How to Get the Most Impact

Analysis: vFairs Virtual Event

Welcome to the Virtual Event Platform Review Series where we take a look at a major product on the market and share what there is to like, what is not so great, and why it might be right for you (or not). Each platform is given a rating in four categories: Organizer Experience, Attendee Experience, Speaker Experience and Sponsor Experience. The final score is the average of the ratings, plus our thoughts on what types of events the platform could be a good fit for.

In this article, we review the pros and cons of one of the larger players in the virtual event market: vFairs.

Organizer Experience

Pros: vFairs understands that there are countless reasons why you would be hosting a virtual event. Whether you’re organizing a housing fair, job fair, networking event or conference, the platform caters to a wide variety of audiences with an extensive list of customizations, features and integrations that will make your event unique. Plus, vFairs’ customer support team offers “unbeatable support for all time zones” to assist with setting up the platform’s features and creating the experience you want.

Cons: Similar to our experience with Hopin, just because vFairs has the option to incorporate an extensive list of features and integrations, it does not mean that the features are easy to install. The platform has an overwhelming selection of articles and resources publicly available on their website, but it is difficult to know where to begin to find an answer to your question. Because vFairs is such a popular platform, you might find yourself waiting a while to speak with the right person from their support staff. That said, navigating through the sea of white-papers could be your best option and end up saving you time.

Rating: 3/5

Attendee Experience

Pros: vFairs emphasizes networking and the networking-based tools it has available for attendees. The platform offers easy points of interaction through text, video and audio chat, in addition to offering attendees the ability to visit sponsors’ booths to discuss products. A vFairs virtual event mimics an in-person event featuring 3D graphics and avatars walking around the conference. The platform is intuitive to use if you are familiar with computer/video games or other virtual networking tools.

Cons: While networking tools exist, the platform is not focused on creating an impactful attendee experience. If you are not “tech-savvy” — or if have questions about how to use the platform — you must rely on the event’s organizers to relay that information to you. None of the articles and resources shared focus solely on what attendees can expect to experience at a vFairs event or how to use the platform as an attendee. Overall, the platform focuses too strongly on how to organize the event as opposed to how to participate and engage in the event.

Rating: 1/5

Speaker Experience

Pros: vFairs has many virtual event standard features including built-in chat and video conferencing. If a speaker has presented at a past virtual event, little additional speaker training should be required. The gamification of a vFairs event is unique. This feature allows attendees to interact with speakers through quizzes, leaderboards and scavenger hunts if they complete certain objectives (e.g., listening to a certain talk and answering questions about it). Gamifying events has been shown to boost engagement and interactions from attendees. It also attracts attendees to presentations they may not have otherwise been interested in.

Cons: If a speaker wants to talk with attendees, it is very difficult to do that in the presentation window. The platform relies heavily on networking and creating connections, but speakers need to make an effort to discuss follow up questions or connect one-on-one with attendees. Additionally, the gamification aspect of the platform can take away from genuine interest in a speaker’s talk (e.g., attendees may listen and participate in sessions merely to collect points and climb the leaderboard).

Rating: 3/5

Sponsor Experience

Pros: vFairs is one of the leading platforms for sponsor engagement, and that is no surprise! Because the platform looks like an in-person event, attendees can virtually stop by sponsor booths to ask questions, get sponsor information and click through sponsor swag items. This transactional approach to sponsorships is very familiar to attendees which leads to more interactions and increased ROI for booth sponsorships. vFairs offers a multitude of customization and branding solutions for sponsors including logos on billboards, custom landing pages and even virtual event room signage.

Cons: While vFairs has no shortage of tools and features for sponsors, it can be overwhelming and sponsor messages can get diluted as a result of the noise. With so many places and avenues to find branding, sponsors can get lost in the shuffle if they are not in one of the ultra-prime logo locations. Check out a demo of what a sample event hall could look like.

Rating: 2/5

Our Opinion

vFairs is the market leader when it comes to creating a virtual event experience that very closely mimics an in-person conference or event. However, it’s important to note that virtual events are different from in-person events, and they should be treated as such.

While there are a lot of features and integrations that appeal to a wide audience, with vFairs:

• organizers have a steep learning curve when setting up an event;
• attendees have difficulty navigating the platform; and
• speakers can’t easily connect with attendees during their talks.

Overall, vFairs is focused so heavily on networking and making the event sponsors look good that the attendees are left to figure out the platform on their own.

Overall, it’s a good fit for…
Event Size: 1000+ attendees
Event Type(s): Sales events, Networking events, Events with an emphasis on meeting other people within the event platform

OVERALL RATING: 2/5