But with such high stakes, how do you choose the right enterprise event platform? This guide covers every essential aspect you need to consider, helping you make the best choice for your organisation’s needs.
What Does Enterprise Event Business Mean?
Enterprise event businesses operate on a scale far beyond the average event planner’s scope. These are large organisations with complex structures, often spanning multiple regions and departments. Their events might include international conferences, global meetings, and large-scale product launches.
For enterprises, event platforms must not only accommodate thousands of attendees but also facilitate intricate workflows, integrate with existing systems, and deliver exceptional experiences. Success often hinges on maintaining brand consistency, meeting security requirements, and ensuring accessibility for diverse audiences.
Ease of Use for Enterprise Events
Ease of use isn’t just a “nice-to-have” feature in an enterprise event platform; it’s a necessity. Here’s why:
- For Admins: Large organisations often have multiple departments managing events. Administrators need intuitive tools for duplicating event designs, managing access, and onboarding new staff. Features like one-click duplication and customisable templates can save countless hours.
- For End Users: Attendees should find it simple to log in, access sessions, and engage with content. User-friendly platforms reduce frustration and encourage participation, ensuring a positive experience across events.
Ease of use streamlines operations for everyone involved, making it a non-negotiable feature in your platform search.
Accessibility Matters in Enterprise Businesses
Accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about inclusivity. With 15% of the global population experiencing some form of disability, enterprise platforms must cater to diverse needs. This includes:
- Clean, navigable interfaces
- Support for assistive technologies
- Options for neurodiverse users, like flexible page layouts or alternate colour schemes
An accessible platform removes barriers, allowing all attendees, regardless of their abilities, to fully engage.
Key Requirements of an Enterprise Event Platform
What makes a platform “enterprise-ready”? Here are some must-haves:
- Scalability: Can the platform handle thousands of users simultaneously without hiccups?
- Customisation: Does it allow you to tailor branding and functionality?
- Robust Support: Does the provider offer dedicated onboarding and live support?
- Compliance: Does it meet security standards like GDPR and offer features like single sign-on (SSO)?
These capabilities separate basic platforms from those ready to meet enterprise demands.
Integrating Event Platforms with CRMs
For enterprise events, seamless CRM integration isn’t just helpful; it’s crucial. Your CRM is where attendee data flows, helping your team track leads, nurture relationships, and measure ROI. Top enterprise platforms integrate with tools like Salesforce, Dynamics, and HubSpot, ensuring event data plays a meaningful role in shaping business outcomes.
Imagine capturing a lead from an event webinar and seamlessly pushing their details to your CRM, where your sales funnel can kick into action. That’s the type of streamlined process you want from your event platform.
Branding and Customisation for Corporate Events
Your brand is everything, and your event platform should reflect that. Enterprise platforms offer:
- White-label capabilities: You can remove the platform’s branding entirely, so every touchpoint feels like your own.
- Consistent templates: Keep your branding uniform across hundreds of events.
- Custom fonts and colors: Match the look and feel of your corporate guidelines.
Tailored options ensure that whether your audience is attending in-person or virtually, your brand remains front and center.
Size and Scalability
Massive organisations require massive scalability. Your platform must support:
- Tens of thousands of simultaneous users: Attendees, vendors, and organisers need reliable access without system slowdowns.
- Regional flexibility: Can the platform support varying time zones, languages, and localised features?
- Infrastructure to match: A scalable platform ensures your events grow alongside your organisation, all without sacrificing quality or reliability.
Hybrid and Virtual Are Relevant and Ready Today
While in-person conferences may be returning, hybrid and virtual components are here to stay. A robust platform allows you to fluidly switch between formats. Whether streaming plenary sessions, hosting on-demand breakouts, or managing live polls for virtual attendees, make sure your provider supports every aspect seamlessly. Look for “one-code” platforms that adapt across devices, rather than requiring separate systems for virtual and in-person events.
Scaling at Speed with the Right Event Platform
Big organisations often face unpredictable changes, from staff turnover to sudden growth demands. The right event platform enables you to:
- Replicate event designs quickly.
- Onboard new teams with minimal downtime.
- Adapt to market changes without sacrificing productivity.
Agility is key for enterprise success, and the right platform offers it in abundance.
Building an Event App That Grows into a Hybrid Platform
Gone are the days of needing multiple systems for different event formats. When evaluating an event platform, prioritize those designed as both apps and hybrid platforms. With this approach, shifting between formats is effortless. For example:
- Use the app for registration, schedule viewing, and attendee interactions.
- Add live stream features when transitioning to a hybrid model.
- Keep everything connected with a single sign-on experience.
This flexibility ensures consistency and simplicity across all event types.
Security Features and Compliance
For enterprises, security is mandatory. Expect a thorough rundown of a provider’s compliance checks. The most reliable platforms:
- Pass major IT security audits and external penetration testing.
- Provide SSO to eliminate direct handling of sensitive attendee data.
- Store data securely with regional or global compliance frameworks like GDPR.
If security discussions with IT departments feel daunting, choose a vendor with a dedicated team ready to handle complex security reviews.
What’s Included in One Event Platform?
One event platform brings together all your key services in a single system, such as:
- Registration and ticketing
- Live streaming
- Mobile apps
- Polling and Q&A tools
- Analytics dashboards
- CRM integrations
- Branding customisation
With capabilities bundled together, you streamline operations while centralising data.
Why Is One Event Platform the Right Solution?
Having one platform reduces friction, improves efficiency, and enhances user consistency. Here’s why:
- Streamlined processes: Fewer systems mean less time wasted on integrations and troubleshooting.
- Cost efficiency: You save money compared to paying for multiple tools.
- Data cohesion: One platform means no more manual data migrations or API failures.
For enterprises, these benefits translate into better outcomes, reduced costs, and stronger attendee experiences.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right enterprise event platform is a game-changer. When scalability, branding, security, and ease of use harmonise, your events can soar to new heights. Evaluate your organisational needs, prioritise an all-in-one solution, and partner with a platform designed to grow with you. Your enterprise deserves nothing less.
