Major Meetings-Software Platform Adds Virtual-Event Capabilities

Aventri, a widely used event-management software platform, has entered into partnerships with three virtual-event companies. The aim is to help planners move upcoming events to a virtual platform in light of the global COVID-19 outbreak, or add a virtual component to in-person meetings in the future.

The three companies—Digitell, Evia, and Intrado Digital Media—each offer an approach that’s geared towards specific use cases in the meetings and events industry. Digitell specializes in assisting organizations with their real-time and on-demand online educational content. Evia offers digital event and media distribution services, while Intrado specializes in enterprise collaboration through video meetings and virtual team spaces. “The goal of these partnerships is to provide the market with multiple solutions to continue to connect over shared interests, content, and events, no matter where in the world participants may be,” said Jim Sharpe, CEO of Aventri (pictured below).

Starting with a list of 60 virtual-event providers, Aventri executives used a matrix approach to find companies that offer complementary services in order to cover as much of the meetings and events market as possible. “We selected these partners for their broad product offerings, their multi-tier approach to pricing to accommodate different client needs, and their reputation for quality, responsiveness, and a client-centric mindset,” Sharpe added. “What’s more, they have templates to transfer data quickly between Aventri and their own platforms.

To assist clients who have never hosted a virtual event, Aventri has trained its reps “to shepherd them through the process, because they know the questions to ask in discovery to ensure a smooth transition” to a virtual event.