Zoomtopia 2021 Recap: Thank You for Visiting the Imaginarium!

Zoomtopia

Zoomtopia 2021 Recap: Thank You for Visiting the Imaginarium!

Zoom

September 21, 20218 min read

Zoomtopia 2021 is in the books, and we wanted to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated! More than 33,000 attendees joined our fifth annual user conference - hosted entirely on our all-in-one events solution, Zoom Events - to explore The Imaginarium, engage in sessions, connect with peers, and help Zoom transform the future of communications.

The Zoom Events chat was filled with LOLs as our host - actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang - led us through both days, countering video fatigue with reminders about what "real-life fatigue" feels like.

Did you catch one of our Zoom in-moments sprinkled throughout the event, featuring celebrities like Antoni Porowski from Netflix's "Queer Eye" and chef Roy Choi? Or meet some new people networking in our virtual Expo?

Here's a rundown of all the cool announcements, customer celebrations, and special insights at Zoomtopia 2021.

Innovative announcements

[Link]Zoom's founder and CEO, Eric S. Yuan, delivered the vision keynote to attendees around the world, including a live video wall of Zoomies.

Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan and Chief Product Officer Oded Gal led our vision and product keynotes, offering a glimpse at some of the amazing innovations the Zoom team is working on to help the world connect. We're designing new ways to enable teams to get more done together, better reach and support customers, communicate seamlessly across our platform, and reimagine workspaces for hybrid teams.

Here are some Zoom platform enhancements that will streamline how and where teams connect and collaborate:

Key platform updates

We announced some upcoming features and solutions to help enable continuous collaboration, connect workstreams, and engage your communities:

• Expanded live translation and live transcription for more inclusive meetings
• Zoom Widget for quick, at-a-glance Zoom access
• Zoom Chat enhancements that enable more seamless collaboration in and out of meetings
• Zoom Phone Provider Exchange, so you can find the right PSTN partner for your business
• Video voicemail as a more personal alternative to standard voicemail
• Smart Gallery enhancements to enable remote workers to be represented equally on screen with other participants
• Hot desking options that will give employees the ability to book desks and spaces on an interactive map
• Zoom Events Conference, enabling event managers to host multi-track and multi-day events
• Zoom Apps expanded availability across our platform, plus the introduction of immersive apps
• New tools for developers across our App Marketplace, APIs, SDKs, and apps and integrations
• New security enhancements, including a new Bring Your Own Key offering and verified profile information

Read more about these upcoming features on our blog!

Zoom Whiteboard

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We also announced a whole new way to collaborate using Zoom Whiteboard, a powerful virtual hub for real-time and asynchronous collaboration anticipated later this year. This all-new whiteboard experience will allow teams from enterprise to education to connect and collaborate on any device without being in a meeting. Additionally, anticipated in 2022, an exciting new integration with Facebook's Horizon Workrooms will bring Zoom Meetings and Zoom Whiteboard into an immersive VR experience. Read more on our blog.

Zoom Video Engagement Center

Businesses of all types will be able to reimagine how they interact with their customers through the Zoom Video Engagement Center. This easy-to-use, cloud-based solution, anticipated in early 2022, will extend traditional contact center capabilities using video to provide your customers with a unique and interactive support experience. Read more on our blog.

Celebrating our customers

In addition to announcing exciting news and feature updates, we celebrated our customers whose innovative ideas and extraordinary actions have inspired us throughout the pandemic.

Innovation Awards

Eight organizations were celebrated with Zoomtopia Innovation Awards for creatively using Zoom over the past year. See the winners.

Delivering Hope Awards

Several Zoom customers earned our Delivering Hope Award for keeping people safe, curtailing the spread of COVID-19, and delivering hope when we needed it the most. See the winners.

Caring for our community

Our recent social impact efforts have focused on advancing youth mental health, which has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Zoom Cares announced a round of grant funding totaling $2 million to eight organizations striving to improve the well-being of young people locally and globally. Learn more about these organizations on our blog.

Global and industry innovation

In addition to the main product and vision keynotes, we hosted eight additional keynote sessions across verticals, audiences, and regions.

From financial services to government, education to healthcare, our industry leaders shared their vision for the future of communications. We also hosted our first developer keynote with insights for those looking to build on Zoom; our first technical strategy keynote with a deep dive into deployment and operations; and EMEA and APAC keynotes featuring region-specific insights.

Our 100-plus breakout sessions showcased all the ways people and businesses use the Zoom platform. From designing collaborative workspaces to streamlining collaboration with apps and integrations to insights on the future of work, there was something for everyone!

A few session highlights:

• Achieving Business Outcomes in the Return to Office with Zoom Phone: In this panel discussion, our customers discussed how Zoom Phone helped improve flexibility and exceed business outcomes.
• Cultivating Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment: Zoom's Chief People Officer, Lynne Oldham, hosted a panel discussion with workplace leaders on how to build essential connections among hybrid employees.
• How to Jump-Start Collaboration With Zoom Apps: Attendees learned helpful tips for incorporating Zoom Apps into meetings to get the creative juices flowing, take action on discussions, and foster team camaraderie.
• What's New With Zoom Chat Admin Controls: Geared toward IT professionals, this technical session discussed Zoom Chat's intuitive admin experience and security features.
• Using Zoom Video Webinars to Build Your Customer Pipeline: Zoom and HubSpot showed attendees how to leverage Zoom Video Webinars to grow sales funnels and increase customer engagement.
• Zoom Events: Tips and Tricks to Become an Expert in No Time: This session shared helpful tips and tricks to create events that your attendees will love!
• Beyond Meetings: Expanding Utilization for Government: Government agencies are using Zoom for mission-critical communications, effective training, and emergency response.

Inspiring messages about connection & caring

We were grateful to have an amazing lineup of guest speakers at Zoomtopia 2021. Each guest brought a different perspective on life, purpose, and the importance of connection.

[Link]New York Times bestselling author Jay Shetty, left, with Zoom CMO Janine Pelosi.

Zoom's chief marketing officer, Janine Pelosi, hosted a fireside chat with New York Times bestselling author and "On Purpose" podcast host Jay Shetty, who shared his experience living as a Hindu monk and what he learned during that time. Shetty also talked about TIME - thankfulness, inspiration, meditation, and exercise - as four habits that can change your life. "The purpose of life is to find your passion, and use it in the service of others," he said.

[Link]Duke University men's head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, left, with Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan.

Eric had the pleasure of speaking with Duke University men's head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, also known as"Coach K." Krzyzewski, who led the Blue Devils to five NCAA Division I titles and numerous championships, shared insights from his 47 years of coaching, including what he looks for in a college recruit and how he balances home life and coaching. Krzyzewski stressed the importance of communication at every level of the sport, saying, "Communication is key. When you have a team of such amazing talent, you have to listen to them."

[Link]Actress, producer, and activist Viola Davis, left, with Zoom COO Aparna Bawa.

Zoom's chief operating officer, Aparna Bawa, interviewed Viola Davis, an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony award winner, producer, and philanthropist. Davis inspired us with her words on purpose, empathy, and compassion: "The power of empathy and compassion can shift humanity," she said. "If we don't move forward together, we don't move forward."

As the founder of production company JuVee Productions, Davis had a lot to share about the power of stories, especially ones from diverse voices. "The power of a story is for people to recognize that the person at the center of it has a story, and it deserves your attention," she said.

Music to our ears

Country superstar Chris Stapleton closed out Day 1 with a few stories and several acoustic songs, including his hit "Tennessee Whiskey." On Day 2, American singer-songwriter and former teacher Amos Lee graced us with his folk rock and soul-infused songs and shared how music, learning, and direction brought him here to where he is today.

Thank you!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to our customers, partners, special guests, and attendees who joined us at Zoomtopia 2021 and made it an event to remember! And a special thanks again to our 2021 platinum sponsors - we couldn't have done it without you!

Head to zoomtopia.com/ondemand for the on-demand recordings so you can watch (and rewatch) all the insightful sessions.

We hope to see you all at Zoomtopia 2022!

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Like what you saw at Zoomtopia 2021? We used Zoom Events, our all-in-one solution for your virtual and hybrid event needs.Contact us for a demo today!

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