As the COVID-19 pandemic got shaken the whole world and how businesses used to be managed, many conference host organizations were urged to cancel their events and move to an online experience. 

Instead of solving the common logistical issues, you now have time to research the available event management platforms and make a switch to the one you can use for all event organization activities.  

Using one comprehensive system with a range of specialized modules can make a crucial difference when it comes to delivering a successful event. That is why Restart.ba, the team behind Reconnect conference, got decided for GatherUp! Event Management Platform to manage their activities. With GatherUp! EMP, they have organized an online Reconnect conference and, with the system's event tools, enabled a unique knowledge-sharing and networking experience for more than 100 participants and 11 speakers from all over the world. 

GatherUp! EMP contains applications that can cover all organizational aspects for different types of events. It is a web portal with numerous administration capabilities, application generator, web and mobile apps with detailed information about the event, attendance scanner, and sponsor companion applications. Besides that, GatherUp! EMP contains a whole set of digital tools that can help you use full potential when organizing a virtual event:

• Managing organizational team remotely – with RBAC (Role-based Access Control), you can easily create various roles and define security groups within team members who will work on event organization activities on your GatherUp! EMP portal. You can even include security groups for portal visitors who are not a part of your organization. By setting custom roles, you can control who can take specific actions and see information on your portal.
• Multilingual support – organizing virtual events brings a higher chance of attracting interested participants from several different countries. At the same time, your potential event participants prefer to spend time on websites in their own language. GatherUp! EMP built-in multilingual support will enable you to smoothly manage your web content for different cultures, making sure your message is delivered clearly. With just a few clicks, you can upload localized content and enable your visitors to choose the language they prefer.
• Connect^TM – social business network integrated in GatherUp! EMP mobile apps. Connect^TM is specially designed to enable mutual communication between all event participants and foster networking, knowledge-sharing, and future partnerships.
• Business-to-business meetings - except initiating communication with other attendees, event participants can also organize meetings between themselves, set the date and time, and how the session will happen (by defining place or platform for virtual meetings that they plan to use).
• Content sharing and organization – comprehensive CMS module within GatherUp! EMP allows you to create different forms of content. The system supports the management of lectures, adding all relevant information and sharing Live Streaming URL for the event or session separately.
• Communication tools – effective online communication can not be done without multifunctional communication tools. Luckily, GatherUp! EMP contains tools for email marketing campaigns with many different options, event chat for portal visitors, and chat for organization staff that can be set as a direct communication channel within your team.
• Social Media Management – with build-in social media management, you can easily connect your social media channels to your portal and increase your posts exposure and fan engagement. According to Statista.com, there has been an increase in social media use in 2020 on a global level, which is one reason more to plan your digital marketing strategy carefully and connect it with your event portal.
• Surveys creator – GatherUp! EMP survey creator helps you create custom surveys and get answers and comments about the event to gain valuable insights from participants' feedback.
• Certificates creator – system-generated certificates with distribution in a few automated steps once the event finishes are what you might need for a virtual event! You can create certificates for event participants, thank you notes for speakers, sponsors, and partners, and then share them easily by using GatherUp! EMP.
• Unlimited changes and flexible approaches – as these are times of unpredictable changes, it is crucial to use the system that allows you to make changes on created content and apply those changes easily to all relevant sections. E.g., when it happens that you make changes to the created content and apply these changes quickly to all relevant sections. The made changes will be applied to all devices and elements where the content is used.

These were just a few features that are part of GatherUp! EMP that can help to organize highly engaged virtual business and networking events. In these uncertain times, it is vital to use reliable platforms with various integrated applications to help you grow and support you no matter the challenge you face!