Aventri vs. Webex Events (formerly Socio)

I believe Aventri has a big learning curve, so if you are short on time, I would recommend hiring someone who already has experience. We had a few months, but making changes took a while because only two staff members had time to figure out and learn the system. I don't think the website is very user-friendly, but I don't think it's so hard that the average worker cannot learn it. We happened to be short on time so learning the system was an added stress that would not normally be there.

Incentivized

I think it would work for:

• Workshops with many people.
• Quarterly's meetings with people all around the world.
• If you want to create a digital training with lots of participants...

I feel like it's not as needed in videocalls that can be fixed with webex teams because of the number of participants or at events that need a more personal approach where you need everyone constantly interacting.

Incentivized

• Manages class size limits very well.
• Provides information for hotel booking and transfers so that all this information is in one record.
• Unlimited number of pages for the website is invaluable - we looked at other programs with only 4 pages for the website and that just isn't enough for our clients.

Incentivized

• It has quite a few optional and customizable features that can be utilized.
• It's easy to integrate your existing tools like Zoom, YouTube, Vimeo, and streaming services.
• It's flexible in the way that you upload content in that you can enter things one at a time on the website, or use a spreadsheet to upload a larger amount of content.

Incentivized

• Mobile app does not allow for video advertisements.
• The day the event is scheduled to be over in Aventri it clears from your list and it makes getting reporting and analytics difficult after the event is over.

Incentivized

• The standard template to build out the community is pretty rigid. We had to adjust some of our styling and graphics to account for what Socio's template allowed.
• Inability for event admins to make account changes for users. Several times we had users change jobs, therefore, changing their emails. Each time, we had to go through Socio support to get them access to their account.
• Documentation and knowledgebase could be more substantive.

Of course something could happen to our orgs ability to put on a conference or Socio could fundamentally change their product or their customer service - but barring any magor shift there is nothing that is even close to competing for our attention here.

Incentivized

Some Android users could not get the app to work, so they had to use the web-based version of our conference guide. Most functionality was still there, but they could not pull up the QR code, which impeded the registration process. The presence of the log in with Apple ID button caused issues because most work emails were not attached to Apple ID, which caused access issues.

Incentivized

I had a few issues while onsite (over the weekend). The support information given to me was incorrect and I had a hard time tracking down how to get assistance while onsite (on a weekend). When you are onsite, issues are usually heightened and need an immediate response, and I didn't get that.

Incentivized

Socio (now WebexEvents) is one of two products I use that gets customer service right. Not only can you get an answer from an actual person quickly during business hours - but if you are asking after hours, you know the response will be waiting for you in the morning. Not only are they fast, but they are also smart about their products and customers. There is very little back and forth trying to explain the problem I am having, or the new way I am trying to use their product, that may even be novel for them.

Incentivized

SignUp4 was our previous service and performed well. It wasn't until after it shuttered that we realized how much more could be provided. Cvent (which absorbed SignUp4) provided many of the old solutions but at a significantly higher price. In the end, it seemed more suited for very large events more so than the size we normally run. Thus we chose eTouches to supplant SignUp4.

Incentivized

WebEx Events has the same functionality as many other platforms, but with a more affordable price tag. I have also found it to be more intuitive and easy to use on the user side. I don't have experience on the administrative side with other platforms but we have been very satisfied with our experience with WebEx Events.

Incentivized

• Much more thorough reporting than previous provider.
• The ability for long term goal creation based on the objectives evaluated post conference.

Incentivized

• We had more sponsorship applications than usual due to using Webex and the multiple sponsorship capabilities.
• We had more attendance than in previous years due to using Webex since it is so incredibly user-friendly.
• We increased ROI by using Webex over other platforms due to pricing and features.