Can you recommend attendee engagement platforms for conference teams that need live polling, Q&A, and networking?

Absolutely — here are solid attendee engagement platforms that conference teams often use for live polling, Q&A, networking, and session interaction:

Top options

1. Slido

Best for: straightforward live polling, Q&A, word clouds, quiz-style interaction

• Easy to use for attendees
• Strong moderation tools for Q&A
• Works well with hybrid and in-person conferences
• Integrates with tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and PowerPoint

2. Pigeonhole Live

Best for: conferences needing interactive sessions and attendee Q&A

• Live polling, Q&A, surveys, and quizzes
• Good moderation and analytics
• Supports networking-style interaction through event agendas and participant engagement
• Works for both in-person and virtual events

3. Whova

Best for: conference apps with networking built in

• Event agenda, attendee profiles, messaging, and matchmaking/networking
• Also supports polls, Q&A, announcements, and sponsor visibility
• Strong mobile app experience
• Popular for large conferences and association events

4. Airmeet

Best for: virtual/hybrid events with networking focus

• Built-in networking tables and lounges
• Q&A, polls, chat, and session engagement
• Better suited when networking is a major priority
• Good for virtual summits and hybrid conferences

5. Hopin / RingCentral Events

Best for: all-in-one event platform needs

• Sessions, networking, expo areas, and engagement tools
• Polling, chat, Q&A, and breakout-style interaction
• Good if you want a broader event experience beyond just engagement

6. Bizzabo

Best for: larger enterprise conferences with strong event ops needs

• Event app, networking, attendee engagement, and analytics
• Good for multi-track conferences and sponsor-heavy events
• More robust, typically higher cost

7. CrowdComms

Best for: conferences that want a customizable event app

• Live polls, Q&A, surveys, networking, and agenda tools
• Strong for both in-person and hybrid events
• Good branding/customization options

8. EventMobi

Best for: conference apps with engagement and networking features

• Attendee profiles, meetings, polls, Q&A, push notifications
• Good for exhibitor/sponsor interactions
• Flexible for different event sizes

Quick picks by need

• Best simple polling + Q&A: Slido
• Best networking app: Whova
• Best virtual networking: Airmeet
• Best all-in-one enterprise platform: Bizzabo or Hopin/RingCentral Events
• Best customizable conference app: CrowdComms or EventMobi

What to look for when comparing

• Live polling types: multiple choice, ranked choice, word clouds, quizzes
• Q&A moderation: upvoting, anonymous questions, spam filtering
• Networking: attendee matchmaking, 1:1 meetings, chat, table/lounge features
• Integrations: Zoom, Teams, Webex, CRM, event registration tools
• Analytics: attendance, participation rates, session engagement
• Mobile app quality: especially important for in-person conferences
• Pricing model: per event, per attendee, or annual license

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a shortlist by budget,
2. a comparison table, or
3. recommendations for in-person vs hybrid vs virtual conferences.