ROLE: Event lead and budget owner, $3.1 M. Manage all logistics, flow, events team, executives, sourcing, contracts, and vendors.
OBJECTIVES: Assemble global revenue team for a 3-day + 4-night conference to train on new products, services, and company initiatives, increase morale, and align regional teams.
MAJOR CHALLENGE: Omicron hit 3 weeks before this event. We signed this contract years in advance and without qualifying for Force Majeure we had to press on with an in-person experience.
SOLUTIONS & RESULTS: We anticipated COVID interruptions and designed the event as hybrid optional. Attendees were allowed to choose from a virtual or in-person experience.
Virtual attendees had a custom-built event website allowing them to easily consume the 3 days of content and awards ceremony. We also created regional slack channels moderated by enablement staff. This provided a space for virtual attendees to ask questions and respond to prompts offered by the moderators so they could feel better connected to the in-person event experience.
In-person attendees were subject to a complex web of international, federal, and state COVID policies, a challenge our team expertly navigated. With in-person attendees hailing from 9 different countries, we went the extra mile by researching not only U.S. customs but also the regulations of each attendee's home nation. We meticulously planned the schedule to accommodate specific attendees' COVID testing needs, ensuring they could return home without any delays.
To streamline communication of physical contact preferences, we provided color-coded wristbands for quick reference. Our onsite HR representatives were prepared to handle confidentiality and compliance in the event of exposure, and we secured additional hotel nights in case anyone needed to quarantine.
In total, approximately 750 attendees from 11 countries participated in both virtual and in-person experiences."
