Swapcard, the Paris-based leading AI-powered engagement and matchmaking platform for premium virtual and hybrid events, has acquired Avolio, Inc.

 It was a dark and stormy night. The internet connection in Maor Ezer’s Israeli home kicked out only for the senior vice president of marketing at WalkMe to return to a Zoom call via a mobile hotspot.

The scenario speaks to 2020’s challenges and the rewards that can be reaped by those agile enough to quickly adapt from business as usual.

Swapcard, an AI-powered engagement and matchmaking platform for events, announced the launch of their second in-house 3-day virtual event and show, Evolve 2.0, which will be held from February 23-25, 2021.

U.S.-based CLIPr was crowned the overall winner of the 2020 TechWatch Live Award, which was presented during IBTM World Virtual, held online Dec. 8-10.

Convention centers across the country are making way for hybrid meetings and events. Renowned facilities looking ahead to 2021 and beyond have repurposed spaces to become virtual studios, complete with state-of-the-art AV equipment for digital and in-person presentations.

In an effort to speed the pace of recovery in Indianapolis, Visit Indy has pooled together its tech partners to offer discounted prices for citywide hybrid meetings.

With virtual elements taking an increasingly prominent role in the events industry, new digital technologies continue to emerge to aid planners with the various components involved in a meeting or exhibition.

Here are four recently launched tools that help organizers in everything from site selection and exhibit booth design to networking and awards.

IFEMA Virtual Site Tour

Event technologies everywhere are stepping up to the plate in 2020, attempting to ease meeting planners’ woes that virtual experiences can never quite measure up to face-to-face events. Yet one element that hasn’t been addressed is the virtual awards show — until now.

MeetingPlay, a Maryland-based technology company for events and conferences founded in 2011, has launched a new feature designed to nearly replicate the experience of an in-person awards night, both for recipients and attendees.

While virtual events and video conferencing aren’t a perfect substitute for face-to-face, technology that replicates the real-life experience as much as possible could be a viable option, particularly for work teams and stakeholders wanting to stay connected during the COVID-19 era.

Event technology and services companies 365 MEDIA and Taffy Event Strategies have formed a new strategic partnership to provide nonprofits and associations with needs analysis, planning and execution of virtual and hybrid events.