Host Your Next Virtual Event With Vimeo and Partners

Virtual events have exploded in recent years. In 2020, over 80% of event planners pivoted from staging a booth on a trade show floor to hosting a virtual event. And with most people staying home, there’s been no shortage of events going virtual. As a result, more businesses and creators have embraced the new reality of virtual and hybrid experiences.

So what do you need to know about them? We’ve got the latest virtual event trends and a line up of Vimeo integration partners to help you deliver high quality and professional video for your next webinar or virtual event.

Learning how to host a virtual event?

You’re in luck! We’ve got an in-depth guide on how to plan a virtual event.

2021 virtual event trends

We’ve seen lots of trends as businesses go live with video (some for the first time!). Check out our roundup of the top three trends you need to know.

1. In-person events have pivoted to virtual events.

In 2020, EventMB reported 32% of event planners pivoted to virtual events. That number continues to rise in 2021. This means that organizations and content producers — think conference planners, music and film festivals, and performing arts venues — are all shifting to video and live streaming out of necessity.

And it’s not a bad thing! The upside is that businesses are seeing registration-to-attendee rates above 50%, which means hosting a virtual event can bring in more qualified leads and attendees like never before.

2. Event planners are investing in virtual for the future.

While event pros are betting big on the return of in-person events, they aren’t turning away from new gains. 71% of event planners will continue to invest in digital experiences and weave them into in-person event production.

The pivot to virtual has helped businesses expand their reach. Entertainment and media companies have also been able to provide more accessibility to audiences they had never reached before. We expect to see more benefits from virtual and live streaming experiences well into the future.

3. Virtual events are growing fast and opening up new monetization channels.

If it wasn’t enough to grow your audience or make unique experiences accessible, creators have yet another reason to make the shift. While virtual event ticketing offset some revenue from event cancellations, more planners are discovering ways attendees are ready to spend dollars.

For example, Global Web Index reported that virtual attendees are 2.8x more likely to support or donate to performers and talent at a virtual event. Virtual attendees are also 2.6x more likely to buy merch from a virtual event.

These trends compliment the larger assumption that the global virtual event market is on the raise. In 2019, the industry was valued at 77.98 billion and that number could potentially grow 23% from 2020 to 2027.

Meet Vimeo’s virtual event technology partners

The numbers don’t lie. Looking back, Vimeo had a busy year with 3.5 million virtual events streamed in 2020 alone. We expect those numbers to grow in the new year.

In order to give you all the tools to produce a standout event, we’ve teamed up with the top event platforms including Splash, HeySummit, Brushfire, Swoogo, and Bizzabo to give you more capabilities than ever. Whether you’re planning a fireside chat, field event, or dreaming up a big virtual conference — we’ve got you covered.

What is the best platform for virtual events?

From online event platforms to virtual event management solutions, there are a lot of options. To narrow it down, focus on your event goals and prioritize features that deliver that experience.

Splash

For companies looking to host online events securely at scale, Vimeo Enterprise partnered with Splash to deliver a fully branded, HD-quality viewing experience to inform, engage, and inspire your customers and partners.

For event planners, this robust integration provides a standout event experience. Expect more control over event content with Q&A moderation, backup stream, live closed captions, production services, dedicated account management, and 24/7 support.

HeySummit

For companies looking to build beautiful summits, conferences, talk-series, and online events, Vimeo partnered with HeySummit to remove the heavy lifting out of creating, managing, and analyzing your live and pre-recorded events.

A whooping 43% of HeySummit customers run pre-recorded event sessions with live chat, making Vimeo a great way to showcase event videos. For live events, Vimeo Enterprise users can leverage reliable, high-quality streaming video and the ability to simultaneously broadcast your summit to platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube, LinkedIn, and more.

Brushfire

Vimeo recently partnered with Brushfire to provide an all-in-one event management solution for event planners, faith-based organizations, and businesses.

This partnership provides integrated, fully branded online events with unlimited channels and content to help you engage your attendees and viewers. Vimeo’s integration allows Brushfire users to host live, simulated live, and on-demand professional videos for their events.

Swoogo

Vimeo’s partnership with Swoogo enables users to embed live or on-demand video streams into their virtual and hybrid events, customize the video player, and track video engagements with advanced analytics. Embedding Vimeo videos directly into Swoogo ensures that the content is private and secure within your event.

Bizzabo

For companies looking to produce large-scale events, Vimeo Enterprise paired with Bizzabo delivers a seamless, end-to-end attendee experience with event registration, HD-quality live streaming, multiple event tracks, and user-level analytics.

For large-scale conference planners, the integration with Vimeo Enterprise and Bizzabo allows you to host concurrent event tracks and tailor attendee journeys for a more personalized experience. You can expect a fully branded experience, high-quality video streaming using Vimeo’s player, and an all-in-one event website.