Q&A With Richard Lee
Events have changed forever; have you changed with them?
The past three years has seen an evolution in the events industry, and technology is at the heart of it.
We speak to Richard Lee, the founder of event technology company streamGo, to learn more about his brand and how it’s helping event organizers deliver better and bolder digital events.
Founder of streamGO
So tell us a bit about streamGo
streamGo is an online events platform for virtual and hybrid events. We focus on improving online events and breaking boundaries in the events industry. We produce webinars, webcasts, virtual events and podcasts across the UK, Europe and worldwide. Some of the global brands we’ve had the pleasure to work with are Sony, TikTok and Adobe.
Why should event organizers use streamGo? What makes you different from other event platforms?
We aim to constantly improve and develop our features to improve and innovate the industry; in the last twelve months, we’ve launched a new feature every other day!
As a team, we always consider client feedback, and as a result we have some really innovative features like discoverGo, which makes it easier to find the event content that interests you. ChatGo is another feature our clients really get a lot of value from. chatGo helps event attendees and sponsors find the right connections at an event depending on their interests and preferences.
Our ease of integration with providers like HubSpot and Salesforce also really helps us stand-out. Our platform integrations help our customers see and action data on their attendees and customers, tracking everything from views on their registration page down to closed won deals from the contacts generated from their event.
If I’m running lots of events all year round can you help me?
Of course! At streamGo we actually have a few options and packages for clients, depending on their needs.
For brands running multiple events throughout the year, we offer a subscription plan called “Pro Unlimited”. Pro Unlimited allows someone to run as many events as they wish during their subscription period – and gives you access to all our features such as discoverGo, chatGo and many more.
Another type of subscription we offer is “Pro”. Pro is for brands that want to run a single event.
Lastly, we have our “Enterprise” plan. It is a much more customizable plan if a client wants to run a large bespoke conference or event, whether that’s internal or customer facing.
And if you’re not sure what’s going to work for you, on our site, our Go-Bot will direct you towards the most suited plan for your event.
Everyone’s going back to in-person events now, aren’t they?
Oh, absolutely not! I’d argue that virtual events are actually more important than ever. Naturally some brands are returning to in-person elements, but what we’re seeing is they’re adopting a hybrid approach to make sure they’re still servicing customers that want to watch online.
What can event organizers do to stay relevant?
As I say, having a hybrid element to your event is essential.
Hybrid allows your online and in-person audience to attend the event in one seamless experience. You can still provide networking and activities your audience desires and allow international attendees to participate safely from their homes.
Hybrid also attracts attendees that wouldn’t be able to attend in person, and let’s not forget about the sustainability and accessibility benefits that online brings. Reductions in travel costs, carbon footprint and avoiding the waste that goes into physical events are huge.
What would you say are the top 3 challenges facing event organizers right now?
Audience engagement is one of the key challenges event professionals have today, whether they’re running events in-person, online or hybrid. But I’d argue the digital/hybrid element massively helps to keep audiences engaged – whether it’s through games, polls, quizzes or chat. There are just so many more possibilities to play with during online events that will retain the audience’s attention.
Measuring ROI is another big one. It’s obviously hugely important for businesses to measure the success of their events. It has always been complicated to decide what and how you will be measuring your data during in-person events. However, online and hybrid events allow us to easily and quickly track measurement data from events such as audience satisfaction, number of viewers, and even revenue through CRM integrations. It also retains essential data such as attendees’ demographic and audience feedback, which can be used to make better strategies for future events.
Lastly I’d say networking. Attempting to make connections through online events can feel like a very detached experience and often feels like you’re not making meaningful connections. That’s why we created chatGo. It helps our attendees make the connections most relevant to them – finding that needle in the haystack. As I explained earlier, with chatGo we connect people through their interests and help them bond during our events, also improving attendees’ engagement.
How can event organizers combat ‘virtual format fatigue’ over the next year?
Oh, that’s an interesting one. There’s actually a few methods to combat virtual format fatigue.
The most important one is making sure the audience can network. Network matchmaking is really beneficial; you can connect the audience based on their interests, so they can easily network with the right people.
Another thing is to make sessions short – our customer data tells us that interactive 20-minute sessions are the way forward. You’ve also got to think about your post-event audience engagement; on-demand allows your attendees to rewatch the content if they couldn’t watch it all live. You just have to make sure it is as engaging for them as the live sessions were.
What does the future of events look like?
It’s difficult to say, but one thing’s for sure, it’s not reverting back to how the industry was in 2019. There’s an expectation now that you service an online audience as well as those in the room, and ultimately it’s more cost-effective, sustainable, and allows companies to reach a broader audience. No brainer.
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