Digital Future Society – Virtual Event
Client
Supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation of the Government of Spain in collaboration with Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Digital Future Society seeks to build an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future in the digital era.
Operating with a global vision, the DFS Think Tank explores the challenges and opportunities emerging from the design, use, and governance of digital technologies. Solutions and policy recommendations resulting from the Think Tank’s work are designed to empower policymakers to anticipate challenges and leverage opportunities of the digital age.
Several times per year, the DFS Think Tank hosts working groups to create new policy briefings, reports, and solutions in areas of emerging tech within specific sectors, focusing on digital impact. Until early 2020, these gatherings had been in person, with a carefully selected group of professionals from around the world. Our reality has now been altered and a new virtual format would be necessary.
Our role: Virtual event organisers
Purpose: Transform a physical event to virtual
Goal: Generate a policy briefing and create community
Style: Collaborative work group
Venue: Online
Attendees: 12 people
Who would have thought that a lost mobile phone would bring in a new client in the midst of a global pandemic? As event organisers, we have had to adapt quickly to the new reality, learning to transform in-person experiences to virtual formats. We sat through endless hours of online events during confinement to see what was being created and were not happy with the results. A virtual event needs a different approach to traditional events where attendees can meet in person. The challenge was clear: how would we bring warmth and connection to people sitting in their homes?
Virtual Event for DFS Think Tank
- Brainstorming, brainstorming, and more brainstorming
- Ideation of physical experience box to be sent to participants
- Manage and coordinate suppliers
- Select the best software and virtual tools
- Propose a facilitator and prepare his participation
- Ideation of virtual icebreakers and dynamic activities
- Ideation of engaging virtual networking format
- Structure and flow proposal for the virtual format
- Design and creation of virtual welcome packs and instructions
- Previous tech and software tests with each of the participants
- Manage timings and deadlines
- Design and creation of graphic visuals for the virtual format
- Meetings and rehearsals to iron out all the details
- Prepare all software and virtual tools beforehand, personalising as much as possible
- Creation of run of show and internal communication plan
- Ensure that everything ran smoothy during the virtual event
Conclusion
The key was forgetting what we already knew. With so many years of experience in events, it can be extremely difficult to set aside what you know and love best. Starting from scratch, brainstorming until our brain cells felt like they were going numb, tweaking until we felt that we actually had a format that would bring value to the people connecting to the event.
In the end, DFS, the participants, and ourselves included were blown away by the entire experience, from the much-needed creative process to the actual event, and the results. Actually seeing the engagement unfold before our eyes was incredible and the feedback has been immensely positive, better than we could have ever expected or hoped for. It is most certainly possible to create engaging virtual experiences for events.
