Arena Virtual and Hybrid Events vs. Zoom Events & Webinars

From my experience, Arena works well for client events like entertainment, panel discussions, motivational talks, etc. with a drink and chat afterward. However, I can also imagine it working well for larger events like conferences as it was really easy to add additional rooms and stages. Attendees can easily navigate to the sessions they want to attend from the event's central lobby.

I've used Zoom Webinars for meetings and webinars from two people to 500 people. It has worked well and reliably in each scenario! I especially appreciate that viewers can turn on closed captions if they need them or can have the language translated. That makes this very helpful for our teammates that need that type of assistance.

Incentivized

• Only pay for the attendees that show up.
• Moderated and unmoderated video breakouts.
• Easy to use.

• Simple user experience--very intuitive for attendees to join, interact with Q&A
• Adaptable and feature rich--very easy to set up Webinars for different use cases with features like registration, Q&A, practice session, HQ video, branding and virtual backgrounds, polls/quizzes, post-surveys, breakouts, resources, production studio, FB/YT Live, captions/translation, etc
• Aesthetically pleasing--new branding options (such as webinar wallpaper, custom backgrounds, and name tags), plus the recent addition of the Production Studio feature, means it's easier than ever to produce beautiful and appealing webinars.
• Panelists, practice session, and backstage--Zoom makes it easy to set up webinar panelists ahead of time, and get them into the room early for a practice session. The new backstage option is even more powerful than the practice session feature.
• The bleeding edge--Zoom is continually adding powerful new features for Webinar rooms, where other programs leave you with the same ol' stagnant feature set.

Incentivized

• They haven't yet released all their features, like audience polls.

• Like most Zoom products, Zoom Events is actively being improved and updated. The release cycle is monthly, which means event planners need to keep up with changes.
• While Zoom Events also works for in-person only events, this will require a certain mind-set shift to work well for many organizations.
• There is a core group of small business Zoom Events users who can provide help to new-comers, and an increasing number of helpful on-boarding resources, but Zoom Tier 1 support still starts out with the most pedantic questions; it's difficult to reach someone who can really help you with a difficult problem if you are not a large Zoom customer.
• Professional Services is available from Zoom, but it the cost is out of reach of most small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Incentivized

We will be renewing with Zoom as long as it continues to meet our needs for client and lead outreach needs in a robust manner. With little error and an easy to use interface, Zoom has met our needs and exceeded our expectations. The cost is right and with a short learning curve, Zoom has been an easy decision to make and maintain.

Incentivized

Zoom [Video Webinar] is easy and secure to use. It has all those feature which can make a virtual meeting go smooth. Zoom [Video Webinar] provides one click join option and easy screen sharing. It also has strong tools to restrict meeting controls and is secure enough to let you start with it. Zoom [Video Webinar] in relation to other video webinar application is easy to use and lightweight, its mobile application is also easy to use.

Zoom Video Webinar provides users with updates on their newest functions as part of an email subscribed list. They provide you with up-to-date information on all their latest changes and functions for ease [in] transition. Zoom Video Webinar can be contacted easily for any questions or concerns you may have with the platform and the response is timely.

Incentivized

Implementation was very feasible during our initial usage of the Zoom after COVID-19.

Incentivized

Go To Webinar has been the standard in webinar technology for years. But it's a terrible experience from an administrator's perspective. You start the program, and 15 windows pop-up, giving you all sorts of configuration choices. In order to operate a webinar smoothly, we needed 4 members on the team (1 speaker, 1 moderator, 2 people managing any tech unknowns and set things up.) Zoom Webinar can be done with a single person because of how easy the options are. Also, put GoToWebinar in front of somebody new - and watch them fumble for 15 minutes trying to figure out how to present. Zoom, there's not much to explain. Everything is clearly laid out with a clean UX design.

Incentivized

• Reduced costs
• Less risk
• Better client engagement

• I am a user of Zoom, not an administrator, so I can't speak to it's ROI outside of how it effectively allows me to conduct presentations with groups of people I wouldn't normally have in the same room.
• Zoom has a very positive impact on keeping me connected with my colleagues in a more human way through the use of video and audio when we are conducting meetings. This helps strengthen work relationships so there are less misunderstandings from email or text only systems.
• Zoom has allowed my company with remote employees all over the place, in addition to multiple physical office locations, conduct quarterly meetings with our CEO that make everyone feel involved.

Incentivized