Convene, which started as provider of co-working and meeting spaces, expanded its offerings last year to a virtual platform, and has now launched Convene Studio to power hybrid meetings. This new offering combines Convene’s onsite event teams and physical locations with its virtual event technology to provide hybrid event solutions for events held either at Convene’s own locations or at offsite venues.
The launch of Convene Studio continues the recent trend of event tech providers doubling down to provide end-to-end support for planners organizing both in-person and online events, as evidenced by Encore and Cvent partnering up, as well as Hopin acquiring Boomset last month. Convene’s offering is unique, however, in that the company can actually provide physical event space in addition to the tech and support to make a hybrid event happen.
Convene also provides teams to manage both the onsite and online experiences to take as much off planners’ plates as possible. Caroline England, Convene Head of Product, says, “Our meeting producers, including AV technology experts, technical producers, technical directors, implementation managers who build branded event sites, video editors, and production designers are able to provide support from planning, through event execution, and event wrap-up. Their expertise gives planners peace of mind that allows them to focus on the content of the meeting itself, without worrying about the technology and any issues that may arise.”
Convene Studio can support up to 10,000 online attendees, and its network of locations in the US make it ideal for multi-hub hybrid events. Its teams provide live support when needed and doesn’t use “chatbots, FAQ pages, or automated responses” to assist with any issues or questions that may arise.
“As the world changes, our priorities and responsibilities change drastically as well. So we adjust,” says England. “The future of meetings and events is hybrid. We have been granted flexibility in our meetings that allows a local meeting to become a global virtual event. This won’t change as the world returns to normal.
“There is an increased appreciation for the flexibility and operational conveniences that Convene can offer. Most recently, we are seeing a 164% increase in physical, virtual, and hybrid events booked for the trailing 12 weeks (approx. Q2 compared to Q1) with Banking & Financial Services, Non-Profits/Associations, E-Learning & Education, Technology, Pharma & Healthcare leading the return, in that order. And companies are investing more in each event. Our 2022 booked meetings revenue is pacing 155% ahead of where we were at over the same period in 2019, with the average revenue per event increasing by 70%. We know that the future is hybrid and we will be there to support it.”