Double success for two virtual global conferences delivered during the pandemic

Picture the scene, it is Autumn 2020, and it’s time for your iconic annual conference bringing together 400 key stakeholders from across four continents. Now, imagine the challenge of delivering the same event during a global pandemic.

When you are leading IT security company Thycotic with bases in Europe, Americas, Asia, and Australia and you need to switch your flagstick live event to a virtual setting, you require the services of an expert and technically advanced event management agency. Cue; Eventify.

Back in the old pre-COVID world, delegates would have travelled from their respective territories to one central event location, scheduled for Portugal in October 2020. Alas, that was not to be the case. And yet, the event objectives remained the same; enablement, knowledge sharing, and maintaining relationships and contact. Eventify was called upon as a trusted, safe pair of hands to deliver an engaging online occasion using the very best secure virtual event solutions.

The event was split into two territories to accommodate the multiple time zones – one for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) audience and another for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Each event content was delivered for two separate channels – Sales & Business Development and Technical with the two sessions running concurrently.

We chose to use our preferred technical partners MSP Global to create a fully branded virtual event. Heavily involved in the pre-event planning and on-the-day delivery we felt confident with their outstanding technical abilities. Using OnAIR, the highly respected event management platform, MSP made the system bespoke to Thycotic’s requirements and brand identity. The platform also managed delegate registrations and attendee data for each session, which was a positive time-saving for the Thycotic communications team.

The agenda for each territory event and their subsequent channel events was a mixture of pre-recorded material and live content. Delegates benefitted from an innovative networking function that allowed for free text chats between colleagues and live text and video group announcements.

In many ways, the services the client received were no different from those of a live event. The Eventify team, lead by Directors Samantha Burton and Rebecca Thomas, ensured the project was delivered on time and to budget with meticulous pre-event planning. On the day of the events, Samantha managed the APAC event and Rebecca lead on the EMEA session, both were on hand to provide full management, just as though they were onsite at a live conference. For instance, making live text announcements for delegates, ensuring speakers were prepared, logged in and sound checked, and keeping everything to time. Operating for almost 24 hours for both events, plenty of coffee was drunk by the team!

Ordinarily, at their annual conferences, Thycotic guests enjoy a live performance from their CEO’s favourite singer, flown to the event from the US. Sadly, coronavirus travel restrictions made this impossible. And so, Eventify helped arrange a special pre-recorded personal performance with the singer as a surprise for both the CEO and guests – a way to bring a bit of normality and pizazz to their event.

This time in January 2021 for the International Sales Kick-Off Conference for 150 internal Thycotic team members based in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

Full delegate engagement was the primary objective. Therefore, we opted for a different approach this time, using Zoom hosting. This gave the International General Manager chance to see and personally engage with participants throughout the two half-day sessions timed to accommodate the different time zones.

Originally the event was planned to be hybrid – part live and part online – with UK speakers broadcasting live from MSP’s studio in Liverpool. Additional speakers who couldn’t travel to the studios had their presentations pre-recorded to be shown over Zoom. However, with only a few days’ notice before the hybrid event was due to take place, a national lockdown was imposed prohibiting travel. Furthermore, each country attending had different COVID-restrictions. Swift action, calm heads, and creative solutions were on hand from Eventify.