How Tractus powers
virtual events that connect
For many, September signifies the start of event season coming back in full swing. Before COVID-19, that might have meant rubbing elbows at packed corporate conferences or networking about town. But these days, industry professionals have had to adapt to more screen time and less face time — and for large-scale gatherings, this is expected to continue through the fall.
Live events have adopted a new standard, and it’s no longer event specialists alone taking on the evolving responsibilities that come with this new digital territory.
Elias Puurunen, founder of virtual event platform Tractus, believes that this shift to digital has revealed a new need, as event organizers have been faced with the burden of a software learning curve to make their experiences feel seamless, even from a distance. Their mission has always been about connecting people to their experiences through technology.
Elias Puurunen, Founder, Tractus
The initial spark came from corporate conferences and trade shows, where Puurunen noticed that with each passing event, attendees became increasingly dependent on their devices. “We wanted to give them something better to look at while they were on their phones,” he says. Finding a productive use for this habit, his team developed an app to empower attendees with tools to navigate through event venues, get a handle on scheduling and stay engaged with vendors using interactive features, all at their fingertips.
To suit today’s demands, the team has spent the past several months building Tractus to be “more than just an event app”.
“For so many people, it’s not their full-time job to organize events, but it’s been put on their shoulders,” he notes. “We want our solutions to align with your vision, and our expertise to take care of the ‘How’.”
Tractus’ virtual event platform connects attendees to every piece of the experience and empowers organizers with streamlined solutions.
Understanding now that event organizers don’t all come equipped with intimate knowledge of logistics, and the world of virtual events is a foreign landscape to many, Puurunen’s team has gained a renewed understanding of how organizers and attendees’ experiences have been disrupted, and the tools they need to overcome new hurdles.
The company now offers customized solutions to help organizers manage their live virtual events by leveraging built-in software solutions to go live, access information about hosts and speakers instantaneously, download content on the spot, and so much more built right into the platform. To make it even easier, they’ll manage these tools for you.
Tractus’ philosophy remains that the more organizers have to worry about the technology that drives their experiences, the more this learning curve can overshadow the event experience itself — on both sides of execution and participation.
Understanding the massive digital shift happening to events that connect us, it’s no longer just about giving space for people to gather. Now, it’s about cutting through a noisy digital environment where distractions and information are everywhere, and undivided attention is hard to come by.
For anyone who’s been thrown into the “event organizer” role, Puurunen has a few words, “If you’re thinking that your 2020 event has to be postponed or cancelled, think again. There are solutions to help you take it online.”
