Best Virtual Event Platforms in 2024
We have evaluated 30+ software providers to rank the best virtual event platforms in the following list.
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Virtual Events
Airmeet
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Airmeet is a virtual and hybrid event platform founded in 2019. The platform's strength is hosting large virtual events and webinars to create stunning experiences with highly customizable branding and advanced features.
Pros
Design reception with multiple interactive elements and custom layouts
Customizable 3D virtual stages and booths
Set up multiple sponsor tiers and associated benefits
Zoom Events & Webinars
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Zoom is a California-based company founded in 2011. "Events and Webinars" as an extension leverages Zoom's reliable foundation with additional features to host webinars. It provides secure streaming, endless integrations, and a straightforward setup.
Pros
Very reliable
Create your own permanent online meeting room
Remote keyboard & mouse control
Cons
"Webinars only" plans don't support custom branding
StreamGo
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StreamGo is a UK-based virtual events platform founded in 2016. The platform is aimed at larger companies with lots of attendees per event and also allows streaming of regular live and automated webinars.
In top 3 for
Pros
An expert team can guide through each part of the platform
Include a CTA/button on your live event page
Automated CPD certification
Social media style reaction icons
Ability to pay per webinar or virtual event
Cons
Customer support is quite slow
Does not support virtual backgrounds
Pros
Captions make meetings accessible and allow participants to capture highlights
Gesture recognition adds reactions from your hands instead of using a menu
Cancel background noise
Meet without ads or interruption
Active speaker view (lock and pin a participant)
Response to the customer support quickly
Cons
Does not support source tracking
Does not support browser-based access
Livestream
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Livestream was first founded in 2007 as Mogolus and later rebranded in 2009. Today the company belongs to the video hosting platform Vimeo and focuses on providing reliable virtual events.
Pros
Unlimited live events
Ad-free streaming and stream to social
White Labeling & Brand Control
Advanced viewer-level analytics for webinars
Seamless web payments
Cons
Does not allow calendar integration
Does not support screen sharing
Does not have a desktop app
Does not support virtual backgrounds and breakout rooms
- Our ranking considers every plan that providers offer. We evaluate each plan independently and then use a weighted calculation model to determine an overall score for each provider.
Virtual events form the present and future of large events. They give organizers the opportunity to reach attendees from any part of the globe and make it possible to scale lead generation and customer acquisition to new heights.
It's important to note that, like physical events, virtual events require a good deal of planning. From streamlined event marketing to event registration and analytics, your virtual event platform should be able to support all processes seamlessly. The very best software tools in this category need to ensure that large events run smoothly in all phases.
However, with multiple solutions on the market, finding the best tool to meet your needs can take a lot of work. You'll need a combination of excellent broadcasting software and event management tools to hold a great virtual event. The requirements here are very different from conventional webinar software.
To help you find the best software, we have performed in-depth research to find the best virtual event platforms for your business needs.
Let's dive right in.
What Makes the Best Virtual Event Platform
To determine what makes the best virtual event platform, we conducted detailed market research and consulted with industry experts to tailor the ranking to the requirements of virtual events. The structure of your assessment is similar to the one we use to determine the best webinar software. The main difference is that we shifted the ranking weights of the criteria and put extra attention to additional points that are only relevant for virtual events. From our analysis, we've determined that the following attributes need special awareness to rank the best virtual event platforms:
Event promotion
No great event is complete without attendees; the first step in attracting attendees to a virtual event is informing them about it. That is where event marketing comes in. There are multiple places to market and create hype about your virtual event, ranging from organic social media traffic to paid ads and email marketing. A great feature of integrating your event marketing with your virtual event software is the ability to streamline data. For example, you can use your virtual event software to analyze where your attendees came from, allowing you to understand your attendees better and refine your targeting.
Event registration
The event registration process is a crucial part of planning a virtual event, as it provides you with a good idea of how your event will go, attendance-wise. Another aspect is how well this process can be optimized for conversions. This includes your registration landing page, confirmation emails, reminders, and collecting payments for your events. The best virtual event platforms need to offer the ability to make this experience as seamless and attractive as possible to the audience you are marketing to.
Software integrations
Every event is unique, and having extra tools to improve your event management and execution is a significant advantage. You can make your processes smoother and more efficient with the right integrations. Whether it's an integration with YouTube or Facebook Live to broadcast your webinar to a broader audience or a CRM integration that captures your leads, software integrations are an excellent addition to every virtual event. Its main power for large events is to take a big burden away by automating resourceful tasks and minimizing human error.
Engagement tools
Virtual events need engagement, or your audience will get bored. In fact, this is the biggest challenge for every virtual event; no further discussion needed. The first step to engaging your audience is always through offering a great event that is well organized in its procedure through interesting topics and speakers. However, sometimes you’ll still fall into a hole. A great way to get out of this hole is to use digital engagement features like polls, advanced chat options, leaderboards, and breakout sessions to wake up your audience behind the screen. The best virtual event platforms know that and offer a variety of tools to boost your engagement effectively.
Support
Findings by Markletic show that up to 38% of marketers have to deal with one or more technical problems when hosting virtual events. Technical hitches can ruin the quality of your virtual event. It's essential to have a foolproof mechanism for handling those unexpected issues. While having your technical team on the side is great, having a responsive software support team to help with problems is a must. For large virtual events, we highly recommend reaching out to the provider you use so they can have someone by your side while the event is taking place. This will ensure that in case anything happens, their team can take immediate action to fix any issues or prepare any backup action.
In evaluating the best virtual event platforms, we have explicitly noted which providers offer excellent service from planning to executing large events. A virtual event platform must dedicate a team or contact person to accompany you through the entire process. It ensures that your event becomes a smooth success without any hiccups.
Event branding
Event branding provides an excellent avenue to showcase your business and brand image at your event. You can build trust with your attendees and potential customers by associating your business with a high-value virtual event. Branding can start with custom layouts, replacing the logo of the event software with your own one, and can end with the smallest details like customizing the favicon, event URL, and email domains.
Each piece that contributes to your branding helps you build recognizability and authority in your field, allowing you to derive more value long after your event. For our ranking of the best virtual event platforms, we made sure that branding is not coming short.
Analytics
Virtual events provide excellent opportunities for data generation and analysis. With event data analytics, you can determine your event's success, what sessions interested your attendees the most, and other valuable information. Data analytics also helps you make intelligent marketing decisions. You can publicize repurposed event content based on what your live attendees enjoyed the most. If you happen to work with sponsors, it can also be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your value since you can walk them through the data and show how well your event helped them gain access to their target audience.
10 Best Virtual Event Platforms
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How to Choose a Virtual Event Platform for Your Needs
Choosing software for your virtual events can be pretty challenging, especially with multiple options available. However, there are a few key points to note while exploring the market. Firstly, it's crucial to determine which criteria are most important to you. If you plan to host small B2B events, you may only need a few marketing features and fewer engagement tools, while events with a large general audience and long hours of presentation tend to require a more board spectrum of features. Make sure to have your priorities sorted, and then check our best-ranked solutions at the top to filter for the best platform for your specific purpose.
If you are standing between providers, check our Comparison Tool to see how they differentiate. You can also use our Finder Tool to guide you through the steps of finding tailored software matching the needs of your business.
Gavin M.
Updated: Sep 22, 2024
Filmmaker turned into marketer and tech geek. Sounds sad, but I absolutely love it. I manage webinars and virtual events to help companies reach new heights and stun their audience.
FAQ
What do virtual event platforms do?
Virtual event platforms allow you to plan, manage, and host virtual events for attendees. Virtual events are among the most effective forms of marketing today, and virtual event software platforms provide specialized tools to create these events without much technical input from the organizer's position.
What are the benefits of using a virtual event platform?
Virtual event platforms provide a seamless, high-quality interface to host your events. They make it easier to plan and execute a virtual event from start to finish. This includes the registration pages, confirmation emails, reminders, collection of payments, hosted pages where your events are visible to the audience, engagement tools, and a control panel to manage every single step to run an event using a single platform.
What is the difference between virtual event platforms and webinar software?
Virtual event platforms generally offer more features than video conferencing and webinar software. Directly compared, virtual events are targeting larger audiences and more professional environments, which also require more stability and higher support standards. This premium usually comes at a higher price while webinar software is a cheaper option that primarily focuses on marketing purposes and shorter sessions.