You’re planning a 2,000-person virtual conference. The agenda is locked. Speakers confirmed. Registration opens next week.
Then you see the invoice. Zoom Events wants $26,490 annually for 3,000 attendees—before add-ons. Your CFO calls asking why you need “Contact Sales” pricing for 5,000+. Your legal team flags data residency concerns for international participants.
Suddenly, choosing the right virtual event platform feels less like a technical decision and more like navigating a compliance minefield while watching your budget evaporate.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Event managers across government agencies, enterprises, and regulated industries are discovering that Zoom Events—while feature-rich—creates challenges around cost transparency, data sovereignty, and scalability that weren’t obvious during the initial demo.
This guide compares Zoom Events against Convay Big Meeting, a sovereign alternative built specifically for organizations that can’t compromise on security, compliance, or budget predictability. We’ll examine features side-by-side, explore real-world scenarios, and help you determine which platform actually fits your needs.
What you’ll learn:
- Feature-by-feature comparison of both platforms
- True cost analysis beyond subscription pricing
- How data sovereignty impacts event planning
- Real scenarios from government and enterprise events
- Migration considerations and timeline
Why Event Managers Are Searching for Zoom Events Alternatives
The virtual event landscape changed dramatically since 2020. What started as emergency solutions have evolved into permanent infrastructure. But the platforms haven’t evolved at the same pace as organizational needs.
The Three Breaking Points
Cost Opacity at Scale. Zoom Events pricing works fine for 500 attendees. At 3,000, you’re paying $26,490 annually. Want 5,000? “Contact Sales” appears. No transparent pricing. No budget certainty. Just negotiation fatigue.
Consider Sarah, an event director at a national healthcare association. She hosted quarterly conferences for 4,500 members. Zoom’s opaque pricing meant she couldn’t forecast annual costs accurately. Each renewal became a negotiation. Each contract renewal risked budget overruns.
Data Sovereignty Concerns. When Bangladesh’s Ministry of Education hosted their annual teacher training event, they faced a dilemma. Zoom Events stores data on US-based servers. Attendee information—including government employee details—would leave national boundaries. Their legal team couldn’t approve it.
This isn’t unique to government. Banks hosting client events, healthcare organizations running virtual seminars, defense contractors conducting training—all face similar constraints.
Feature Lock-In Without Flexibility. Zoom Events packages features into rigid tiers. You want advanced analytics? Enterprise tier required. Need single sign-on? Pay for Webinars Plus first. Custom branding? Another upgrade. The feature you need always sits one tier above what you’ve purchased.
What Event Managers Actually Need
Survey 100 event directors and you’ll hear consistent requirements:
- Transparent pricing that doesn’t require sales negotiations
- Complete data sovereignty with local hosting options
- Scalability without exponential cost increases
- AI-powered productivity tools included, not sold separately
- Support teams that understand regional compliance requirements
The question isn’t whether Zoom Events works. It does. The question is whether it’s the right fit for organizations prioritizing sovereignty, predictability, and scale.
Understanding Both Platforms: Quick Overview
Before diving into detailed comparisons, let’s establish what each platform offers.
Zoom Events: The Market Incumbent
Zoom Events evolved from Zoom’s core video conferencing product. It bundles multiple webinars into conference-style experiences with event hubs, networking features, and ticketing integration.
Best For: Organizations already deep in Zoom ecosystem, US-based companies without data residency concerns, teams comfortable with cloud-first architecture.
Core Philosophy: Cloud-native convenience with feature breadth across conference management needs.
Convay Big Meeting: The Sovereign Alternative
Convay Big Meeting was built from the ground up for organizations that can’t compromise on data sovereignty. It offers on-premise deployment, end-to-end encryption, and AI-powered features without requiring foreign cloud storage.
Best For: Government agencies, regulated industries (banking, healthcare, defense), emerging market organizations with bandwidth constraints, enterprises seeking cost predictability.
Core Philosophy: Sovereignty-first security with performance optimization for diverse network conditions.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Let’s examine how both platforms stack up across critical event management capabilities.
Platform Architecture & Deployment
Zoom Events: Cloud-Only Architecture
Zoom Events runs entirely on Zoom’s global cloud infrastructure. Your event data—registrations, recordings, analytics, attendee information—lives on Zoom’s servers, primarily located in the United States.
Advantages: Zero infrastructure management, instant deployment, automatic updates, global CDN performance.
Limitations: No on-premise option, limited data residency controls, subject to US jurisdiction (CLOUD Act, Patriot Act), requires consistent internet connectivity.
Convay Big Meeting: Hybrid Deployment Options
Convay offers both cloud and on-premise deployment. Government agencies can host entirely within their data centers. Enterprises can choose hybrid models balancing convenience and control.
Advantages: Complete data sovereignty, customizable security policies, constitutional-level protection for sensitive meetings, compliance with local data localization laws.
Limitations: On-premise requires infrastructure investment, longer initial deployment (2-4 weeks vs instant), organization responsible for server maintenance.
Real-World Impact:
When Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance planned their annual economic forum with 3,000 participants from 15 countries, they needed participant data to remain within national boundaries. Zoom’s cloud-only architecture made compliance impossible. They couldn’t even begin the procurement process.
Contrast this with Bangladesh’s Ministry of ICT. Their quarterly technology summit hosts 5,000 attendees including government officials and private sector leaders. Using Convay’s on-premise deployment, all data remains on government servers. Compliance teams approved within days, not months.
Capacity & Scalability
Comparison Table: Attendee Capacity
| Platform | Entry Tier | Mid Tier | Large Scale | Enterprise Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom Events | 500 attendees | 1,000 attendees | 3,000 attendees | 5,000+ (Contact Sales) |
| Pricing | $4,990/year | $9,490/year | $26,490/year | Undisclosed |
| Convay Big Meeting | 500 attendees | 1,000 attendees | 3,000 attendees | 10,000+ (transparent) |
| Pricing | $3,996/year | $7,596/year | $21,192/year | $34,800–62,004/year |
Notice the pattern? Zoom’s pricing becomes opaque exactly when your needs grow beyond 3,000 attendees. Convay maintains transparency even at 10,000+ scale.
Scalability Under Pressure:
Think about your largest event. Now imagine attendance doubles. Can your platform handle it?
During Bangladesh Liberation War Day 2024, the government hosted a virtual commemoration expecting 8,000 attendees. Actual turnout reached 12,000. Convay’s architecture scaled seamlessly because the infrastructure sits on government servers with dedicated capacity. No surprise charges. No performance degradation. Just smooth scaling.
Compare this to organizations using cloud platforms during peak usage. Remember Zoom’s outages during pandemic peaks? Cloud platforms share infrastructure across thousands of clients. When everyone hosts events simultaneously, performance suffers.
Event Management Features
Core Capabilities Comparison:
| Feature | Zoom Events | Convay Big Meeting |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-session Management | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced |
| Event Hub/Lobby | ✅ Customizable | ✅ Customizable |
| Session Tracks | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited |
| Networking Lounges | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Breakout Rooms | ✅ Up to 50 | ✅ Unlimited |
| Live Polling | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes + AI Analysis |
| Q&A Management | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes + Auto-Translation |
| Chat Moderation | ✅ Manual | ✅ AI-Assisted |
| Sponsor Management | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Ticketing Integration | ✅ Third-party | ✅ Built-in + Third-party |
| Virtual Booth Spaces | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Post-Event Analytics | ✅ Standard (Advanced = add-on) | ✅ Advanced (included) |
Both platforms handle standard event management. The differences emerge in the details.
AI-Powered Productivity Tools
This is where Convay diverges significantly from Zoom’s approach.
Zoom Events AI Capabilities:
Zoom’s AI Companion provides smart features—but requires a $300/month add-on ($3,600 annually). Features include:
- Meeting summaries
- Key point extraction
- Action item identification
- Basic transcription (English only)
Convay Big Meeting AI Suite (Included):
- Real-time transcription (Bengali, English, Arabic planned)
- Automatic meeting summaries with speaker attribution
- Action item extraction with assignee detection
- Sentiment analysis for Q&A sessions
- Multi-language subtitle generation (15+ languages)
- Searchable video archives with AI-powered indexing
- Content moderation assistance
Cost Impact:
For an organization hosting 12 events annually, Zoom’s AI features cost $3,600 extra. Convay includes these capabilities standard. Over three years, that’s $10,800 in savings just on AI tools.
More importantly, Convay’s Bengali language support serves 230+ million speakers across Bangladesh, West Bengal, and diaspora communities—capabilities completely absent from Zoom.
Security & Compliance Architecture
Security determines whether you can even use a platform, not just which one you prefer.
Zoom Events Security Model:
- TLS encryption in transit
- AES 256-bit encryption at rest
- Optional end-to-end encryption (Enterprise tier)
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- HIPAA compliant (Enterprise tier with BAA)
- Data stored on US-based servers
- Subject to US jurisdiction and legal requests
Convay Big Meeting Security Model:
- End-to-end encryption (standard on all tiers)
- 360° Confidentiality Chain architecture
- On-premise deployment option (complete data sovereignty)
- ISO 27001 certified
- CMMI Level 3 certified
- GDPR and BNPDPA compliant
- Zero foreign jurisdiction exposure (on-premise model)
- Constitutional-level security for government meetings
What is Confidentiality Chain?
Imagine a relay race where the baton never touches the ground. Convay’s Confidentiality Chain ensures data remains encrypted at every stage:
- Capture: Audio/video encrypted at device level before transmission
- Transmission: End-to-end encrypted channels prevent interception
- Storage: Recordings encrypted with organization-controlled keys
- Playback: Decryption only occurs on authorized devices with proper authentication
This architecture means even Convay cannot access your event content without your organization’s decryption keys. True zero-knowledge security.
Real-World Compliance Scenario:
A Philippine banking consortium needed to host their annual leadership summit. Discussion topics included merger strategies, regulatory challenges, and competitive positioning—highly sensitive information.
Their compliance team had three requirements:
- Data must not leave Philippine territory
- Recording access must be auditable with complete logs
- Platform vendor cannot access event content
Zoom Events failed requirements 1 and 3 immediately. Cloud storage means data crosses borders. Zoom maintains keys for encrypted content. The platform wasn’t even considered.
Convay’s on-premise deployment met all three requirements. The summit proceeded without legal concerns overshadowing event logistics.
Performance & Bandwidth Optimization
Not everyone hosts events from silicon valley with gigabit internet. Real-world network conditions matter.
Zoom Events Bandwidth Requirements:
- HD video: 3.0 Mbps up/down per participant
- 720p video: 1.5 Mbps up/down
- Group sessions: 1.5 Mbps down per active speaker
- Cloud recording: Additional 1-2 Mbps upload
These requirements work fine in developed markets. They’re crushing in emerging economies.
Convay Big Meeting Bandwidth Optimization:
- Adaptive bitrate streaming (automatically adjusts to connection quality)
- 2G/3G network support with degraded but functional service
- Local hosting eliminates international routing latency
- Bandwidth pooling for institutional deployments
- Offline content caching for repeated access
Performance Comparison Scenario:
A UN development agency hosted a virtual conference connecting participants across 12 African nations. Network conditions varied wildly—from 10 Mbps in Nairobi to 512 kbps in rural areas.
Using Zoom Events during the pilot phase, participants on slower connections experienced:
- Frequent disconnections requiring rejoin
- Audio cutting out during video transmission
- Inability to view screen shares
- 30-60 second delays in live interactions
Switching to Convay Big Meeting:
- Adaptive streaming maintained connection on 512 kbps links
- Audio prioritized over video automatically
- Screen shares rendered progressively
- Interaction delays reduced to 5-10 seconds
Same participants. Same network. Different platform engineering. Different outcomes.
Real-World Event Scenarios
Theory matters less than practice. Let’s examine how both platforms perform across common event types.
Scenario 1: Government Townhall (5,000 Attendees)
Event Requirements:
- 5,000 citizen participants across rural and urban areas
- Live Q&A with government officials
- Recording for public archives
- Multilingual support (Bengali, English)
- Data must remain within national boundaries
Zoom Events Approach:
Capacity: Requires “Contact Sales” tier (no transparent pricing)
Data Sovereignty: Not possible—data stores on US servers
Language Support: English only, manual translation required
Cost: Undisclosed enterprise pricing + translation services
Compliance Risk: High—violates data localization requirements
Convay Big Meeting Approach:
Capacity: Standard 5,000 attendee tier ($34,800/year)
Data Sovereignty: On-premise deployment on government servers
Language Support: Built-in Bengali and English with AI translation
Cost: Transparent pricing, no hidden fees
Compliance Risk: Zero—complete local data control
Winner: Convay Big Meeting—meets requirements Zoom cannot address at any price.
Scenario 2: Banking Sector Conference (1,500 Attendees)
Event Requirements:
- Annual leadership summit with C-suite participants
- Sensitive merger and acquisition discussions
- Regional participation across 8 countries in Southeast Asia
- Sponsor exhibition booths with one-on-one meetings
- Post-event analytics on engagement by organization
Zoom Events Approach:
Capacity: 3,000 attendee tier works ($26,490/year)
Security: Enterprise tier required for adequate encryption
Sponsor Features: Built-in booth and networking tools
Analytics: Advanced analytics requires add-on package
Challenge: Multi-country data storage creates compliance complexity
Convay Big Meeting Approach:
Capacity: 3,000 attendee tier ($21,192/year)
Security: End-to-end encryption standard, on-premise option available
Sponsor Features: Equivalent booth and networking capabilities
Analytics: Advanced analytics included
Advantage: Regional deployment nodes reduce latency, on-premise option for sensitive sessions
Winner: Tie on features, Convay edges ahead on cost ($5,298 savings) and compliance flexibility.
Scenario 3: University Virtual Graduation (2,000 Attendees)
Event Requirements:
- 2,000 graduates plus family viewing (potential 8,000 viewers)
- Ceremonial program with keynote speaker
- Individual recognition with photos and names
- Recording for perpetual archive
- Budget constraints—educational institution pricing
Zoom Events Approach:
Capacity: 3,000 attendee tier handles participants ($26,490/year)
Viewing: Requires streaming platform for family viewers (additional cost)
Ceremony Features: Standard presentation capabilities
Recording: Unlimited cloud storage (10GB base, overages charged)
Cost Challenge: Single-use event justifies annual subscription cost?
Convay Big Meeting Approach:
Capacity: 3,000 attendee tier ($21,192/year) or pay-per-credit model
Viewing: Built-in streaming supports 10,000+ viewers
Ceremony Features: Equivalent presentation capabilities
Recording: Unlimited on-premise storage, no overages
Cost Advantage: Lower annual subscription or flexible credits for occasional events
Winner: Convay Big Meeting—better economics for educational institutions with occasional large events.
The Hidden Costs Beyond Subscription Pricing
Subscription prices tell part of the story. Real TCO includes add-ons, integrations, and operational overhead.
Zoom Events Hidden Cost Analysis (3,000 Attendees):
| Cost Category | Annual Impact |
|---|---|
| Base Subscription | $26,490 |
| AI Companion Add-on | $3,600 |
| Additional Cloud Storage | $960 |
| Advanced Analytics Package | $2,400 |
| Integration Development | $2,000 |
| Staff Training | $1,500 |
| Total Annual TCO | $36,950 |
| Premium vs Advertised | +40% |
Convay Big Meeting Complete Cost Analysis (3,000 Attendees):
| Cost Category | Annual Impact |
|---|---|
| Base Subscription | $21,192 |
| AI Features | $0 (included) |
| On-premise Storage | $0 (included) |
| Advanced Analytics | $0 (included) |
| Integration Support | $500 |
| Training & Onboarding | $0 (included) |
| Total Annual TCO | $21,692 |
| Premium vs Advertised | +2% |
Three-Year Savings: $45,774 (62% reduction)
Data Sovereignty: Why It Matters for Event Planning
“Data sovereignty” sounds abstract until compliance lawyers veto your platform choice.
What Data Sovereignty Actually Means
Data sovereignty is the concept that data is subject to the laws of the country where it’s physically stored. When you use Zoom Events, your attendee information lives on servers in the United States, subject to US legal frameworks including:
- CLOUD Act: US government can subpoena data even stored internationally
- Patriot Act: Expanded surveillance powers over electronic communications
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): Secret court orders for data access
For a Bangladesh government ministry hosting policy discussions, this creates constitutional concerns. Can foreign governments potentially access internal deliberations?
For a Philippine bank hosting merger discussions, this creates fiduciary concerns. Do US discovery laws expose confidential strategy sessions?
For an African development agency hosting donor coordination meetings, this creates diplomatic concerns. Could sensitive aid discussions be monitored?
On-Premise Deployment: Complete Control
Convay’s on-premise deployment option means your event data never leaves your infrastructure. The physical servers sit in your data center. Your IT team manages access. Your legal framework governs the data.
This isn’t paranoia. It’s sovereignty. It’s digital independence.
When Tanzania’s Ministry of Health hosted their national health strategy summit, all participant data—doctor names, hospital affiliations, regional health statistics—remained on government servers. No foreign jurisdiction. No compliance ambiguity. Just secure, sovereign event management.
Migration from Zoom Events: What to Expect
Switching platforms creates understandable anxiety. Will existing registrations transfer? What about recurring events? Can we run parallel systems during transition?
Proven 6-Week Migration Process
Weeks 1-2: Assessment & Planning
Convay’s migration team audits your current setup:
- Event templates and recurring schedules
- Integration points (CRM, registration systems, ticketing)
- Historical recordings and analytics
- Custom branding and configurations
They design a migration plan addressing your specific workflows.
Weeks 3-4: Deployment & Integration
For cloud deployment: 3-5 days to full operation
For on-premise: 2-3 weeks including infrastructure setup
Parallel system operation lets you test Convay while maintaining Zoom Events during transition.
Weeks 5-6: Training & Optimization
Staff training through live sessions and video tutorials
Test events with friendly audiences before major launches
Optimization based on your team’s feedback
Zero Downtime Commitment
Run both platforms during overlap. Schedule Convay adoption after successful test events. Decommission Zoom Events only after full confidence in new system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can Convay handle the same event capacity as Zoom Events?
Yes. Convay supports events from 500 to 10,000+ attendees with transparent pricing at every tier. Unlike Zoom’s “Contact Sales” approach above 5,000, Convay publishes clear pricing even for enterprise scale.
Q: What if we’re locked into a Zoom Events annual contract?
Convay’s cost savings often justify early termination fees. For a 3,000-attendee deployment, you save $15,258 annually. If Zoom’s termination fee is less than that, you break even within year one while gaining sovereignty and included AI features.
Q: Does Convay integrate with our existing event registration system?
Yes. Convay integrates with major platforms including Eventbrite, Cvent, and custom registration systems via API. Migration team assists with integration setup during deployment.
Q: How does on-premise deployment work if we don’t have infrastructure?
Convay offers hybrid deployment. Your organization can use Convay’s cloud infrastructure for convenience while maintaining data sovereignty through regional data centers in Bangladesh, Middle East, or Africa. True on-premise requires server infrastructure but offers maximum control.
Q: What happens if our internet goes down during an on-premise event?
On-premise deployment includes local caching and buffering. If internet drops, the event continues for already-connected participants. New joins require connectivity, but existing attendees maintain connection to local servers.
Q: Can attendees join from mobile devices?
Yes. Convay provides iOS and Android apps with full feature parity including networking, Q&A, polling, and breakout room participation.
Q: How quickly can we deploy for an urgent event?
Cloud deployment: 2-3 business days from contract to first event
On-premise deployment: 2-4 weeks depending on infrastructure readiness
Emergency deployments (natural disasters, urgent government response): 24-48 hour fast-track available
Q: What languages does Convay support beyond English?
Currently: Bengali and English with AI transcription and subtitles
Planned 2025: Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, French, Spanish
Custom language support available for enterprise contracts
Q: How does Convay’s AI compare to Zoom’s AI Companion?
Convay includes AI features standard (Zoom charges $3,600/year extra):
- Real-time transcription in multiple languages
- Automatic meeting summaries with speaker attribution
- Action item extraction
- Sentiment analysis on Q&A
- Searchable video archives
Convay’s advantage: Bengali language support and no additional fees.
Q: Can we try Convay before committing to annual contract?
Yes. 30-day pilot programs available for qualified organizations. Host real events, test integrations, evaluate features before annual commitment.
Platform Selection Decision Framework
Still weighing your options? Use this framework.
Choose Zoom Events If You:
- Operate exclusively within US jurisdiction with no data residency concerns
- Already use Zoom Meetings/Webinars extensively across organization
- Host fewer than 10 large events annually (subscription cost harder to justify)
- Need instant deployment with zero infrastructure consideration
- Have dedicated budget for add-ons (AI, analytics, storage)
Choose Convay Big Meeting If You:
- Require data sovereignty for government, regulated, or sensitive events
- Host regular events (monthly or more frequent) justifying annual investment
- Need transparent pricing for 5,000+ attendee events
- Operate in emerging markets with variable bandwidth conditions
- Want AI features included rather than paying separately
- Prefer vendor with regional presence and compliance expertise
- Value cost predictability over feature lock-in
The Sovereignty Question
If your organization asks “Where does our data live?” or “Who can access participant information?”—Convay answers clearly. Data lives where you deploy it. Only your team controls access.
If these questions don’t arise in your procurement discussions, Zoom Events might suffice. But increasingly, organizations across government, finance, healthcare, education, and defense cannot ignore data sovereignty. The question isn’t if you’ll prioritize sovereignty, but when.
Conclusion: Choose the Platform That Matches Your Values
Zoom Events delivers capable event management. No one disputes that. But capability alone doesn’t determine fit.
Event platforms make architectural choices reflecting their priorities. Zoom prioritizes cloud convenience and feature breadth. Convay prioritizes data sovereignty and cost transparency.
Neither is wrong. They’re optimized for different organizational values.
If your organization values:
- Independence over foreign jurisdiction exposure
- Predictability over surprise costs at scale
- Inclusion through multi-language AI support
- Sovereignty as constitutional requirement, not optional nice-to-have
Then Convay Big Meeting aligns with your values. It’s not just an alternative. It’s the platform built for organizations that can’t compromise on these principles.
The question isn’t which platform has more features. Both handle events competently. The question is which platform respects your sovereignty, serves your language communities, and prices transparently as you scale.
For event managers at government agencies, regulated enterprises, and sovereignty-conscious organizations—Convay Big Meeting offers what Zoom Events fundamentally cannot: complete data independence with AI-powered productivity and transparent economics.
Your events shouldn’t require choosing between capability and sovereignty. With Convay, you don’t have to.
Take Your Next Step
Experience Convay Big Meeting Firsthand
Book a personalized platform demo tailored to your event requirements. See how Convay handles your specific use cases—government townhalls, enterprise conferences, educational events, or multi-track summits.
