TPi: Launched back in 2014, Swapcard’s initial goal was to create a digital alternative to trading business cards at events and, in short, provide a more efficient way of exchanging personal information and connecting with attendees. Through years of trial and error, the French start-up has continued to hone the Swapcard platform with increased functionality including the ability to showcase content, book meetings and host virtual roundtables. With in-person live events no longer possible in 2020, Swapcard found itself as the ‘go-to’ solution for live events in the COVID-19 era.
2 comments:
Swapcard is really interesting! I have a stack of business cards from various events and conventions next to my desk that I've been meaning to catalog in a digital format, since rolodexes are something of an artifact today. I am glad to see that someone had the idea to digitize swapping business cards in the first place! It seems like they were in an opportune position to expand into hybrid and virtual event hosting. The case study with SXSW is particularly interesting- As the CEO of Swapcard notes, “When it comes to virtual events, everyone is going through the same challenges. We have really focused on our UI. Swapcard is a product that was originally made for the end user, not the organizer, so UI and UX are very important to create engagement.” USITT would likely have benefited from a more polished platform like this, as the convention was plagued by tech issues. I'm curious to see if other conventions will adopt a hybrid format moving forward.
This is the first time I’ve heard of swapcard and I think it is such a great idea. As a student, I haven’t even started thinking about businesscards. It honestly sounds like such an ordeal creating and ordering something that many people will lose. Also serious question, do people still own rolodexes and am I expected to own one? Where do you put all those cards and how do you remember who people are? After looking over the app it seems so much more efficient. You are able to have pictures and search people based on location or occupation. One situation that I think this could be especially useful for is if you see someone in public but only remember some bits of information about them. It’s like a little personal cheat sheet at your fingertips. Plus, after COVID it’s probably best to keep things digital and avoid handing things off.
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