.svg)
Event organizing in 2022 comes with high stakes. On top of virtual events becoming the norm as a direct result of the impact of a now-years-long global health crisis, there are participation metrics, engagement numbers, and budget to consider. And then, of course, you need to deliver an experience that’s actually good. Really good. Memorable even.
You’re probably wondering: with so many factors impacting whether your events succeed or fail, how can you possibly keep recreating event magic?
By looking to event warriors who are driving the event industry forward through strategy, creativity, and hard work.
In 2021, Hubilo hosted over 3,500 virtual events. To help you get and stay inspired, we’ve compiled five examples from our rich collection of customer events to spark imagination from within you.
A global event requires coordination across speakers, time zones, event days, and languages. And Veritas' Conquer Every Cloud is a perfect example of how to scale events successfully.
Veritas planned ahead and accounted for language barriers. They provided attendees with closed captions for all sessions, in seven languages. By doing so, they opened up their event to a wider international audience. And in the process, they also demonstrated their progressive stance when it comes to accessibility and equity in information-sharing. Pretty cool.
Veritas also opted for pre-recorded videos on the Hubilo platform, which had three benefits. First, they were able to bring in global speakers. Second, attendees were able to watch videos on their own time. Finally, Veritas saved on resources by not repeating live sessions in different time zones.
With a dedicated client experience team, Veritas was able to plan for every little detail on the platform, down to the minute. They even rehearsed for the event with the support crew and made sure they were there in the green room on the day of the event. Clearly, a support team that takes, “every step of the way,” seriously can go a long way in making your event successful.
In ten days, OurAfrica.Travel helped more than 23,000 buyers and sellers meet up. That’s an average of 95 meetings per hour! And for an event that made its debut in 2020, these numbers are even more impressive. So if you’re aiming for engagement, there’s a lot to learn from the OurAfrica.Travel event.
People want control over their own time. OurAfrica.Travel gave their audience this opportunity with an asynchronous event. The audience was able to connect with who they wanted when they wanted without a time limit.
“I love the fact that everyone was in charge of their own diaries and that diaries were open right through the show” - Margo, ATI Holidays
Asynchronous events are an excellent way to create a more intense learning-focused environment where viewers can pause and ponder, go do a little quick research on a term or concept that sticks out to them and take copious notes.
Given that the event was asynchronous, it was important that the audience had an effortless experience. OurAfrica.Travel’s event platform of choice was so intuitive that participants needed minimal technical support and could find what they were looking for by checking the “what’s happening” section of the event platform.
Because the platform was so easy to use, it led to an increase in engagement that resulted in more than 23,000 meetings and 93,000 exchanged messages between exhibitors and buyers.
OurAfrica.Travel wasn't just about networking, it was about networking with the right people. With the matchmaking feature, buyers could decide which stands to visit and which suppliers to meet based on their interests and event goals. This saved them a lot of effort and ensured efficient use of their time.
A memorable event experience is not just one session, one speaker, or one giveaway. It’s the complete package. When Hubilo decided to launch a major product update in 2021, they followed this rule to the letter. The focus of the event was on fostering human connections with the audience, no matter where they are in the world. Every touchpoint was thoughtfully designed to encourage audience participation. And the results, speak for themselves.
Events. Reimagined. was designed to include a virtual stage. This new approach pushed Hubilo to think about the end-user experience in a different way and to move away from the headshot screen and into a more visual and interactive environment. The experience generated a sense of familiarity and excitement from the audience. One attendee even commented on “how nice it was to see people’s feet instead of just their heads and shoulders.” Plus, we all love a pair of cute shoes.
Spending time talking with other people never goes out of style. The chat window that was buzzing with conversation was a perfect example of this.
Audiences used Chat during the event to express themselves in a variety of ways. Some used the alphabet, some used GIFs, and others used the universal language of emojis. The bottom line, whether it’s through polls, open-ended questions, or a chat window that offers all the cool features for expressive communication, when people feel like they've been given a reliable space to express themselves, they’ll engage more. And they’ll do it in various ways that will only make the overall experiences more human and delightful for everyone.
Events. Reimagined. was high on the entertainment factor. In true award show style, the event was glued together by entertaining hosts (Rachel Moore and Drag Taste) who ensured that attendees never left the screen. Want to see what we mean? Click here to experience their magic firsthand.
When Infosys hosted its Finacle Conclave 2021, they were able to get attendees engaged and contribute to a social cause all at once— by gamifying the event using the green scoreboard.
Created specifically for Infosys, here’s how the green scoreboard worked: event organizers encouraged attendees to engage on the platform throughout the event, which earned them points. Each time an attendee accumulated 50 points, the organizers planted a tree with his or her name on it. This tree could be digitally tracked from anywhere in the world.
With this, the organizers were able to maintain highly active audience members from start to finish, plus attendee interactions came with the added positive of knowing that their social efforts had a direct impact on the good of the planet. A lot of trees were planted!
Python Software Foundation (PSF) is a non-profit organization that developed the Python programming language. Every year, PSF hosts PyCon US, a community-focused conference for Python users and developers. All revenue from PyCon US is donated to PSF, which is why sales of tickets and revenue generated are important success metrics. After being hit hard by the limitations of in-person interaction due to COVID and suffering huge losses in 2020, here’s what PyCon US did to generate revenue from their virtual event in 2021 while still providing a personalized experience.
PyCon organizers expanded their audience reach through a tiered ticketing system. They gave VIP ticket holders access to exclusive sessions and networking features. With this, they were able to bring in more registrations while still retaining the value of their popular event offerings.
Just like in-person networking events, virtual networking lounges allow you to strike up impromptu conversations with other attendees and develop connections.
PyCon US used lounges for this and more. Branded tables were assigned to partners and sponsors and generated an additional revenue stream. Lounges were also used for interviews during the job fair to create a more open interview process. Lastly, tables were assigned to developers to make room for freestyle options, like developers getting together to write code as a team using only coffee as fuel, or just using a lounge as a place to meet up and discuss a sprint strategy.
Remember, inspiration can come from anywhere. It doesn't have to be linked to the “creative” aspect of the event.
Sometimes it can be related to optimizing the budget and access like OurAfrica.Travel did through the use of asynchronous sessions. Other times it can be about providing an uninterrupted experience throughout the event like Veritas’ choice to include closed captions for multiple languages. And then again sometimes it can be the smallest details that add up to make the big impact, like giving the option to people to communicate in various ways so they can comfortably engage as little or as much as they want, like Hubilo’s Events. Reimagined.
The most important thing is to be open to new ideas and share what you learn because the best magic comes from collaboration. We can’t wait to see what you create!
Tahseen is a marketer by profession, a storyteller at heart, and a tech geek by education. She has previously worked as a software developer and client partner. However, creating meaningful content is what she likes best. When she's not writing, she's reading. She's also a self-designated casting director - in her head, she casts people for characters in imaginary movies and tv series.
