Stream Chat Integration: Accelerating Freeman's Virtual Event Platform
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud
- Wearables - Virtual Reality Glasses, Headsets & Controllers
Applicable Industries
- Cement
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
- Virtual Reality
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Freeman is a global leader in the events industry, specializing in creating memorable moments that inspire and connect audiences, such as conferences, trade shows, and corporate meetings. The company offers a range of products that enhance experiences before, during, and after events, from beautiful in-booth LED light installations and spatial virtual reality to attract buyers, to real-time analytics dashboards to optimize event ROI. When the global pandemic forced most in-person events to transition to an online medium, Freeman quickly adapted and created a virtual event platform, OnlineEvent®, to serve their new user requirements.
The Challenge
Freeman, a global leader in the events industry, faced a significant challenge when the global pandemic forced most in-person events to transition to an online medium. The company had to quickly adapt and create a virtual event platform to serve their new user requirements. The new platform, OnlineEvent®, required a chat feature that enabled attendees to communicate with each other in specific channels during live stream presentations. The challenge was to integrate live stream chat functionality into its new virtual event platform to support thousands of concurrent users — and fast. Freeman's director of digital product management, Elissa Ewers, had to evaluate chat vendors in a short time frame, focusing on chat solutions containing must-have attributes such as rapid integration, scale to support tens of thousands of concurrent users, security, and single sign-on functionality.
The Solution
After evaluating several third-party chat API solutions, including a custom javascript build, and the third-party providers Chatroll and Pusher, Freeman integrated Stream Chat using the React SDK in just three weeks. Stream Chat was chosen for its flexibility, functionality, and ability to support Freeman's unique needs. The solution offered the ability to make channels, customize UI, and provided interactions like sharing files, emojis, link parsing, add mentions, and threads. During the integration process, Freeman's development team received guidance from Stream’s Director of Customer Success, Stephen Hodgetts, to deploy the chat SDK in a multi-tenant way. Nearly a year later, Freeman is enabling more of Stream Chat’s features such as direct 1:1 chat and moderating block lists and is customizing the UI to harmonize chat design with its brand identity.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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