It’s been a year since Google launched its very own social media hub, Google+. Over that time Google has gradually been adding more bells and whistles to the platform’s repertoire; July sees the addition of Google+ Events.

What is it?

Google+ Events bills itself as an interactive, online invitation by separating the event into three elements: Before, During and After.

Before

With the ability to customise invitations with themes, video and animation, Google+ Events allows people to personalise the ‘before’ component of the event.

During

During the event, attendees will have the ability to use Google’s Party Mode to upload photos to the event’s wall. A live slide show can even be streamed straight from Google+ Events to the party so attendees can view photos in real time.

After

Photos, comments and all the party action will be available on the event listing after the event, so all the content lives in one, easily shareable location.

What does it mean for businesses?

Instead of searching Facebook or the web for mentions of an event, Google Events provides a one-stop shop for businesses and their event attendees to source all the photos and information they might have missed on the night.

Businesses may find this useful to follow up any leads or grab those contact details missed at the event.

Google+ links YouTube

This release comes in conjunction with Google’s recent announcement that customers in the USA can now link their YouTube accounts with their Google+, allowing for automatic uploads and streamlined access.

This feature will be available for international brands and users in the coming months.