“Bizzabo helps us achieve event success because the platform allows us to manage events seamlessly, so we can shine as the experts in creating great content, especially in the virtual world.”
Adam Frankling
Commercial Director
The Challenge
Needing a Future-Proof, Client-Focused Event Solution
In 2020, when COVID-19 pushed the events industry into going virtual, most of the world turned to Zoom and similar vendors. Many of Promontory’s clients were concerned about communicating with and delivering on the promises to their customers.
Promontory took a different approach than many by looking for a future-proof solution to withstand any challenges.
“We looked at several different platforms from an objective standpoint, including Hopin and Zoom, and created a matrix to show how each platform could support our clients’ goals,” said Adam Frankling, Commercial Director at Promontory. “Once we started talking to Bizzabo, we sensed the appetite Bizzabo has for investing in and continuously improving the platform, which we didn’t get from other vendors.”
Another challenge for Promontory was finding a solution that prioritized content, which the agency believes is the most essential aspect of an event. For Promontory, the content journey starts at the first email and includes everything from the website and registration page to the event platform and broadcast. Because many of Promontory’s clients’ stories are similar to their competitors, content must be unique and high quality.
“Other platforms didn’t have the guest management and content features that Bizzabo does,” Frankling said. “Our clients need email capabilities and the ability to pre-plan and schedule their communications.”
The Solution
A Forward-Thinking Event Partner That Keeps Promises
Bizzabo immediately stood out to Promontory because of its commitment to innovation and excellence. The agency saw those promises come to fruition just a few months after signing with Bizzabo.
“I will genuinely say Bizzabo was absolutely the right call because that investment has proven to be true and above and beyond what we had hoped for,” said Managing Partner Scott Garrett. “Bizzabo’s ability to keep its promise about investing in new features makes the event experience better for our clients and gives the platform credibility.”
Bizzabo’s deep bench of features is another why Promontory chose Bizzabo, and, added Garrett, “That’s why our clients love Bizzabo.”
A Flexible Platform To Support Every Event
Promontory uses Bizzabo to serve various clients with a range of event needs. No matter what a client needs, Promontory helps clients achieve event success with Bizzabo.
“We position ourselves as platform-agnostic, and we only recommend Bizzabo if we truly think it’s the best thing. However, there has yet to be a situation where Bizzabo hasn’t been the best platform, genuinely,” Frankling said. “We don’t recommend Bizzabo because we’re tied to it; we recommend Bizzabo because it’s the best solution.”
Promontory can also produce consistent events across the organization, and the entire team enjoys using Bizzabo.
“It’s a genuine feeling among the business that Bizzabo is a great platform,” Frankling said.
“Bizzabo helps us achieve event success. The platform allows us to manage events seamlessly so we can really shine as the experts in creating great content, especially in the virtual world.”
Scott Garrett
Managing Partner
A Secure, Scalable Platform for Enterprise Success
Promontory works with many enterprise clients that need a secure, scalable platform with easy guest access. Although some of Promontory’s clients have older security systems that can be incompatible with many of today’s newer technologies, Bizzabo’s platform is flexible enough to serve everyone — regardless of their tech stack.
“We’re really pleased with the level of service Bizzabo allows us to provide to our clients, old and new,” said Penny Aston, Promontory’s Events Director.
Aston’s team also relies on Bizzabo’s guest management tools for their enterprise clients. With smart lists, Promontory can manage guests, ensure the right people get the right emails, see which people have registered without an invitation, and check if registrants have an error in their email address.
The Results
Partnership Expansion, New Customers, and Happy Clients
Between mid-2020 and early 2022, Promontory partnered with Bizzabo to produce more than 60 events for its clients. Additionally, Promontory has expanded its partnerships with top clients, including Volkswagen, and added SKY, Audi, SEAT, and SKODA to its client roster.
According to Aston, Promontory has benefited from the investment that Bizzabo makes in its customer partnerships. In particular, Promontory has felt empowered to provide constant product feedback and test updates in the Event Experience Operating System before they’re released.
“As an agency, being included in testing Bizzabo’s new features early on makes us feel like we’re part of that journey; we feel listened to,” Aston said. “We’ve started testing the Ultimate Video Production Suite, and it works so well — the simplicity and how smooth it is, it’s brilliant.”
“We have a great partnership with Bizzabo. We have an appetite to grow our business, so we really appreciate the partnership approach.”
Penny Aston
Events Director
More Effective Event Marketing
Promontory drives registrations and communicates efficiently with attendees by leveraging Bizzabo’s easy-to-use suite of event marketing tools. Promontory helps its clients ensure that every touchpoint throughout the event marketing journey — from the first email invitation to the event website and post-event survey — is branded, personalized, and automated to drive registrations at the right time.
Promontory uses Bizzabo’s flexible website builder to incorporate speaker profiles, the community, and more. “The website builder is great because we can make it bespoke for our clients, so it feels like their own company’s website,” Frankling said.
Better Insights Through Powerful Event Intelligence
Promontory uses comprehensive data insights from Bizzabo’s analytics dashboard to gain a deep understanding of event success. Not only does the analytics dashboard help Promontory prove ROI to its clients, but it also helps Promontory’s clients identify opportunities for repeated success and room for improvement in future events.
“Bizzabo’s event intelligence is instrumental for our clients to see which emails drove a spike in registration, who actually attended, and more,” Garrett said. “Our clients really appreciate being able to see all their data at a glance.”
The Future
Excitement Around Bizzabo’s Innovative Offerings
Alongside Bizzabo’s investment in continuous innovation, Promontory believes that Bizzabo’s virtual streaming tools, such as Stream 2.0, Ultimate, and pre-recorded video, have been essential to the agency’s success.
“The rate of innovation and product development has remained high. Combined with the platform’s excellent stability and support from the technical team, it has kept Bizzabo at the forefront of virtual events,” Aston said.
Promontory responds to almost all of their client briefs with Bizzabo as their recommended platform. While many organizations invite people to come back to their in-person events, Frankling is confident in the staying power and benefits of virtual and hybrid events.
“We see Bizzabo as a critical element of our offer and want to continue our partnership for a long time to come!”
Adam Frankling
Commercial Director
