XP Land’s comprehensive guide to virtual event platforms

Over the past two and a half years, we’ve seen incredible innovations in virtual event platforms designed to bring aspects of the live experience to virtual attendees. Key players like Notified and Brandlive have completely overhauled their pre-pandemic platforms to improve UX, visuals and streaming quality. As the tech improved, the money kept flowing in… for a while. The bubble for event tech burst earlier this year. Hopin, arguably the greatest breakout star in virtual events, laid off 29% of its employees in July after having already laid off 12% in March. Long-reigning virtual event powerhouse ON24 went public in November 2021, but its stock value has dropped more than 75% since then. The brutal fight for clientele in a market slowly shifting from virtual back to IRL has created one option for the less-sexy platforms to stay relevant: hybrid. That’s good news, because the future of the events industry is hybrid. A virtual component to a live event should be an expectation, not a bonus. Whether it’s a podcast, a stream-in experience, live-to-virtual attendee networking, or a full-on metaverse counterpart of a live event, virtual options allow brands to expand their audiences and offer a taste of what happens...