Virtual events, as many of us know, are tools used by organizations to reach and engage a much wider audience; specifically, to reach remote workers. These events, held entirely online, offer several advantages over traditional in-person gatherings with the biggest advantage, in my opinion, being that they eliminate geographical barriers.
However, hosting large-scale virtual events are challenging, as traditional webinar platforms often struggle to handle large numbers of attendees.
Enter Zoom, renowned provider of video communications solutions. Zoom is addressing such challenges with the launch of its new single-use webinar offering, capable of hosting up to 1 million attendees.
Zoom Webinars already boast best-in-class audio and video quality. Unlike large streaming services, which often have a delay of 5 seconds or more, Zoom offers zero latency to make sure that all attendees experience the webinar in real-time.
So, Zoom’s webinar platform (which scales to accommodate events with 10,000 now 1 million attendees), hosts sessions up to 30 hours long (depending on the customer’s purchased capacity plan) and can feature up to 1,000 interactive video panelists, allowing hosts to effortlessly broadcast messages with a user-friendly webinar platform.
With the platform, event organizers can effortlessly set up webinars with just a few clicks, while attendees benefit from the familiar Zoom interface. Hosts can easily create professional-looking branded webinars with matching virtual backgrounds, name tags and wallpaper.
Zoom also offers various pricing plans for single events, including pay-per-event, pay-per-month and pay-per-attendee, as well as monthly and annual subscriptions tailored for different frequencies and scales. For more advanced needs, customers can explore Zoom Sessions or Zoom Events, the company’s comprehensive virtual event platform.
Hosts can access a range of performance reports on registration, attendance and audience engagement to gain insights into webinar strategy results. These insights can be applied to improve future webinar efforts.
Zoom Webinars, as well as Zoom Sessions and Zoom Events, are available for purchase online and through direct sales channels. At launch, Zoom’s single-use webinar offerings will only be available in the U.S.
“Zoom’s expanded capacity webinar offering is revolutionizing the way organizations can seamlessly connect and engage with massive audiences,” said Smita Hashim, Chief Product Officer at Zoom.
Serious question though. When first hearing about the 1 million attendee expansion, I thought to myself "There will never be a situation that requires that many spots for attendees." I mean, the technical challenges that can come with it as well as the costs being a bit on the expensive. But what do I know, right?
So, after a bit more reading, I found answers to my question.
According to Zoom, its new single-use webinar offering transforms how large-scale communications are conducted. With it, there is easier interactions between hosts and audiences across all sectors.
So, let’s take a look at some of the examples Zoom provided when the 1 million cap will be used:
The world’s largest enterprises can now bring together their entire global workforce in a single, unified event. This expanded capacity is ideal for large all-hands meetings, where CEOs and senior leaders can address every employee simultaneously.
Celebrities and public figures can use Zoom’s expanded webinar capabilities to host virtual events, fan meet-and-greets and more. For brands, these large-scale webinars offer a unique platform to launch products, hold fundraisers or host virtual events that resonate with audiences on a personal level.
Government agencies and nonprofit organizations can use Zoom’s single-use webinar packages for public addresses, town halls and community outreach initiatives. Whether it’s a national leader addressing thousands of citizens during a crisis or a global nonprofit launching a major campaign, the ability to host up to 1 million attendees ensures that these important messages reach a wide audience.
“Now event organizers have the flexibility and power to host truly interactive experiences on an unprecedented scale and the ability to purchase large single-use webinars,” Hashim added.
Be part of the conversation to understand the Future of Work and how both customer and employee experiences are changing, at Future of Work Expo 2025, taking place February 11-13, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The conference focuses on key elements of today's modernized workplace, not just for improving productivity, but also providing better experiences, through the intersection of technology like AI and the human element.
