For the developer of virtual and hybrid event technologies Canapii, necessity really turned out to be the mother of invention. As the global pandemic rocked the event industry, organizers were forced to quickly switch to a virtual format. Even though digital event platforms were gaining popularity in the industry before the pandemic, going fully virtual has introduced new challenges, especially with the lack of an intuitive engagement tool for virtual events. Aware of this void, the Canapii team considered the event management console and the “Arena” virtual platform. With the help of cloud-based technology from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Canapii has brought its event management software to market in record time and established the brand to go with it. Canapii has since helped companies like Hewlett Packard (HP) design and host engaging virtual events that include live streamed content with real-time multilingual captions, polls, Q&A, and more.
“The first time I realized our industry was about to undergo a major upheaval, I was on a flight to a board meeting. I thought this might be the last time I was traveling on business, and then the implications of what that would mean for our industry hit me. When we started talking at the meeting, we quickly came to a consensus that doing nothing was not an option, ”said Gemma Edwards, co-founder of Canapii. “The pandemic gave us this impetus to take a leap and start a new business that could help solve a big problem. We had the right technological background to realize our vision, but we needed a solution to help us deliver compelling live and on-demand video across a range of platforms and in a variety of languages. ‘AWS Media Services has come into play.
At the start of Canapii’s development, the team tried to anticipate the key features required to run a fully virtual event at a very basic level, then sought out a live streaming provider to meet those needs and more, by ending up signing up with AWS. One of the main challenges identified by the team was how to adapt to different languages and time zones. Working closely with the AWS team, Canapii developers and architects were able to quickly figure out how to scale, facilitating more than five simultaneous live broadcasts in different languages to an audience of 6,000 people for their first event. “The world is big and we knew that a one-size-fits-all approach would not be enough. Between customers, we’re seeing a lot of demand for simultaneous translations into Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean, and luckily AWS tools are really global and scalable, ”Edwards explained. “They really helped us push the boundaries of multilingual translation and subtitling to make it feel like part of the event.
The end result of the Canapii team’s efforts is an interactive, multilingual, and fully integrated virtual event management console and platform with a familiar aesthetic and videoconferencing interface that enables personalized branding. “After a lot of blood, sweat and tears, we were able to come up with a solution that gives event attendees a smooth journey, whether fully virtual or hybrid, and at the same time creates a feeling. community, ”said Edwards. . “This is the appeal of Canapii. Customers are also drawn to the fact that there is no limit to the number of meetings or participants. Unlike platforms where you pay per meeting or video, Canapii is designed to provide organizers with all the tools needed to run an event without several expensive add-ons.
Over the past year, Canapii has developed the platform and extended its geographic reach. “It took a lot of effort to get to where we are today with Canapii, but AWS was instrumental in the process,” said Edwards. “Not only is Canapii’s entire infrastructure built on the cloud platform, but AWS multimedia services are also the building blocks of our tool’s live streaming capabilities, providing the security, reliability and video of our tool. high quality demanded by our customers and their audiences.
Canapii officially debuted last year, powering HP’s very first global HP Reinvent virtual experience. The event drew an audience of 7,000 participants from all over the world. In conclusion, Edwards said: “The events industry, like many others, has gone through so many changes over the past year that have challenged us to think outside the box. Our goal with Canapii is to help event planners bring more engaging global events online with less friction, allowing them to focus less on technology and logistics, and more on growing their audiences and customers. their activity.
Today, Canapii is used by more than 10,000 organizations and has more than 45,000 users on its platform. By supporting event planners around the world, Canapii facilitates connections and drives engagement through its digital tools and solutions, which cater for all types of events.
