Virtually Fantastic – The EGOS2020 Case Study

Virtually Fantastic!

This year for the first time ever, the annual EGOS Colloquium went virtual and Speakeasy was very proud to facilitate this ambitious event.

Over the years the scholarly association has hosted its annual event in various locations around the world. However this year, in the interests of EGOSian safety and inclusivity, the EGOS board took the call to cancel the in-person Hamburg event and, in a coincidental nod to the event theme (Organising for a Sustainable Future), opted for a cutting-edge virtual solution. So from the 30th June for 5 days Speakeasy facilitated EGOS’ 36th colloquium online, hosting 2000 attendees from 47 countries.

At a time when we need to think of innovative ways to be together, Speakeasy is doing what we can to help companies stay in touch, share experiences and help everyone feel they still belong. Virtual and Hybrid events have been on the cards for years! They offer a safe alternative to physical events, but are far more than just a contingency plan! In fact, they offer a whole host of benefits! They can also be tailor-made to suit your brand identity and messaging, crafted to the needs of your target market. They’re inclusive, giving the option for new demographics such as carers and single parents to attend, not to mention accessible, with the full range of BSL, audio description and subtitle options available at the click of a button.

The process of developing a virtual event is almost identical to an in- person event. It’s all about planning and content, putting together a balanced programme of plenaries, workshops, smaller forums, networking and breaks from the screen. Whatever plans you’ve got for your in-person events, we can translate them directly into an effective virtual format.

So tell us about the ins and outs of EGOS…

The EGOS colloquium was a bespoke event designed to satisfy all the requirements of the previous in-person events. Through conversations and planning meetings we built the online EGOS blueprint taking into consideration every detail. The event featured an Opening Plenary & Awards Ceremony, an engaging pre-colloquium programme, International keynote speakers, 6 sub plenary sessions, a virtual exhibition, 54 live concurrent sessions as well as an engaging social programme. Over the course of the 5 day programme this delivered an impressive total of over 470 live sessions!

From a technical perspective the event was seamless. We chose to build the event in a platform which gave us the flexibility to integrate different technology, allowing us to deliver a programme which matched the experience of the in-person event as closely as possible.

For guaranteed quality, the opening keynote and award ceremony included pre- recorded videos. We directed these videos remotely, branded them virtually, enhanced the footage and added an animated sting which we created to inject even more brand personality. Live Q and A sessions were inserted in throughout both the live & pre-recorded sessions, all facilitated by our in-house team.

Prior to the event, we hosted remote training sessions for speakers to ensure that they were confident using the portal. We also issued them with a detailed User Guide so that they could feel comfortable during their live sessions and get up to speed with the interactive elements such as polling and live Q and A’s.

To ensure that the event was inclusive to attendees around the world we set up ‘time corridors’ within the portal so that the convenors for those sessions could set them for an appropriate time to ensure their delegates were able to join the conversations!

So what were the best bits?

There was a buzz of excitement and team spirit as our technical whiz team worked tirelessly to deliver a slick, engaging programme of events across time zones. Feedback from our client and EGOS attendees was truly outstanding and a great testament to the teams work:

“WOW!! What a fantastic video, I am deeply impressed. Worked so well and smooth…! Cannot thank you enough.” Daniel – the Chair of EGOS 2020

“I wish to second this – you guys doing an amazing job” Markus – President of the society

“I just wanted to say the system looks great, and the opening plenary is fantastic.”
Shona – EGOS client

“I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you once again for your great support in making EGOS 2020 happen. Without you and your great support throughout it would never ever have worked. We got excellent feedback and really have set a standard in online conferencing that is difficult to beat…I can only applaud you for all this, your tremendous support throughout, the early mornings and late evenings, going many thousand extra miles to make the impossible possible. And always in good and positive spirit, always a smile!”
Daniel – the Chair of EGOS 2020

Speakeasy’s Operations Director Colette Black said that the best bit for her was feedback from the clients and delegates themselves. And it’s easy to see why!

As Colette remarked: “Speakeasy succeeded in creating a virtual space where their community could still stay connected and share knowledge and ideas, despite all the current constraints.It’s truly fantastic that we could help such a wonderful event continue to take place in these times, and we are very proud of everyone involved!”

You can find out more about our Virtual Events and Remote Filming offering on the following links:

Virtual Events Overview https://virtual.speak.co.uk

Remote Filming https://remote.speak.co.uk