Toronto-based event tech company EventMobi acquires virtual event platform Run The World to help the latter’s clients take advantage of the return to in-person events.
EventMobi’s 14 years of experience supporting events across the industry puts them in a strong position to guide Run The World’s virtual event organizers and digital marketers as they incorporate in-person events into their sales funnels and audience growth strategies.
This move also underscores EventMobi’s commitment to virtual events as a way to increase reach, tap into new revenue streams, engage audiences year round, and build event communities.
“Quote from Bob to the effect of ‘we need to move away from this idea that the ROI for all of our year-round efforts and investment needs to come from one 2- or 3-day event, and start empowering event planners to engage in more meaningful collaboration with their organization’s marketing and community management counterparts on building and maintaining captive audiences.”
Run The World zeroed in on virtual events at a time when in-person meetings were strictly limited. This led to a significant $15 million USD investment and a number of high-profile clients like Forbes, Meta, and Amazon. Its rapid growth offers knowledge and experience that EventMobi intends to leverage as it continues to promote a mixed-format event strategy.
“On the other side of COVID, it’s crucial that we learn from that time of rapid development,” says Vaez. “We believe that acquiring Run The World will help us continue to offer better virtual and hybrid events to those who need them while bringing in-person events back to life.”
While the industry has seen a strong and consistent return to in-person events since Q2 of 2021, increasing costs and the move to working from home have changed the ROI calculation of traveling to an in-person event for businesses and individuals alike. Businesses are more sensitive to cost and environmental impact, and many employees who are now accustomed to working from home need a better reason to travel, to disrupt their workweek, and to take time away from their families to go to an event.
Virtual events continue to offer a convenient and cost-effective alternative – especially for content-heavy, education-oriented programs. They can increase an event’s reach by removing a number of barriers to access, which in turn bolsters an event’s ROI by attracting more sponsorship revenue.
Virtual also opens the door to year-round engagement, extending the value to attendees and sponsors alike beyond a single event. Using virtual to create more touch points throughout the year is critical for carrying the momentum from an event forward and growing a community around it.
“Giving an audience a consistent reason to tune in and keeping them engaged year-round will make it easier to generate qualified traffic at larger events throughout the year because it obviates the need to drum up sign-ups from scratch or to try to convince someone who hasn’t heard from you in a year that you’re still a reliable source of knowledge and networking.”
Moreover, offering content on demand allows attendees to consume it at their own pace, which can not only lead to better retention but improve the onsite event experience as well. Selectively releasing some of the content online liberates organizers to focus on delivering the networking and hands-on experiences onsite – and to a more invested, qualified audience who really want to be there in person.
As EventMobi continues to support event organizers across the event lifecycle, this acquisition will equip Run The World customers with a complete event tech toolbelt from a provider with 14 years of experience helping event professionals build impactful event experiences.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
