Stream > Case Studies > Stream Chat API: Powering Run The World's Virtual Event Platform

Stream Chat API: Powering Run The World's Virtual Event Platform

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud
Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Buildings
Cement

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Building Automation & Control
Digital Thread

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Run The World is a fast-growing virtual event platform founded in 2019 by San Francisco-based entrepreneurs Xiaoyin Qu and Xuan Jiang. The platform was inspired by the serendipitous connections that in-person conferences create and aims to replicate this experience in a virtual environment. Run The World's entire product vision is to drive engagement and interactions in a virtual environment and create the same social experience one has at an offline event. As in-person events paused in 2020, Run The World’s attendee-centric technology became all the more important to support the widespread transition from in-person to virtual events.

The Challenge

Run The World, a fast-growing virtual event platform, faced a significant challenge as it expanded its user base. The platform needed a robust, scalable chat solution that could support its exponential growth and keep its community engaged. The existing in-platform chat solution, built on top of a third-party chat provider’s technology, was not up to the task. It lacked the sleek messaging experience of popular apps like Facebook Messenger, Slack, and WhatsApp. As the company rapidly added users and started hosting larger events, it became clear that a chat API solution with a flexible pricing structure was needed to support their rapid scale. Additionally, Run The World needed more sophisticated live chat features such as thread replies and message reactions to meet the high expectations of their tech-savvy users. The platform also needed to add a direct messaging capability to facilitate the rich 1:1 conversations that naturally occur at in-person venues.

The Solution

Run The World integrated the Stream Chat API into its platform to replace its existing third-party messaging solution. Stream Chat API was chosen for its easy-to-use chat SDKs, flexible framework, and custom pricing structure that could accommodate significant concurrent connection increases. The company activated features such as direct messaging, thread replies, and emojis and reactions to boost engagement and foster attendee connections. Stream’s chat API was the clear choice due to its easy-to-use chat SDKs and flexible framework that Run The World developers skinned their UI over. The integration with Stream Chat provided Run The World with a reliable, polished, richly featured chat that is able to scale with the platform as it grows. Looking ahead, the platform plans to activate more of Stream’s industry-leading features, including a rich moderation toolset to ensure that community conversations are kept civil.

Operational Impact

The integration of Stream Chat API into Run The World's platform has resulted in a polished, richly featured chat that is able to scale with the platform as it grows. The new chat functionality has been instrumental in boosting engagement and fostering attendee connections. The platform now has the ability to support large-scale events with A-list speakers and attendees such as foreign dignitaries, celebrities, and CEOs. The chat metrics, such as the volume of comments, direct messages, and emoji reactions, are now part of Run The World’s latest Advanced Event Analytics offerings to help hosts understand audience engagement. The platform is now better equipped to guide event organizers to plan more successful events. The integration with Stream Chat has also been cited by users as one of the reasons they love Run The World, highlighting the importance of a reliable and user-friendly chat functionality in enhancing the overall user experience.