What is Canapii and what role does it play in the virtual event space?
Canapii is an online event management platform that provides comprehensive digital tools and features. The platform is purpose-built to bridge the gap between virtual and on-site events. What we have found is that many event organizers struggle to produce comparable experiences online like they would in-person. The networking aspect, in particular, is lagging, as users often feel alone in their attendance and can’t capture the synergy of those around them.
We wanted to provide a better, more effective approach to virtual events, especially in a time where the majority of in-person events are cancelled. Organizations need to be able to scale quickly and automate much of the event management process. They need to make the entire experience more personalized. And most importantly, participants need a way to network and mingle like they would in person so they can take more away from every event. Canapii enables all of the above.
Canapii is relatively new in the event space. What’s your backstory?
Our Co-Founders are Eleanor Martin, Gemma Edwards, Steve Brazier, and Rita Chaher. We have a full product development team behind Canapii, which actually started as an internal solution at IT analyst firm Canalys to support its own events. To support these large and global events, the company developed digital tools and solutions to help both Canalys organizers and event attendees get the most out of their on-site experience. This led to the inception of our first mobile app some ten years ago. Our software proved so popular that our event team saw a huge opportunity to bring these same solutions to other organizations. Our clients were asking us if they could purchase it for their own events.
And then, COVID hit. The pandemic completely changed the industry inside and out. Suddenly there was a spike in demand for virtual connections and engagement. We saw an opportunity to help other businesses and decided to bring Canapii to the mainstream.
What industry-specific problems does Canapii solve?
Technology has always played a prominent role in the event industry. In fact, today’s events depend on the right tools and technology for success. But it wasn’t until the global pandemic that virtual event technology’s real value was recognized. Remote-hosted events are proving to be less costly and more scalable. Or to put another way, you can reach more people AND cut costs, which skyrockets your event’s profits if you’re monetizing it.
Currently, one of the biggest challenges facing all event organizers is that the event industry as a whole is fragmented. You might use one system for ticketing and one for hosting, for example. We are solving this with Canapii by creating a seamless user journey and personalized experiences all in one place.
Some of our core benefits include:
- A solution for managing and hosting events from end to end
- Scalable to reach more people without incurring greater costs
- Less time-consuming management processes
- Global reach
- Sustainable event model
- Flexible to accommodate a variety of event types and delivery styles
- Easier to gather feedback and measure results through data
Clearly, some of these benefits are difficult to come by when hosting events in person, such as collecting real-time engagement data. We believe that once more people see just how much value virtual events can offer, it will become a core piece of their marketing strategies long after the pandemic has concluded.
How has the global pandemic affected the event industry in the last year, and how has Canapii been affected?
There’s no doubt that the industry at large has shifted to a virtual format. What was once considered “nice to have” is now “virtual first.” In the near future, we expect events to take more of a hybrid approach.
So many new opportunities have been unlocked for businesses. It used to be that Canapii would focus on appealing to people with the possibility of virtual events. Now, platforms are competing to win over audiences with intuitive features and advanced experiences. It’s no longer a question of whether companies should do virtual events.
By digitizing everything, we have effectively been able to deliver cutting-edge tools and solutions for all event organizers. These tools create the most value for both organizers and attendees.
What challenges does Canapii face over the next few years?
We realize this is a saturated market, especially since features and solutions are digital and therefore relatively easy to replicate. We envision Canapii navigating its way through the slowdown of the virtual shift and still rise to the top by proving its worth as an all-inclusive solution.
Something that sets Canapii apart is our approach to the community. We give organizers so much more than an event platform. We’re also focused on support and helping event organizers create communities within each of their events to maximize engagement.
Where does Canapii hope to be in the next few years?
Canapii aspires to be the leading event management platform. We’re already making our name known by empowering all people to create and participate in meaningful experiences across the virtual and physical space.
Innovations in the event platform world will be fueled by our users. They continue to challenge us with requests and ideas for new features and solutions to help them streamline their event organization.
How can interested users start leveraging Canapii for their virtual events?
Canapii is everywhere. If you’ve attended a virtual event, chances are it might have been driven by Canapii technology. You can request a free demo to test all of Canapii’s best features and see the value for yourself.
About Canapii
Canapii provides unique solutions to manage in-person, hybrid and virtual events. As the only supplier with genuine 24/7 customer service, our global team lives and breathes events, no matter their location or size. Canapii has over 45,000 users and is used by 5000+ companies. By being ahead of the innovation curve, we enable our customers to impress their audiences every step of the way.
Visit our website for more information at: https://www.canapii.com/
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