Virtual events are experiencing a major boom lately - not only because they are often the only way to implement an event due to pandemics. Even away from social distancing, virtual concepts will become an integral part of the event world in the future. Sustainability, greater reach, location independence and cost efficiency are just some of the advantages.
Key to the successful implementation of a virtual event are the right tools. This overview will give you a good comparison of the most popular tools and help you choose the right software for your concept.
Overview of providers for virtual events
With Sweap's virtual event platform, virtual events can be created in under 30 minutes. The platform is designed for active guest participation.
Login for host Webbrowser / beliebiges Streaming Tool
Company headquarters Germany
Type Event Management Software
Wonder is a virtual space where groups can get together to create connections in a way that feels natural and energising. It is mainly used for stand-alone networking events or networking sessions as part of larger events, such as conferences and fairs.
Number of participants 500 per space
Price from Free
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Company headquarters Germany
Type Video conference & spatial chat
The core features of Zoom are online meetings in HD video and audio, video webinars, online conference rooms and the telephone system in the corporate cloud.
Number of participants 100, 300, 500, 1000
Price from free of charge (40 min), 13,99 € per month*
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Login for Host Web browser / any streaming tool
Company headquarters USA
Type Video conference
Contentflow is a provider for live streams from Berlin. On the one hand, the company offers cloud software for the recording of streams and playout to various channels, on the other hand, it also offers agency services including the rental of recording equipment.
Number of participants unlimited
Price from 1500 € per event, license possible
Login for participant Webbrowser
Login for Host Webbrowser, any streaming tool
Germany
Type Streaming provider
Go to Meeting/Go to Webinar: Both tools were created by LogMeIn. If you decide you want to use both, you may want to set up a shared account.
Number of participants 150, 250, 3000
Price from 10,75 € per month*
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Company headquarters USA
Type Video conference & virtual event
Cisco Webex is a tool designed to make it easier for teams to hold online meetings, events, presentations and conference calls. The participants are independent of location.
Number of participants 50, 100, 200
Price from 12,85 € per month*
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Company headquarters USA
Type Video conference
The core functions of SpotMe are Agenda & Timetable, Networking, Surveys, Social Media Integrations, Interactive Maps, Virtual and Hybrid Events.
Number of participants 150, 250, 3000
Price from 10,75 € per month*
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Company headquarters USA
Type Videoconference & virtual event
The strength of Adobe Connect lies in its clear design and generous scope of features for webinars and web-based conferences. The possibilities range from virtual teamwork and online demonstrations to online training.
Number of participants unbegrenzt
Price from 55 € month.*
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Company headquarters USA
Type Video conference
Meetyoo supports or replaces events such as trade fairs/conferences, employee events, career fairs, marketing events, training courses or live streams.
Number of participants 25, 35, 50
Price from 25 € per month*
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Company headquarters Germany
Type Video conference & virtual event
Many event organisers have switched to virtual event formats in the past months. Their big challenge is to transform the advantages of a physical event into a digital one, without losing user experience or brand values. This is why we want to present our 10 favourite tools for virtual and hybrid events that help you reach this goal and also increase the engagement of your participants.
Tool 1 for Virtual Events: Sweap for Events
The goal of Sweap's virtual event platform is to create memorable virtual experiences. The platform is built to increase interaction and integrates with all of the leading tools on the market. The software fulfills high security standards.
With Sweap we were able to fulfill our need for flexibility.
Oliver RammHead of Marketing
Tool 2 for Virtual Events: Sli.do
Sli.do is a Q&A and polling tool that allows your participants to actively participate in your event, ask questions and vote on whatever you wish them to vote on. At large events, it is ideal for involving your audience, but it is also a great tool for breaking the ice, getting to know each other, working together as a team and brainstorming together at events such as professional conferences or (company or association) meetings. They win extra points for their genious promotion video as well.
Why we love Sli.do:
Sli.do offers a simple and clear moderator interface for full control of the event. It is super easy to integrate Sli.do with Sweap's Virtual Event Platform.
Tool 3 for Virtual Events: Click it
With Click it, your participants can upload a photo of themselves during the event. All the photos combined form a large mosaic in which everyone is literally part of the whole image, even if they are all in different places. Afterwards, the resulting picture can be sent to all participants as a souvenir.
Why we love Click.it:
Click.it offers participants a nice souvenir of the event and it is easy to integrate.
Tool 4 for Virtual Events: Wonder.me
Wonder.me is a virtual space and networking tool where all participants can come together, get into groups, and talk to each other in breakout rooms. Participants can move from group to group at any time to exchange with others. This makes it an ideal networking tool and also well suited for large events or conferences. Another plus: Wonder's functions are currently still offered free of charge.
Why we love Wonder:
It encourages trial and error with its innovative interface and it is currently still free of charge. In addition, integrating Wonder with Sweap is a matter of 15 seconds.
Tool 5 for Virtual Events: Zoom/Teams
Most people are probably familiar with Microsoft Teams and the video conferencing tool Zoom. This is why we want to add them here: they are popular, easy to use and still the most reliable market leaders. The tools support you in holding meetings, conferences, webinars or meetings online and when integrated in a Virtual Event Platform you have all the possibilities!
Teams - as the name states - also offers numerous functions for organizing whole teams. You can chat, make phone calls, hold larger meetings, and work on documents together. Teams also has its own calendar function.
Why we love Zoom/Teams:
These two tools are so common that by now most people can handle them and are therefore particularly accessible. Zoom has an easy integration with Sweap as well.
Tool 6 for Virtual Events: Big Blue Button
Big Blue Button is a German open source solution for video conferencing, comparable to Zoom, Teams, GotoMeeting etc., but without requiring a server installation. Instead, it can simply be integrated into the Event Reception of Sweap.
Why we love Big Blue Button:
It is hosted in Germany and therefore also the GDPR winner out of the conferencing tools in our list.
Tool 7 for Virtual Events: Fanomena
Fanomena (formerly eventbaxx) offers digital goodie bags. Far too often, physical goodie bags end up unused in the trash, which is why digital solutions are becoming increasingly relevant not only for purely virtual events, but also for hybrid and on-site events.
A digital goodie bag, which you can fill with discounts, voucher codes, offers etc. (if required together with your partners or sponsors), has huge advantages in terms of sustainability, but also time and costs, and can be easily designed, filled and evaluated.
Why we love Fanomena:
Fanomena motivates sponsors to invest through its simple and user-friendly interface.
Tool 8 for Virtual Events: Miro
Miro is a virtual whiteboard tool especially suited for meetings, workshops, collaborative brainstorming sessions, etc. All participants can edit the board, follow others' edits live, enter and add things, and thus interact directly with each other and the event content.
Why we love Miro:
In Miro, participants can be creative and have fun while engaging with other participants.
Tool 9 for virtual events: Votr
Votr is a voting tool for open and anonymous online voting. This makes it particularly suitable for virtual meetings or events where decisions are made and votes are taken jointly and are to be evaluated directly - naturally in compliance with data protection and the law.
Why we love Votr:
Voting on Votr is anonymous, which makes it good for associations.
Tool 10 for Virtual Events: TEDME
Another voting tool, albeit with slightly different features, is TEDME. TEDME helps you to collect Q&A questions or audience opinions or to interactively query the knowledge of your participants. This makes it well suited for webinars, among other things.
Why we love TEDME:
TEDME is particularly well suited for anonymous elections such as general meetings.
Conclusion
As our research shows, there are now numerous tools available to help you make your virtual event a complete success. All these tools, as well as all your favourite tools, can be integrated into Sweap's Virtual Event Platform and used for your event. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our sales team.
Oliver Ramm Head of Marketing
