Basic Event Information
Date: 24 – 25 November 2020
Location: ONLINE
Organizer: MPG Plus d.o.o.
Client: Microsoft
Event Type: Online Event
EVENT CATEGORY: DIGITAL EVENTS | Online Event – ONLINE CONFERENCE
Event description and key objectives
NT Remote May*
In May 2020 we were planning the 25th NT Conference. Because of the world’s pandemic situation, we had to postpone live event on November 2020 and transform May event into a virtual one – NT Remote held on 20th of May. With 6.643 unique views, it became the biggest and most complex technological-business virtual event ever in Slovenia and the region.
NT REMOTE – A SMART INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
As the pandemic situation didn’t get any better, we made another important decision in summer – to organize another virtual event instead of a live one, this time upgraded with an interactive smart virtual platform. This year’s NT Conference, therefore, consisted of two virtual events, both very well accepted and rated.
Through the interactive smart platform, we found new ways to share knowledge, engage and connect – to bring the event closer to the participants. We offered useful knowledge through a multitrack concept, enabling the attendees to actively participate, also through interactive workshops and 1:1 consultation with the speakers. The interactive platform also offered different possibilities for interaction among the attendees and many opportunities for our partners to gain quality sales leads.
- Parallel tracks: 8
- Hours of the program: 92
- Business and technological sessions and workshops in total: 76
- Speakers in total: 119
- Registered users: 946
- 1:1 meetings: 521
- 1:1 individual consultation slots with the speakers: 750
*NT Remote May 2020 already submitted in July – https://www.crossover.si/2020/08/04/nt-remote-2020/
Key challenges
NT Remote May*
With NT Remote in May, we transformed live event to virtual in less than two months. We had to ensure a successful financial structure. As the NT Conference is financed only through sponsorships and attendee fees, which there were none, in this case, we had to attract as many partners as possible. We adjusted live event sponsorship packages to virtual and offered cooperation through event content, visibility, digital goodie bag, questionnaires and other tools for leads collection.
NT Remote November
At NT Conference we don’t really have a client. Microsoft is our partner, therefore our role as agency and client is actually intertwined and many times challenging. After the event in May, we realised, that we will not be able to organize another free event. In times of hyperproduction of free virtual events, the perception of paid virtual events is still on a very low level, and with the fact that the event was not funded but powered by Microsoft, we were challenged with the question of how to add extra value to the event, so that the attendees will be willing to pay the participation fee, as well as how to enable the sponsors to reach their business goals through the event.
When we recognized those challenges and accepted them, we decided to go ‘all-in’ and to offer something more – a special experience on a smart virtual platform, that will drive the engagement and give the participants a little bit more of a live-event feeling.
Creativity
NT Remote May*
With NT Remote in May, our creative approach based on the target group was to offer a virtual event with relevant content for our diverse audiences (technology professionals and business professionals) in one afternoon. We went with a multitrack concept with 9 parallel tracks, which means that the attendees could choose between 9 different sessions at the same time, and easily switch between them.
NT Remote November
In November, when we offered also the possibility for the participants to interact, we wanted to prolong and upgrade their interaction/communication processes, as well as the possibility for our partners to gain as many leads as possible. Therefore, we created a “Road to NT Remote” week, where we opened the platform with all its possibilities a week before the event. With several different contents and sessions available at the platform we enabled the participant to gain knowledge through the entire week. Besides, we encouraged them to network, to meet, to chat – and through all those actions to create several opportunities for interaction, making business, meet new people, as well as to connect jobseekers with successful Slovenian IT companies and to promote their interaction.
Innovation
NT Remote May*
When preparing the event concept in May, we had in mind, that we need to give added value to all stakeholders (attendees, partner, sponsors, speakers). All those activities needed to be coordinated and carefully connected between each other to bring final success of the event.
NT Remote November
In November the cooperation with partners was also very important from the financial part of the project, which was, just like the NT Conference, self-fundable. Therefore, we designed the event as an effective marketing and sales funnel. Through different possibilities at the platform we engaged them in the process before the event –we implemented customized e-booths with real-time analytics, videos, documents, contacts. We enabled them targeted interaction with prospects through 1:1 meetings, chat and pitches before, during and after the event, and therefore empowered them to carry out their sales activities and to gain as many sales leads as possible, also through exact analytics of their activities.
In order to guarantee the leads for our sponsors we prepared interesting content to attract enough attendees. Besides the classic sessions we offered some interactive hands-on workshops and enabled them to interact at the sessions. One of the biggest added value for the participants were 1:1 consultation slots with the speakers, that were intended for them only. It is only innovative approach that can bring you some added value in the world of free virtual contents.
Execution
NT Remote May*
When organizing the NT Conference in March, we were faced with a complete lockdown. We decided to transform and adjust everything we were planning, in order to give people useful knowledge to provide flexibility and business continuity. We created a virtual event NT Remote in less than two months – the execution of NT Remote was therefore very quick and full of daily adjustments and compromises.
NT Remote November
When we started to plan the NT Conference in November, we had in mind that it could happen that we won’t be able to perform a live event. Therefore, we prepared two scenarios and decided for the second one in summer.
As the event is self-fundable, we had to be extra careful and we had to rethink our priorities – do we invest in a studio again and offer less content and a simple platform, or do we search for more added value and invest in a smart interactive platform, which enables more networking, offer more content and perform the entire event without a studio. We decided for the second option and performed the entire event ‘remote’, which means that not even two people were sitting together in one room – 9 members of organizers team and 15 technicians, all of us were working remote, with all the 8 parallel sessions per day performing on live stream. NT Remote blurred the boundaries between real and virtual and with this event we proved that we are able to perform a high-level virtual event also in most difficult pandemic circumstances.
Measurable results
NT Remote May*
In May it was our first time to be working on a project like this, besides, not many similar events happened in our region, so we had more questions than answers. Through the use of Power BI we received many relevant and useful information, that gave us an insight in the perception of NT Remote.
NT Remote November
When organizing the second event, we had more information, that we could work on, except for the part with the participation fee. But we were convinced that the participants and sponsors will recognize the added value of the event and attend. And they did. Besides that, they all also recognised the platform as an effective tool for networking and engagement.
Registered users: 946
(CXOs; Microsoft partners and customers; business decision-makers; IT experts, specialists and developers; HR managers, marketing managers)
1:1 meetings: 521
1:1 individual consultation slots with the speakers: 750
1:1 sales meetings: 343
General satisfaction: 4,8 out of 5
Content satisfaction: 4,7 out of 5
Satisfaction with event organization: 4,7 out of 5
87 % of participants would recommend NT Remote to their co-workers and friends
83 % of participants would attend the event in the virtual form again (if the pandemic situation wouldn’t allow live event)
One of our biggest challenges was to ensure the successful financial structure of the project also through cooperation with partners – the event was well accepted and supported by 30 NT Remote partners and sponsors.
Communication
NT Remote May*
NT Conference is a brand with 25 years of tradition, so cancellation of it in May was not an option. Even though we postponed it, we found a new way to keep the event alive and to offer relevant content, related to the specific time we live in. Besides that, virtual events like NT Remote can reach not only companies and professionals that are visiting a live event in certain time and place but also others individuals, that are not able to join it.
NT Remote November
When thinking about the event in November and how to bring it closer to a live experience, there was only one answer – to increase the interaction between all the stakeholder. We need to realise the fact that virtual events mostly don’t offer many interaction possibilities, but with some extra features, we created a much more ‘live-event’ feeling.
- Numerous possibilities of interaction between participants, speakers and sponsors
- Categorization and positioning participants and companies based on their interests
- Smart networking and matchmaking
- Suggestions and recommendations of content and like-minded people
- 1:1 meetings, video calls, chat rooms
- 1:1 individual consultation slots with the speakers
Through NT Remote we didn’t just create new connections, business deals and sales leads, but connected the entire Slovenian IT and business community in one place.
The use of sustainable practices
Sustainability is much easier to achieve with the virtual event in comparison to live. We could say that the word ‘virtual’ is sustainable for itself and very similar to our conference’s concept of digital transformation in general – to keep all the information in the cloud, available and accessible to everyone anytime anywhere.
NT Remote November
Our partner Microsoft has very specific values and we believe that with this event we moved closer to them more than ever before. Some of those sustainable values were also presented by Microsoft President Brad Smith, who held a speech at NT Remote. In his special speech he stressed out that sustainability is very high on the list of Microsoft’s priorities: He presented concrete company actions towards a sustainable and healthy environment and appealed the Slovenian economy to follow their lead.
Besides that, through virtual events, we are empowering people with knowledge – not only ones who are able to visit NT Conference, but everyone, who would like to educate and develop new skills or follow the latest IT and business trends. And just like stated once before – by organizing a virtual event we kept everybody home and safe in order to protect their health and health of people, close to them.
