Sessionboard vs Whova.
Whova packages registration, a mobile app, and abstract submission for association conferences. Teams outgrow it when review rounds live in email, speaker materials chasing spans spreadsheets, and post-meeting content never ties back to session records. Sessionboard is the program and content layer Whova does not optimize for — beside the registration stack you keep, or as the reason to leave an bundled contract.
SIDE BY SIDE
Where each one does its work.
Read from the approved comparison, not from a feature checklist. Where we could not verify a Whova capability from their own material, the cell says so.
| Capability | Sessionboard | Whova |
|---|---|---|
| Agenda and attendee app | Agenda builder with speaker and room conflict detection; program site, embeds and the Attend app update as it changes. | Branded app, networking, and agenda for smaller conferences. App-first buyers who prioritize launch speed over review depth. |
| Registration and badging | Stays where it is. Accepted sessions and speakers sync to Cvent, Swoogo, Bizzabo and others. | Registration, mobile app, and agenda in one contract for mid-market associations. |
| Call for papers and abstracts | Submission forms with logic per track and format; abstracts, disclosures and files on one submission. Returning speakers arrive with their history. | varies |
| Review rounds and committees | Review plans with rounds, committees, rubrics and conflict-of-interest rules. Your team changes forms and review steps without a services ticket. | varies |
| Speaker materials and portal | Branded speaker portal with task lists, agreements and e-sign; the Coordinator agent reminds whoever is late. | varies |
| Transcription and media library | Live Transcribe in the room or from Zoom, ON24 and Goldcast; transcripts, captions, clips and quote cards in a library searchable across events. | varies |
| Peer sharing with attribution | Share kits with tracked links for speakers, sponsors and attendees; registrations traced back to the share. | varies |
| Exhibitors and sponsors | Exhibitor and sponsor records with portals and results reports; floor plans stay with your floor platform. | varies |
| CRM and AMS | Two-way sync with HubSpot, Salesforce, iMIS, Fonteva and Nimble AMS; public API, webhooks and an MCP server. | varies |
Where Whova fits best: single-vendor mandate with no post-meeting content or advocacy requirements. What often stays with Whova for now: Whova mobile app mid-contract while registration migrates separately. This page compares workflow and product fit, not a feature checklist.
WHERE IT DIFFERS · THE PROGRAM LAYER
Registration is a solved problem. The committee is not.
Keep Whova for what it does well. Sessionboard takes the call for papers, review rounds with committees and conflict-of-interest rules, the speaker portal and the agenda, then syncs accepted sessions and speakers back out. Your chairs change a form or a review step this week, without a services ticket.
- Custom forms & logic
- Review plans & rounds
- Speaker portal
- Registration sync
GROWSA program your committee trusts, built faster
WHERE IT DIFFERS · AFTER THE ROOM
Every session you ran on their stage becomes content on ours.
Live Transcribe captures the room, the media library keeps every word, and speakers, sponsors and attendees share their own session with tracked links. The registrations those shares bring in land on the record that started with the abstract.
- Live Transcribe
- Media library
- Share kits
- Registrations traced
GROWSReach and next year’s submissions
Questions, answered
Does Sessionboard replace Whova entirely?
Often on the program layer — yes. Some teams keep a mobile app vendor and run Sessionboard as system of record for sessions and speakers.
Can we keep Whova for the app only?
Sessionboard publishes the program record; app vendors consume via export or integration.
What about Whova abstract submission?
Sessionboard replaces review workflow and speaker ops that Whova abstract modules do not cover in depth.
Who wins medical and scientific societies?
Teams with 500+ abstracts and formal committees typically need Sessionboard program depth — not app-first tooling alone.
Can we export everything later?
Yes. Submissions, scores, speakers, agenda, transcripts and media export by CSV, program book export, the public API and webhooks.