Enterprise Connect Re-ups on Virtual Event Tech

Enterprise Connect in August will be holding its second virtual event of the year with more immersive and intelligent virtual event tech.

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Enterprise Connect Re-ups on Virtual Event Tech

Bob Davis, Corporate Vice President for Office 365 Engineering for Microsoft, speaking at Enterprise Connect in 2018.

in March, InformaTech, the parent company of unified communication and collaboration tech event Enterprise Connect, canceled the show due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally scheduled for the end of March in Orlando, Fla., the event was instead hosted virtually, featuring several keynotes and sessions from the biggest names in enterprise technology, including Slack, AWS, Microsoft and more.

The physical event was relocated to San Francisco, Calif. for Aug. 3-6, but that too has been transformed into a new and improved virtual version of Enterprise Connect featuring “more of a full-blown experience,” says Eric Krapf, general manager and program chair of the event.

The event features some of the biggest names in tech and counts technology managers among its customers, so it was incumbent upon event organizers to create a robust virtual offering that is technological enough to attract both sponsors and guests.

My TechDecisions Podcast Episode 78: Enterprise Connect & Virtual Events

Next generation of virtual events

To host Enterprise Connect Virtual, Krapf and Informa chose Swapcard, an artificial intelligence-powered virtual event and networking platform that includes live streaming, matchmaking, virtual booths and more.

“What’s exciting to us about it is it’s really kind of a next gen platform for these virtual events,” Krapf says.

Upon registering, vendors and attendees enter information about themselves, and that is used to help match viewers with the right sources. Krapf equates the feature to online shopping where products are suggested based on the user’s interests.

Perhaps the largest draw to tech conferences is networking on the show floor and meeting with vendors to drum up new business relationships. Enterprise Connect Virtual will attempt to bring that to the virtual platform with a scheduling platform that allows individuals to book 15-minute meetings with specific vendors.

“We knew they wanted to have the opportunity to … network with their peers,” Krapf says. “So we really needed a good platform to get it to them.”

With more advanced virtual event technology that leverages artificial intelligence, attendees can view content and network more efficiently. That’s especially important if they’re still working from home and balancing work with personal life.

“Hopefully it will let people be really efficient so they don’t spend a lot of time looking around and not really finding what they’re after,” Krapf says.

The future of events in the post-COVID world

According to Krapf, the company is planning virtual components for their live events – if they’re able to be held – “for the next year or two.” Companies might still be hesitant to risk sending employees to large events even after a vaccine is developed.

“We very much hope there’s a vaccine sooner rather than later, but even under those circumstances, it may take a little time to rev the engine back up for a lot of companies,” Krapf says.

A hybrid event is also just a more convenient option for some people, especially smaller businesses that don’t have the time or resources to fly staff out to Florida, California or other parts of the world.

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“You can put a lot of these AI-driven tools in a live event or mobile app,” Krapf says. “I think having the hybrid ability gives you more options and more ways to get the substance of the conference out to people.”

Those tools were important to both the event’s sponsors and advisory board of end users who spend their day on platforms and expect a virtual event that’s just as immersive and intuitive as the technology they create and use.

“Artificial intelligence and collaboration technology aren’t just what we cover,” Krapf says. “It’s how the event runs.”

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