Charlie McCurdy, CEO of the Informa Markets division, said: “We are excited to partner with Swapcard to develop a seamless customer experience across our omni-channel offering, which includes online marketplaces, virtual exhibitions and events and our hybrid and in-person trade shows. We serve many different specialist markets and communities across the world – and we are confident that Swapcard’s ability to innovate at a rapid pace will help us expand our reach, and support our customers’ success, beyond the show floor in truly year-round communities.”
Unlike standard live virtual event platforms, which promise an interactive and immersive experience yet simply pair videoconferencing technology with basic chat tools, Swapcard serves as a full-fledged omnichannel hybrid event and matchmaking platform that draws inspiration from social networks. The company leverages artificial intelligence to match audiences with the people and content most relevant to their interests, offering a full suite of features to help event planners run successful events including live streaming, an online marketplace, network matchmaking features, 1-to-1 video calls and more.
"The event industry is becoming more tech-centric and we're at the beginning of our long overdue digital evolution. The first movers will be the winners. Informa understood this quicker than anyone,” said Baptiste Boulard, CEO and Co-Founder, Swapcard. “This deal is a strong endorsement of Swapcard's vision of the future of industry moving from 3-day physical events to 365-day online communities. This partnership positions Swapcard as the leading platform for large-scale trade shows and conferences all over the world."
Swapcard has been experiencing rapid growth in recent months as more large-scale event organizers transition to hybrid platforms and discover the true power of its platform. The company recently;
- Announced 400% growth after hosting over 1,500 virtual events in S2 2020
- Acquired Avolio, a U.S.-based registration company, to bring event registration in-house and become an end-to-end technology platform for event planners.
- Announced it was selected to serve as the official platform for SXSW Online and SXSW EDU Online 2021
Swapcard also recently hired on events industry expert Julius Solaris to serve as Head of Engagement, where he’ll lead marketing initiatives such as the popular Evolve event series, Inside Event podcast and Swapcard Academy. Julius previously served as founder and editor-in-chief of EventMB, where he operated at the forefront of the event app revolution, integrating social media with both live and virtual event management.
About Informa
Informa is a leading international Information Services, Advanced Learning, B2B Exhibitions and Events Group. Its network of Events, Intelligence and Scholarly Publishing Brands connect specialists with knowledge, helping them learn more, know more and do more .For more information, please visit www.informa.com.
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