CHARLOTTE, NC — Jumbo announces that they are partnering with the North Carolina Democratic Party to launch a robust virtual event platform to centralize the party’s live online events. 

“We’re excited to lean into the exciting opportunities presented by virtual engagement,” said Kayla Jacobs, the party’s Deputy Digital Director. “Our values of accessibility and inclusivity are never more on display than when we leverage technology to bring about our message. Online events offer us unprecedented methods of outreach and high touch connection to North Carolinians.”

The platform, called NCDEMS.LIVE, will host live meetings, town halls, roundtable discussions, webinars, fundraisers, and other events within a branded digital ecosystem that supports donations, merchandise sales, user profiles, voting, and a host of other features.

The party is partnering with Jumbo, a North Carolina-based event technology company, to build the custom platform. Jumbo deploys custom virtual event platforms for enterprise organizations. 

“The Covid 19 pandemic revealed an appetite for online live events many previously were not aware of, especially as we marched toward a historic election in a politically turbulent climate,” said Dion Beary, Director of Business Development for Jumbo. “We’re proud to partner with an organization we admire in the North Carolina Democratic Party to provide an industry-leading virtual event platform to fully commit to online events.”

By using a custom platform rather than a public social media platform, the North Carolina Democrats are able to offer more security, more features custom-fitted to each event, and can support the local event technology community. 

“As large-scale social media platforms wrestle with their increasing politicization, we see a growing need for bespoke, ownable social engagement platforms,” said Justin Ritchie, CEO of Jumbo. “Rather than relying solely on Facebook, YouTube, and their potentially radicalizing algorithms, parties like the North Carolina Democrats can safely communicate with their supporters in an owned platform custom fitted to their needs.” 

The first event on the platform was “Together, We Climb: Women of Color Leadership Forum” on November 13th.