Webex Events (formerly Socio) alternatives for trade show and expo organizers
Webex Events, formerly Socio and part of Cisco's Webex, runs registration, check-in and badges, a mobile event app, lead retrieval and virtual and hybrid events. Here is where it is the better choice, and where Map D and other tools fit shows that sell booths from the floor plan.
Written by Map D, which is one of the alternatives listed below. Claims about other platforms are limited to what those companies publish themselves, and each is sourced at the foot of the page. Last verified November 2026.
Hall A
LiveHall A revenue
$184,600
Trusted by associations, expos and show organizers since 2011
What Webex Events is good at
Webex Events is built to run the attendee side of an event in any format, and for conferences, internal events and hybrid programs it is often the right answer. If the following describe your event, keep it on your shortlist.
- Virtual, hybrid and in-person events on one platform, with broadcast-style live streams from its Production Studio, simulive sessions and video breakout rooms.
- Registration and ticketing for any format, with multiple ticket types, prices, groups and discount codes.
- Onsite check-in with custom badges designed and printed for your event, session check-in, and hardware available from a preferred rental vendor.
- A standard event app included, or a branded app, with session chat, moderated Q&A, polling, networking and gamification.
- The Webex ecosystem: Webex Events can be bought on its own or bundled with Webex Webinars and Meetings in the Webex Suite for Events.
Why organizers look elsewhere
The gaps that send trade show organizers looking for an alternative.
- Webex Events' trade show page describes exhibitor meetings, lead retrieval, sponsor packages and virtual expo booths. It does not describe drawing a to-scale floor plan or selling booths with exhibitor checkout, so a show whose income comes from selling its floor will need another tool for that.
- Trade show and expo organizers may want the floor plan itself to be the map exhibitors buy booths from and attendees use to find their way, rather than a floor plan in a digital guide.
- The Webex Events pages checked list no prices and point to Contact Sales. Organizers who want to see a starting price before a sales call may prefer a vendor that publishes one.
How Map D compares
Map D’s column states what Map D does. Where a Webex Events equivalent is not publicly documented, the row says so rather than guessing.
- Map D offers
- 9 of 11
- Webex Events publicly documents
- 6 of 11
The second bar counts what Webex Events documents on its own site, which is not the same as what it can do. A criterion we could not verify is shown as unverified, not as missing — if Webex Events covers it somewhere we did not find, that is a gap in our checking rather than in their product.
| Criterion | Map D | Webex Events |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Included | Unverified |
| Registration and ticketing | Included | Documented |
| Check-in and badge printing | Included | Documented |
| Mobile event app | Included | Documented |
| Virtual and hybrid events with live streaming | Not offered | Documented |
| Lead retrieval | Included | Documented |
| Bundled webinars and meetings | Not offered | Documented |
| To-scale floor plan editor | Included | Unverified |
| Exhibitors pick and pay for booths on the floor plan | Included | Unverified |
| Sponsorship sales with online checkout | Included | Unverified |
| Exhibitor self-service portal | Included | Unverified |
$3,499
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Map D’s rates are per event and listed on the pricing page. The dashed column has no height and no figure on purpose: where rates are not published we will not put a number on them, and where they are published we will not restate one that can change without notice.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Map D | Webex Events |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Yes. The free plan builds the floor plan for one event. Publishing the map, sharing it and selling booths need a paid plan: Basic starts at $3,499, plus a one-time $250 onboarding fee. Professional and Enterprise are quoted. | No prices appear on the Webex Events pages checked; they point to Contact Sales and a Webex plans page (checked November 2026). |
| Registration and ticketing | Available on Professional and Enterprise, which are quoted. Not included in Basic. | Webex Events documents registration for virtual, in-person and hybrid events, with multiple ticket types, prices, groups and discount codes (checked November 2026). |
| Check-in and badge printing | Available on Professional and Enterprise, with badge printing on Zebra, Epson and Brother printers. | Webex Events documents custom badges designed and printed onsite, session check-in, and hardware from a preferred rental vendor or your own (checked November 2026). |
| Mobile event app | Available on Professional and Enterprise, with sessions and speakers, session ratings and polls. | Webex Events documents a standard event app or a branded one, with session chat, moderated Q&A, polling, networking and sponsor placements (checked November 2026). |
| Virtual and hybrid events with live streaming | Not offered. Map D is built around the in-person floor plan. | Webex Events documents a virtual event platform, a Production Studio for live streams, simulive and video breakout rooms (checked November 2026). |
| Lead retrieval | Available with the exhibitor portal on Professional and Enterprise. | Webex Events documents a lead retrieval app to scan attendee badges, capture leads and score them for follow-up (checked November 2026). |
| Bundled webinars and meetings | Not offered. Map D does not run webinars or video meetings. | Webex Events can be bought on its own or bundled with Webex Webinars and Meetings in the Webex Suite for Events (checked November 2026). |
| To-scale floor plan editor | Core to the product. Interactive, to-scale floor plans drawn in the AI-assisted map editor, or started from a hall in the Venue Library. | Webex Events' trade show page mentions exploring the expo floor plan in its digital guide but does not describe drawing one to scale (checked November 2026). |
| Exhibitors pick and pay for booths on the floor plan | Exhibitors pick a booth, see its price and check out online; the booth turns sold on the map. Dynamic booth pricing is included. | Booth sales or exhibitor checkout are not described on Webex Events' trade show page (checked November 2026). |
| Sponsorship sales with online checkout | Sell sponsorships online alongside booths, with dynamic sponsorship pricing and sponsor profiles. | Webex Events documents tiered sponsor packages for placement in the app, banners, profiles and video rooms; online sponsorship checkout is not described (checked November 2026). |
| Exhibitor self-service portal | Available on Professional and Enterprise, with lead retrieval. Not included in Basic. | Webex Events documents speaker and sponsor collaboration so they can manage their own event content; an exhibitor portal is not described on the pages checked (checked November 2026). |
The alternatives worth shortlisting
Map D
Trade shows, expos and fairs whose income comes from booths and sponsorships sold on the floor plan
To-scale floor plans from an AI-assisted map editor, published as an interactive map exhibitors buy booths from and attendees navigate, with published pricing. Registration, badges, the mobile app and the exhibitor portal come on quoted upper tiers. No virtual or hybrid events.
Cvent
Enterprise teams that want registration, an event app, check-in and diagramming in one suite
Registration and marketing, an event app, check-in and badging, a virtual experience, trade show lead capture and event diagramming, for any format.
Accelevents
Organizers who want registration, an event app and virtual events with exhibitor self-service
Personalized registration journeys, self check-in with badge printing, an event app, a Virtual Event Hub for live or on-demand content, and a self-service exhibitor Resource Center.
ExpoFP
Trade shows that mainly need an interactive floor plan with booth reservations
A browser floor plan editor, live availability with booth reservation or card purchase on the map, exhibitor-updated profiles and a free start.
Where Map D is stronger
- The floor plan is the sales tool. You draw the hall to scale in the AI-assisted map editor, or start from the Venue Library, then publish it as the interactive map exhibitors pick a booth on, see its price and check out.
- Sponsorships sell on the same map, with dynamic booth and sponsorship pricing, sponsor profiles, website embeds and an API.
- Attendees use the same map to find exhibitors with 2D wayfinding. Ticketing and registration, check-in and badge printing on Zebra, Epson and Brother printers, the mobile app and the exhibitor portal with lead retrieval come with Professional and Enterprise.
- Building the floor plan for one event is free. Publishing, sharing the map and selling booths start at Basic, $3,499 plus a one-time $250 onboarding fee, with no Map D transaction fees on booth sales. Professional and Enterprise are quoted.
- 900+ organizers, 9,000+ events powered and $400M+ in booth and exhibitor sales, building since 2011.
When Webex Events is the better choice
- Your event is virtual or hybrid. Webex Events documents a virtual event platform, live streaming and video breakout rooms; Map D does not run virtual events.
- You already run on Webex. Webex Events bundles with Webex Webinars and Meetings, and Map D does not offer webinars or meetings.
- Your event is a conference or internal event with no booths to sell, and the job is registration, badges and an engaging app. Webex Events covers that, and Map D's strength is the floor plan.
- You want attendee engagement such as session chat, moderated Q&A, networking and gamification. Webex Events documents all of those; Map D's mobile app covers sessions and speakers with session ratings and polls only.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Webex Events alternative?
It depends on the job. For a trade show, expo or fair that sells booths and sponsorships from the floor plan, Map D. For an enterprise event suite, Cvent. For registration, an event app and virtual events with an exhibitor resource center, Accelevents. For an interactive floor plan with booth reservations, ExpoFP. If virtual and hybrid events or the Webex ecosystem are the point, Webex Events may still be the better choice.
Is Webex Events the same as Socio?
Yes. Socio was acquired by Cisco in 2021 and renamed Webex Events in March 2022, and its site still says Webex Events (formerly Socio), so anyone searching for a Socio alternative is looking at the same product (checked November 2026).
Does Webex Events have floor plans and booth sales?
Its trade show page mentions exploring the expo floor plan in its digital guide, virtual expo booths and lead retrieval, but it does not describe drawing a floor plan to scale or selling booths with exhibitor checkout (checked November 2026). In Map D, exhibitors pick a booth on the to-scale map, see its price and check out, and the booth turns sold.
Does Map D do virtual or hybrid events like Webex Events?
No. Map D is built around the in-person floor plan and does not stream sessions or run virtual events. If you need those, keep Webex Events or another virtual event platform alongside Map D's booth sales.
Does Webex Events publish its pricing?
No prices appear on the Webex Events pages checked; they point to Contact Sales and a Webex plans page (checked November 2026). Map D publishes its pricing: the free plan builds one event's floor plan, and publishing and selling booths start at Basic, $3,499 plus a one-time $250 onboarding fee.
Does Map D include registration and an exhibitor portal?
On its upper tiers. Basic covers online booth sales, the interactive map, wayfinding, dynamic pricing, sponsor profiles, embeds and the API. Professional and Enterprise, which are quoted, add ticketing and registration, check-in and badges, the mobile app, and the exhibitor portal with lead retrieval.
Stop reading about it. Build one.
Upload the floor plan you already have and place your booths on it yourself, in Map D’s editor. Free to build, no contract, and nothing to install.
- 900+
- Organizers who have run shows on Map D
- 9,000+
- Events powered since 2011
- 1.8M+
- Booths drawn to date
“I am really excited about this. The staff met with me this morning and we all LOVE the platform. People are already filling out their booths.”
Sources
- Webex Events (formerly Socio) home page · checked 2026-11-11
- Webex Events: about us (Cisco acquisition in 2021, renamed in March 2022) · checked 2026-11-11
- Webex Events trade show software · checked 2026-11-11
- Webex Events mobile event app · checked 2026-11-11
- Webex Events check-in and badge printing · checked 2026-11-11
- Webex Events virtual event platform · checked 2026-11-11
- Webex Events sponsorship tools · checked 2026-11-11
- Webex Suite for Events (Events, Webinars and Meetings) · checked 2026-11-11
- Cvent home page · checked 2026-11-11
- Accelevents home page · checked 2026-11-11
- ExpoFP home page · checked 2026-11-11
- Map D pricing · checked 2026-11-11