The solutions acquired will be particularly applicable for trade shows and will be demonstrated at the annual Cvent Connect user conference in June. Photo Credit: Cvent
Meetings-technology provider Cvent has added two more acquisitions to its expanding collection, with the company's executives and investors now turning their attention to enhancing capabilities and return on investment for trade shows and conferences. The event-tech giant has acquired the B2B appointment-scheduling platform Jifflenow, as well as the lead-capture solution iCapture. Each acquisition speaks to the needs of sales and marketing teams, and specifically the sponsors and/or exhibitors who partner with the event's organizers.
One-on-one appointments
Jifflenow facilitates trade-show meetings with key customers and prospects, and aids in the organizing, managing and tracking of on-site appointments. It also preserves the communications around those appointments for reference and follow-up. The cloud-based enterprise platform, headquartered in Silicon Valley, features on-demand reports, multilevel security and GDPR compliance, and integrates with a number of CRM, marketing-automation, videoconferencing and event management solutions.
Jifflenow and Cvent are building on an expanded partnership and integration that was established last April. "Today’s announcement is an exciting evolution of our relationship," said Jifflenow founder and CEO Hari Shetty. "It takes a highly committed team to reach the level of success that we have achieved, and we’re excited to leverage Cvent’s global scale, research and development resources, and robust partner ecosystem to continue to innovate to help organizations capitalize on their trade shows and conferences."
Lead capture
iCapture provides a consistent, customizable and easy-to-use lead-capture solution that can be applied across shows, improving efficiency. The Boise, Idaho-based company was founded in 2012, and offers a solution that can be scaled for any event size. It likewise offers integrations with common CRM and marketing-automation platforms.
While Cvent has been providing trade show solutions already, including one for lead capture, the iCapture acquisition results in the addition of new talent and more domain expertise, further expanding the current trade show offerings.
The iCapture model will also be distinct from Cvent's current solution in how it is presented. Cvent sells the current lead-capture functionality to planners, who then provide it to their exhibitors for their lead-capture needs. Cvent will continue to develop and enhance that service. The iCapture solution, however, can be licensed by an individual exhibitor and used for every show that exhibitor attends, providing a consistent enterprise solution across their teams at their organizations. "By eliminating the step of having to relearn lead-capture solutions from show to show, organizations can boost lead volume with a standardized system that meets their unique lead capture needs," a Cvent spokesperson explained.
Next steps
As many trade shows and exhibitions are making strong attendance projections for 2024, Cvent's latest moves are designed to facilitate data collection and demonstrate ROI for the coming wave of in-person events. The deals likewise provide the acquired companies with the opportunity to reach larger audiences.
In terms of incorporating the respective platforms, Cvent's current priority is to ensure the smooth integration of both companies' people and operations, according to a spokesperson. For the near future, each platform will continue to operate independently, under their current names, and there will be no disruption for current customers of either Jifflenow or iCapture. "Once integration plans are in place, Cvent, Jifflenow and iCapture will be working with customers hand-in-hand to ensure a seamless transition," the spokesperson noted.
As for the nature of that integration, Cvent is mum on any roadmaps or specifics, adding only that the newly combined teams will work on exploring ways they can combine and integrate the respective solutions to maximize value.
Both solutions will be featured prominently at Cvent Connect, the company's annual user conference, scheduled for June 10-13 in San Antonio, Texas.