For Virtual Approval, every webinar, workshop, or conference lives or dies by how involved the audience feels. Over time, that focus on engagement exposed a quiet but persistent problem. The tools meant to make events more interactive were often doing the opposite.
"Before StreamAlive we were using other well-known QR-based interaction tools. About 60–70% of people would follow a QR code. Now that all they have to do is type in the chat, we see more like 90–95% of participants engaging.” Rachel Locke - Founder & CEO, Virtual Approval
The customer
Virtual Approval is a leading global virtual and hybrid event agency working with training companies and corporate organisations. They produce everything from small facilitated workshops with 10 participants to large-scale virtual conferences and hybrid events with audiences of up to 10,000 people.
Rachel Locke and her team of experts oversee not just the creative side of events, but the technical delivery. That means anything they recommend to clients has to work reliably across geographies, industries, and security environments. Their reputation depends on it.
The problem with “Interactive” virtual events
Before StreamAlive, engagement usually meant third-party tools.
Polling apps. Word clouds. Gamification tools. Each one came with a familiar routine. Ask attendees to scan a QR code, open another browser, sometimes even pick up a second device.
In theory, it worked. In practice, it caused friction at exactly the wrong moment.
“There’s no friction to getting people to engage and participate, and in a fast-paced agenda, that makes a huge difference.” Rachel Locke - Founder & CEO, Virtual Approval
Some attendees could not access the tools due to firewalls or regulated IT environments. Others simply chose not to bother. On a good day, around 60 to 70 percent of the audience would participate. The rest quietly opted out.
There was also a more subtle problem when everyone started looking at their phones, namely fractioned attention and stalled momentum. Precious time was lost explaining how to use the engagement tool and waiting for everyone to have loaded it up instead of running the session.
For an agency that prides itself on polished delivery, those moments mattered.
Discovering a different approach
Virtual Approval initially found StreamAlive while searching for a gamification solution for a specific client event. What stood out was not a single feature, but the underlying idea.
All interaction happens directly through the chat inside Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
No QR codes. No second screens. No extra links to explain.
The team tested it thoroughly. They ran internal sessions, pilot events, and edge-case scenarios with different producers, geographies, and client types. Once they were confident it could handle real-world complexity they started rolling it out to clients.
What changed once StreamAlive was live
The difference was immediate.
Instead of spending minutes setting up an interaction, facilitators could trigger one in seconds. Attendees already knew how to use chat, so there was nothing new to learn. If someone could join the call, they could participate.
“StreamAlive lets facilitators focus on the content and the audience, not on explaining how the tech works.” Rachel Locke - Founder & CEO, Virtual Approval
Participation rates jumped from roughly 60 to 70 percent to closer to 90 or even 95 percent. People who previously sat back now joined in because the barrier to entry was effectively zero.
The experience also felt more human. When attendees saw their own words appear on screen through Talking Tiles or a Word Cloud, there was a visible reaction. Smiles. Laughter. A sense of being included rather than lost in a fast-moving chat stream.
For large events, this mattered even more. Instead of only a handful of people speaking on camera, everyone had a way to be seen and heard without slowing the session down.
The world map moment
Every tool has a moment where its value becomes obvious.
For Virtual Approval, that moment was the World Map.
They started using it as an icebreaker, asking the audience “Where are you joining from today. Where are you originally from. Where would you like to travel next.”
The reaction was consistent across events and audiences loved it. It worked across cultures, languages, and seniority levels. It required no explanation and no confidence to speak up on camera.
The map quickly became a default, used in internal meetings, client events, even sales pitches. If there was a chance to break the ice, the map came out.
“We love the interactive map and always get a ‘wow, that’s cool’ reaction when we use it. It’s our go to interaction to start any event to get everyone energised.” Rachel Locke - Founder & CEO, Virtual Approval
Beyond the live session
While StreamAlive is primarily a live experience, the team has also begun using AI summaries for selected sessions. These summaries help clients reflect on what came up in discussion, identify themes, and shape future agendas, training sessions, or follow-up communications.
It turns engagement from a moment into something actionable.
“The AI summaries take things to the next level. They immediately help clients decide what to do next.” Rachel Locke - Founder & CEO, Virtual Approval
A business-level impact
Over time, StreamAlive stopped being just a delivery tool and became part of how Virtual Approval positions itself.
StreamAlive is now included in pitch decks. Even in short sales calls, a quick interactive moment is enough to make an impression. Prospects often remember Virtual Approval as “the company that did the interactive map using the chat”.
That memorability matters in a crowded agency market.
Just as importantly, it reinforces a message clients care about. Virtual Approval stays current with AI and technology, but without chasing gimmicks. The tech fades into the background, and the experience takes centre stage.
Why virtual approval would not go back
Asked what they would miss most if StreamAlive disappeared tomorrow, the answer was simple.
They would be back to QR codes. Back to people saying they cannot access the tool. Back to awkward pauses and lost momentum.
That is not a trade-off they are willing to make.
“If StreamAlive disappeared tomorrow, we’d be straight back to QR codes and the anxiety and nerves of our audiences saying they can’t access the tool or IT telling us that it’s blocked.” Rachel Locke - Founder & CEO, Virtual Approval
In short
For Virtual Approval, StreamAlive removed friction, increased participation, and turned audience engagement into a competitive advantage rather than a risk.
Not by adding more technology, but by quietly getting out of the way.
Visit Virtual Approval to learn more about how they create immersive, engaging, and memorable virtual events for their clients.
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