The world has seen a significant shift in the way events are conducted, with virtual events now taking center stage.

The unparalleled accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and global reach offered by a virtual events platform have transformed the landscape of the events industry. But with so many options available, how do you choose the ultimate virtual events platform for your learning business?

In this blog post, we will delve into the essential features and key considerations for selecting the best virtual events platform that aligns with your objectives, audience, and budget. From webinars to conferences, networking events, and team meetings, we've got you covered.

What we'll learn together:

• Evaluate key features such as functionality, user experience, customization & branding when selecting a platform.
• Research options based on pricing & security measures then test/demo platforms to identify the best fit for your needs.
• Discover the ultimate virtual events platform for your learning business with cost savings, flexibility, and access to a larger audience.

The Rise of Virtual Events Platforms

Several factors contribute to the growing popularity of virtual event platforms, such as businesses’ need to reach global audiences and the drive to cut costs linked to in-person events. With the ability to host virtual events, event organizers can tap into a wider market, reaching a diverse audience without the limitations of geographical boundaries.

Advantages of Virtual Events

Furthermore, virtual event platforms play a crucial role in offering several benefits, including:

Low Operational Cost

Virtual events hold multiple advantages over in-person ones, primarily, they allow for substantial savings on logistics and travel expenses. Organizing an online event eliminates the need for event space rentals, catering, and other associated expenses.

Flexibility and Global Inclusiveness.

Another benefit of hosting virtual events is the flexibility they offer. Attendees can join from any location, using an online event platform, allowing for a larger audience and a variety of perspectives. Moreover, virtual events can be accessed at any time, providing greater flexibility in scheduling and catering to attendees from different time zones.

Other advantages of virtual events:

• Significantly reducing costs associated with logistics, travel, and event management
• Facilitating the transition from passive video consumption to interactive experiences
• Underscoring the significance of audience engagement and participation in today’s digital era

The Shift from Passive to Interactive Experiences

The evolution of virtual events has seen a shift from passive video consumption to interactive live platforms, emphasizing the importance of audience engagement and participation.

In the past, online events often involved attendees passively watching pre-recorded videos or listening to presentations. However, the virtual event landscape has changed dramatically, with platforms now focusing on creating interactive experiences that closely emulate in-person events.

As you plan your next virtual event, consider these advancements to ensure a more engaging and immersive experience for your attendees.

Customization and branding options have also evolved, allowing event organizers to create unique virtual environments that truly reflect their brand identity. From customizing the digital space with imagery, color, and multimedia content to offering interactive features such as polls, surveys, and networking opportunities, virtual event platforms have truly transformed the way we experience events online. With the help of a virtual event app, event organizers can further enhance the attendee's experience.

Key Features to Look for in Virtual Event Platforms

Choosing a virtual event platform requires careful consideration of various factors such as functionality, user experience, customization, branding, integration, and scalability.

By taking these factors into account, event organizers and event planners can ensure that the chosen platform meets their specific requirements and aligns with their objectives.

Each virtual event type comes with unique requirements that need to be factored in when assessing different platforms. For instance, a webinar may require a platform that offers registration, analytics, and audience engagement tools, while a virtual conference may necessitate a platform with customizable agendas, networking opportunities, and breakout rooms.

Feature #1: Functionality and User Experience

The functionality and user experience offered by a virtual event platform are key to ensuring a seamless and enjoyable event for both organizers and attendees. A platform’s features should be easy to use and navigate, with intuitive interfaces and clear instructions for users.

Integration with other tools and systems, such as Google Calendar or email marketing software, can further enhance the user experience, ensuring seamless communication and coordination between event organizers and event attendees. Additionally, technical support should be readily available to address any issues that may arise during the event.

However, there's no better way than having complete functionality with a great user experience where you are able to track attendance, clone events, manage members, and integrate third-party apps in an all-in-one impressive virtual event management platform. You can find all these things in the Disco's event platform and it makes your tasks effortless with its automation capabilities.

Feature #2: Customization and Branding

For learning businesses aiming to craft a distinctive and immersive virtual event that resonates with their brand identity, customization, and branding options are vital. This can include customizing the digital space with imagery, color, video, and audio content, as well as displaying branded banners, moving content, and logos for sponsors and exhibitors.

By providing a platform that allows for extensive customization and branding, event organizers can ensure that their virtual event stands out from the competition and leaves a lasting impression on attendees. This not only enhances the overall event experience but also helps businesses to strengthen their brand identity and recognition.

Feature #3: Integration and Scalability

When choosing a virtual event platform, the ability to integrate with other systems and its scalability are vital considerations. Integration ensures that the chosen platform can work seamlessly with other tools and systems, while scalability guarantees that the platform can grow with the business, accommodating larger events and global audiences as required.

Additionally, a scalable platform ensures that learning businesses can:

• Continue to utilize the same virtual event platform for future events, without having to switch to a new solution as their needs and requirements evolve
• Save valuable time and resources
• Maintain consistency and familiarity for both event organizers and attendees.

In summary, when selecting a virtual event platform, it's crucial to focus on these three key features: functionality, user experience, and scalability. These elements will allow you to operate your learning business effectively, while also using virtual events as a strategy to grow and scale your operations.

Enhancing Engagement with Interactive Tools

Using interactive tools such as Q&A sessions, networking opportunities, and live polls and surveys can boost audience engagement in virtual events. Interactive tools not only allow attendees to actively participate in the event, but they also provide real-time feedback and insights, helping learning businesses to improve future events and better understand their audience.

By incorporating interactive tools and utilizing virtual event software into your virtual events, you can create an engaging and immersive experience for attendees, helping to ensure the success of your event.

Interactive Q&A Sessions

Interactive Q&A sessions, where attendees can pose questions and interact with speakers, enrich the overall event experience. These sessions provide an opportunity for attendees to clarify their understanding of the content, seek expert advice, and actively participate in the event.

Popular and useful tools for an interactive Q&A experience:

• MeetingPulse
• Slido
• Mentimeter
• Kahoot!
• Hopin

By incorporating Q&A sessions into your virtual events, you can foster an interactive and engaging environment for your audience, ultimately improving the overall event experience.

Audience Networking Opportunities

Networking features, like chat rooms and video calls, serve as avenues for attendees to interact and forge relationships. These features provide users with the opportunity to:

• Connect with others
• Have one-on-one conversations
• Share ideas
• Network with like-minded professionals

Live Polling and Surveys

Conducting live polls and surveys offers immediate feedback and insights, aiding businesses in improving future events and gaining a better understanding of their audience. By incorporating polls and surveys into your virtual events, you can gather valuable data on attendee preferences, opinions, and experiences, allowing you to tailor your content and approach for future events.

Without a doubt, the full potential of Disco's integrated best online quiz tool can be leveraged to create live polls and surveys to interact and get feedback from your learners. It's incredibly user-friendly! In fact, you can create your own survey in less than five minutes.

Some of the top tools for conducting live polls and surveys during virtual events include:

• Slido
• Mentimeter
• Poll Everywhere
• SurveyMonkey

Tips for Choosing the Right Virtual Events Platform

Selecting the right virtual event platform for your learning business necessitates initially defining your objectives, researching and assessing options, and testing and demoing platforms prior to making a final decision. This will ensure that the chosen platform aligns with your goals, audience, and budget, and provides the features and functionalities required for a successful event.

By taking these steps, you can confidently select the best virtual event platform for your specific event type, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience for both presenters and attendees.

Tip #1: Define Your Objectives

Defining your objectives is the initial step in choosing the right virtual event platform. Consider the primary goals of your event, such as:

• Obtaining new leads
• Increasing visibility
• Educating current customers
• Broadening audience reach
• Building authority in your niche

By establishing your objectives clearly, you can ensure that the selected platform's features and capacities are in sync with your goals and needs. This will assist you in focusing on the features that are most applicable to your event and audience, ultimately guaranteeing your virtual event's success.

Tip #2: Research and Evaluate Options

After defining your objectives, it’s necessary to research and assess the virtual event platforms available. This can be done by exploring software review websites, such as Capterra, G2, and TrustPilot, which provide comprehensive information on various virtual event platforms, including their features, pricing, user reviews, and more.

When evaluating options, consider factors such as:

• functionality
• user experience
• customization
• branding
• integration
• scalability
• pricing
• security measures

This will help you to identify the platform that best meets your specific needs and requirements.

Tip #3: Test and Demo Platforms

Prior to committing to a virtual event platform, it’s vital to test and demo the platform to verify that it fulfills your needs and expectations. Many virtual event platforms offer free trials or product demos, allowing you to explore the platform’s features and functionalities first-hand.

By taking the time to test and demo various platforms, you can gain valuable insights into the user experience, functionality, and features of each option, ultimately helping you to make an informed decision on the best virtual event platform for your learning business.

5 Best Virtual Event Platforms for Different Event Types

With numerous virtual event platforms on offer, finding the best fit for your particular event type can be a daunting task. To help you make an informed decision, we have compiled a list of top virtual event platforms for various event types, including:

• Disco for Event Series
• Hopin for Webinars
• Airmeet for Virtual Conferences
• Zoom for Networking events
• Google Meet for Team meetings

By grasping the essential features and potential of each platform, you can guarantee that you pick the most appropriate solution for your learning business, meeting the distinct demands of your event and audience.

Disco: An Excellent Choice for Event Series

When it comes to hosting a series of events for your learning business, Disco emerges as the top choice. Disco's virtual event management platform is designed to handle event series with ease, providing a seamless and engaging experience for both organizers and attendees.

It offers a long list of comprehensive features such as:

• event cloning,
• member management,
• event attendance report,
• feedback report,
• customizable event types from community events to product events,
• automatic calendar invites,
• seamless uploading of video recordings,
• and third-party app integration

These all wrapped up in an intuitive and user-friendly interface. With its robust automation capabilities, Disco simplifies the process of managing event series, allowing you to focus on delivering quality content and fostering meaningful interactions.

From event series, and webinars to workshops and conferences, Disco is the ultimate platform for learning businesses seeking to leverage the power of virtual events.

Learn the key tactics for building a successful event series!

Hopin: The Best Event Platform for Webinars

With its focus on interaction and engagement, Hopin stands out as a premier platform for conducting webinars. It offers a range of features including live chat, polls, Q&A sessions for audience engagement, and the ability to create multiple stages and sessions for diverse topics.

Additionally, Hopin provides networking opportunities, built-in ticketing and registration for both free and paid events, detailed analytics and reporting, and customization options to create a unique event experience.

Its scalability and integration capabilities further enhance its appeal, making it suitable for webinars of all sizes and complexities.

Airmeet: The Top Choice for Virtual Conferences

Airmeet, a top choice for hosting virtual conferences, offers a suite of robust features tailored for learning businesses. Key features include:

• interactive sessions via the 'Social Lounge',
• scalability to host up to 100,000 attendees,
• engagement tools such as live polls and Q&A,
• customizable stages to match your brand identity,
• built-in registration and ticketing for easy attendee management, and
• comprehensive analytics and reports for gaining insights into attendee behavior.

With these features, Airmeet ensures an impactful and engaging virtual conference experience.

Zoom: Preferred Tools for Networking Events

When it comes to networking events, Zoom stands out as a top-notch choice. This platform is renowned for its reliable video conferencing capabilities, making it a preferred tool for networking events.

One of Zoom's standout features is its 'Breakout Rooms'. This functionality allows event organizers to split attendees into separate rooms for more intimate networking sessions. These rooms can be created both automatically and manually, offering flexibility in how you group your attendees.

In these Breakout Rooms, attendees can engage in focused discussions, network with each other in a more personal setting, and forge meaningful connections. The organizer has the ability to jump between rooms, ensuring smooth facilitation of discussions. Moreover, Zoom's easy-to-use interface, high-quality video and audio, screen-sharing capabilities, and recording options further bolster its appeal for networking events.

Google Meet: Recommended Platform for Team Meetings

Google Meet, a product of Google's G Suite, is an excellent choice for team meetings. This platform stands out for its ease of use and accessibility, making it a go-to tool for many businesses.

Google Meet is renowned for its intuitive interface, which makes setting up and joining meetings a breeze even for those less tech-savvy. This is a significant advantage for learning businesses, as it minimizes the time and effort required to get everyone on board for a meeting.

One of the most noteworthy features of Google Meet is that it's free for everyone with a Google account. This makes it a cost-effective solution for businesses, especially startups and small businesses working on a tight budget.

Moreover, Google Meet automatically generates a meeting URL that can be easily shared with participants. This URL can be directly connected to Google Calendar, making scheduling and joining meetings even more straightforward. This integration with Google Calendar also allows for seamless scheduling and reminders, ensuring that no important meeting is missed.

In essence, Google Meet offers a simple, accessible, and cost-effective solution for hosting team meetings, making it an ideal choice for learning businesses of all sizes and types.

Our Final Note

In conclusion, choosing the ultimate virtual event platform for your learning business involves careful consideration of your objectives, audience, and budget. By defining your goals, researching and evaluating options, and testing and demoing platforms, you can ensure that the chosen platform aligns with your specific requirements and provides the features and functionalities needed for a successful event.

Whether you are hosting webinars, conferences, networking events, or team meetings, the right virtual event platform can transform the way you connect with your audience, providing a seamless and engaging experience that leaves a lasting impression.

Therefore, invest your time wisely to make a well-informed choice, and harness the immense power of virtual events for the growth of your learning business.

If you're seeking more than just a virtual event platform, consider giving Disco's robust LMS a try to expand your educational organization. Disco offers a free 14-day trial for every learning business!