Upwork is a global marketplace where businesses of all shapes and sizes can connect with independent professionals across a diverse array of industries. Will Simpson, Event Manager at Upwork, hosts educational events primarily to a community of freelancers, helping them to make the most of Upwork and bring together a global community.
These educational events are primarily virtual-only, focusing on lecture formats with 1,000-1,500 participants.
“We came to Cvent after some experiences with other providers who were ultimately unreliable for our virtual experience,” Will shares. “A lot of work goes into these events, and if you can’t depend on the platform, they’re not going to work.”
Upskilling rapidly with Cvent Academy
Upwork implemented Cvent rapidly, hosting over 100 events and 50,000 attendees just a few months after implementing the platform. The decentralised, remote workforce on Upwork lent itself well to a virtual-first events approach, and the events programme caters to a highly engaged community with a thirst for knowledge and connection.
Will and other colleagues also completed courses on Cvent Academy, Cvent’s training platform comprising multiple videos and courses to get users up to speed quickly across a range of products. “The Cvent Academy courses have been really helpful in getting our bearings and helping us self-start,” shares Will. “Having that information on-demand enabled us to be very nimble and hit the ground running.”
“The Attendee Hub has also been fantastic for engaging our attendees. We have two-way communication with both chat and Q&A, while polling is also very easy to use. It also lets us highlight other areas of our company, like our own academy courses and on-demand content.”
Utilising support and continuing to grow
“The responsiveness and agility of Cvent’s support staff has been extremely helpful,” says Will. “Support has been fantastic and they’ve been very quick to get the necessary professionals on the line to help us find the right ideas and customise our events in our own way.”
Going forward, Upwork are planning to expand their focus to include workshops and scale their coaches’ ability to host more intimate, 1-on-1 sessions with freelancers.
“The interviews and talks that we host have been game changing for so many people,” Will concludes. “I started as a freelancer on Upwork myself, so getting to connect with others just starting their journey, and receiving heartfelt feedback, really stands out to me, and I get a lot of joy from the events I do.”