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  • 1.  Virtual Conference Platforms - any suggestions?

    Posted 06-18-2020 14:02
    Hello.  I'm looking for a virtual conference platform to replace our in-person event this November.  Does anyone know of a good reputable company that provide this service?  Thanks SO much :-)
    #Miscellaneous
    #ExecutingStrategicMeetingsManagement
    #PromotingYourEvent

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    Cathy Kotsopoulos
    Events & Relations Manager
    Constellation HomeBuilder Systems
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  • 2.  RE: Virtual Conference Platforms - any suggestions?

    Posted 06-18-2020 14:25

    Hi Cathy,

    Do you know what your expectations and goals are for your event? What are your parameters?
    Depending on what your vision is for the meeting and how you answer questions (see below) will help you determine what platform/technology will work best for your meeting.

    Sample Questions:
    How many people will participate?
    How many days?
    Breakout rooms?
    Live/On-Demand/Mix - content
    Virtual Exhibit hall?
    Various time zones?
    Do you plan to track attendance, gamification, interaction?
    Will you need polling, Q&A, surveys?
    Will you charge for this event?
    Will you give credits for attending?

    Will you be sending enhancement packages to your virtual audience?



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    Kit Stanford
    Sr. Meeting Planner
    World Travel, Inc.
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  • 3.  RE: Virtual Conference Platforms - any suggestions?

    Posted 06-19-2020 12:11
    Hello Cathy
    When you find a good response could you please share. I have been looking for awhile and the pricing is astoundingly high for most of them. I don't understand why a 10 hour virtual conference should cost 15-20 thousand at the lowest when we would do all the promotions, registrations, basically all the ground work except for running the technology on the day of the conference, have one rehearsal with the speakers and provide a page for sponsors to have links to their zoom events or web sites. Why does this cost so much?  What am I missing? We have already developed the evaluation on survey monkey, no breakout rooms, no concurrent sessions yet it is very expensive.
    Sorry for the rant, if you do find out anything I would be very interested.
    Regards
    Cindy

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    Cindy Lundy
    Co-Owner, Director
    Nova Clinical Services
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  • 4.  RE: Virtual Conference Platforms - any suggestions?

    Posted 06-19-2020 15:07
    I would echo Cindy's thoughts - if you could share, that would be wonderful! We are in the same boat - looking for something that is not going to cost an arm and a leg for a conference that we are now moving to an online format.

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    Katie Porchak
    Events & Training Coordinator
    Precept Ministries International- Canada Office
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  • 5.  RE: Virtual Conference Platforms - any suggestions?

    Posted 06-23-2020 09:07
    Edited by Kameron Kidd 01-18-2024 14:05
    Hi @Cathy Kotsopoulos - we hold in-person events globally and have really done our research looking for a virtual platform that will create an online event that has the same feel as our in-person events, challenging to be sure. We ended up with Hubb.​ You can check out the Untethered event to get a feel for what they offer. Everyone we've worked with at Hubb has been really helpful in picking up on our vision and the staff know their stuff. :-). 
    Good luck!!

    @Cindy Lundy
    @Katie Porchak

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    Lori Harris
    Events Project Specialist
    SAS Institute Inc.
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  • 6.  RE: Virtual Conference Platforms - any suggestions?

    Posted 06-23-2020 16:40
    Hi, Cathy! I'm new to the virtual meeting realm as well. After researching several different platforms, I selected to go with PSAV's Chime Live. We have three virtual meetings that will happen this year, ranging from 150-400 people per event.
    • We use PSAV at 90% of the hotels that we visit, and have a really good relationship with the sales team that is based at a local hotel. Therefore, I felt comfortable knowing that what they were saying / promising was actually going to happen!
    • The second deciding factor for me was that once we can meet again in person, we will be. If our company was saying that we were going to move to 100% virtual meetings from now on, I would have chosen ON24 as a provider and would have learned all the technology to upload presentations, videos, do the live stream, etc. But that's not where our company is going to be in the future. These virtual meetings are just a band-aid to get us through this time, and I am not a 'techy' person that knows all there is to know about streaming videos. I wanted PSAV's technology experts to handle all that, using the presentations we supply them.
    • And, lastly, I'm hopeful that when we do go back to meeting live, I'll be able to promote more hybrid attendance between in person and online attendees. Having our attendees experience this online platform, that is provided by the same company that is providing our AV technology that is already being used at the hotels where we will be, will hopefully make this value add very seamless. 
    I hope that this helps you!

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    Amy Bell
    Meeting and Event Planner
    Carlisle Construction Materials
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