Event Software Leaders MeetingPlay and Aventri Merge; Eric Lochner Named New CEO

Today, market leading event software companies MeetingPlay and Aventri announce that they have merged and received a growth equity investment from Sunstone Partners and Camden Partners. Combining the strengths of both companies, they will forge a new path as the dominant, full-service event software provider.

This new event software powerhouse will blend visionary technology and best-in-class service to close all gaps in the planning process, offering the most complete full-service solution for meetings and events of all sizes, from conferences of 200,000+ to meetings with less than 100 attendees. The combined company will become one of the world’s largest event technology companies, servicing customers on a global scale.

In conjunction with the merger, Eric Lochner has been named Chief Executive Officer of the new company. Eric has over 25 years of experience in building technology and technology-enabled services companies, with an impressive record of mergers and acquisitions. “We are excited to bring these two inventive companies together to create a new cutting-edge experience for the meetings and events industry,” said Lochner. “We have a strong opportunity to deepen the process of hosting in-person, hybrid and virtual events and are excited to be able to better support meeting planners and event organizers while offering a wider range of products and experiences.”

Each year, MeetingPlay and Aventri power a combined total of more than 50,000 events, service over 10,000 companies, and elevate the attendee experience for more than 7 million attendees. The unrivaled creativity, service, and ingenuity of each company will be at the forefront of their new company and brand, which will enable their enterprise customers to grow their businesses with best-in-class events of all types and sizes.

Founded in 2011, MeetingPlay is an award-winning technology pioneer, centered around creating innovative solutions for premier in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. The company is known for pushing the envelope on technology advancements and has successfully powered many of the largest, most complex global events to date across numerous industries.

Aventri is the global leader in data-driven, end-to-end event management solutions for virtual, hybrid, and in-person events. The company was founded in 2008. Today, the award-winning platform provides a suite of premium solutions for the entire event lifecycle, from venue sourcing to event marketing, registration, onsite technology, strategic meetings management, data security and privacy, and ROI reporting.

“Two great companies are coming together, leveraging secular tailwinds to increase market share and expand their innovative software capabilities to benefit top companies and brands,” said Sunstone Partners Co-Founder and Managing Director, Michael Biggee. “We’re delighted to continue partnering with them on their exciting future as one company.”

This news comes at a critical time in the meetings and events industry when planners and organizers are seeking to adopt the benefits of virtual and hybrid gatherings while using fewer software integrations. The two companies will integrate their proprietary software platforms to elevate event experiences through a robust lineup of unmatched products to leading companies in the technology, financial services, travel, hospitality, health services, and association markets. This, paired with the highest level of service, will deliver a richer experience for both planners and attendees, while setting the brand apart from competitors. Highlighted capabilities include:

• Event Marketing Website and Registration to create a seamless attendee journey from beginning to end.
• A Virtual and Hybrid Event Platform, which uses novel technology to create lifelike experiences for virtual attendees. The platform provides virtual and onsite attendees with unified engagement features like chat, Q&A, network matchmaking, and video conferencing that enables participants in the same room and across the world to connect instantly.
• A Mobile App and imaginative Onsite Event Solutions, which enrich the attendee experience start to finish, boost engagement, and deliver ROI metrics, while keeping participants safe.

Co-Founder and former MeetingPlay CEO Joe Schwinger, and Co-Founder and former MeetingPlay COO Lisa Vann will remain with the new company and undertake executive roles to continue enhancing the event technology industry and working with their valued customers. Former Aventri CEO Jim Sharpe will remain a shareholder and advisor to the new company.

For more information about MeetingPlay, visit www.meetingplay.com and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For more information about Aventri, visit www.aventri.com and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About MeetingPlay
MeetingPlay is a Washington D.C.-based technology company focused on creating groundbreaking solutions for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. With every meeting and event, MeetingPlay creates transformative experiences that enables their customers, attendees, and sponsors to make valuable, face-to-face connections. Market-leading companies entrust MeetingPlay to solve their biggest event challenges. Learn more at meetingplay.com.

About Aventri
Aventri is the global leader in data-driven, end-to-end event and meeting management solutions for virtual, hybrid, and in-person events. Their award-winning SaaS platform, virtual technology, and best-in-class service offerings have enabled more than 30,000 event professionals annually to plan, promote, deliver, measure, and optimize their events. Aventri’s fully integrated platform’s capabilities include virtual delivery, networking, venue sourcing, registration, marketing, logistics, onsite services, attendee engagement, and data analytics. Headquartered in the United States, the company has offices in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia Pacific and has delivered customer events in over 120 countries. Learn more at aventri.com.

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Sharlet Brennan
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