Increase attendance with these virtual event email templates.
While you’re busy setting up your virtual summit, managing networking opportunities, and trying to create a strong brand image, busy attendees can become disengaged. Even if they don’t completely forget about your event afterward, they might not talk about it passionately with their network.
But virtual summit software can help you create an immersive, branded experience from start to finish. With the right platform, you can remind attendees of key information, engage them throughout the summit, and follow up with ease when it's over.
In this article, we explore the six best tools for managing and running virtual summits, taking into consideration features like customized event branding, engagement tools, and data analytics.
Memorable virtual summits
Engage attendees and strengthen your brand with an intuitive, all-in-one virtual event platform
Access these 6 email templates to drive attendance to your virtual events.
A great virtual summit involves a dynamic, diverse conversation in which industry experts discuss a range of topics. For this reason, advanced engagement features which encourage more in-depth collaboration should be high on any virtual summit checklist.
We’ve assessed each of the tools on our list by looking at the following criteria:
Finding a virtual summit platform that offers all the right features at a reasonable price can be a challenge. Perhaps you’re currently running your virtual summits on Zoom and looking to get access to more interactive features. Or maybe you’re using a tool that’s out of budget, but you still need to be able to host large amounts of people as you scale.
In this section, we help you find the perfect virtual event software for you, pointing out what each one is best for, looking at pricing information, and exploring key features with insights from the criteria above.
As an all-in-one virtual conferencing solution, Livestorm can help you plan and run everything from virtual summits and workshops to webinars and internal meetings - all in the same place. It’s entirely browser-based, meaning attendees can easily join your virtual summits without creating an account or downloading an app. You can also manage their data securely using its intuitive interface. And with an extensive range of branding and engagement features, participants get the most value every time.
For engaging online meetings, you need a platform that allows every attendee to feel seen and connected. Livestorm lets you do just that, with a range of engagement tools that are perfect for sparking conversation in events with up to 3,000 participants (but just as useful in small-scale internal meetings).
Livestorm offers a free package that is great for events of up to 20 minutes with fewer than 30 people involved, Meanwhile, our second tier is $79 per month and perfect for small businesses and larger businesses, and enterprises are given tailored quotes.
HeySummit is an easy-to-use virtual summit platform with features for planning, running, and marketing a virtual event. The only thing to be aware of is that it contains only limited branding options and engagement tools.
If you’re just starting out running summits and need a little extra support, HeySummit is a great option. The marketing templates are a great base and the speaker directory could prove helpful while you try to build up industry contacts.
HeySummit offers three packages ranging between $49 a month and $349 a month. And it’s worth noting that you can only remove the HeySummit branding with the most expensive package.
Accelevents is a cloud-based virtual event platform that offers advanced analytics that can help larger marketing teams to understand audience segments. Inside the software, you can assign links to campaigns, channels, or team members to monitor the success of your virtual summits in more detail.
Though Accelevents has a bit of a steep learning curve, it’s great for larger marketing teams with more time to dedicate to the tool. Once set up, the analytics will become an important part of learning how to create an engaging summit.
Accelevents’ standard package costs $12,000 a year. For larger businesses hosting more frequent events, the enterprise package based on tailored pricing will be better suited.
A separate product from the Zoom software most of us are familiar with, Zoom Events was created specifically for hosting and managing virtual events. As such, it includes advanced features such as customized event pages, breakout rooms, and content streaming.
Zoom Events’ networking functionality is perfect for large groups where people don’t know each other as well. However, when comparing Zoom to other platforms, bear in mind that Zoom doesn’t support automated or on-demand webinars.
Zoom Events costs a flat rate of $1490 per year which you pay separately from any other Zoom subscriptions. You’ll also have extra charges when you add more event managers to the backend.
CrowdComms has an event platform and supports both in-person setup and remote attendee engagement, making it perfect for hybrid events. It’s also geared up for complex agendas, so you can split audiences and host simultaneous sessions at once.
If you’re trying to engage both on-site and remote attendees, CrowdComms could be a good choice. Features such as Q&A and live chat work across both the events app and the live-streaming platform to keep everyone connected.
CrowdComms doesn't have pricing information on its site. Instead, you have to get in touch for a tailored quote.
EventsAir also offers solutions for hybrid and in-person events, but one of the features it’s best known for is its 3D conference mode. This virtual environment engages remote attendees before the summit starts, with virtual exhibition halls, video meeting software, and seamless branding.
If you’re hosting a large event and will have people waiting around to join sessions, EventsAir could be a great option with its engaging virtual environment. Bear in mind though, some users report that the software can be buggy and slow to set up.
EventsAir doesn't have pricing information on its site. Instead, you have to get in touch for a tailored quote.
Access these 6 email templates to drive attendance to your virtual events.
To find the right virtual summit software for your needs, you need to decide on your long-term approach to engaging attendees.
If you’re looking to keep the attention of large numbers of attendees, a networking and analytics-focused solution like Accelevents or Livestorm could be the right fit. On the other hand, if you only plan on running smaller summits, beginner-focused software like HeySummit could work well.
Our tip? Choose Livestorm for simplified event planning. With our platform, you get support from the planning stages right through to follow-up, thanks to robust automation features and 1000s of integrations. Plus, you’ll provide the same engaging experience whether you’re running a small internal meeting or a large-scale summit.
To run a successful virtual summit, you need to:
Livestorm allows you to manage every stage of your virtual summit alongside other events in a centralized platform. Find the best date, engage speakers, and follow up with branded emails all in one place.
Hosting an online summit typically means bringing together industry experts to discuss a particular topic or issue. The summit may involve panel discussions, keynote speeches, workshops, and networking opportunities.
The host is responsible for planning and coordinating the event, selecting speakers and topics, and creating an environment that facilitates productive discussion and collaboration among participants.
When hosting a virtual summit you need to look out for: