Zagreb Digital Nomad Week

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Basic Event Information:

Zagreb Digital Nomad Week and Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Project

Date: 21-27 June 2021 (July – December 2021)
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Organiser: Saltwater Nomads (Media partner Total Croatia News)
Client: Zagreb Tourist Board

EVENT CATEGORY: CROSSOVER
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID

Event description and key objectives

7 days. 7 themes. Plus a 6 month global ambassador project. Zagreb held a groundbreaking event for digital nomads in June 2021, only 6 months after devastating earthquakes in 2020.

The entire city was the venue.

For one special week in June, the capital city drew in remote professionals in person, and reached a global online audience of over 70,000, to cover emerging themes in remote work and highlight lifestyle and experiences in the city.

Zagreb Digital Nomad Week ran from 21 to 27 June 2021, in person and online for a series of 7 themes over 7 days, covering: cyber security, online presence, remote careers, tax & finance, future of work, wellbeing and exploring Zagreb.

There were over 26 speakers, streaming live from Bali to Barcelona, Manly Beach in Sydney, to a coworking space on Zagreb’s British Square, struck by one of the earthquakes.

OBJECTIVES:

Zagreb is rebuilding its vibrant image, after a series of earthquakes in 2020. As businesses reopen, attracting Remote Professionals to the Croatian capital has become a focus for the Zagreb Tourist Board (ZTB) as Croatia was among the first countries in the world to offer a ‘digital nomad permit’.

During ‘Zagreb Digital Nomad Week’, the first of 6 monthly ‘Digital Nomad Ambassadors’, was announced – selected from applicants from around the world. These events are part of a multi-year strategy to raise awareness about Zagreb as a destination and ultimately build a community of remote professionals.

Key challenges

Several areas stand out as the challenges for the event.

* HYBRID EVENT IN MULTIPLE VENUES
* NEW AUDIENCE
* COVID19
* EARTHQUAKE
* STAKEHOLDER AWARENESS AND EDUCATION

1. HYBRID EVENT IN MULTIPLE VENUES
This event was delivered as a hybrid – online and in person. Further, it was across multiple venues, with daily livestreaming.

2. NEW AUDIENCE
As this was the first time this event had been held, many of the attendees were not familiar with the event nor the city.

3. COVID19
Due to current epidemiological measures, the number of attendees at any one venue was restricted. This was managed and the focus on the online delivery to ensure all sessions could be viewed and the safety of all physical attendees always a priority.

4. EARTHQUAKE IMPACT
The damage from the earthquakes in the capital and nearby towns in 2020 has impacted many businesses, lives and employment. The challenge here was to support all those impacted – through bringing extra business, and a boost to morale.

5. STAKEHOLDER AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
Digital nomads are a new concept for many local residents. Many businesses who were contacted required education on this target audience and required improvements to services will take some time. For others, there were established providers and early adopters who embraced and truly welcome and understand this audience.

Creativity

Creativity, Community, Movement, Long Stay tourism are at the heart of this event.

The concept was devised to showcase the entire city – and make use of cafes, bars, coworking spaces and restaurants – taking a distributed, or ‘nomadic’ conference approach by moving from venue to venue.

Creativity
For Zagreb Digital Nomad Week, the entire city was the venue. Everywhere from parks to coworking spaces, gyms and bars were used. And one week was seen as just the start of this story as Zagreb Tourist Board embarks on sharing their city with a new audience which grew overnight: remote professionals.

Movement
The 1 week event was intentionally distributed, or, ‘nomadic’ – with the weekdays based on breakfast, brown bag lunch and happy hour sessions across cafes, coworking spaces and hotel lobbies. This was intentionally designed to bring a dynamic feel to the event, and show as much of the city as possible.

Friday was a full-day conference with over 20 speakers, covering The Future of Work. The sessions were held as keynotes, panel and interactive sessions.

Longevity
By bringing in a 6 month project, with 1 month periods, brings longevity to this project – and brings in further diverse experiences as a diverse group of winners are selected to serve as ambassadors and tell the story of the city in their own way, each month.

Community Engagement
The Hopin platform was a key tool to deliver a means of engaging with chat, speed mentoring and Ask Me Anything Q&A sessions.

Innovation

Big names – from Bali to Barcelona, Banks, Business Writers and Government Officials.

Zagreb Digital Nomad Week brought the Future of Work to the Croatian capital. We hosted thought leaders from global communities, industry trend and tourism experts and governments. Seasoned digital nomads also joined us in person and virtually. We invited speakers to bring global insights into three areas of the future of work: the evolving workplace, the rise of remote work and the importance of community building, especially as it relates to Zagreb.

The Digital Nomad Association Croatia also invited its network, among them its major corporate supporters, Raiffeisen Bank, Hrvatski Telekom and global consultancy KPMG. Croatia’s digital nomad permit has placed Croatia firmly on the map for many seasoned and new remote workers. It enables millions, who have previously been limited by long office commutes and only 2 weeks vacation, to now base in a new place – and explore new career and lifestyle opportunities.

Execution

An event company, media company, Tourist Board… and a CEO’s dog.

This event was delivered in partnership with Total Croatia News, the Zagreb Tourist Board and managed by Saltwater Nomads. There were multiple venues and a global audience.

Interactive and Livestreamed
The program was hosted using the interactive Hopin hybrid event platform and simultaneously livestreamed via Streamyard across Hopin, YouTube and Facebook. As the target audience is digital nomads and remote workers – the venues were spread out across the week, to cater to a variety of personal and professional preferences as it is a very diverse audience.

The client, Zagreb Tourist Board, has been publishing to the partner media company, Total Croatia News and this event brings on a new stakeholder with the event lead, Saltwater. The program is now progressing positively, with a very collaborative approach and co-creation as part of the ongoing 6 month ambassador program.

Growing Network
The one week event set the foundations for the 6 month project, with support from all bars, restaurants, hotels and coworking spaces now engaged and hosting the incoming AMbassadors (and in many cases, their partners) for their month in Zagreb. This community of local and visiting remote professionals demonstrates the longterm goals are being met – to build a community and maintain strong relations between the client and service providers connected to this event.

Measurable results

With a spend of under 2,000 EUR per month for 7 months, the reach of the event and 6-month project is substantial. This equates to approximately 100,000 HRK and access to over 100,000 people.

The online event was promoted among the largest LinkedIn community for remote professionals, as the community manager attended in person as a keynote speaker to cover The Rise of Remote Work. Close to 70,000 members are part of this community, with the second keynote speaker leader of a digital nomad community of over 20,000 people.

The online sessions had over 500 registrations, with over 10,000 views online across the live-streamed videos and their replays, collectively. This is on the Hopin, YouTube and Facebook platform.

The event page has received a page click increase of 693% on standard days.

Arte TV (European Culture Channel for over 30 years) interviewed the event organiser Tanja Polegubic and Veronica Mulhall, the first Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador, in Zagreb for July. These interviews were broadcast on 11 July 2021, in a segment entitled “Croatia: Cradle of Tech Innovation”.

More than 10 major media portals for news, tourism, meetings and events sector covered the event through articles.

Communication

The goal was to raise awareness for Zagreb as a destination of choice for Digital Nomads, especially with Croatia’s new digital nomad permit, which enables third-country nationals to stay in Croatia for up to 1 year. Further, the permit and events like this reach any remote professional, whether they are EU based (and thus do not require the permit), looking to stay for an average of 1 month and now know Croatia is a place to combine business and tourism, as the entire world embraces working remotely.

This event has raised awareness through the largest English language news portal in Croatia, Total Croatia News, with a dedicated section on Digital Nomads.

The event has also been circulated online – website and social media, including the channels for Zagreb Tourist Board, Saltwater Nomads and Total Croatia News. Multiple online forums specific to expats and digital nomads also have shared content, as selected speakers have large followings among their audiences.

The event reach is further communicated each month to the personal and professional channels of the selected digital nomad ambassadors. Media coverage continues, with local and international media sending interview requests.

The use of sustainable practices

This event was produced with a focus on environmental, economic and social issues.

Sustainability Panel Theme:
The “Future of Work” day had the theme of Sustainable and Regenerative Destinations for the first panel. Panelists included directors of the Zagreb and Dubrovnik Tourist Boards, a NY based travel writer, professional adventurer and blue economy expert as moderator.

Hybrid and Longtermism:
By choosing a hybrid format, virtual attendance allows for less impact on the environment.
The emphasis on longstays (i.e. 1 month) for the Zagreb Digital Ambassador further demonstrates sustainable practices.

Economic:
The social and economic issues from the COVID19 pandemic and earthquakes affected Zagreb. This event was specifically designed to bring customers to businesses who were most impacted by the events of 2020, among them coworking spaces and hospitality businesses.

Environmental:
Along with the benefits of virtual attendance on the environment, each day’s venues were mostly accessed by public transport and by walking.

Social:
A longterm vision to build community was evident from the strong collaborations between businesses and even other cities. City representatives from each corner of Croatia were present – including, central Istria, Northern and Southern Dalmatia.

The panel on sustainable and regenerative destinations enabled viewers to understand the commitment and direction of cities in Croatia, their decision makers, tourism professionals and storytellers.

Supporting Accounting and Auditing Developments and Synergies

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Basic Event Information

Date: 29-30 June 2021
Location: Skopje, North Macedonia and Online
Organiser: Center of Excellence in Finance and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
Client: Public officials in the accounting and auditing profession

EVENT CATEGORY: B2I
EVENT SUBCATEGORY: Best CSR Event / B2I
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID

Event description and key objectives

Managing Public Sector Assets covered:

• The challenges of improving public sector non-financial asset management (AM), institutional frameworks, ownership policy, the role of accounting reform in AM processes, effective AM, the role of performance auditing in managing public sector assets, building a Community of Practitioners in the field of AM to create synergies between countries with similar challenges, encourage inter-institutional and international cooperation, and foster improvements in this area.

Anticorruption addressed:
• Current examples of fraud and anticorruption frameworks, effective systems of internal control, accounting and auditing relationship to promote anti-corruption and anti-fraud practices
• Education and training opportunities to address fraud and corruption prevention practices
Leadership for reforms spoke about:
• Success stories of leadership supporting the implementation of reforms, successful management of public finance during the pandemic crisis and post-crisis period, change management bridging from technical skills and knowledge through IT towards leadership to support the implementation of reforms
We also discussed Promoting Accountants’ and Auditors’ Learning and Knowledge Sharing – how learning concepts and modalities can support both professions in gaining the required knowledge and skills to increase performance and contribute to the implementation of reforms.

Key challenges

In the preparation phase and during the delivery of the conference we were facing different challenges:

Two organization teams from Slovenia and the UK had to coordinate from a distance and communicate with service providers only online
Whether to opt for a hybrid format or just prefer online instead, and when to transform the agenda completely to an online format, if circumstances were unfavorable due to Covid-19 and would require such a decision
Unstable and challenging airplane connections that increased the cost of flights and prolonged the time of travelling
Would we have a sufficient number of participants who would be willing to participate face-to-face
Would the experts be willing and able to travel and participate live
What would be the setting of participants in the conference room due to the changing measures of the hotel because of Covid-19 (sitting order, meal arrangements and networking activities)
How to prepare a program that would engage both face-to-face and online audiences, so that no one would feel excluded
How would the moderator facilitate the discussion combining face-to-face and online panelists
How would two co-moderators coordinate the discussion, if one was online and the other on spot

Creativity

With weekly online meetings 6 months before the event, the two organizing institutions overcame the challenges of distant event coordination and strengthened communication and trust.
The learning initiative was designed as a hybrid event, bringing together participants from all over the world.
The hybrid aspect of the event enabled smooth interaction between participants and experts both online and f2f.
The event was delivered in English and Macedonian. Simultaneous translation was available online and on spot.
With the agenda already finalized, we were still approached by experts wanting to introduce their country cases. Since the agenda could not be changed, we let them use part of the time slots intended for discussions. This way everybody benefited from hearing about the best practices.
Since we still had to observe health recommendations, all face-to-face participants received protective masks with the logos of the organizers and a slogan “Speaking up for public finance”.
For every session, we appointed selected experts to act as “reporters”. They had to prepare a summary of the discussion, identifying challenges, needs for improvement and potential best practices. The reports will be published, giving a broader audience insight into the outcomes and serving as a platform to organize the next conference in 2022.
As a post-event activity, a professional artist will prepare a drawing this September. It will feature the elements and outcomes of all topics discussed

Innovation

Cooperation of the CEF and CIPFA teams brought together a pool of international and regional experts and made it possible to reach a very broad audience – 30 countries from around the world. By using a hybrid format, we were able to attract distant experts and participants who could not have otherwise participated at a live event. By co-creating the promotion of the event and having preparatory meetings with panelists, they became part of the team before the event even started. This contributed to a relaxed and positive atmosphere at the conference. We strengthened the recruitment process also with a podcast interview with both organizers to shortly introduce the conference and both teams. A broader audience could follow the conference by using #CEFCIPFAconf21 on different social media. At the conference, we collected experts’ statements which we will use after the conference as a wrap-up and input for the preparation of the next conference in 2022. Instead of introducing the speakers in detail at the conference, we prepared a digital brochure of their biographies per discussion area, presenting also the organizing teams. A digital brochure was published on the CEF website as an introduction to the event and participants were guided to it with a QR code printed on the conference agenda. The logos of financial contributors were visible during the conference on the LED screen instead of using a banner. All the conference materials were distributed digitally, except the agenda.

Execution

We started preparing for the conference already in December 2019. The preparation group consisted of three CEF staff members and three CIPFA staff members;other colleagues joined in the execution phase of the event. It took a lot of effort to prepare the agenda because we were carefully choosing the relevant topics and experienced experts. At that time, we were still not sure if it would be possible to go for a hybrid format, due to the pandemic.

In order to reach a wider audience, the program started at 13:00 CET, which allowed us to connect various countries from all over the world and promote regional cooperation. At the same time, the introduction of cases globally showed that different public sector environments may face the same or similar challenges. The two-day event brought together accountants and auditors from ministries of finance and line ministries, representatives of supreme audit institutions, HR managers, representatives of academia, certified CIPFA accountants and auditors, and other public officials whose work relates to the discussion topics. The title of the conference proved to be the right choice, as the blend of excellent presentations and vibrant discussions, both at the venue and online, provided a great opportunity to build on the knowledge of both professions. As the pandemic severely hindered access to networking and the benefits it brings, for those attending the conference face-to-face, this was also a chance for a more direct exchange of ideas.

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Measurable results

• 197 delegates from 30 different countries
• More than 90 different institutions
• Overall satisfaction: 4.8 out of 5

A few messages from participants after the event in the evaluation form:

Everything was perfect.
I have no recommendations on this topic, everything was organized at the top level.
It was very useful, I don’t know what else should be improved.
Excellent arrangements. It was a useful program.
You did a great job. Looking forward to new conferences.
I was able to obtain additional knowledge. Thank you very much for organizing such an event.
Thank you so much for an excellent conference – great speakers and discussions, and very well organized.
Thanks for delivering the topics in the conference. I hope to be part of other conferences in the future, for my personal and professional development, to share and do things in a different way, and use the experience gained from you. Thank you again.
I very much enjoyed the conference and I thought you and your team were brilliant, so well done!
You organized and delivered the whole event perfectly well. In these challenging pandemic times, very few international organizations provide professional development and networking opportunities in my field of academic and professional interest. Look forward to our joint future conferences, trainings and development projects.
AFROSAI-E remains grateful to having been given such an opportunity to share its tools in such a diverse forum of experts.

Communication

The invitations were sent to the public accountants in North Macedonia. They had a priority in registration, but otherwise it was open to a worldwide audience. We conducted a selection of participants. Starting already in May, we involved some of the panelists to give insights into their topics and published them on social media. An info letter was sent to the registered before the event, and a thank you letter with digital materials and photos after the event. There was also a follow-up with selected individuals on their involvement in particular sessions, meeting outcomes, calls/e-mails, etc. Strategy:

Creating visual aids for online promotion
Creating hashtag #CEFCIPFAconf21
Increasing event registration by publishing short statements of the speakers and behind-the-scenes photos and agreeing externally and internally on information distribution in different social media channels
Posting regular updates
Recording statements from participants and speakers during the event (multi-purpose, post-event usage)
Podcast recording with the organizing partner
Execution & results:
Live reporting from the conference in social media channels
Utilizing Instagram stories for the reporting
Facebook coverage: The average reach and engagement rates of the conference posts were seven times higher than usual
Instagram coverage:Reach rate of 165 vs. the usual average
3 posts out of 4 ranked among top 10 posts since our Instagram relaunch in April 2020
20 new followers

The use of sustainable practices

We decided to use the existing event page to publish the biographies of the speakers. This way we limited the usage of paper that would otherwise be spent for printing 100+ copies of the multiple-page event brochure with biographies. The only printed event material was the agenda leaflet, containing the QR code leading to the page with biographies.
We also gave reusable masks to the participants attending the conference face-to-face to minimize the environmental impact of disposable masks.

“O2XYGEN” – The First HYBRID Fashion Show in the Balkans

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Basic Event Information

Date: September 14th, 2020
Location: Metropol Palace 5* yard, Belgrade, Serbia
Organiser: Vekol DHC
Client: Verica Rakočević Couture

EVENT CATEGORY: B2B
EVENT SUBCATEGORY: Best Corporate Convention / B2B
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID

Event description and key objectives

To simply say Verica Rakočević is one of the most iconic self-made fashion designers in the Balkans that managed to keep her fashion empire grow for almost four decades, would still probably be considered an understatement. A wonder woman with a strong vision and a need to give back to the community, Verica Rakočević pushed the boundaries of high fashion industry in Serbia and beyond, powered by the experience design that was created by DHC Vekol.

Hybrid project “O2xygen” – never before seen in fashion industry – aimed to present the Fall-winter collection 2020/21 by paying tribute to the worldwide medical workers fighting pandemics and giving them all the attention and spotlight. The show was inspired by and dedicated to medical staff throughout the world who are fighting Covid-19 and for the occasion, doctors and nurses were invited to walk the runway as guests of honor – modern heroines and true role models of the notorious year 2020.

Key challenges

It was a moment in time that we did not choose, a struggle humanity could have never prepared for. For the very first time in our lifetimes, crave for O2XYGEN felt so genuine and raw. COVID-19 posed an unprecedented global public health threat, having escalated in the midst of the fall-winter 2020 fashion season, causing brands and design houses throughout the world to shutter their doors and postpone the upcoming runway shows. Major events, including the Met Gala and the CFDA Awards, have been postponed indefinitely.

In the very moment when the entire fashion industry was experiencing a breakdown, we decided to create a unique HYBRID experience for all fashion lovers in Serbia and beyond.

Epidemiological measures were so severe that at first they seemed impossible to follow. However, we managed to specially design the protocol for the occasion, so only thirty guests could experience the catwalk live, while the broader public followed the show through their screens. After days of heavy negotiations, all necessary permits were obtained by the city officials and the execution of the event was supervised by the law enforcement units.

Creativity

Inspired by daily courage of healthcare workers around the world, Verica Rakočević was the first fashion designer in the region to step to the side and say THANK YOU, WE WILL ENDURE, WE WILL WIN. The little things that wove in our everyday lives – canceled jobs, changed plans, uncertainty as a constant, life full of anxiety in the present… We all needed something to get through. We all needed our O2XYGEN.

“We are paying tribute to all these front-line health workers that are spending 16 hours in a row in their protective suits without rest, without air conditioning, without being able to hug their families for weeks”, as put in the designer’s words that brought the audience journey to the climax, when dozens of modern-day heroes gathered on the catwalk for the final defile.

Playing on a loop, the viewers gained a first-class ticket to the front row, first through a mini-documentary that we played moments before the show began. Verica Rakočević Couture presentation was a groundbreaking display of what is possible in fashion’s new normal.

Innovation

By creating the digital-forward fashion show, we re-invented the runway. We designed the interface that looked futuristic, with features rooted in gaming, in order to reimagine the fashion show and make the user experience unique. The immersive technologies and the power of social media helped us democratize the format and make the show more accessible for all respected clients that were unable to attend due to the lock-down.

Hiring professional catwalk models is a tried-and-tested method for fashion of all sizes, but we decided to take it one step further: instead of staying on a safe side, we hired real-life doctors and nurses and entrusted them with conveying the emotion of admiration and compassion to the audience. The result: ultimate catharsis and an intense emotional release of all present.

The event set-up concept was also brand new: to reconcile the practice of social distancing with intimacy at what is traditionally a very social event, was achieved with a little help of a professional exterior designer and some greenery which fit perfectly into the existing background and made the atmosphere feel more natural and attendees more comfortable.

You couldn’t help but think: this is the future of fashion shows!

Execution

The very first hybrid runway show in the Balkans took place out on the open, in the beautiful gardens of the Metropol Palace 5* Hotel – Belgrade’s central setting surrounded by lavish greenery.

Four cargo trucks full of AV equipment were unloaded in the backyard for the impeccable live streaming of the event, three parallel TV direction utilities were set next to each other while 12 cameras transmitted the signal on 14 m2 of LED screens. The livestream immediately gained viewers by the thousands.

Vekol DHC envisioned, designed and executed the event from scratch. Our creative team worked for weeks to design a special user experience for the attendees witnessing the event via their smart devices, while on-site attendees were greeted by a range of innovative features introduced to maximize visitor safety. All necessary permissions were beforehand acquired from the highest city authorities and promotional campaign lasted for three weeks in domestic and foreign media.

Measurable results

The invite-only event triggered a lot of demand from the first moment, so over 3 000 invitees watched the live broadcast of the new Fall-winter ready-to-wear 2020/21 collection launch in real time. Social media organic reach was estimated to over 100 000 unique views in the first 24 hours. In-person, the event gathered crème de la crème of Serbian high society and media, including a few guests of honor such as the President of the National Assembly of Serbia and the Mayor of Belgrade.

While some hybrid experiments have proven impressive globally, they usually did not quite match the commercial impact of a physical show. Statistically, digital presentations on average generate less than one-third of effect as in-person shows. However, due to the media buzz that our event created, the entire “O2xygen” collection was sold out from stores in less than a week – twice faster than ever before.

Communication

The media coverage and output after the show was amazing: over 300 publications, including print press releases, recordings, interviews, TV shows and other, revealing a clearly positive sentiment. On Social Media, posts related to the show went viral under the hashtag #KISEONIK.

There is no doubt we created one of the most anticipated events of 2020, that would later be rated “touching”, “moving” and “history-making” by viewers and the press. The show was called “spectacular” and “admirable” By Hello! Magazine.

The use of sustainable practices

Although fashion shows started out a much more intimate affair back in the days, over the course of time they’ve grown to become one of the most excessive and unsustainable productions. The project “O2xygen” was executed in full accordance with our Green Commitment Policy and sustainability credentials and all precautions were taken during the show in order to minimize any negative impact on the environment. COVID19 naturally led us to accentuate a more experiential digital viewing of the collections by press and customers unable to travel and attend the event, automatically decreasing CO2 emission, weather coming from road or air traffic. We designed branded multi-use face masks that were presented to the attendees as part of the designer gift box.

“O2xygen” also went full digital from scratch to execution – we digitally optimized every step of the planning process and give priority to paperless communication that is beneficial for both business and our planet. Verica Rakočević joined the growing number of ethical and sustainable luxury brands, as her design philosophy strongly promotes environmental and social responsibility and supports animal rights. She is constantly experimenting with new sustainable materials and technologies, by using organic cotton, ethically sourced wool, regenerated cashmere, recycled textiles, while excluding fur and leather from her collections.

DOK – ING Presentation of new innovative robotic system

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Basic Event Information

Date: June 29th, 2021
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Organiser: Komunikacijski laboratorij d.o.o
Client: DOK – ING d.o.o.

EVENT CATEGORY: B2B
EVENT SUBCATEGORY: Best Corporate Convention / B2B
EVENT FORMAT: LIVE

Event description and key objectives

DOK-ING is a global leader in development and production of robotic systems for special purposes. With this event they wanted to introduce an innovative robotic remote-control system for operation in extreme conditions; it is a unique machine that can operate in conditions of open fire, explosion, collapse, high concentrations of explosive and toxic substances. Guests at the event were business partners, suppliers, government representatives and media. It was an event for 70 people. Goal was also to start with the stronger positioning of DOK – ING on Croatian market. Event was organized in one of the DOK – ING’s production halls and for this purpose the whole space needed to be reorganized and transformed. At the arrival, guests were registered according to epidemiological restrictions. First part of the event was the official part, with welcome speeches, followed by robot presentation – the most attractive part of the event. Reveal of the machine attracted great attention of guests, especially media. The break in the program was used for statements, short interviews with company representatives and photographing. After the break program continued with panel discussion with the topic „Opportunities for the Croatian Defence Industry in the Upcoming Financial Period of the European Union”. Panel discussion was followed by networking part – catering was served, and guests mingle, took photos by the presented machine. At their leave guests got goodie bags.

Key challenges

Our key challenge during organization and execution of this event was transformation of the space, which was one of the production halls at DOK-ING factory. Preparations of the space took over a week – the challenge was to keep an atmosphere of the industrial hall but make it appropriate and comfortable for guests to spent there several hours. To have this result, we cleaned the whole space and kept only elements that gave industrial charm and didn’t collided with other scenography elements. Additional challenge for the execution of the event was the fact that the day of the event was the hottest day of the year, so few days before we had to make adjustments in scenography to place air conditioning machines, which were cooling the space the night before the event.

Creativity

Since this event was for the guests on a high level of management and government positions, the whole atmosphere of the event was ought to be quite serious, with strict protocols. Therefore, we wanted to make presentation of the robot attractive and memorable. We organized it as a premier drive. Robot was hidden behind the black curtain and at the reveal moment an operator started the 17-ton heavy machine, curtain was open, we released the fog, all the lights were pointed at the robot, and it made its first public drive through the secured corridor, right next to the sitting guests, featured by the intro music from The Warriors movie. Premiere was a success, because we couldn’t keep our guests on their seats, especially media representatives.

Innovation

The true innovation of this event was presented robot. The guests of the event were quite conservative public, so we didn’t see as appropriate to introduce any innovations related to organization of the event.

Execution

Preparation of the event started few weeks before the event in order to make the space suitable for the event. Setup of the scenography, technical and program rehearsal were done day before the event. Another program rehearsal was done morning before the event. Central part of the scenography was a big stage with LED screen behind. Client had many interesting presentation movies, which were shown on plasma TVs in the space. Official start of the event was 10:30 AM. Protocols of the government representatives arrived earlier, so we went through seating charts and program with them. Response from media representatives was very big, so they took the whole space reserved for cameras. At the arrival guests were registered and served with the welcome drink and a bottle of water because it was a very hot day. First part of the event, with speeches and reveal of the robot went as planned, but the break for statements and interviews we had to prolong, again, due to the great interest of media. Afterwards, panel discussion was also held as planned and was a very interesting content for media, for additional questions later on. Networking part was final part of the event, catering was served, and guests took opportunities to take a closer look at the robot and mingle. Event ended at 2PM, as planned. In total it took a team of 12 to prepare and execute this event.

Measurable results

Due to epidemiological restrictions, targeted number of guests was 70, and the goal was reached. Also, all media representatives we invited, replied, and attended the event.

Communication

Due to big media interest, at the event, and after the event, fey media wanted to make additional interviews and stories about the company and the new innovative robotic system that was presented, so in the next days we organized additional media meetings and interviews. In total, this event resulted in over 40 media coverages, including coverage from all 3 biggest TV houses in Croatia.

The use of sustainable practices

To minimize any over-printing, we made both save the date and the invitation digital, also all materials for media were in online version.

Travelling with ICare

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Basic Event Information

Date: September 2020
Location: 8 italian cities (Turin, Milan, Brescia, Padua, Bologna, Rome, Naples and Bari) + online
Organiser: AIM Group International
Client: SIAARTI (Italian Society of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Intensive Care and Resuscitation)

EVENT CATEGORY: CROSSOVER
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID

Event description and key objectives

“If you cannot go to ICare, ICare will come to you”.

For the first time, a travelling hybrid educational event was realised to reach anaesthesiologists and intensivists where they work and foster knowledge exchange, education and discussion, despite the limitation to gatherings.”

During the summer 2020, SIAARTI understood that the scientific society members, who were heavily committed at the forefront of the ongoing health emergency, needed to feel closeness to their colleagues, discuss on the critical issues they had to face, exchange best practices and solutions put in place in collaboration with local sanitary and institutional authorities. So, it was necessary to organise some educational events for the autumn, in view of the annual conference to be held virtually at the end of November. However, it was necessary to find a solution to facilitate education and involve all stakeholders despite the limitations to gatherings and events, and the lack of time and availability of the association members, hectically busy at hospitals.

Key challenges

Organising a travelling tour during a pandemic was particularly demanding: doctors were heavily committed at their work to face the sanitary emergency and it was not easy to catch their attention; logistics was complicated by all the preventative measures, bureaucracy and limitations; the decision was made during the summer so the time to organise all the tour was quite short; AIM team and client’s staff were working mostly remotely, creating a virtual team.

Creativity

SIAARTI, together with AIM Group International, broke the mould and re-invented the concept of a scientific education meeting. With the “Travelling with ICARE” tour, anaesthesiologists and intensivists were greeted around the country with a travelling knowledge exchange event which went to the audience, rather than the other way around.
This innovative project, born and carried out in such a particular moment, has allowed the spirit of collaboration between client and agency to be strengthened exponentially. The contamination of ideas leads to great results!

Despite the pandemic crisis and the social distancing, association could overcome difficulties and reach out to its members’ needs, realising an educational in-person event which combined safety, knowledge exchange, innovation and ability to react.

Also, the discussion, knowledge exchange and content produced during the tour was recorded and included in the on-demand content of the annual congress of SIAARTI realised in the Autumn: it gives an extra resource really appreciated, because it originated from the concrete experience of doctors in the field. The travelling tour was also an opportunity to prepare the annual congress, which had to be full virtual.

Innovation

For the first time a travelling association event left a unique physical location to reach major hospitals in several Italian cities, with a big, branded truck equipped with a pop-up meeting outdoor area and a recording studio inside. “If you are unable to participate in ICare, ICare will come to you: this was the motto”.

From 21st September to 4th October, the SIAARTI truck went on tour, visiting hospitals in 8 Italian cities – Turin, Milan, Brescia, Padua, Bologna, Rome, Naples and Bari – strictly following preventive measures and social distancing. Thanks to this solution, anaesthesiologists and intensivists had the opportunity to participate in the live events, held close to where they work rather than travelling to a congress, and could meet experts, health managers, local administrators and sponsors, attending dozens of round tables, conference, interviews and “meet the expert” educational sessions.

Inside the truck there was a TV studio where the speakers had their speeches during the 8-hour daily educational program, which were recorded by a TV troupe and broadcasted outside on big screens and recorded to be upload on the annual virtual congress website. The outdoor pop-up covered area hosted also some tables where sponsors could meet the attendees.

Execution

The safety rules were clear for all the involved people (technicians, speakers, sponsors and attendees): keep the social distancing (more than 1 metre), always wear the mask both inside and outdoor, body temperature check and tracking of participants, clean often the hands and sanitise objects.

Furthermore, most of the activities (exhibition, live streaming) have been held outside, where risks are lower. The production of the event was particularly demanding as after the design of the truck and outdoor area, we managed the set-up in all the 8 stages of the tour, which covered 1,800 km overall, including the audio-visual aspects. Furthermore, the logistics and positioning of the truck had to be coordinated in agreement with the hospitals and we managed also the transfers of all staff involved, in compliance with health safety.

Measurable results

The feedback was very positive. Over 8 stages, 800 people were involved, including doctors, speakers and institutions, and 48 hours of training sessions were offered, to the great satisfaction of the scientific society, which was able to put itself into play with an innovative format and to effectively communicate with its members. Physicians really enjoyed this initiative because they have been facilitated to participate in discussions, conferences and round tables useful to update for their daily work, and felt the closeness of the scientific association, meeting other colleagues face to face, in a more direct and spontaneous way, still respecting the preventive measures.

The association’s satisfaction is testified by its Executive Officer words: “Every year, SIAARTI organizes dozens of meetings and educational events, but this year we had to limit our activity. With the Travelling with ICare Tour, we re-worked the formula, taking the event out of the congress center, to reach our members where they work. We demonstrated that SIAARTI is there for them once again and is responding to their needs”, comments Emiliano Tizi, Executive Officer SIAARTI.

The SIAARTI ICare Congress realised in the autumn recorded a a registration increase of 20%, which can be probably related to the closeness to the members and the active communication fostered during the tour. Another interesting data is that we have a high number of on-demand contents views, also after several months.

Communication

As regards to communication, the plan exploited various channels both to involve the internal target and to give public importance to the initiative. The website offered updates on the program and a DEM campaign informed doctors in a direct and targeted manner. Social media ensured coverage before and during the tour, with a good engagement from participants.

Photomath Press Event

Basic Event Information

Date: 18 February 2021
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Organiser: Komunikacijski laboratorij d.o.o.
Client: Photomath

EVENT CATEGORY: CROSSOVER
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID

Event description and key objectives

Photomath is the most used math learning app in the world, with more than 220 million downloads. Reason for the press event was new investment of 23 million dollars that the company got for further development. Main goal of the event was to send key messages from the founder of Photomath, Mr Damir Sabol, and from the investor, company Menlo Ventures. Due to the pandemic and restrictions regarding the organization of live events, we organized hybrid press conference. Moderator and the company founder were in the studio, talking in the form of a TV interview, journalists were following the program online and additional part of the program was a live call from investor’s representative from San Francisco. With the scenography elements we also created the atmosphere of TV studio –in the background of the set we’ve put screens with Photomath branding and big central screen was showing the picture from San Francisco. After the official part of the event, journalists were able to ask questions live, via chat. Event was closed, invitation only, to keep the exclusivity of the news. Since there was no guests present live, we delivered them giveaways on the day of the event to their home addresses.

Key challenges

Our key challenge during organization and execution of this event were epidemiological restrictions limiting number of gatherings to maximum of 10 people. Therefore, we decided to make hybrid event. Another challenge was live stream from San Francisco, due to time difference and potential technical challenges.

Creativity

Since journalists weren’t able to attend our event live, we wanted to make interaction with them stronger online. Therefore, we decided to send them the answer to the main question (What is the amount of the investment to Photomath?) in the form of a quite complicated mathematical problem. Journalists were encouraged to solve the problem via Photomath app if they weren’t able to solve is by themselves, so by the press event all of them new the number, but not the currency and the other details about the investment and the business deal, which made them even more curious.

Innovation

At this point we already got many feedbacks from media representatives that they are feed up with online versions of press events. On the other side, we had no other option to organize our press event. Therefore, we decided to avoid classical live stream, so we created an atmosphere of the TV interview to make it more interesting for the journalists.

Execution

Crucial for proper execution of this event was technical rehearsal that we held the day before the event. It was imperative to assure smooth live stream from San Francisco. For the scenography we used simple, but colourful client’s branding visuals that made nice background and streaming experience for the viewers. Invitation was sent to media via email and by the click to the invitation, they were redirected to the streaming platform. On the day of the event every journalist got a reminder email with the mathematical problem, which solution was the amount of the investment. All participants entered streaming few minutes before start, so we were able to check technical performances and internet connection for all of them. In the technical execution of the event totally participated seven people.

Measurable results

In total we had 23 journalists at the press event. After the event more than 60 media coverages were made – including all key media. This numbers were more than satisfying for client and for us.

Communication

Due to big media interest, after the press event, some of the media wanted to make additional interviews and stories about this topic, so in the next days we organized additional media meetings, which resulted in even more media coverage than initially planned.

The use of sustainable practices

To make all event eco-friendly, we avoided production of any event elements and went all digital – invitations were digital, and scenography was digital, so no waste was produced during preparation and execution of this event.

“Inoviraj – Profitiraj”

Basic Event Information

Date: 1. 10. 2020
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Organiser: Komunikacijski laboratorij d.o.o.
Client: Croatian Chamber of Commerce

EVENT CATEGORY: CROSSOVER
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID

Event description and key objectives

As the part of the national initiative “Promotion of Entrepreneurship”, for our client Croatian Chamber of Commerce, we organized the project ‘Inoviraj – profitiraj“. The whole project took place from May until October 2020. First part of the project were five workshops, where successful innovators, from five different regions of Croatia presented their business stories and representatives of consultant house presented financial supports available for new innovators. Final part of the project was national innovation exhibition „Inoviraj – profitiraj“. It was one – day event that took place at Plaza City Center in Zagreb. Main objective was to present, in live, successful Croatian companies that built their development on innovations. At the exhibition participated 21 innovators. Part of the program was also a panel discussion on topic „Innovations: the foundation of our future“. At the panel discussion we had eight participants, representatives of innovators, academic sector, government, and key institutions. Moderator of the panel discussion was Mr Emir Džanić, expert in the field of innovations, with an international career. Target audience for the exhibition was general public, with an interest in innovations and starting their own business and media. The event was supported with continuous PR campaign and online advertising. Event was also live streamed in order to reach audience that wasn’t able to attend due to epidemiological restrictions.

Key challenges

Our key challenge during organization and execution of this event was COVID-19 pandemic impact. First, date of the event was moved from springtime to fall. Also, additional adjustments were made regarding the number of participants, registration mechanics and catering. Since the interest for the event was big, we organized live streaming, because number of live guests was limited.

Creativity

Creative part of this event was very important segment for the client, so we developed new visual identity especially for this project. Logo of the event was created as stylized representation of the brain. Versions of the logo were used on all communication channels and as the main motif of the scenography. Big wooden models of the logo were used as partitions between different segments of the exhibition, creating interesting visual experience for the visitors. Since disinfectants were a must have at the event, we made cooperation with one of the exhibitors, producer of disinfectant products and created branded mini packages of disinfectant, which were small giveaways for all the guests. When it comes to catering, we also had to come up with a new approach, due to the epidemiological restrictions. We prepared a nice version of the lunch boxes. This way food and drinks were served in a safe way and guests had an option to consume it at the event or take it away and consume it later. To make the content of the event more inspiring, we collected from each exhibitor one motivational claim, and we presented them during the event. This part was very much appreciated from the exhibitors, because they felt more as a part of the project.

Innovation

On the innovation part, we made cooperation with one of the exhibitors, which created new product – a stand which scans guests face and measures one’s body temperature. The stand also had a touch – free disinfectant dispenser and face masks dispenser. This way the whole registration process was done touch – free and without any close-up interaction with the registration personnel, which was an imperative at that period of the pandemic year.

Execution

Once we made all adjustments according to epidemiological restrictions, execution of the event went by plan. Event was set up in a grand, empty conference space that needed a lot of scenography solutions to make space interesting and engaging. Whole scenography was divided into three main sectors – exhibition, conference, and networking. Outside of the main space we set press corner and registration point. Building of the scenography and technical rehearsal were done the day before. Also, large exhibits were set in the space the day before. Guests were able to register for the event via web page form and only pre-registered guests were able to enter the event. From epidemiological point of view, it was important that no more than 100 people was at the event at one point. In total team of 12 people worked on technical and logistical execution of the event. Event started with panel discussion that was held on the main stage. After that, media representatives had their slots to take statements form the panel participants and exhibitors. The rest of the time, guests were touring the exhibition and networking. Event started at 10 AM and ended at 4 PM.

Measurable results

Due to epidemiological restrictions, our goal was set to total 100 visitors during the day. In total we had 201 visitors at the event during the whole day, and over 100 people attended via livestream.

Communication

From the communication point of view, we had big media interest for this event, so 12 media sent their journalists to the event. In total we had 23 media coverages in print, online and TV.

The use of sustainable practices

One of our goals was to make scenography in eco-friendly way, so big elements were made from wood, which was after the event sent to recycling and upcycling purposes.

HYLA World Conference 2021

Basic Event Information

Date: 21.06.2021 – 24.06.2021
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia, Congress Centre Cankarjev Dom
Organiser: HYLA International GmbH & Co. KG

EVENT CATEGORY: B2I
EVENT SUBCATEGORY: Best Private Event / B2I
EVENT FORMAT: HYBRID

Event description and key objectives

Rewarding 700 Top International Sales People
Rewarding 50 Top Sales Directors from 83 countries worldwide
Presenting new products
Presenting new sales systems
Celebrating 30 years anniversary

Key challenges

• Organizing an international event within 3 weeks after COVID-19 restrictions were lowered
• Organizing invitations for people who were living still in countries with harder COVID-19 rules
• 100% safety for all guests
• 100% luxury event for all guests
• 3 multimedia screens + 1 big screen at Cankarjev Dom

Creativity

• A mutimedia spectacle never seen before at Cankarjev Dom
• Organizing an Gala event with perpetual Jazzile artists
• VIP Guests
• Speakers

Innovation

• Introduction of an unique Separator air cleaner
• Introduction of an brand new air freshner
• Professional worldwide online-streaming with over 5000 attending people

Execution

• First conference after almost 2 years at Cankarjev Dom. Everything was superb and perfect!
• First live appearance for world known band perpetuual Jazzile!
• Everything was amazing and 700 people from over 50 countries left Slovenia excited.

Measurable results

Sales records after the event!

Communication

As seen on our Social Media accounts, people were amazed. We received congratulation-letters and emails from over 5000 Sales Partners who followed the event through online-streaming on VIMEO!

The use of sustainable practices

• HYLA is a sustainable company with a sustainable product
• At HYLA, everything based on sustainability

Crossover Rockstars: Angeles Moreno

angeles-moreno-creative-dots-conventa-crossover

MEET THE ROCKSTARS OF CONVENTA CROSSOVER 2021

Every year, Conventa Crossover invites world-renowned meeting planners, marketers, entrepreneurs, and creatives to share their knowledge in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This year won’t be any different – inspiring individuals who have helped co-create and transform the meetings industry will come together from 26 to 27 August 2021. At the same time, we will be opening the stage to a new generation of young and talented meeting planners and marketers. You will learn from keynote speakers who have successfully transformed their events and are recognized as the pioneers of our new reality.

Joining the 6th Conventa Crossover conference is Angeles Moreno, Founder & Managing Partner of the Creative dots, Spain. Before you meet her at Conventa Crossover 2021, we wanted to hear her thoughts on the future of the meetings industry and see what surprises she has in store for us.

Interview with Angeles Moreno

Q: What do you think about the theme of this year’s Crossover – The Meetings Industry AC/BC (After Corona/Before Corona)?

I find it a creative play on the oft-mentioned terms BC & AC that puts a smile on my face when I read it in the program of the event. I hope you will not use their music as torture during the event, as the US military did in 1989! And now seriously… It is highly interesting to be aware of the changes that this pandemic is going to bring and open a healthy conversation around it, and how it is going to modify our existence. I can’t imagine a better place to learn about this new reality than at Conventa Crossover. A date on the calendar not to be missed!

Q: What is your forecast for the meetings industry in the coming year (2022) and beyond?

I am sure that the event, as a marketing tool, will become even more important than before in organizations, because human gatherings will become vital, now more than ever.

But these events are going to be different, they will be omnichannel, we will have to have the necessary criteria, based on evidence and not feelings, to choose formats and investments, which will require them to be strategically designed, aligned with companies’ goals and marketing objectives and above all aligned with the urgent needs to transform the behavior of main stakeholders.

This is an era of opportunity brought about by the demand for professional development in the meetings industry like never before. Because organizations will need global, cross-cutting event strategies, with measurable impact and legacy.

Q: How do you envision agility and innovation in overcoming the corona crisis? Can you share some examples of best practices?

“prioritizing innovation today is the key to unlocking postcrisis growth“

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of life, from the personal (how people live and work) to the professional (how companies interact with their customers, how teams interact and stay productive, how customers choose and purchase products and services, how supply chains deliver products/services). Many businesses simply cannot operate as they have in the past. What made a company successful historically may no longer be possible during or after the crisis.

However, the decline in focus on innovation is evident across every industry, the sole exception is pharmaceuticals and medical products, where an almost 30-percent increase in the immediate focus on innovation is seen (source: McKinsey Innovation through Crisis Survey April 2020)

Business models have to adapt to new market realities and new human needs, and the meetings industry is still dormant and needs to wake up to elevate the conversation about events and meetings within organizations and keep those strategic conversations at a c-level.

Q: How would you comment on the following statement? “Corona-crisis has shown the need to organize events that are responsible to the environment, the participants and the community as a whole”

Of course, events must not only be responsible to the environment and to the participants and the community as a whole. Events must have a strong purpose that brings value and behavioral transformation to all their main stakeholders. Well-designed events have the power to lead change and we cannot ignore this.

We are talking about events 2.0 and “the time is now” more than ever.

Q: What will you surprise us with at this year’s event?

We are working on exclusive content and conversations about data-driven corporate event strategy, human behavior prediction and ROI that we will provide to the event attendees. Something highly innovative that will transform the conversation about events from now to the future.

We are looking forward to traveling to Slovenia at the end of August to participate in Conventa Crossover!

About Angeles
Author of the book “The Time Is Now” and nominated as one of the TOP 100 most influential female leaders in Spain, Angeles Moreno is recognized expert in Corporate Event Strategy and in guiding organizations achieve strategic change and unite company stakeholders in a common vision. Angeles works on corporate event strategy development and implementation across organizational hierarchies, service and product sells and customer experiences.

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THE FESTIVAL OF EVENTS AND LIVE MARKETING

The Conventa Crossover conference, intended for event planners, creatives, marketing experts and all those involved in the MICE business in the New Europe region, will be carried out as a hybrid event this year. This means that you can choose to attend the event LIVE or ONLINE. Click the link below to register!

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Crossover Rockstars: Kim Myhre

MEET THE ROCKSTARS OF CONVENTA CROSSOVER 2021

Joining the 6th Conventa Crossover conference is Kim Myhre, the Founder and Managing Partner of Experience Designed. Before you meet him at Conventa Crossover 2021, we wanted to hear his thoughts on the future of the meetings industry and see what surprises he has in store for us.

Interview with Kim Myhre

Q: What do you think about the theme of this year’s Crossover – The Meetings Industry AC/BC (After Corona/Before Corona)?

I think we can all agree that Covid-19 has been a serious shock to the system. But whilst the virus has accelerated change it is not the root cause of challenges faced by the events industry. Anyone who has been involved in the events business over the last decade knows that it was only a matter of time before changing event audiences and emerging experience technologies, would change everything. Covid or not.

The pandemic has forced an unexpected break from traditional live events that has offered us a unique opportunity to re-imagine how live experiences could be more like we’ve always wished they could be. After-covid the meetings industry is now able to create events that are more engaging, more sustainable and offer greater access and participation than traditional live event ever could.

Q: What is your forecast for the meetings industry in the coming year (2022) and beyond?

“WE already live in a ‘hybrid’ world”

It would be foolish for the events industry to not accept that transformational change is now here, and that it will have an impact on the future of how we design and deliver live experiences. A new generation of digital-native audiences have emerged. Needs and preferences have changed, and new event technologies has created new expectations and opportunities for event designers.

Today, most of us already live in a ‘hybrid’ world that is partly live and partly online. We shop live and online, network live and online, drive with satnav, we read, entertain ourselves and learn online. When we meet live again will attendees want the same disconnected events of the past or will they want the excitement of new more connected, technology-enhanced, content-rich experiences now possible in a hybrid event format that reflects the way they experience the world?

Imagine a future where technology enhanced hybrid experiences are able to reach and actively engage more people in more personalised, convenient, meaningful, and potentially life changing ways.

Q: How do you envision agility and innovation in overcoming the corona crisis? Can you share some examples of best practices?

There’s lots of talk in the events industry these days about how the business is being transformed through innovation and even disrupted by emerging trends. Covid-19 aside, new technologies, changing audiences and growing demand for more personalised experiences have been driving change in the events industry.

There are plenty of examples of how technology innovations have already dramatically improved the way we do live events. Some even verge on disruptive. Take mobile and web-based apps for example, where we can now more efficiently register attendees, track their behaviour onsite, discontinue printed event guides and agendas and increase attendee feedback and participation. Believe it or not, back in the day organisers mailed printed event brochures in huge numbers and received back hand-written registration forms by fax. This approach is now obsolete, but we still register event attendees.

More recently, virtual events have changed the way we bring people together and we have already realised benefits, like greater, more inclusive audience reach, engaging content formats and vastly improved environmental sustainability. While we will surely still want to meet face to face, the truth is that bringing people together online can often be more efficient, more impactful, and even more effective than live events. Most now acknowledge that online or ‘virtual’ events will forever change the way we view live events and will require that we innovate with ‘on-live’ or hybrid event experiences moving forward.

So, whilst the events business may have not yet experienced the kind of disruption that we have witnessed in other industries with products like iPhone, Amazon, Uber or Airbnb, the increasing innovation we are seeing in event technology and design means that big, transformative change is coming.

Fortunately, the events industry does not need to be a casualty of this inevitable change. We have an opportunity to re-imagine and re-invent how we plan and deliver experiences and we can take very deliberate actions to create the industry future we want to see.

Q: How would you comment on the following statement? “Coronacrisis has shown the need to organise events that are responsible to the environment, the participants and the community as a whole”

Most of us agree that Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on changing consumer behaviour, and one of these changes is the increasing interests in brand ethics and purpose.

Event organisers are now more motivated than ever to demonstrate that they care for the social issues that their participant’s care about by exploring ways to incorporate ‘purpose’ into the design of their event experiences.

Of course, featuring Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives at live events is not new. Brands have used live events as a platform to show concern for popular social issues like the environment, diversity and health and wellbeing for some time.

But now, as virtual and hybrid experiences become the ‘new normal’, opportunities will emerge for brands to build brand social purpose initiative that extend well beyond the live event. Virtual events can reach audiences that have not been able to travel or attend live events. Virtual events are more environmentally friendly, reducing air travel emissions, venue energy and food waste. Importantly, virtual and hybrid events allow brands to build and sustain online communities over longer periods of time.

The post-Coronacrisis trend to make event experiences more purposeful, meaningful, and socially impactful is positive progress. But there is still some heavy lifting to do to deliver on the promise of purposeful experiences. We often use words such as break-through and game changing to describe the experiences we create, without seriously moving the needle on social, environmental or wellbeing initiatives.

Creating experiences that are truly purposeful, actionable, and ultimately achieve positive change will require that brands embrace experience design approaches that place the audience and the issues that they care about at the centre of the event design.

Q: What will you surprise us with at this year’s event?

“I am a passionate advocate for embracing change”

I believe that through innovation, we can enhance and positively transform brand experiences in ways that we cannot yet imagine.

Words matter.

We can dramatically influence change and progress in the events industry by how we choose to talk about its future. A ‘nothings really changed’ attitude towards events has the potential to undermine the new opportunities for innovation that the events industry so desperately needs.

‘Surprise’ events industry – there’s no going back.

About Kim
Kim Myhre is the Founder and Managing Partner of Experience Designed, a strategic advisory and creative ideas agency that applies purpose-led design principals to create transformative brand experience strategies. He is an experience designer, consultant, speaker, guest lecturer, writer, creator, innovation activist and brand storyteller with a unique combination of strategic, creative, commercial and international agency experience. Kim is also responsible for creating the MCI Experience – an incubator of innovative experience marketing capabilities.

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