USE CASE
Virtual Conference
Educationally oriented events offered by an industry-led organization, educational institution, member organization, or enterprise combining keynotes, breakouts, networking, and vendor recognition promoting products and services.
- Various sponsorship opportunities needed
- Ability to handle large numbers of attendees at one time
- Breakout rooms required for individual sessions and workshops
- Branded layouts to highlight companies and sponsors
- Ability to provide talent pre-records prior to the event
- Integration of live and pre-recorded presentations
- CTAs needed for vendor, partner and sponsor opportunities
Challenges
- Most of the heavy lifting undoubtedly is on the event planning staff months in advance of the event; preparing each event ROS and insuring talent readiness falls on the digital events team; managing to last –minute unplanned situations remains true for any event
- Managing to last minute content changes, and managing the flow of talent on “game day” are typically the most grueling
- Multiple team members will manage to the event “backstage”; rehearsals and dry runs are pivotal to insure success prior to event day and review of digital content quality
- Producers following each ROS to the tee is critical to succes
Run of Show
- Significant marketing efforts generating event interest well in advance of the event itself promoting event previews, speaker bio previews, event change announcements, creative representations of past or upcoming event content
- Consistent and intense amounts of energy spent on event agendas, session designs (mix of general and breakout sessions), securing speakers/talent, or securing events days if spread over a period of weeks
- Integration of live and pre-recorded session content, and vendor promotional content
Features
- Branded headers specifically highlighting sponsors per event within the symposium
- Call to action carousel used to rotate through key messaging and sponsor benefits
- Moderated chat allowing for q&a and panel/speaker interaction
- Resources panel allowing for relevant documents in-event
- Greenroom to manage the flow of and prep of speakers / talent
- Breakout rooms allowing for “mini-events” with full stage functionality
- Polls/chats during event and pre-event during countdown to fuel speaker and presenter engagement levels
Layouts
- Managed layout transitions per session within the event, taking advantage of pre-countdown and countdown stages to promote vendors / partners / sponsors via promotional ads/videos
- Common layout elements: moderated chat, branded header, CTA emphasizing vendor / partner / sponsor value proposition
- Transitional layout elements: live multi-panel, single speaker with slide deck, video clip (full stage), moderated Q&A with attendee polling
Capacities
- Events usually require significant marketing prior to the event
- Event duration usually spans either a full day up to two and a half days
- To remove virtual fatigue regardless of designing for breakouts, some events will span over weeks to provide a “series” which composes the entire event
- Average attendee size of 2,000, raging from 500 to nearly 5,000 attendees