the event. Every time I had any problem, the Dreamcast team was there to assist me through the event.” – Kishan S., SEO Specialist

“I like gamification the best. I have never experienced a virtual meeting with so much fun. The leaderboard even increased the enthusiasm in my team. I guess AR/VR games are the best you can get.” – Hinal S., SEO Executive

Cons

“Since the exhibition had multiple sessions going on simultaneously, I got a bit confused and wasn’t able to navigate through the platform and find the session I wanted to attend.” – Monika B., Social Media Consultant

“I wish there was even more coordination concerning deliverables of the product giving us the best experience and bang for the buck.” – Harish V

5. Accelevents

Accelevents promises to offer an immersive virtual exhibition experience with unique exhibit booths, workshops, keynote speaker sessions, and breakout rooms. You can host a full-scale virtual event with Accelevents and wow attendees with Accelevents’ impressive features set. 

The exhibit hall is a value add for attendees who want to extract the most information out of the virtual exhibition and tiered sponsorship packages can also help event hosts generate more revenue. However, according to use reviews on G2, the event settings can be a bit complicated and the sessions can lag.  

Accelevents: Key Features

Customized Exhibit Hall

As most other competitors, Accelevents also offers a customizable exhibit hall and multiple options for booth setup for all exhibitors. Vendors at the event can easily set up their booths using the booth builder. The setup doesn’t take a lot of time and exhibitors can leave a digital footprint by adding company logos and branding to the booth.

The booths also include effective networking features that can help exhibitors turn passive leads into buying customers. You can connect with booth visitors through 1:1 chats, promo videos, and add downloadable materials to the booth. The exhibit hall also offers a dedicated live stream through the booth which is a functionality that most competitors don’t have.

Booth Exhibitor Dashboard

If you are looking to make life easier for booth exhibitors at the virtual event, Accelevents can help with that through the booth exhibitor dashboard. Exhibitors at the booths will get access to live event statistics such as booth visits, link clicks, resource downloads, and other such metrics. 

This is comparable to the Exhibitor Dashboard offered by vFairs and has similar functionality. However, vFairs also offers live event analytics for event admins or organizers. You can still follow-up with the booth analytics on Accelevents to gauge which exhibitor content resonated the most with attendees. But a separate event admin dashboard can give more detailed analytics such as registrations data, webinar views, and engagement, etc.   

People Page

Accelevents also has a People Page that is a list of all the event attendees at once place. This can be a good way for event exhibitors to capture more leads at the virtual exhibition. You can take a look around the attendee list and connect with the most promising leads. This way, the platform helps bring the exhibitors to the attendees instead of the other way around.

However, this may not be as effective as it sounds because there is no guarantee that the message will land well or that the attendee will be interested. A better way would be to attract attendees to your booth by putting up downloadable resources, taking part in panel discussions, or hosting sponsored webinars.

Pricing 

Accelevents offers a transparent pricing page on their website that has separate plans for per event and unlimited event licenses. You can either choose the Starter plan which starts at $500 per event, or the Professional plan that starts at $5000 per event. Additional features like Pro Exhibitor live streaming, dedicated event support, extended hosting, etc., are available at set costs as add-ons to both plans.

For an unlimited events license, you can choose from the Scale and Enterprise plans. Scale starts at $125 per month while Enterprise starts at $1250 per month. Similar features can be added as add-ons to these plans as well. You can get in touch with the sales team and book a demo for more information about the product.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“The user interface is relatively straightforward once you get used to the navigation. I liked how attendees at our event were able to create their own personalized profiles. The chat function was also a huge plus. And the fact that Accelevents has a built-in video call platform allows one-on-one meetings between attendees run pretty smoothly without having to use an outside service.” – Brenna S., Student

“Very user friendly. The customer service is very much on top of things.” – Verified User in Higher Education

Cons

“In session, the lag time was frustrating. When questions were asked of the presenter(s), it was a disconnect between asking and answering. The backstage communication did not work the way we thought it was supposed to.” – Verified User in NPO Management

“We received comments from our exhibitors that they wished they could have viewed the calendars and availability of other exhibitors in their booth. They wished they could see which attendees were meeting with which representatives in their booth so that multiple recruiters were not meeting with the same attendee.” – Brenna S., Student

6. Whova 

Whova offers a lead retrieval app for interactive virtual exhibitions that attract attendees and exhibitors. Their primary focus for the virtual exhibition is to convert leads into buying customers and their messaging promotes a more transactional type of event. However, they also offer interesting features for feature, service, or product showcases.

If you’re looking for a mobile app for virtual exhibitions, Whova can be a good choice. Let’s talk about some of its key features.

Whova: Key Features

Exhibit Booths 

The Whova mobile app and desktop platform offer interactive exhibit halls and booths for exhibitors to showcase their products and services. You can attract more visitors, generate leads, and make profits all through the exhibit hall within the app. Exhibitors can build an innovative and interactive exhibit hall showcase to bring their products front and center. 

The booths can also offer more brand visibility to exhibitors and event sponsors. High paying exhibitors can get more advanced features in their exhibit booths. The demo features also include adding videos to the booths for attendees to watch and learn more about the service. Exhibitors can host documents, presentations, and brochures inside the exhibit halls as well.

Networking & Gamification

The Whova virtual platform has effective networking features and gamification tools to make the event more interactive and fun. It can be easier to attract attendees with games such as trivia, passport contest, and leaderboard. You can also give away prizes and coupons to the winners. 

Networking features of Whova have been rated 10% above average by users on G2. They include 1:1 messaging and video chat options as well as group communication. However, additional features like matchmaking and spatial connect can add more value to the attendee’s experience.

Capture Leads & Contacts

Whova facilitates lead capture and integrations with CRM software like Salesforce, Hubspot, etc., through. This way, you can maintain all your data through the same platform and don’t have to move it around manually. You can collect the leads through QR code scans and record booth interactions as well. The app also makes contact card sharing virtual, effortless, and easy. Exhibitors can search for relevant leads through attendee profiles and schedule meetings with the best prospects. 

Pricing

Whova does not offer any pricing details on their website and you will need to get in touch with the sales team to get more information. There is a short online form that you can fill out and the relevant representative will contact you.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“I appreciate the event agenda being in one place in my hand. I like that the entire agenda is there, and I can create my agenda directly from it-adding, adjusting and changing it if I need to.” – Nancy B., Second Grade Teacher

“Whova provides added value to both attendees and sponsors/exhibitors, making our event more successful and more of a draw. Whova is constantly improving, adding new exciting features, and they have found ways to build in networking and Community Board features that make even virtual attendees feel connected.” – Michelle S., Executive Director

Cons

“The Zoom integration is great, but creating 50+ sessions with meetings/webinars is time consuming.” – Ryan G., Online Resources Officer

“The interface for uploading PDFs to my session was a little confusing because it was embedded within my profile page.” – Patrick B, Program Manager

“Sponsors and exhibitors should be combined into one feature so they don’t have to create their profiles in two places.” – Lamar K., Executive Director

7. Swapcard

Swapcard claims to offer a solution to completely digitalise your virtual exhibition and increase ROI. They are one of the key players of the industry and offer a unique feature set that can help you set up an event which is easy to navigate, offers innovative networking features, and increases revenue digitally.

However, the platform does not offer a lot of streaming and customization options. You may end up wanting more in terms of the overall feel and virtual environment of the event. Their primary focus might be in-person or hybrid events but they can still be a reliable choice for virtual events due to impressive features like AI Matchmaking and lead capture capabilities.

Swapcard: Key Features

Exhibitor Booths

Swapcard offers virtual booth options for exhibitors to showcase their products to the attendees. However, there aren’t too many customization or demonstration options available. Other competitors mentioned above can integrate third-party apps and even help you set up a product showcase within the booth. Swapcard offers a simple solution without any frills to it. Exhibitors who want to make their product the star can have a good time with Swapcard.

Interactive Webinars & Presentations 

Swapcard aims to make your virtual events more interactive and end webinar fatigue. Boring 1:1 meetings and presentations can take the fun out of any virtual event and Swapcard adds some fun additions to make it better. You can use the backstage options from Swapcard to attract and engage your attendees and glue them to their screen. 

Attendees can engage with each other through webinar breakrooms, panels, chat rooms, roundtables, and live discussions. You can also collect live feedback through Q&As and polls during webinars. The feature set is very high-level though and many competitors can have an edge over Swapcard.

Event Statistics & Lead Capture

Swapcard can make your event more successful by offering easy integrations with CRM software and capturing leads that can convert. When an attendee interacts with a booth, they are captured as a potential lead. You can also get your hands on attendee and booth stats that further help you gauge event success. The more data you have, the easier it can be to build a post-event feedback and follow-up campaign. 

Pricing

You will find three different plans on the pricing page of Swapcard’s website. These three varying prices are only based on the volume of attendees and offer a complete set of features. However, if you want a more customized solution with less or more advanced features for your virtual exhibition you can set up a 1:1 call with their sales team. 

The free plan has restrictions in place and might only be good for very small events with up to 250 attendees. The Starter plan is good for mid-sized businesses and exhibitions and the cost starts from $588 per month. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

“Users can navigate public content quickly; we can build the experience by tailoring it to the event activities and schedule. In our case, we have a massive and complex program, and we can map it to swapcard in a way its easy to navigate.” – Eduardo C., Organizer

“The client service is very good. They are following up closely and are very friendly. You always have the same contact points which is great.” – Chloe D., Event Manager 

Cons

“It was not as simple as I hoped to share documents, but there were a number of workarounds that the support team provided, which did meet our needs. I would love to see a “documents” option for the content display buttons.” – Verified User in Higher Education

“The back office gets a bit slow, and you need a lot of clicks to edit sessions when the number goes over 100.”  – Eduardo C., Organizer

“While it’s nice to be able to send emails to attendees directly within the platform, the email customization is pretty limited in terms of layout, colors and design.” – Stephanie E, Marketing Manager

8. Pheedloop

Pheedloop offers 3D customizable booth options and fantastic sponsorship options which makes it a great choice as a virtual exhibition platform. If you are looking for a platform that covers all the basics and will make hosting a virtual event easier, then choose Pheedloop. 

The platform may not offer truly innovative or standout features, but it does the job that it promises to do. You can offer custom booths to exhibitors, offer promotional spaces for sponsors, create floor plans, and manage the entire event through a single platform.

Pheedloop: Key Features

Exhibit Halls & Floor Plans

Pheedloop offers unique 3D virtual booths with live video capabilities that sets it apart from the competition. This feature can be exclusively great for virtual exhibitions as live streaming video can be a great way to showcase products and send out information. Along with the live video, the virtual booths also have interactive networking options, document hosting, chat options, and style customization.

Another additional feature of the platform is the interactive floor plan. Floor plans can be great for virtual exhibitions as they help attendees better plan and visualize how they’re going to spend their time during the event. They can check out all the exhibitors present in one go and make an agenda of which booths to visit later on. This may not make a lot of difference for exhibitors, but is a huge value add for attendees.

Sponsorship Options

Generating revenue is an important part of any virtual event as long as you want some ROI. One of the best ways to do it is to collect sponsors for your event. Pheedloop offers over 20 different options for promoting sponsors and exhibitors in the most creative ways at your event. No other platform puts so much focus on its ability to offer effective sponsorship visibility for creating a new revenue stream for event hosts. 

Some of the fun ways to attract more sponsors to the Pheedloop platform is a sponsored photobooth, sponsored live stream backgrounds, adding sponsor logos and banners, and sending out push notifications, etc.

Pricing

Pheedloop does not offer pricing details through their website. So, you will have to fill out an online form to get any information about their pricing criteria or to get a quote. However, they promise to send out price quotes instantly after you fill out the form and you will receive some other resources like case studies and product demos as well.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“I am not tech savvy but setting up a virtual event portal using Pheedloop has been simple, efficient and intuitive…The look and feel of the portal is impressive and beautiful.” – Jennifer S., Director

“The platform offers lots of customization without you needing to know how to code, which is awesome.” – May V., Event Coordinator

Cons

“The downside is Pheedloop is a do-it-yourself program so this may not work for people who want to outsource the entire process. But once you create a event in Pheedloop, this event can be copied and used as a template for the next event. It’s well worth the investment!” – Jennifer S., Director 

“Support – we ended up using our internal support instead of Pheedloops. We found that once we learned the software, we didn’t use it.” – Verified User in NPO Management

“Although they had a good experience, some exhibitors did not like the requirement to “leave” their booth to engage with an attendee in the networking area.” – Kimberly S

9. Remo

Remo is an immersive virtual event and meeting platform that lets you recreate natural interactions in any kind of gathering, from global events to remote work meetings. With Remo, your online exhibition will look and feel the same as a real one. Your guests can walk around and stop at an exhibitor’s booth to ask questions, get information, network in the exhibition hall, and do a lot more.

You can use the pre-built environments that come with Remo, make your own environment just the way you want it, or get it made professionally. The platform offers a lot, however, it can be challenging for beginners.

Remo: Key Features

Virtual Booths

Remo works with tables that you can use for breakout sessions, group workshops, private conversations, or in this case, as booths for your virtual exhibition. Each table is like a virtual booth at a fair. You can add content, pictures of new products, links, and posters to each table with whiteboards. However, this can be hard to navigate for users.

Virtual Environment

Your virtual event platform should be a fun place where your attendees and managing directors can engage and network, just like they would at an actual exhibition. They can do lead generation projects and make new partnerships. You can then notify them when a presentation is about to begin. Remu offers a virtual environment that helps your attendees network with each other and make lasting connections.

Pricing

Remo offers custom pricing plans that you can get by contacting them on their website.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• “I love how large groups of people can gather, move around freely, share, collaborate & connect so easily while networking.” – Sui S. – President
• “Nice and easy platform to join an online event. It enables attendees to see who is at the table.” – Verified User in International Trade and Development

Cons

• “On-boarding takes up a lot of our time” – Verified User in Renewables & Environment
• “Even though it is easy to navigate and understand, it is confusing and difficult sometimes for first-time users.” – Verified User in Higher Education
• “I wish there were more up-to-date resources.” – Verified User in Civil Engineering

10. Hopin

Hopin is one of the top rated virtual event platforms with a 4.5 stars rating from 843 reviews on G2. Hopin makes a tall claim to offer an immersive virtual exhibition platform with the ability to design customized exhibit halls in minutes. However, G2 user reviews for Hopin rate its event configuration capabilities 3% below average. 

Hopin offers a lot of great features but there are some drawbacks as well. For instance, it might be on the pricier side of things so it can be a choice only if you’re not worried about staying on a budget. Moreover, events with Hopin don’t look to be as immersive as those from competitors like vFairs who offer a 3D virtual environment. This can lead to usability issues particularly with your non-tech savvy audience. 

Hopin: Key Features

Customizable Exhibit Booths

Hopin offers easy to customize setup for exhibit booths and they claim that you can set up multiple exhibit halls within minutes. This is a bold claim as setting up an event with other platforms can take up to two weeks at times. Exhibitors can completely customize their booths to reflect their brand’s style and products. They also offer branded content and document hosting and customizable call to action buttons within the booth.

Exhibitors can also use some third-party integrations within their booths that facilitate product demos. You can set up the demo through a presentation slide, set up a YouTube playlist and demonstrate through videos, or even share your story through a Miro whiteboard.

Sponsor Visibility 

Offering a sponsorship deal to potential exhibitors can increase their chances of setting up a booth at your virtual event. You can offer sponsorship proposals with great visibility options through the Hopin platform. The customization options make it possible to put sponsored content, logos, and branding throughout the interactive platform.

Event Analytics & Lead Capture

Virtual exhibitions are all about spreading awareness about your product and service while capturing potential leads. Hopin is one of the few platforms that makes lead generation and capture an easier process for everyone. You can use the platform to build out email campaigns for the potential connections you’ve made and integrate with Salesforce, Zapier, and other CRM platforms.

It also offers event analytics tools for exhibitors and event hosts. You can gauge various booth and event metrics to draw out conclusions for how well the content is landing for your attendees. However, G2 user reviews also rate Hopin’s advanced reporting tools 4% below average which can be an important consideration for exhibitors at your event.   

Pricing

Hopin has a standalone pricing page on their website that offers transparent insights to their payment plans. You can choose to take advantage of a monthly license if your events are further apart or you’re only looking to host one. For more frequent hosting, you can choose an annual plan and save 15% on licensing costs.

There are three different paid subscriptions: Starter, Growth, and Advanced Plans. You can get a Starter license for $99 per month, Growth for $799 a month, and devise a customized plan with sales on call for Advanced package options. They also offer a basic free plan with minimal features and smaller events with up to 100 attendees.

Pros & Cons

Pros

“Both the organiser and user experience are very intuitive. The Hopin support team is incredible – queries/issues are usually responded to within a very short time frame, and the advice given always resolves the situation.” – Ollie J., Festival Director

“Hopin is a great platform for event attendees to get the most out of a virtual conference/summit/etc. Everything we wanted to feature, we were able to integrate into Hopin so it became the one and only destination for our attendees. From a guest’s perspective, everything was cleanly laid out, easily accessible, and visually pleasing.” – Nia G., Program Coordinator

Cons

“The software is pricey and not customizable enough. For how much we are paying we should be able to make more changes.” – Verified user in Fundraising

“We noticed a few minor bugs in the platform, which may have been fixed by now. Also, their support team needs to react quickly on user queries.” – Dhiren G., Global Head of Events

“A bit more complicated and takes time to learn all the available features and using streamyard.” – Verified user in Financial Services

FAQs

Are virtual exhibition platforms free?

Most virtual exhibition platforms have various payment packages depending upon the added feature set. You may be able to find a free package with basic features for a small duration event with less than 100 attendees. However, for longer events with more attendees you will have to purchase a paid license.

How long does it take to set up a virtual exhibition?

It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to set up an entire virtual exhibition depending upon the platform and the extent of the customization you choose. 

How do I choose a virtual exhibition?

Here are a few tips to choose the best virtual exhibition platform: 

• Start planning out what you want from the event at least three months in advance.
• Make a list of the best virtual exhibition platforms that you may come across.
• Read user reviews about all of them on sites like G2 or Capterra.
• Make a pros and cons list for each.
• Compare the pros and cons of each platform to your actual requirement from the event.
• Get in touch with the sales team of the platform you choose and start planning your next event.

What is a virtual exhibition?

A virtual exhibition, often called a virtual expo, is an online event that showcases products and services or gives out information to a remote/global audience.  

Leeds, UK  – Touchstone has announced they will host their final Virtual Recruitment Event on November 23rd, 2023 in partnership with the NHS Mental Health Trusts (West Yorkshire) and West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. The event will assist under-represented communities, including Black minorities, ethnic, LGBTQI+, and people living with disabilities in finding work with the NHS Mental Health Trusts in West Yorkshire. The event is free to attend, and interested parties can register here.

During the event, Touchstone and representatives from the NHS Trusts will share details with people who attend the recruitment fair about job opportunities in support work, cleaning, administration and nursing, and other roles such as HR and Communications. Attendees can browse virtual exhibit booths and chat with representatives from NHS Mental Health Trusts and Touchstone about job opportunities and what it’s like to work for the Trusts.  In addition to this people will also be able to visit booths hosted by the National Careers Service, Leeds Volunteer Centre, NHS Employers, and Aspiring Allies. 

Attendees may also attend webinars on topics discussing what it’s like to be a support worker in the NHS/charity sector,  information on psychological professions, advice on interviewing skills and allied health professions.

 This event is one in a series of recruiting events in partnership with Touchstone and NHS. Their most recent event, hosted in May 2023, saw 45 candidates interviewed, of which 87% were from Black and Minority Ethnicity (BME) backgrounds. Of the candidates interviewed, 44% went on to either gain a job or progress onto the second stage of the recruitment process. Touchstone and NHS look forward to achieving or surpassing these goals in their upcoming event.

“We are really committed to supporting people from under-represented communities to gain jobs within the NHS Mental Health Trusts, thereby supporting people to thrive in their chosen careers.  By doing this it enables the NHS to provide an enhanced service to different communities,” said Emilie Akselsen, Recruitment and Inclusion Coordinator

“We are honoured to assist the Touchstone & NHS Mental Health Trusts in connecting underprivileged populations with open roles in the NHS and charity sector,” says Muhammad Younas, CEO at vFairs. “We look forward to seeing excellent outcomes from this event.”

Job candidates interested in attending the free event can learn more and register here. 

About The Event

Touchstone has partnered with the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership to address and improve the workforce diversity and inclusion in NHS three mental health trusts in West Yorkshire: Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust, South-West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust and the Bradford District Care Foundation Trust.

 The overarching aim of the project is to support people from diverse groups into roles with these trusts as follows:

• Offering one-to-one employment support
• Hosting four virtual, and four in-person NHS inclusive recruitment events during 2023.

About vFairs

vFairs is an all-in-one event management platform that powers in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. Our event technology helps companies worldwide host custom, immersive events, and achieve incredible results. The platform features a virtual events platform and mobile app, each offering immersive virtual venues, advanced networking, world-renowned customer service, and a vast array of features that help you host unforgettable events.