Download the PDF: https://www.demandmetric.com/content/online-event-marketing-technology-overview Events are a highly valuable resource for obtaining qualified leads and encouraging customer engagement. Traditional events, such as business meetings, conferences and tradeshows, thrive on the face-to-face interaction that can help to develop long-lasting partnerships. Likewise, the real-time interaction supported by webinars and virtual events creates personalized experiences for customers and prospects that enable relationship building. For organizations, events are considered to be any gathering that is planned and executed in order to attract attention from the organization’s target audience. The purpose of business events is to generate interest in the company’s products/services/brand and develop relationships between customers/ prospects and vendors. While there are many formats that align with this definition, this report will focus on the technologies and tools that enable web/video conferencing, webinars, webcasts and virtual events. Given the above criteria, Demand Metric defines Online Event Marketing as all of the tools, technologies and processes used to plan, create, organize, produce and analyze digital events. Digital events include web/video conferences, webinars, webcasts and virtual events & environments. These tools, technologies and processes offer various solutions from standard functionality, such as audio conferencing and event registration capabilities to advanced platforms that provide full-scale solutions for online, interactive events. This Technology Overview covers the features and functionality of Online Event Marketing solutions as well as an overview of the how the Online Event Marketing landscape will evolve over the next 12-18 months.

1. ONLINE EVENT
MARKETING
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

2. Table of Contents
1 3
2 5
3 8
Executive Summary
Online Event Marketing Vendor Landscape
Evolution of the Landscape
ONLINE EVENT MARKETING
Technology Overview
11
10Analyst Bottom Line
Technology Overview Methodology
About Demand Metric 12

3. Executive Summary
ONLINE EVENT MARKETING TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

4. ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 4EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Events are a highly valuable resource for obtaining qualified leads and
encouraging customer engagement.
Traditional events, such as business meetings, conferences and
tradeshows, thrive on the face-to-face interaction that can help to develop
long-lasting partnerships.
Likewise, the real-time interaction supported by webinars and virtual
events creates personalized experiences for customers and prospects
that enable relationship building.
For organizations, events are considered to be any gathering that is
planned and executed in order to attract attention from the organization’s
target audience.
The purpose of business events is to generate interest in the company’s
products/services/brand and develop relationships between customers/
prospects and vendors.
While there are many formats that align with this definition, this report will
focus on the technologies and tools that enable web/video conferencing,
webinars, webcasts and virtual events.
Given the above criteria, Demand Metric defines Online Event Marketing
as all of the tools, technologies and processes used to plan, create,
organize, produce and analyze digital events.
Digital events include web/video conferences, webinars, webcasts and
virtual events & environments.
These tools, technologies and processes offer various solutions
from standard functionality, such as audio conferencing and event
registration capabilities to advanced platforms that provide full-scale
solutions for online, interactive events.
This Technology Overview covers the features and functionality of Online
Event Marketing solutions as well as an overview of the how the Online
Event Marketing landscape will evolve over the next 12-18 months.
Executive Summary

5. ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Online Event Marketing
Vendor Landscape
ONLINE EVENT MARKETING TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

6. ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Standard Features
The following features are available in the majority of Online
Event Marketing solutions:
HD Audio & Video (Web-based) Conferencing
Desktop or Application Screensharing
Meeting Recording & Publishing Capabilities
Meeting Access for up to 200 Participants (Minimum)
Event Promotion (Email Marketing and/or Social Media)
Branded Event Registration (Landing Pages, Registration Forms)
6ONLINE EVENT MARKETING VENDOR LANDSCAPE
As mentioned previously, this landscape focuses on vendors that offer solutions for web conferencing, webcasting, webinars and virtual events &
environments.
Currently, functionality ranges from HD audio & video conferencing to full-scale virtual events hosted via customizable 2D & 3D online environments.
Below is a compilation of standard, advanced and cutting-edge features available within the Online Event Marketing landscape.
Online Event Marketing Vendor Landscape
Download Demand Metric’s Online Event Marketing Vendors
Matrix to review the key vendors for this technology space.
This matrix includes target industries, key offerings, unique
strengths and current customers for each vendor.
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Automated Event Reminders (Email and/or SMS)
Chat, Q&A and Polling Features
Dashboards to Monitor Attendee Activity
Attendee Activity and Behavior Analytics
The above-mentioned features will enable organizations to provide
an adequate Online Event Marketing program. For organizations
seeking to purchase or change their current technology solution,
these features must be included in any solution being considered.

7. ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 7ONLINE EVENT MARKETING VENDOR LANDSCAPE
Advanced Features Cutting-Edge Features
Some of the advanced features being offered in the market-
place are
2D & 3D Virtual Locations
Customizable Meeting Rooms, Booths & Community Chats
Support for up to 1,000 (Minimum) Viewers Concurrently
Live, Simulive and/or On-Demand Viewing
Embedded Content Management System (CMS)
35/24/7 Access to Branded Environment
Multi-language Support and Chat Translation Features
Customizable Dashboards & Analytics for Proprietary and
Sponsor Usage with CRM and/or MA Integration
Vendors currently offering many, if not all, of the advanced
features listed are 6Connex, Intercall, INXPO and ON24. As
more companies begin using virtual events as a compo-
nent of their event strategy, more vendors will offer plat-
forms at this level.
As with any technology in today’s world, innovative
functionality is continually changing the Online Event
Marketing space.
Cutting-edge features in this market are focused around
improving the attendee’s experience and level of
engagement.
At present, the most innovative features are enhanced
mobile device web-browsing, mobile applications for easy
access to meetings and events, gamification (badges, lead-
erboards, etc.) for improved attendee engagement and
testing and certification for concept review and under-
standing. Two vendors stand out here: Intercall and INXPO.
In order to make the right decision for your organization, obtain
more information from vendors with Demand Metric’s Online
Event Marketing System RFP.
V I E W R E S O U R C E

8. 8ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Event Management Platforms
It is important to note in this study that there are several vendors
offering Online Event Marketing and Management services for
in-person or live events, such as tradeshows, festivals, fund-
raisers, etc.
While these vendors are not focusing on delivering online webi-
nars or events, they are still providing powerful cloud-based
tools for marketing, managing and measuring events.
Event Management platforms typically offer event registra-
tion, customized event landing pages, secure event payment
processing, event promotion tools (social media integrations,
widgets, links, etc.), email marketing campaigns and analytics to
monitor registrations and registrant activity (social media, email
click-throughs, etc.). A few vendors to be aware of here are
Acteva, Eventbrite and EventKloud.
ONLINE EVENT MARKETING VENDOR LANDSCAPE
More advanced platforms have developed mobile applications
to help event organizers share important conference/meeting
details with attendees and enable attendees to monitor their
schedules and travel plans efficiently.
With an event mobile app, event organizers can also monitor
attendee activity and behavior via check-ins and social media
shares. Most notable of these advanced Event Management plat-
forms is Cvent.
Evaluate potential vendors with Demand Metric’s Online
Event Marketing Vendor Evaluation to select the vendor and
platform that best fits the needs of your organization.
V I E W R E S O U R C E

9. 9GAMIFICATION ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Evolution of the Landscape
ONLINE EVENT MARKETING TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

10. ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 10EVOLUTION OF THE LANDSCAPE
As organizations migrate to implementing Online Event Marketing solu-
tions to supplement existing event strategies, buyers will seek plat-
forms that can offer experiences as close to lifelike as possible.
Since in-person or live events offer organizations the ability to solidify
strong relationships with prospects and customers, there will be an
increasing need for functionality and services that can attract attention
and captivate an audience.
Luckily, the market is already beginning to sense the urgent need for
improved attendee experiences and levels of engagement.
With the addition of innovative features such as mobile applications and gami-
fication, several vendors are actively enhancing the attendee experience with
anytime, anywhere access to webinars and events as well as encouraging
attendee engagement by offering badges, rankings and prizes tied to sponsor
interactions, webinar views, knowledge-based testing and much more.
Demand Metric expects to see more innovation arise in terms of experi-
enceandengagementwhenitcomestoOnlineEventMarketingsolutions.
With the shift from periodic meetings and webinars to 365/24/7 virtual
environments, an attendee’s overall experience will be maximized through
anytime, anywhere access to learning modules. Likewise, platforms will
assist customers engage their attendees more effectively by offering
rewards for meaningful interactions.
Evolution of the Landscape

11. ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 11ANALYST BOTTOM LINE
Analyst Bottom Line
While in-person or live events remain the most popular source
of quality leads and customer engagement, organizations are
beginning to embrace a hybrid strategy (live and online events) or,
at a minimum, an online component (on-demand recordings) for
Event Marketing.
Live events can become expensive for not only hosting companies,
but also for attending organizations with ever-increasing travel
expenses and event ticket costs.
Forthisreason,DemandMetricbelievesthatorganizationsfromSMBs
to large Enterprises will continue to acquire Online Event Marketing
solutions from web conferencing to full-scale, 365/24/7 virtual
environments to supplement existing Event Marketing strategies.
As mentioned in the Evolution of the Landscape section of this
report, companies seeking virtual solutions for events will want
to ensure the most personalized, realistic experiences for their
audiences.
With that being said, Online Event Marketing platforms can
become an expense of their own, if not properly aligned with sales,
marketing and organizational goals and optimized to generate
significant ROI.
Demand Metric recommends using the tools outlined in
the Online Event Marketing Vendor Landscape section
of this report to ensure you select the solution that best
suits your organization.
Furthermore download Demand Metric’s Event Marketing
Playbook and Demand Generation Playbook to align
your Online Event Marketing program with your overall
Event Marketing and Demand Generation strategies for
the upcoming year.

12. 12ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEWTECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW METHODOLOGY
Technology Overview Methodology
The Modern Marketing landscape is an ever-changing, ever-evolving
environment in which new strategies, technologies, vendors and
products appear continually.
Demand Metric Technology Overviews provide marketers with a
focus on a specific technology solution set or focus area so that
they are armed with the knowledge, information and tools they
need to develop effective strategies for their organizations.
Each Technology Overview involves hours of analyst research
(mainly publicly available information), is for a specific technology
solution, and is usually accompanied by several practical tools.
Our Customer Engagement series includes Technology Overviews on
Gamification
Online Communities
Advocacy and Loyalty
Our practical tools are designed to provide marketers with the tools
and templates they need to plan for an initiative in a given focus
area, analyze the vendor landscape and select the best vendor for
their organization.
We provide a comprehensive overview of Customer
Engagement in the companion report Customer
Engagement Best Practices Report.
V I E W R E S O U R C E

13. 13ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEWABOUT DEMAND METRIC
About Demand Metric
Demand Metric is a marketing research and advisory firm serving
a membership community of over 120,000 marketing profes-
sionals and consultants in 75 countries.
Offering consulting methodologies, advisory services, and
500+ premium marketing tools and templates, Demand Metric
resources and expertise help the marketing community plan
more efficiently and effectively, answer the difficult questions
about their work with authority and conviction, and complete
marketing projects more quickly and with greater confidence,
boosting the respect of the marketing team and making it easier
to justify resources the team needs to succeed.
To learn more about Demand Metric, please visit
www.demandmetric.com

14. 14GAMIFICATION ONLINE EVENT MARKETING: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
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