Tech News: MeetingPlay Funding, Encore-Cvent and Explori-Evolvio Partnerships; Bizzabo and Event Farm Additions

June 23, 2021
Tech News: MeetingPlay Funding, Encore-Cvent and Explori-Evolvio Partnerships; Bizzabo and Event Farm Additions

Just because in-person events are returning doesn’t mean technology is going to take a back seat. The past few weeks have been filled with news of mergers, partnerships, innovation and the funding to make it all possible. See how the event tech world is positioning itself for the future of gatherings.

MeetingPlay

Hybrid technology company MeetingPlay has secured $75 million in funding from Sunstone Partners, a growth-oriented private equity firm focused on software and tech-enabled services companies.

The move allows for vast expansion of MeetingPlay’s already impressive capabilities. Founded in 2012 by former Marriott director Joe Schwinger and Lisa Vann, MeetingPlay has been a leader in the event tech space for years. Its services are uniquely positioned to assist meeting planners and trade show organizers develop strategies to attract and retain as vast an audience as possible. It is already a major factor in Marriott’s hybrid offerings and data labs.

MeetingPlay has become the event platform of choice for numerous market-leading companies such as Marriott, Databricks and Autodesk. The client list figures to grow with the massive investment. MeetingPlay announced this week it will be the hybrid event technology partner for BizBash at Connect Tampa 2021.

“We’re just getting started,” said Schwinger. “Sunstone’s investment strategy, which puts people and innovation first, will help us grow our product offerings and enable our customers to deliver even more exciting, on-brand and transformative events.”

Sunstone Co-Founder and Managing Director Michael Biggee said MeetingPlay is a natural for its portfolio of technology innovators. 

“MeetingPlay delivers unparalleled digital experiences that blend personalization, networking, content and unprecedented engagement that are scalable to support audiences of 100,000 or more,” said Biggee. “We couldn’t be more delighted to partner with MeetingPlay on their exciting future.”

Cvent and Encore

What happens when the longest-tenured event marketing and management platform joins forces with the industry’s premier production company? We’re about to find out after Cvent and Encore announced a partnership that could very well become the cornerstone for many hybrid meetings.

The arrangement makes for a truly all-in-one experience for planners mapping out innovative strategies in a post-pandemic world. Cvent Connect, Aug. 1-4 in Las Vegas and online, will offer first-hand look at how the strategic partnership will work.

“The pandemic has revolutionized the way organizations plan and manage their events, and successful organizations now offer a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events across their total event program,” said Cvent CEO and Founder Reggie Aggarwal. “With the digitization of events driven in part by the pandemic, events can be more impactful than ever before, but that also means it’s more complex to manage an event program that drives results. Together, Cvent and Encore present marketers and event planners with a truly differentiated offering that combines the strengths of two trusted industry leaders.”

Ben Erwin, president and CEO of Encore, added: “Rarely do core competencies of two organizations offer such a strategic complement of services for a shared customer base. Cvent is an ideal partner for Encore to continue to create transformative events around the world wherever and however our customers choose to meet.”

Bizzabo

Bizzabo is about to make meeting and connecting a lot easier and more efficient for event participants. On June 3, the event success software provider announced it had acquired leading AI-powered scheduling and matchmaking tool x.ai, which automates the meeting scheduling process by generating compatible times to meet across time zones, sending follow-ups and reminders and managing cancellation and reschedule requests. 

“As professional events are being redefined with hybrid experiences, we wanted to find the best scheduling engine in the market to support these new generation events,” said Eran Ben-Shushan, co-founder and CEO of Bizzabo. “And it’s not just about meetings, there is a massive demand for personalization and matchmaking at events, and x.ai will serve as the technological AI backbone to do exactly that.” 

  • Meeting Scheduler: Allows attendees to easily schedule meetings with each other, whether in-person or virtual.
  • Bizzabo For Exhibitors: Enables companies presenting at events with state-of-the-art meeting management technology to find and engage their most relevant customers.
  • Smart Recommendations: Increases participant satisfaction by personalizing their event journey and proactively recommending relevant content and people to meet with.

Explori and Evolio

Event measurement powerhouses Explori and Evolio Marketing have joined forces via a strategic partnership to further expand their expo and corporate event measurement services in North America.

“Not only does this relationship deliver new resources, but it brings years of exhibit measurement specialism that is already adding value,” said Explori CEO Mark Brewster.  

Evolio President Joe Federbush has assumed the role of executive vice president, North America, at Explori and will oversee customer success, business development, and talent acquisition for B2B and B2C events, while continuing his leadership role Evolio.

“One of the most sought-after components of a strategic approach to measurement is the ability to provide large-scale industry and client benchmarks. Explori leads the market in this respect, and through our partnership, we can further accelerate the development of our event and exhibit benchmarks for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, benefitting our clients significantly,” Federbush said. 

Event Farm

Engagement platform Event Farm, a leader in bringing back meetings safely, has reached a partnership to become the first company to integrate CLEAR's Health Pass technology into its registration system. This simplifies the process to identify who has received COVID-19 vaccinations and to implement suggested measures like wearing masks and social distancing. 

The partnership adds to Event Farm’s Safety Toolkit, a suite of purposely built applications to keep event staff and attendees safe at in-person events, and will enable attendees to bypass health screening questions to enter the event faster.

 

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Partner Voices
Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact