138 million dollars raised "Bizzabo": A mechanism to make the event industry hybrid (1/2) | BRIDGE (bridge) technology & startup information
Bizzabo, a platform developer that helps companies run mixed online/offline events, has raised $138 million in Series E funding led by New York-based Insight Partners.
The novel coronavirus appears to have left an indelible mark on the trillion-dollar event and conference industry. In 2020, many companies have been forced to adopt digital elements and are busy preparing to continue it. Web Summit, one of Europe's largest technology conferences, recently confirmed that it plans to bring back local events, with a target of 70,000 in-person attendees.
In addition, up to 80,000 people will participate online using a proprietary platform. News outlet Reuters also said it will adopt a hybrid model for next year's event. Due to the limited success of this approach during the pandemic, the meetups using local networks are combined with online participation.
Offline to Online
Founded in Israel in 2011 and based in New York, Bizzabo was launched as a technology platform provider for on-site events. It provides organizers with tools for registration and ticketing, marketing, website building, agenda management, networking and post-event research. This year, Bizzabo was forced to make the transition as demand for in-person participation declined due to the need for social distancing. In March, it partnered with Kaltura to quickly launch a virtual events platform.
Bizzabo CEO and co-founder Eran Ben-Shushan told VentureBeat:
In less than three weeks, Bizzabo launched its first virtual service to market and, at the end of June, claims it had its strongest quarter yet.
Through new virtual components, companies can conduct keynotes, meetings, networking, Q&A and polls, real-time whiteboard sharing, and more over the web. Engagement metrics include participant data such as registrations, sessions watched, questions and messages sent, and provided to organizers in real time. Bizzabo also integrates with CRM tools like Salesforce, making it easy to use engagement metrics in sales. (Continued next)
[via VentureBeat] @VentureBeat
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