[Webcast Recap] Introducing the 2022 vFairs Product Roadmap

 

In case you missed it, vFairs just hosted our second iteration of the webcast series, Epic Events. On Thursday, March 10th, our webcast “Introducing the 2022 vFairs Product Roadmap” was hosted by two vFairs superstars; Usman Amjad, Sales Executive and Stefany Kaprielian,  Sales Manager. As you may have guessed, they walked us through some exciting new products and shared what’s in store for 2022. 

If you missed it, don’t fret! We have the whole recording here for you to watch on demand. You can also read on to get the key takeaways.

Updates Driven by Your Feedback

The webcast started with a reminder about just how important customer feedback is to the vFairs team and to our product’s evolution. We are continually collecting customer feedback throughout the year and putting that feedback into action. As such, these updates have been developed to make your life easier as you plan virtual, hybrid or in person events. Thanks to all of our clients’ inputs, we’re able to share such awesome updates with you!

Now, let’s get into some of the most anticipated new features for this year….

Event Builder Updates

Usman kicked us off with a lot of fun, exciting and just plain cool updates that hosts can take advantage of during their next event. These include:

  • Custom downloadable certificates
  • Emojis for our booth and webinar Q&A functions
  • Event-wide audio/video announcements 
  • Integration with Beamery
  • Our enhanced booth avatar library (featuring over 100 diverse new avatars!)
  • Brand new speaker profiles

    Samples of our expanded 3D library, shown during the March 10 webcast
  • A recording library in the vFairs backend
  • An expanded 3D virtual design portfolio (with over 85 new designs!)
  • Real-time “What’s Happening” Center
  • Updated metrics dashboard
  • New and improved exhibit hall
  • Scavenger hunt updates
  • Live webinar studio
  • AI-enabled browser-based accessibility tool

Let’s dive into a few of our favorites from that list. 

Custom In-event Certifications 

This long-awaited product update came about as a result of multiple client requests for a certification and crediting system within their event. Hosts can now custom design their own certificates and award them to users once they complete a specific action. All users need to do is input their name and then they can download the certificate to their device!

A popular use case for this feature are training events that includes continuing education credits. However, you can use this at any event type you’d like!

Audio/Video Announcements

You can now broadcast your voice with important updates or notifications to attendees through the event. If you’ve used vFairs before, you’ll know that we offer text-based in-event announcements. This update builds on that to create an experience similar to what attendees would get at an in-person event!

Recording Library

While we have always been able to record sessions and upload them back into the platform, this new feature gives hosts more control over their recordings within the vFairs backend. Once a live webinar concludes, the recording will be made available to the host to publish it to the event for on-demand viewing, or download it to publish elsewhere!

Real-time ‘What’s Happening” Center

The perfect way to keep everyone in the know about what’s going on within the event at that very moment. The “What’s Happening” center shows attendees everything that’s happening at that moment, including webinars, games and other things. This helps attendees understand where they need to be at any given point during the event.

Updated Metrics Dashboard

vFairs reporting just keeps getting better. Our and improved dashboard offers more comprehensive metrics dashboard with widgets, providing in-depth and at-a-glance reports. This means that you don’t have to dive into reports or sheets any longer to see what activity is taking place in real time within your event.

Live Webinar Studio

Hosts can now produce live webinars directly from the vFairs platform using the webinar studio. This new feature gives you full control over the design and branding elements of your webinar so you can deliver a highly customized and on-brand experience for your audiences. 

Chat and Networking Updates

Our chat rooms and networking features are hands down one of the most important aspects of any virtual event. That’s why we’re working so hard to make sure these features offer everything you and your attendees need for seamless networking experiences.

Here are some of the best new chat updates Usman shared during the webinar… 

  • Status updates
  • Invite attendees to a group or private chat
  • Create personalized business cards
  • Push notifications for chat

Here are a couple of the coolest new updates from this list. 

Status Updates

Users can now update their status within the chat feature. Attendees can update their status to indicate whether they’re Available, Busy or Away to indicate to others whether it’s a good time to reach out or not. If an attendee is busy in a session or another chat, they can mark themselves “Busy”. If they have to step away from the event for a while, they can mark themselves as “Away” and update their status to “Available” once they get back. 

Push Notifications

As an organizer, you can now share push notifications to all users within the chat. This feature is great for any mandatory sessions you need all users to attend, or if you simply have an announcement you’d like to share with all your users!

Mobile App Updates

Next up, Stefany walked us through updates to the vFairs mobile app. Our mobile app was introduced in Q4 last year, and we’re already making improvements to ensure you, your sponsors and attendees all get the most out of this awesome product. 

Here’s what Stefany covered in the mobile app updates:

  • Health declaration forms
  • Venue floor map
  • Onsite badge printing
  • Mobile chat 
  • Job search & applications 
  • Product showcase & ordering
  • Book a meeting tool
  • Integrations with translation apps Syncwords & Wordly 
  • Live polls & Q&A
  • Sponsorship visibility – splash ads, banner ads & sponsor pages
  • Mobile gamification – leaderboards, scavenger hunts, and Kahoot!
  • Attendee live feeds
  • White labeling and custom apps
  • Analytics dashboards

Can you tell we’re really doubling down on the mobile app? It’s definitely worth a try, if you haven’t used it already! Here’s a bit more about some of our favorite updates on this list… 

In-Person Event Features

Some of these features were specifically designed to offer an elevated experience to your in-person events. For example, health declaration forms allow your attendees to answer screening questions before arriving at the venue. This helps make check-in even more seamless. Badge printing also helps make check-in easier. All attendees need to do is tell the hosts their name, and the host can print badges right from the mobile app. The floor map is also a great reference for attendees as they navigate through the venue. They can even see which exhibitors are placed where on the exhibit floor. 

Sponsorship – Banner & Splash Ads + Sponsor screens

Some of our coolest new features also happen to be the best place for you to monetize your next event! Splash ads are full-screen, fully customizable graphic ads shown as soon as any attendee logs into the event through the mobile app. Banner ads let you or your sponsors promote products or services through a banner at the bottom of the screen, regardless of what page an attendee is on within the app. Sponsor screens are customizable pages where you can feature all of your sponsors, giving them that much more visibility to your attendees!

Mobile Gamification Features

Our gamification features have long been a staple in many vFairs virtual events. We’re now making them accessible through the mobile app!

Our leaderboard, one of the most popular gamification elements, can now be accessed by attendees through the app. This feature encourages as much activity as possible throughout the event and awards points based on specific activities.

Another popular feature we’re making available in the app is our scavenger hunt. Again, attendees can browse through the event to find items and earn points for collecting as many as they can! Finally, the wildly popular game Kahoot! can be enabled within the vFairs mobile app, so you can run quizzes, trivia and other games with your attendees. 

Sneak Peek: Additional Updates to Expect in 2022

Wrapping up, we got a sneak peek at what’s to come in the next few months for vFairs. Curious? Here’s a quick overview: 

  • Audio and video calls within the mobile app 
  • Sending voice notes 
  • Webinar surveys 
  • Multi-lingual enablement 
  • Session check-in

What features from the roadmap are you most excited about? We’ve got lots of new additions coming, so keep an eye on our March 2022 Product Updates for more! 

 

[Webcast Recap] Introducing the 2022 vFairs Product Roadmap

Brianne Snell

Brianne is a Content Manager at vFairs. She has over 8 years of experience planning and creating content for IT and SaaS organizations. When she isn't sharing her excitement for virtual and hybrid events, you can find her doing Pilates, bingeing pop culture podcasts and hanging out with her dog, Charlotte.

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