Though it feels like a lifetime ago, it’s been just short of a year since we first announced Cisco’s intent to acquire Socio. Over the past 10 months, our teams have worked tirelessly to deliver on our joint vision to provide the most complete, robust, and flexible event technology platform available. 

Today, I’m excited to announce that we are taking the next major step toward that vision as Socio becomes the all-new Webex Events.  

Webex Events (formerly Socio) is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to hybrid event platforms, with an enterprise-grade combination of software, hardware, and services that simply cannot be achieved without a company like Cisco Webex in your corner. 

From our web and mobile app, registration, ticketing, check-in, and badge-printing to advanced studio production, sponsorship capabilities, engagement features, lead retrieval, and analytics, Webex Events is a true end-to-end, hybrid-ready event management platform. 

Delivering value before, during, and after events.

While selecting a new name was certainly bittersweet, we wanted our name to reflect that we are part of the Webex Suite, which also includes Webex Meetings and Webex Webinars. We will always remain Sociolites at heart, with a deep commitment to innovation, customer service, and support. We’ll always drive to be the best and the most comprehensive platform out there — that will never change. 

What we’ve learned

As much of the world returns to in-person events, it is more important than ever that event professionals take the lessons of the last two years and continue to evolve and improve their event programs. The event landscape today looks much different than it did two years ago. The pandemic brought event programs and event professionals closer to their marketing teams.  

We pivoted from in-person to virtual, navigated the increase of virtual event fatigue, and raised the bar to meet rising attendee expectations. We began to treat events less as single moments in time and more as milestones along the attendee and customer journey – opportunities to deepen relationships and build trust.  

We learned that event data can be incredibly powerful when it’s real-time, easy to access, and lives in a single place, instead of being siloed across separate tools. It makes it easier to improve your events, show value to sponsors, and prove event ROI. 

The expectations of in-person audiences will reach an all-time high as people decide which events are worth the cost and time away from their families and which can be attended virtually. 

What the future of events looks like

Hybrid events are going to become increasingly commonplace, but at this pivotal moment, it’s important to look at hybrid events differently. Hybrid isn’t just about providing the same content to two distinct audiences, based on where they’re consuming it. 

Moving forward, events will live on a spectrum, allowing for unique, personalized experiences, no matter how people choose to attend. There will be in-person events, virtual events, and hybrid events. In fact, take a look at this data, exported directly from a dashboard in Webex Events, showing the types of events our customers are planning in 2022.

Graph showing virtual, hybrid, and in-person events being scheduled in 2022

Which format is right for you and your organization will depend on your unique goals.  

Webex Events (formerly Socio) is the only event technology you need to power any type of event, whether you’re a team of one or looking to scale an enterprise event program. No more having to work with multiple vendors, no more integrating multiple solutions, no more data silos, no more worries. 

With Webex Events, you can feel confident that no matter what circumstances arise, you will be ready with a future-proof, end-to-end event solution. Pivoting from in-person to virtual and back again can be done in just a few clicks.  

What can Webex Events (formerly Socio) customers expect? 

To our existing customers asking what to expect now that Socio is Webex Events, I ask you to look at all that we’ve already done together.  

Cisco Webex made clear to us over the last ten months that they did not acquire Socio simply for our technology. They value our culture and our people just as much – the people you’ve worked closely with to create and host your events and to make them the best they can be.  

I know you probably have some questions, so below is a handy FAQ with some of the most common ones.  Feel free to reach out to our team if you have others! 

Will the Socio product be going away?   

Not at all! Webex Events (formerly Socio) is still its own end-to-end platform, with a fully dedicated (and growing) product team, built from the ground up, and dedicated to powering event success.  

This name change reflects the next phase of our journey to reshape the future of events. Cisco aimed to expand Webex’s offerings beyond meetings, webinars, and webcasts to include larger events like conferences and to power the future of hybrid events. We are a key part of this vision and are so excited for the future. 

Can I still purchase Webex Events (formerly Socio) on its own? 

Yes! You can still purchase Webex Events as a standalone product, the same as before. In addition, you can also now purchase directly from Cisco sellers and partners. And if you’re an Enterprise Agreement Customer, you can get access to the all-new Webex Events as part of the Webex Suite. 

My event is coming up soon — will my attendee experience change? 

We are not making any changes to the Socio Event app, Lead Retrieval by Socio app, Socio Event Registration URLs, or other deeper areas of the product just yet. These things take time and we want to make this transition as smooth as possible for our customers. We will provide ample notice of those timelines as we get closer to making those changes.  

You can still direct your attendees to download these “Socio” apps. You and your attendees will continue to see “Socio” used in select places as we transition into our new brand over the coming months.    

Will support options and hours change? 

Our amazing Support Team is the heart of Webex Events (formerly Socio), and we are working on making them even more available to you. You can continue to connect with them and your customer success manager (CSM) as you always have, and we have some exciting announcements coming up soon where we’ll let you know about even more ways you can get support from our team when you need it. 

Will your pace of innovation change? 

Webex Events is not only retaining but is quickly growing our entire team across all functions. We will continue to build out the unique technology that makes up the product. Cisco Webex has only added more resources and scale, so we plan to maintain and, if anything, accelerate the speed and pace of innovation of Webex Events. 

Will Webex Events be integrated into Webex? 

Yes, we have already integrated with other members of the Webex product family, including Vidcast and Slido, the leading audience engagement tool for hybrid events. We are accelerating the technical integrations with others in the Webex ecosystem, including Webex Meetings, Voicea, and more. 

Can I still use Zoom, GoToMeeting, Microsoft, etc.? 

Absolutely. There are no requirements to use other Webex products in order to use Webex Events (formerly Socio) and we continue to offer a wide range of streaming options. Even if your company is using Microsoft Teams, you can use Webex Events without having to switch to Webex. We are truly an “agnostic” event platform.

Here’s to the future of events!

We are now Webex Events, but I assure you that the Socio approach to product development, service, and support will never change. What does change is that we now have the backing of Cisco Webex to supply even more fuel for our rocket, powering a new level of innovation and investment. 

We have never been in a better position to deliver on our vision, and I cannot be more excited to show you what’s next.