Item: Webex Events (formerly Socio)
Rating: 5
Author: Nick Orlowski

Overall Satisfaction with Webex Events (formerly Socio)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

This was our first in-person conference since the pandemic and we wanted to provide a great experience for attendees. In the past, we relied on paper agendas and posters to help navigate folks to sessions. However, this resulted in multiple-page documents that took forever to create and then could not be edited once the schedule was finalized, not to mention the hours spent formatting, printing, hauling, and sorting. Therefore, we wanted to provide our attendees with an app to hold all of their conference information. Webex Events was a game changer because no conference goes as planned - speakers cancel, sessions get rescheduled, and rooms are switched. This was hassle free because we could update in real-time in the app and push notifications to our users.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Push real-time notifications to conference attendees.
Customizable agendas that are easy to create and revise.
Provide space to advertise sessions and promote vendors.
The dedicated support team was just a video call away or even faster with live chat.
Upgraded check-in systems allows for QR code, improving registration process

Cons

Customizable fields to get everyone registered from the app
Allow multiple emails on registrants accounts
Ensure Android works as seamlessly as iOS

Return on Investment

Our conference attendees went out of their way to tell us how much they loved the app.
Communicating with our conference attendees has never been easier.
We had our biggest conference yet and the presence of the app makes me confident we'll grow more next year.
Previous year's event is saved, allowing for a useful template

Alternatives Considered

EventMobi, SpotMe and Guidebook

Webex Events stood out because of the feature allowing for easy sign-on with Google accounts. Our schools use Google accounts for staff email, so this made registration and app access fairly easy. We received very few messages requesting assistance with registration or app access - the experience for the end-user seemed easy and proved to be so.

Key Insights

Do you think Webex Events (formerly Socio) delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Webex Events (formerly Socio)'s feature set?

Yes

Did Webex Events (formerly Socio) live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Webex Events (formerly Socio) go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Webex Events (formerly Socio) again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Quickbase, Asana, Calendly

Likelihood to Recommend

I would not host a multiple-day, in-person conference without the support of an app like Webex Events. The app kept lines and the check-in/information table to a minimum because everyone had the most up-to-date information on their personal devices. They also strategically set up meetings with you in the run-up to the conference to ensure you are on schedule. The team supporting you is wonderful and does a great job of building your confidence in using the product.

Webex Events (formerly Socio) Feature Ratings

Cisco Hybrid Work

Cisco Products Used for Hybrid Work

Webex Events

Hybrid Work Model

Working from anywhere (e.g., coffee shop, airport)
Working from an office or other company space
Working from home

Hybrid Work Implementation Progress

All departments have established their hybrid policies - some meet in the office two days a week, others just one. Equipment has been purchased to ensure virtual attendees can participate during meetings that are otherwise in the office. Software has also been purchased to help track meetings and share information seamlessly .

Organizational Challenges Faced

We do not use Cisco.

Impact on Organizational Challenges

We do not use Cisco

Hybrid Work Experience

We do not use Cisco.

Other Products Considered

The Webex Events App provided a solution to collaborate on our annual conference program via a much more dynamic platform. This helped us move on from a paper/digital document to a platform that allowed users to track real-time updates for the conference. It also allowed them to preview and connect in new ways.

Other Collaboration Services Used

Zoom
Google Meet

Using Webex Events (formerly Socio)

Users and Roles

600 - Staff members engaging with the content from our annual conference. The content is available all year, which is helpful to post and retain presentation materials from sessions. There are also a half dozen of us who have back end access to design the conference experience. The participant data is helpful to have on hand throughout the year.

Support Headcount Required

6 - Basic understanding of editing an online space. The Webex help center has plenty of videos and articles to support your understanding. The customer success representative is also extremely knowledgable and able to point you in the right direction. Trial and error is a low-risk approach to problem solving. Changes can be made in the app in real-time and immediately adjusted. Further, there is the option to keep changes private to select groups, so the app can be previewed by the design team before going public.

Business Processes Supported

Organizing the content for our annual conference
Engaging staff before the conference begins
Providing real-time information during the conference
Seamless registration and check-in process
Ongoing access to conference content

Innovative Uses

Previous conferences provide a template when designing the next

Future Planned Uses

Smaller conferences
Yearlong programming

Likelihood to Renew

We already renewed and plan to use it for our conference in fall 2024.

Evaluating Webex Events (formerly Socio) and Competitors

Products Replaced

Key Differentiators

Ease of Use

We want a platform to support our conference and Webex provided an easy to access solution for our employees.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

Webex is no longer an option as it is no longer a standalone product. However, our experience with Webex has made us more informed going forward. For instance, providing more options to connect with potential presenters and vendors is a feature that will help us decide who to partner with going forward.

Webex Events (formerly Socio) Support

Support Rating

They changed their pricing structure and access to account managers who support the creation of your event from start to finish. Luckily for us, we were familiar with the platform so could rely on the resources and the chat for support, but going back and forth over text was not the same as having a dedicated support person to help you troubleshoot.

Webex Events (formerly Socio) Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed Support cares about my success	Difficult to get immediate help

Premium Support

The product was already expensive enough and the other features that came with premium support did not justify the increase in price. It felt like the product did not change but got more expensive as an attempt to bundle other products and services we did not need.

Bug Resolution

Yes - Some bugs were not solved - the sign-in with Apple button caused issues each year we used the product. Announcements did not have titles, which was never resolved and made the feature a bit clunky to use with some users. Some operating systems could not use the QR code feature.

Exceptional Examples of Webex Events (formerly Socio) Support

When Shane was our account guy!

Using Webex Events (formerly Socio)

Usability

Some Android users could not get the app to work, so they had to use the web-based version of our conference guide. Most functionality was still there, but they could not pull up the QR code, which impeded the registration process. The presence of the log in with Apple ID button caused issues because most work emails were not attached to Apple ID, which caused access issues.