Event software startup and virtual event platform Hopin has closed on two acquisitions over a period of two months, expanding the platform’s capabilities for onsite event management and event marketing. On June 16, 2021, Hopin announced it had acquired Boomset, a leading provider of technology for onsite event services. Less than a month later, on July 7, Hopin announced its acquisition of mobile and online event platform Attendify.

Boomset acquisition bolsters Hopin's in-person event management capabilities

Founded in 2011, Boomset offers a variety of technology solutions for managing in-person and hybrid events. While Boomset launched its own virtual event platform in 2020—and many of their most recent reviews on G2 reflect that fact—the company’s specialty is onsite event technology. Boomset’s full suite of onsite event solutions includes onsite event registration, self-service kiosks, badge printing, QR code check-in, lead retrieval, RFID tracking, and facial recognition.

Based on 33 reviews from verified users at the time of the report, Boomset was named a High Performer in the G2 Summer 2021 Grid® Reports for the following categories: Event Management Platforms, Event Planning Software, and Event Registration & Ticketing Software. Multiple G2 users indicate that some of Boomset’s most useful capabilities are its registration, badging, and check-in process:

“Before Boomset, we printed all badges ahead of time and then created new badges by hand with a marker! We were not able to make adjustments to the name or to the assigned schedule. Boomset allows us to make those changes in minutes.” -- Boomset review by Robin O.

“Boomset makes our registration and badging process super easy by integrating all the features into one easy to use platform and providing hardware along with their software packages.”-- Boomset review by Erica M.

Through its acquisition of Boomset, Hopin has taken a significant step toward becoming an all-in-one event management platform for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. 

Hopin advances event marketing features with Attendify

A Leader in the G2 Summer 2021 Grid® Report for Mobile Event Apps, Attendify got its start in 2012 with a focus on mobile event apps and attendee engagement. But like Boomset, Attendify launched its own virtual event platform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shift to online events. 

According to the announcement, Hopin and Attendify’s partnership will result in two new capabilities being launched later this year: an Audience CRM that will give event organizers a “360-degree view of engagement within an event,” and a Campaign Manager with email marketing features to drive registrations and engage with attendees.

The evolution of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events

Attendify is Hopin’s fifth acquisition in the past year. The company also acquired live streaming software StreamYard in 2020 and video technology companies Streamable and Jamm in March 2021. The event software industry has seen a flurry of other mergers and acquisitions, including the acquisition of Socio by Cisco and Bevy’s acquisition of Eventtus.

Since the global COVID-19 crisis forced organizations to pivot from in-person events to virtual ones, software companies have been racing to develop and improve new virtual event solutions. Now, as in-person events resume in certain parts of the world, the events industry is buzzing about the next evolution of events: hybrid. Considering these acquisitions and the continued growth in the Virtual Event Platforms category, we expect to see further developments in the market that signal the shift to events that combine in-person and virtual components.