The popularity of virtual events and meetings is skyrocketing and this trend is only set to continue. But of course, none of this would be possible without the technology that makes connecting people online possible.
There are countless types of software and tools out there but the most popular of them all is Zoom. This is the go-to platform for meetings and webinars, so it’s fair to say that we’re all familiar with what it is and how it works. But how does it fare with online events? Is it a viable option? Let’s take a detailed look to find out.
What is Zoom?
There’s often a bit of confusion around what Zoom actually is and the reason for that’s because there are two tools on offer— Zoom meetings and Zoom webinar.
When we think of Zoom, it’s normally the meetings part that comes to mind first. This is what most people use the platform for and it does a great job of creating fully interactive meetings in an online environment. The premise is that you have a host with participants who can speak and screen-share with each other. There are also some interactive elements such as a chat and whiteboarding, but beyond that, Zoom meetings are very much the same as sitting in an in-person meeting.
The next tool is Zoom webinar which is a view-only platform distributed in a one-to-many format as you’d see with any keynote or roundtable. Participants cannot see each other and only have the option to raise their hand while the host(s) cannot see the participants. So if you’re looking to present content to a big audience or host a roundtable this is the way to do it.
What is Eventtia?
Eventtia is a cloud-based event management software (online and physical) that makes planning and running events easy. With intelligent user interfaces and straightforward planning tools, Eventtia makes it easier to manage events with an all-in-one tool that covers each part of the event lifecycle. By giving marketers and companies more control of their online events, Eventtia helps them to promote their brand, interact with leads, and strengthen their community.
Features:
- Use website builders and email campaigns to communicate with your ideal audience.
- Create your event in a few clicks and then manage all of your logistics through one dashboard.
- Connect people and businesses with one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many networking formats.
- Seamlessly integrate all of the major streaming and webinar tools into a main virtual stage and connect with a worldwide audience.
- Scale your online events and make informed decisions with real-time data and analytics.
Eventtia vs. Zoom: The differences?
So now we’ve got a clear understanding of what Zoom and Eventtia do as platforms. Let’s take this a step further by comparing the key differences between the two.
Product differences
The first difference comes in what the platforms are designed to do. Zoom is a platform that enables people to communicate online. And it does this with a reliable, easy-to-use product that delivers high-quality audio and video.
It’s very good at doing that one single meeting or webinar, however, you’re not going to be able to create the full event environment which can be done with an online events platform. Eventtia, for example, integrates Zoom and other platforms like Webex, YouTube, and Google Hangouts to give you high-quality video content, but it also goes further than this by enabling you to do more with your virtual events.
Communicating with your community vs. Building your community
Leading on from the last point, there is a big difference in how a single meeting or webinar can develop a sense of community compared to that of a multi-session virtual event. The former is going to work well for a presentation or keynote but this sort of content is always going to be about absorbing information.
Eventtia, on the other hand, is able to offer multiple sessions, including networking, so attendees have the option to go between different content and activities that will appeal to them the most. Not only does this provide attendees with a more immersive experience, but it also allows marketers to really get their message across and build a much stronger connection in the process.
User-experience differences
Another important aspect worth discussing is the user-experience. Zoom makes it very easy to schedule and manage your meetings or webinar but it doesn’t provide attendees with a one-stop place where they can view the whole event from.
Through Eventtia’s virtual stage attendees can choose the sessions that they want to attend along with the agenda so that they know what is going on and when. The platform offers simultaneous sessions meaning that customised schedules can be created for each attendee. This means that along with keynotes and panel discussions, event planners can also offer networking and group meetings.
Using different tools vs. automating your online event with Eventtia
With virtual events, there’s so much to it than just the event itself. A well-run event requires plenty of work before and after for it to be successful. That means a website, registration, post-event surveys, email campaigns and so on.
The thing is that if you use Zoom for your event, you’ll still have to use all of these tools to make it happen. This is going to take up a lot of time, first identifying what tools you’ll need to use, and secondly, how you’re going to piece the tools together into a seamlessly run event.
An event management platform like Eventtia integrates all of these tools into its platform so that marketers can spend less time thinking about logistics and more time thinking about how they can build their brand.
There’s no way of tracking attendees’ behaviour vs. evaluating the ROI of your event and the behaviour of your attendees
To gain valuable insight and create better virtual events for the future, it’s essential that you make the most of your data. Now when it comes to attendee engagement, Zoom does offer some tools such as polling and end of meeting feedback surveys. But the reality is that it was never designed for managing all of your events data.
In contrast to this, Eventtia offers its own reporting module, allowing you to track certain information about your participants as a whole and individually. From registration through to who is attending what session, all of this information gives you a clearer understanding of how your events are performing.
Features
Deciding what’s right for you
This is a big question and the reality is that it all comes down to you and your needs. There is no one size fits all approach, and that’s why it’s worth asking yourself a few questions so that you can really identify what’s best for you.
- Are you looking to run a single or multi-session online event?
- Are you wanting to offer more than live video content?
- Do you need tools for promoting the event i.e. registration, landing pages and email campaigns
- How important is branding?
- Do you want a virtual stage with a chat, attendee profiles, engagement apps and digital experience rooms all accessible from one web page?
- Are you planning on having virtual networking?
To sum it up, Zoom is great for presenting content, especially in an enclosed environment, say, for example, an hour-long webinar or a panel discussion. Whereas Eventtia is an event management platform that provides all the tools to run powerful online events.
