Cvent buys On24 and Goldcast – Video AI or bust

 

By Jim Lundy

Cvent buys On24 and Goldcast – Video AI or bust

Cvent is making massive waves in the industry with the back-to-back acquisitions of Goldcast and ON24 for a combined $700 million. These deals reflect a calculated push by the Tysons-based giant to move beyond simple event logistics and toward a more comprehensive digital engagement strategy. This blog overviews the Cvent news and offers our analysis.

Why did Cvent acquire Goldcast and ON24

Cvent is executing an aggressive roll-up strategy following its transition to full Blackstone ownership in July 2025. While ON24 provided a massive enterprise footprint, it struggled to innovate on AI as quickly as competitors like Zoom or Microsoft, making a sale the best exit. Goldcast fills the modern AI gaps that ON24 could not address by offering tools that automatically turn event footage into marketing content. By combining these two with earlier acquisitions like Jifflenow for meeting scheduling, Cvent is building an end-to-end engine that handles everything from initial attendee booking to post-event video summaries.

Analysis

The strategic value here lies in the convergence of event management and the broader marketing stack. Cvent is no longer just selling registration software; it is selling a content engine. Aragon Research believes that by buying ON24 and Goldcast, Cvent is attempting to be a stronger player in events but it faces significant competition.

The On24 deal is both a challenge and an opportunity for Cvent. Since the sale price was only 1.29x of revenue and cash on hand of 170 Million, Cvent got a deal but also one in which there was very little AI in the platform and customers were abandoning On24 for other offerings such as GoTo, RingCentral Events and Zoom Events. Goldcast should also help bandaid the lack of Video AI that On24 was missing.

The move is also a significant financial win for Blackstone and its partners, which owns all of Cvent after it bought out Vista Equity’s remaining stake. The combination of the two firms, once completed gives it what others already offer – the ability to clip sections from a recorded event and remarket them.

 

Post-Event Content Repurposing – Ringcentral and Zoom lead the way

The events and webinar market is undergoing a fundamental shift as artificial intelligence moves from a generative novelty to a core operational engine for remarketing. This trend is driven by the growing “content gap,” where organizations produce hours of live footage but lack the resources to manually sift through recordings for high-impact social and sales assets. Platforms like Zoom Events and RingCentral Events have aggressively addressed this by integrating native AI video clipping tools that automatically detect key highlights and audience sentiment. By utilizing these tools, marketers can instantly generate “snackable” content—optimized for platforms like LinkedIn or TikTok—directly within the event environment. This removes the friction of massive file downloads and external editing suites, allowing brands to maintain momentum and stay relevant in the immediate post-event window.

The implications of this rapid AI adoption are significant for traditional market leaders who are currently focused on organizational consolidation. As Cvent works to integrate its recent acquisitions of ON24 and Goldcast, it faces the immediate challenge of matching the native, unified AI workflows already deployed by its competitors. The integration of Goldcast’s AI clipping capabilities is a clear defensive move to bolster Cvent’s B2B webinar offering, but the delay inherent in merging disparate technology stacks gives nimbler players a strategic advantage. For enterprises, the takeaway is clear: the ability to turn one hour of live content into a month of multi-channel remarketing assets is no longer a premium feature—it is the new baseline for event ROI. Organizations must evaluate their current providers not just on their ability to host a broadcast, but on their speed in delivering usable, AI-curated video content.

How should enterprises respond

Enterprises should request a briefing on the combined product integration and AI roadmaps. This also means that Cvent has an on premise events business and a virtual one, so there is some overlap. So, multiple products begs for a crisp product roadmap.

There is a risk of feature overlap or price increases as Cvent consolidates these brands. Enterprises should evaluate whether a single-vendor approach with Cvent offers enough flexibility or if a best-of-breed marketing stack remains the better long-term choice for their specific digital engagement needs.

Bottom Line

Cvent is using its private equity backing to transform into an acquisition machine that captures the entire event lifecycle. The addition of ON24 and Goldcast provides Cvent with an opportunity to compete against virtual event and webinar competitors. Enterprises should monitor these integrations closely to ensure that the unique capabilities of each platform are not lost in the consolidation process.