Event Technology Supplier Hubilo Acquires Fielddrive

The on-site event-tech provider for in-person events will form the backbone of the new Hubilo Onsite division. 

Screenshot of Hubilo and Fielddrive Leaders Online Accouncement
Fielddrive and Hubilo leaders discussed the acquisition in an online annoucement.

Hybrid-event engagement platform Hubilo, which raised more than $150 million in venture capital over the past few years, has acquired Fielddrive, a Belgium-based provider of on-site event technology. The strategic deal bolsters Hubilo's resources and expertise with in-person event tools such as badge-printing, check-in, tracking and on-site data integration.

"The two companies combined pools our products, expertise and talent, ensuring that we can deliver digital, hybrid and in-person events anywhere in the world," said Hubilo founder and CEO Vaibhav Jain.

Just last month Hubilo laid off 35 percent of its workforce, and many of its competitors — Zoom, Hopin and Bizzabo among them — have made similar moves to right-size following the drop in demand for online events. This acquisition sees Hubilo redirecting its investment toward servicing customer demand for in-person meetings.

Fielddrive has established a reputation over the years for cutting-edge event technology, and won the 2018 IBTM World Tech Watch for its innovative implementation of Zenus' facial-recognition platform for event check-in.

Fielddrive will continue to run independently and be platform-agnostic, Jain added, while at the same serving as the basis for the new Hubilo Onsite division. "Fielddrive’s dedication to customers aligns with our customer-first approach," Jain noted, "and our aim is to continue to meet and exceed our customers' needs by providing technology that enables exceptional event experiences regardless of location, budget or format.”

Fielddrive, which has provided services for events around the globe, specializes in data integration, badge services, on-site tracking and tracing, and AI-driven analytics dashboards. "With additional resources we will be able to grow our solution set across more geographies with new market-leading features," said Fielddrive founder and CEO Danny Stevens about the deal. “The acquisition means that we can continue to innovate further in this space to provide our customers with unbeatable visitor experiences."

Hubilo's Sophie Ahmed, a seasoned events thought leader who joined the company last year, has been promoted to general manager of the new Hubilo Onsite, leading Fielddrive for Hubilo. “Having led large in-person events for over two decades, I can see why Fielddrive is so attractive to event organizers: for managing visitor queues, facial recognition for on-site check-in, sustainable badging, lead retrieval and analytics, new monetization opportunities and an expert customer experience team,” she said. "We have lots of exciting things planned on our roadmap as we push the boundaries in creating incredible event journeys for organizers and their attendees, exhibitors and sponsors."