Context and Problem
As a leading event platform in Brazil, Sympla needed to quickly adapt to the pandemic’s shift toward online events. Although Sympla specialized in ticketing for physical events, there was no built-in solution for streaming. Organizers required a way to host online events, and without an integrated solution, they faced technical difficulties and high operational costs using third-party platforms.
Hypothesis
We believed that by integrating with Zoom—an industry-leading platform for webinars and video conferencing—we could provide a seamless streaming experience for organizers and attendees, helping to position Sympla as a leader in both physical and online event ticketing.
Solution
We developed an integration with Zoom, allowing event creators to set up webinars directly from Sympla’s platform. Upon creating an online event, a Zoom conference was automatically generated, with unique, authenticated links sent to attendees. The solution also included key features like automatic email reminders and attendee authentication to prevent link sharing.
Additionally, we addressed initial user challenges by:
- Simplifying the event setup process.
- Creating onboarding materials and training for both organizers and attendees to familiarize them with the new system.
- Adding fail-safe features, such as allowing organizers to resend access links if attendees experienced issues.
Results
- The integration quickly gained traction, with over 60% of online events on Sympla utilizing the Zoom integration within the first few weeks after launch.
- A reduction in support tickets related to access issues, as onboarding and user experience improvements reduced confusion.
- Increased organizer retention, as they could now easily manage all aspects of their events, both ticketing and streaming, in one place.
Learnings
- Streamlining the setup process and providing thorough support materials were key to improving the adoption of the feature.
- The flexibility to use a familiar platform like Zoom provided both immediate value and long-term scalability for Sympla, positioning it as a hybrid solution for both physical and virtual events.
- User feedback indicated a demand for additional customization in the streaming experience, which helped inform future product roadmap decisions.