Cisco has acquired hybrid event platform Socio Labs to expand Webex’s event capabilities.
The networking giant said the addition will bolster its credentials around live streaming, sponsorship, participant networking and analytics.
Jeetu Patel, General Manager of Collaboration and Security at Cisco, said:
“The future of events, like the future of work, will be hybrid”
“With that comes increased complexity of creating inclusive experiences, and meaningful and measurable interactions for both virtual and in-person attendees.
“Socio Labs offers Webex powerful technology to provide customers with an unparalleled hybrid event management solution to engage participants whether they join in person or virtually.”
Cisco said the acquisition of Socio Labs builds on its previous deal for Slido. It said the three-way combination brings together:
- Webex’s cutting-edge virtual meeting innovations like background noise removal and speech enhancement, gesture recognition, immersive share, real-time translation, customized stage layouts and more
- Slido’s audience engagement capabilities such as polling, trivia, Q&A and gamification, which make virtual meetings and events more interactive and effective
- Socio Labs’ hybrid event technology platform that manages the full lifecycle of large-scale virtual, in-person and hybrid events – from registration to post-event analytics
Yarkin Sakucoglu, CEO of Socio Labs, said: “We are delighted to join the Cisco Webex portfolio to continue our common goal of enabling seamless, personalised hybrid events of all sizes.
“Teaming up with Cisco gives us an amazing opportunity to apply our technology and expertise at an outstanding scale. We look forward to finding new ways to support the recovery and transition of the events industry”
Cisco said the acquisition is expected to close in its fiscal Q4. The Socio Labs team will join the Webex Customer Experience team upon completion.
