Will Bizzabo’s Whalebone product bridge the virtual divide?

Virtual event platforms have been iterating at an exponential pace since the start of the pandemic in an attempt to satisfy the many varied needs of their skyrocketing user bases. One issue that comes up again and again? Creating a platform that brings in at least some of the key elements of the live, collective experiences we've all been so dearly missing. “One of the things we noticed early on is how challenging it is to replicate the energy and emotional connection you feel when you’re physically together,” Bizzabo Co-founder and CMO Alon Alroy told XP Land. “Without those magical shared moments, many event participants tell us they get bored, experience ‘FOMO,’ or feel unheard and uninfluential.” Live audiences produce energy and shared moments and human interactions that amplify emotional involvement, Alroy said. After powering tens of thousands of virtual events over the past 18 months, Bizzabo realized that they had to find a way to bring those elements into virtual experiences. That’s where Whalebone comes in. The Swedish tech startup, acquired by Bizzabo in late May, simulates a live audience by making it possible to hear and visualize the online crowd, bridging the gap between virtual and in-person experiences....