Bizzabo versus Cvent:
Which Is Best for B2B Marketers?
In today's digital-first world, you'll need to partner with a solid platform to grow your event strategy. And, since you're here, we're guessing you're trying to learn more about the differences between Bizzabo and Cvent as you make your final decision.
Choosing the Right Digital Event Platform
There are so many platforms out there, and each has its own strengths and challenges. How are you supposed to make such a big decision?
To help, we've put together this handy comparison of Bizzabo and Cvent, as well as some information about Goldcast. We hope this aids you in deciding which software will best suit your event marketing goals.
Let's get started!
Bizzabo versus Cvent
Here’s a quick breakdown of the features and functionality offered by each SaaS platform and how they compare.
Bizzabo
Bizzabo's "Event Experience OS" lets event planners and marketers put on virtual, in-person, and hybrid events.
Though the company started off with an in-person focus, they've since shifted to include a robust virtual experience. That means, as with most cases of company expansion, current customers have been feeling some of the growing pains.
Strong engagement functionality
With Bizzabo, you can launch polls, host a dedicated Q&A tab, and let people chat throughout your event. It also offers live reactions so you can see exactly how everyone in your audience is feeling at any given moment.
Flexible in-person event options
Bizzabo began as an in-person platform, and it still has many strengths in this area. While not quite as robust as Cvent, which we'll talk about soon, it's still a great option for in-person and even hybrid events
Ability to host pre-recorded or live webinars
If you'd like the option to pre-record your webinars, Bizzabo offers that. You can also live stream your webinars to other platforms.
Nurtures attendee networking
Bizzabo offers a unique matchmaking engine to help attendees connect in different ways. This is perfect for networking events and making 1:1 introductions.
Overwhelming to manage
Bizzabo has a lot of bells and whistles, which can be a bit much for new users. People felt that even standard events like webinars were hard to set up, and onboarding new users and speakers was time-consuming.
Restricted customization options
Marketers today are looking to build a modern brand experience for their viewers, and Bizzabo falls short here. The platform is limited across the board from a customization perspective—from the event registration pages, the event stage area, and even promotional emails.
One-size-fits-all agenda pages
Speaking of limited customization, Bizzabo agenda pages were another common pain point. Marketers aren’t able to change the look and feel of agendas to match their own designs, which was frustrating.
Registration-based pricing
Bizzabo’s biggest downfall is its pricing model. They currently offer registration-based pricing, which means you pay for people who might not even show up for your event. This can quickly get pricey as you scale events.
The Details: Bizzabo Pros & Cons
To summarize, here’s a simplified chart that outlines the top pros and cons of Bizzabo.
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Cvent
Cvent is a widely recognized industry leader when it comes to in-person events. They have a comprehensive list of features that support IRL meetings, including online event registration, venue selection, supplier procurement, badging, event marketing and management, and attendee engagement.
Their solution for in-person is best-in-class. However, for B2B marketers with a digital-first approach, Cvent falls short. Simple things like scaling webinars, building beautiful and intuitive online events, and even onboarding speakers are overly complex for this type of use case.
In-person check-in and badging solution
As an in-person-first platform, Cvent offers state-of-the-art check-in and on-demand printing capabilities. This ensures your attendees get into your event quickly and easily.
Advanced ticketing options for in-person events
Hosting a complex event? No problem. Cvent supports express ticketing and add-on pricing for additional registration items. It also supports secure payment processing and walk-in registrations.
Sleek mobile app with agenda builder
The Cvent Attendee Hub mobile app is powerful for engaging and networking with other attendees, particularly for in-person and hybrid event experiences. The app works seamlessly across iPhone and Android devices.
In-person event analytics
Cvent rounds out its in-person capabilities with analytics. The platform allows you to track session attendance, manage session check-in and capacity, track continuing education credits, and sync this data to your CRM or MAP.
Event planning support
Outside of just event management software, Cvent offers a complete supplier network for sourcing event vendors. With customizable RFPs, event planners can search and filter through thousands of venues across the globe to find an event venue that checks all the boxes.
Not built for digital events
While Cvent is ideal for almost any in-person experience, they fall short when it comes to building beautiful online events. They do offer support for virtual events, but customers find it clunky and complicated, especially for simple events like webinars.
Steep learning curve
Cvent has a lot of features, and it can take a lot of training to really learn the platform. This makes it difficult for new event organizers or speakers to get up to speed quickly.
Lack of high-end video production tools
Many users note that Cvent has very limited video production capabilities, like chat publishing, overlays, or tickers. This can lead to an experience that falls flat and feels more like a Zoom call than an event.
Issues with event surveys
Post-event surveys are essential for collecting real-time attendee feedback. However, many people mentioned the Cvent survey feature is not flexible or easy to use.
Limited customization and branding
Marketers, in particular, mentioned that there’s a large gap when it comes to design customization. The platform is very limited here and doesn’t allow for the beautiful branding that attendees expect in a modern online event.
The Details: Cvent Pros & Cons
To summarize, here’s a simplified chart that outlines the top pros and cons of Cvent.
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Goldcast: The Revenue-Driven Event Marketing Platform
There is an event platform that was built just for B2B marketers: Goldcast. Well-known industry leaders like Mailchimp, Lattice, Salesloft, and others have made Goldcast a key part of their MarTech stack—and with good reason.
At Goldcast, we aim to make it easy to set up and run high-quality digital events while providing a seamless experience for attendees and enabling organizers to prove event ROI.
Goldcast provides myriad integrations so that you have everything you need to run pipeline-driving events. Your sales team will get robust analytics and real-time insights during your event; this helps them follow up with prospects with the proper context to really nurture those relationships.
Proven results
Rate
every month
That was the best part—we made the decision to pivot on a Friday, and I didn’t have to work or stress over it on the weekend. I knew that I’d be able to move the whole event into Goldcast on Monday. It wasn’t even a concern.
Goldcast was super easy to use compared to other platforms for both our employees as well as our guest speakers
Our MQL goals saw an increase of 20% through Goldcast’s video production capabilities. The experience was super engaging and very modern!
A Netflix-like experience for attendees
Netflix is popular for a reason—and Goldcast helps you harness that power as you drive and measure engagement with prospects and customers alike.
Works across a variety of B2B use cases
Goldcast is flexible and works for a ton of different use cases, including community events, webinars, product launches, demos, and more.
Embeds CTAs and resources
Go ahead and embed resources directly into your events!
Offers an array of engagement features
You'll get features like Chat, Polls, and Q&A in a totally customizable interface.
High-end video production tools
Overlays, speaker layouts, lower thirds, and tickers all contribute to an enhanced attendee experience.
Templates are duplicable
The ability to duplicate templates helps you scale webinars and virtual events easily across time zones
Accessibility options like captioning and more
Connect with a larger audience by taking advantage of captioning, subtitles, and translation in 14+ languages.
Post-event analytics sync to CRMs and MAPs
After your event, access 16+ engagement points to learn how you can continue to grow your company.
Deep, native integrations with a host of tools
Are you a HubSpot user? Maybe you're more of a Pardot or Marketo person? We integrate with a wide range of MarTech tools to make your life easier.
Slack + Salesforce integrations
This helps you easily and quickly talk with your sales team so they know all about what prospects are doing in your event.
On-demand recordings within 24 hours
You can expect reliable access to your event recordings within one day after the event ends.
Dedicated, live customer support for all events
You'll never find yourself in a bind during an event. We've got a dedicated customer success team with live support for all of your scheduled events.
Easy-to-understand pricing model
No registration-based pricing here! Our generous model is simple to understand.
Frequently Asked Questions
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