Splash doubles down on virtual and hybrid events

Events management platform Splash has announced the launch of Splash Studio, a new product to support the design and execution of streaming events. The offering includes native live-streaming and on-demand capabilities and engagement tools such as Q&A, chat, and polling. As with Splash’s in-person management solution, Splash Studio integrates with CRM and marketing automation systems, and there are add-on-options that allow for customization.

Why we care. It’s hard to believe that Splash has been around for almost 10 years. It was the brainchild of Ben Hindman who came from a live events planning background. Its proffer as it grew was not just a suite of event management tools but the capability to aggregate digital data from in-person events and push it into other systems like marketing automation for lead nurturing purposes and to show clearer event marketing ROI.

Along with the rest of the in-person event eco-system, Splash began a pivot to virtual in Spring of 2020. What this new release indicates is that Splash doesn’t expect to pivot fully back to live any time soon. Splash Studio almost looks like an offering from a virtual-first event and lead gen vendor like ON24. Where Splash and ON24 were once polarized on the benefits of in-person versus digital, we now see a convergence.

Dig deeper: Events of the future will be hybrid and ‘always on’

“As much as we want in-person events to return permanently — and they will — virtual and hybrid events are here to stay,” said Eric Holmen, Splash CEO in a release. Respondents to MarTech’s Event Participation Index gave the likelihood they would attend an in-person business event in the first half of 2022 a 5 out of 10.