![The Top 6 Virtual Conference Platforms [2024]](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=MTAxMTo2MQ==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTIwMCA2MzAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMjAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjYzMCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4=)
Looking for the best virtual conference platforms to help you achieve your goals this year?
With conference attendees wanting a more personalized and interactive experience and with the end of third-party cookies, conference platforms are the best way to engage participants and gather valuable first-party data.
Whether you’re looking for a virtual/online conference platform or a hybrid conference platform to help you keep both remote and in-person attendees engaged, our guide will help you find the right solution for you.
After working in the event technology industry for 20+ years, we’ve helped leading Fortune 500 companies in high-touch industries, such as life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and professional services, host 5,000+ conferences. So, we know what you need to find the best online conference platform to meet your needs.
What is a virtual/online conference platform?
A virtual or online conference platform is a digital tool or service that facilitates the hosting and management of virtual or hybrid conferences. These platforms provide features that replicate many aspects of a physical event online, including live or pre-recorded presentations, interactive sessions, networking opportunities, virtual booths for exhibitors, and Q&A or chat functionalities. They also provide tools for event registration, scheduling, attendee tracking, and data analytics to evaluate event performance. Conference platforms are particularly valuable in a remote work environment or in situations where large gatherings are not feasible, enabling organizations to connect, engage, and share information with their audience regardless of geographical constraints.
How to create an online conference?
Creating an online conference involves several key steps:
- Clearly define the purpose and goals of your conference.
- Decide on a suitable date and time, considering the time zones of your potential attendees.
- Choose a reliable online conference platform that fits your needs and budget, providing features such as live streaming, breakout sessions, chat capabilities, and analytics.
- Plan your agenda meticulously, identifying key speakers and topics that would be of interest to your audience.
- Open registration for attendees, leveraging social media, email marketing, and other channels to promote your event.
- Ensure a smooth running of the conference with reliable internet connectivity, audio-visual equipment, and technical support.
- Follow up with attendees, ask for feedback, and analyze data collected to measure the success of your conference and inform future improvements.
Key features of the best virtual conference platforms
The format and size of a conference can make plans complex. Virtual event planners have a lot to think about. Therefore having the right online conference platform features can be a big help. They are 100% crucial to a successful conference. Put these features on top of your search list and you’ll go a long way:
Virtual conference management
The sheer size of a virtual conference means added complexity. So virtual event planners need features that support the event experience. Like features that make it easy to manage attendee lists. Or adding personalized agendas and speakers bios. These can make a huge difference.
Personalized agendas
The event journey your attendees take will influence their experience. By mixing general and breakout sessions you can give them the choice to create their own agenda. You might want to assign sessions prior to the event. It would be even better, to take them by the hand and provide suggestions based on their interests.
Breakout sessions and 2-way discussions
Running breakout sessions requires 2-way video conferencing. This will allow attendees to collaborate and host discussions. Whiteboard and annotation features can help with a smooth interaction.
Keep global audiences engaged by providing closed captions during your virtual events. For more info, read 7 reasons to use live event captioning + 4 things to look for in closed captioning software.
Networking & community tools
One of the main reasons people attend conferences is to network. The truth is, your audience will expect this from your virtual conference. Therefore, you will want to make sure to have supportive features. Think of feeds where users can post videos, make comments, or like posts. Similar to a Facebook Wall or Twitter Feed. Other clever features are network suggestions, one-on-one chats, and group chats.
Virtual booths
Are you hosting a virtual event with sponsors or a virtual job fair? Then virtual booths might be high on your list. Some virtual event platforms offer 3D booth capabilities. Others can offer dedicated virtual spaces for sponsored content. This gives participants the chance to have one-on-one conversations.
App store containers
Fully branded conference apps can enhance the event journey. This goes much further than just a logo in the app header. Colors and design elements can trigger the right mindset. This psychological aspect has the potential to make it to the top of your list. The importance depends on the nature of your virtual conference. Make sure your virtual event vendor can support you with this.
Do you need live, simulive, and on-demand content for your virtual conference?
Your virtual event or meeting might need a multitude of content types. Something that depends on your engagement strategy. The goal of this is to engage with your audience on their terms. If you do this, It makes it easier to get your message across. So, what are the three main types of content you could deliver?
Live
This is a moment in time. It is content such as a Q&A session, live-streamed to the entire audience. The audience is present in the virtual meeting at the same time. “…and we’re live!”
Simulive
As the name suggests, this is a word that comes from “simulation” and “live”. It is the viewing of prerecorded content that is made to look live. Take for example a prerecording of a presentation. This can be played back to the audience at a future date and time.
On-demand
This content type is available to your audience whenever, wherever. It can be read, played, watched, or listened to at any point in time. You decide how long the content is available. An example of on-demand content is Netflix. Shows are accessible when it suits you.
What is the best online conference platform?
We used the above key features to review virtual conference platforms worldwide. Here are the best virtual conference platforms we picked out.
We recommend you read all the reviews below. This will help you get the full picture of each online conference platform. However, If you have a certain format in mind this summary will help:
-
For something suited to all conference types, see SpotMe
- Planning a ticketed conference? See Accelevents
- If 3D booths are your thing, see vFairs or INXPO/Intrado.
- If it’s internal conferences you are planning, see Microsoft tools.
- For anything small in the conference world (with no 2-way breakouts), see Swapcard.
#1 SpotMe
Named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: B2B Event Management Technology, Q1 2023 report.
SpotMe is the enterprise event platform to create engaging events that help accelerate customer relationships at scale. The platform, which can be used for virtual, hybrid, or in-person events, is great for all virtual conference types.
Bring your events to thousands of conference attendees wherever they are and keep engagement sky-high with an interactive activity feed, networking, breakout rooms, Q&A, polls, live applause, gamification, and more. Make events more accessible and inclusive with live captioning, translations, and on-demand content. Create networking opportunities for all, whether in-person or remote.
Build conferences with easy-to-use templates and customizable registration pages to give your audience the ultimate branded experience. With enterprise deployment, 24/7 instant support, and white-glove professional event services, hosting conferences with a flawless user experience has never been easier. Plus, SpotMe’s fully integrated conference platform uses deep APIs and connectors to give you consistent first-party data insights that flow into your CRM and help you drive your next best action.
If you are looking for an all-in-one event and conference platform and mobile event app that you can use for different event types and formats (virtual, hybrid, or in-person) all year round, SpotMe is the conference platform for you.
Best for: All types of conferences
Reviews
#2 Accelevents
Accelevents is a virtual conference platform based in the United States. They are best known for their ticketed events. It offers all the main virtual event features you would expect. It also has some nice networking features for attendees.
However, the platform misses one key feature for conferences. When it comes to branding your conference, you can’t create your own branded app in the App Store or Google Play. For conferences, this is often a must.
Best for: Virtual conferences with ticket sales
Reviews
#3 vFairs
vFairs (founded in 2008) is famous for its career fairs. Its main features are virtual event management and the creation of 3D models. With vFairs you can make 3D models of your exhibit booth. The platform also allows for 2-way video sessions. This is why it makes it onto our list of the best virtual conference platforms.
Looking for a robust virtual network solution? Then vFairs is not the right choice for you. It lacks the ability for conference attendees to search for other people. This makes it hard to connect. If you want to brand your conference platform, keep in mind that isn’t a feature either.
Best for: Virtual conferences where 3D models are on top of your list and networking is not such a big deal
Reviews
#4 Notified
Notified is a webcasting solution. It is similar to vFairs when it comes to the best virtual conference platforms. Its main feature is the ability to create a 3D model of the event. Notified also has event management features for virtual conferences.
Notified is not the platform for you if networking is what you are looking for. It has very few networking features and aims at 3D models.
Best for: Virtual conferences where networking is not important
Reviews
#5 Microsoft Teams
This online conference platform is part of the Microsoft Office 365 suite. The power of these tools really comes to life during smaller conferences and meetings. It is great when all users are part of a group on the Microsoft Teams platform. This often suits the needs of internal employees or established communities.
The combination falls apart when it comes to virtual conference management. It relies on a separate calendar. To manage attendees and sessions it needs an email solution. This will be an issue where your audience has more formal expectations.
Best for: Internal and community virtual conferences and meetings
Reviews
#6 Swapcard
Swapcard is a simple and easy-to-use online conference platform. This helps users create an event app faster than most other tools. Top features include drag-and-drop app creation, networking, and basic engagement.
But, simplicity comes at a price. With limited branding, targeting, streaming, and no 2-way breakout abilities. It is best used as a small virtual conference platform or companion app.
Best for: Small virtual conferences where 2-way breakouts are not needed OR as a companion app
Reviews
Get the virtual conference event platform Fortune 500 companies use to run successful online conferences
SpotMe is an all-in-one event platform trusted by 12,000+ business leaders from high-touch industries, such as pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and professional services.
With countless engagement features to keep you interacting with your audiences before, during and after your conference, you’ll be sure to build strong relationships with customers.
To see how SpotMe could help you achieve your conference goals, request a demo now.
Wondering where to get started with the best virtual conference platforms?
To help you, we made some guides to help you choose the best virtual conference platform.
We suggest reading our article about the 13 corporate event trends that will make your events stand out in 2024 and then checking out the following guides to help you succeed in the upcoming year:
- 13 corporate event trends that will make your events stand out in 2024
- The 25 best conference + mobile event for 2024
- The 15 best hybrid event platforms in 2024
- The virtual events platform comparison chart
- The best free event management RFP template for 2024
- The 9 best event platforms for HCP events in 2024
- SpotMe event platform demo
FAQ
What is a conference platform?
A virtual or online conference platform is a digital tool or service that facilitates the hosting and management of virtual or hybrid conferences. These platforms provide features that replicate many aspects of a physical event online, including live or pre-recorded presentations, interactive sessions, networking opportunities, virtual booths for exhibitors, and Q&A or chat functionalities. They also provide tools for event registration, scheduling, attendee tracking, and data analytics to evaluate event performance. Conference platforms are particularly valuable in a remote work environment or in situations where large gatherings are not feasible, enabling organizations to connect, engage, and share information with their audience regardless of geographical constraints.
What is the best online conference platform?
Here are the best online conference platforms we recommend:
1. SpotMe
2. Accelevents
3. vFairs
4. Notified
5. Microsoft Teams
6. Swapcard
How do I create an online conference?
Creating an online conference involves several key steps:
1. Clearly define the purpose and goals of your conference.
2. Decide on a suitable date and time, considering the time zones of your potential attendees.
3. Choose a reliable online conference platform that fits your needs and budget, providing features such as live streaming, breakout sessions, chat capabilities, and analytics.
4. Plan your agenda meticulously, identifying key speakers and topics that would be of interest to your audience.
5. Open registration for attendees, leveraging social media, email marketing, and other channels to promote your event.
![The Top 6 Virtual Conference Platforms [2024]](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=MTM5Mzo2MQ==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTIwMCA2MzAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMjAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjYzMCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4=)
