Ex Ordo Creates Amazing Virtual Event Experiences with Webex

Guest Contributors: Brian Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer, Ex Ordo and Paul Killoran Ex Ordo’s founder and Chief Executive Officer

On the windy west coast of Ireland, in the city of Galway, local startups and multinationals are cultivating a close-knit tech and startup community. Included among those many startups is a software company called Ex Ordo. The small company of about 18 employees is located in the heart of Galway City. Event organizers and association professionals around the globe use Ex Ordo’s online conference platform to deliver great event experiences to their communities. The end-to-end platform includes tools for managing abstract submissions, handling complex review processes, registering delegates, planning interactive online conferences, and more. Today, Brian is outlining how Ex Ordo used Webex’s live streaming capabilities and Webex Events APIs to design and build an online conference platform in record time.

I’m heavily involved in the Galway tech scene. Several years ago, I met Damien McCoy (Webex’s Director of Product Management) while we were both volunteering at a Startup Weekend event. I used to see him around the city, and we’d throw each other the occasional tweet on Twitter. Little did we know, that small series of connections would lead to a much greater collaboration.

When 2020 hit the events industry, our team at Ex Ordo had to quickly figure out how to continue creating amazing event experiences in the virtual world. We knew we had many of the basic building blocks to set up a great conference. We also knew that one of the things we lacked was the ability to facilitate live online discussion.

Webex instantly came to mind as a possible solution. I reached out to Damien. He connected us with the Webex engineers and got us in front of some pretty amazing customer success people. It was clear to me that Cisco was taking Ex Ordo and the challenge we faced seriously. That really stood out. It was a very frantic time in the world of streaming and online meeting technologies. So, it was pretty special for Webex to give us the time and energy that they did.

Finding renewed purpose and building on the Webex Events platform

With the support of Webex Events, we took the first steps toward engineering a solution for scientific conferences that had to pivot to virtual events almost overnight. The more we worked with the Webex team, the more we realized they also valued collaboration, knowledge, and connection. This was so important because our customers at Ex Ordo are more than just conferences—they’re communities. And these communities want to connect and learn and share. That’s one of the things that set our platform plans apart from the other solutions.

We didn’t want to just be a broadcasting solution. We wanted to create a space for collaboration and connection. Webex helped us do that.

By leveraging Webex’s live streaming capabilities and APIs, we managed to design and build an online conference platform in record time, adding loads of functionality to our virtual event space. We used those APIs to create online meetings, manage participants, and control access. After the conference, those same APIs allowed us to extract session recordings and attendee data points. Now, we’re working with their Webex SDKs to provide a seamless embedded experience on our platform.

Our customers value end-to-end solutions, so we didn’t want them to feel like they were using two separate products. While some of our competitors have a scheduling feature that lets you “add a link” to a meeting, we wanted something more connected. Webex allowed us to create one seamless, integrated solution for online conference organizers, and to release it without having to build and test all the infrastructure ourselves.

Many of our customers also exist in the university/academic space, so Webex technology was an ideal match because of the presence it already holds in higher education. Optimizing for higher-level, higher-quality meetings has allowed Ex Ordo to stand up to other available event and webinar solutions in the market. We have been wildly successful. Ex Ordo Virtual has already been used by events all over the world and it continues to grow and evolve as we build new features.

Connecting worldwide communities with virtual events powered by Webex

Now that Ex Ordo is built on Webex, every Ex Ordo seat is also a Webex seat. It’s an innovative example of how Webex’s core stack can be embedded in a new vertical—one that wouldn’t traditionally be a market for them to pursue. Through this new route to market, we can bring Webex technology to the masses via product-led growth.

From the day I founded Ex Ordo to the present, the supportive tech community around me has been a huge driver of the company’s success. I’ve been empowered to create jobs in this wonderful city and nurture an innovative work environment that encourages local talent to stick around. The support we’ve received from Webex is a major chapter in the story of Ex Ordo’s success. It also shows just how great the city of Galway is for building a company, whether you’re a startup or a multinational thinking of expanding to the city. There’s a rich and vibrant tech ecosystem here. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Ex Ordo platform and our collaboration with Webex.

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