While it started as a video conferencing tool, Zoom is now a full-featured unified communications platform, complete with multi-session conferencing and event capabilities.

Zoom announced the debut of OnZoom, its events platform, and marketplace in October 2020. OnZoom (in Beta) offered paying Zoom customers – primarily small businesses – a solution for creating, hosting, and monetizing events such as music and art lessons, fitness classes, and theatrical performances through Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinar. Then, in 2021, the firm introduced Zoom Events, an all-in-one solution that enables users to create a variety of engaging virtual experiences.

Zoom Events refers to an online solution for internal conferences, external events, and webinars that supports 500-10,000+ attendees and features that streamline the experience for event hosts, participants, and those in attendance. 

Zoom Events addresses the following use cases:

  • Event streamlining for SMBs – Small to medium-sized enterprises can construct a “hub” where all of their events are posted, along with associated ideas and information for each experience.
  • Large event hosting – It enables smooth management and hosting of internal events such as all-hands meetings and sales summits and external events such as consumer events and user conferences for bigger enterprises.
  • Networking and exhibitions – Event organizers have the option to design multi-session events, such as conferences, in which participants may network in a virtual lobby.
  • Better visibility – Allows businesses to categorize internal events and make them readily discoverable to workers or to manage ticket sales and attendance for external events.

The company officially launched its Events platform in July 2021 and has been upgrading its capabilities since then.

For instance, in October 2021, it introduced features meant for multi-session conferences, such as sponsorship support, event co-editing and collaboration, itineraries, surveys, and several other features. Then, in January 2022, it unveiled an Expo Booth capability – making the experience even more seamless for simultaneous exhibits and event tracks.

Some of the key features users can expect with a Zoom Events license include:

  • A platform for event management (agenda builder, speaker list, registration)
  • Over a hundred interactive video panelists, 49 of whom may be seen simultaneously on the screen
  • Customizable registration and email reminders before and after the event
  • Polling and results in real-time
  • Practice session for panelists preparation before the event
  • Support for live transcription and language interpretation
  • Recordings in the cloud and text transcripts
  • In the event lobby, attendees may network and watch live streaming previews.
  • Sponsorship assistance and exhibition booths
  • Reports on ticketing (paid/free) and crowd engagement

Remember that the feature set will vary, depending on the license an organization purchases. There are two main licensing options – Zoom Webinar and Zoom Events – and the latter also includes the full suite of webinar capabilities. In addition, organizations can add on Zoom Event Services, where the company will provide expert professionals to maximize event opportunities. One can also subscribe to up to 3TB of cloud storage to store and host event-related files.

Large organizations, or professional event companies, can opt for Premier Developer Support from Zoom to quickly troubleshoot any issues and minimize downtime.

The offering provides organizations with the following key benefits:

It allows guests to network with and with event sponsors by enabling them to share contact information, talk, and start interactions with fellow attendees in the event lobby. The newly introduced Expo feature further enhances this capability.

It lets you host different virtual events, each with a configurable registration process and built-in ticketing capabilities. Set the maximum number of free and paid tickets available for each event. Encourage gifts, group purchases, and contributions on behalf of an organization.

Create a variety of public or private events — paid, free, or live. Schedule three kinds of sessions (single, multi, or concurrent) and single-day or multi-day events with the option to publish recordings after the event.

Keep track of event registrations, attendance, ticket sales, income, and other important information. Zoom Events provides data insights to assist hosts in better understanding event performance and improving future event plans.

Invite participants to the Expo Floor, where they may explore your virtual venue and interact with subject-matter experts or interact with other attendees in a more intimate environment. Booths may be used to sponsor events, network on specific topics, or demonstrate products.

Organizations or individuals need to procure a Zoom Events license to get started with Zoom Events. The platform supports monthly or annual billing, starting from an affordable $99 per month per license for up to 500 event attendees. You could choose the webinar license for internal events, which starts at an even more modest $79 per month per license.

One of the key advantages of Zoom Events is that it supports integrations with popular business applications. For example, organizations can connect the offering to their existing customer relationship management (CRM) solution to fetch attendee data, personalize communication, etc. To gain from these capabilities, you should subscribe to the company’s professional services, which start at $600 per event. Zoom offers an audio conferencing option if attendees cannot join in via video. The audio-conferencing add-on for Zoom Events starts at $100 per month.

While the product is relatively new, Zoom has managed to put all the essentials of event hosting and management into a simple, transparently priced, and easy-to-use package. Customers can opt for as few or as many features as they need, with localized and tiered pricing for 500, 1000, 3000, 5000, 10,000, and 10,000+ attendees. As a result, you receive a tailored solution for your needs.

 



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