After Live Event Cancels, Speakers Band Together to Launch Successful Virtual One
September 6, 2016
The Future of Events was meant to be a launch, scheduled Aug. 22-24 in Amsterdam, but every starter event’s worst nightmare occurred when organizers decided they needed to cancel it a month beforehand.
A stellar line up of speakers had been scheduled, airline tickets and hotel accommodations were made. Despite the last-minute setback, some long-time event professionals banded together and decided to hold a brand new event any way, and it would all be online.
“(We didn’t want) to lose the chance to have a brain date with the thought leaders of our industry that were scheduled to come to this event, we decided to do something about it and fast,” said Dahlia El Gazzar, owner of DAHLIA+.
Teaming up with Liz King, owner of Liz King Events, and Aaron Kaufman, president of Fifth Element Group, and Will Curran, founder of Endless Entertainment, Gazzar said they moved quickly to create a completely new virtual event - [CTRL] + [ALT] + [DEL] – and promote it to the industry.
What was meant to be solely online, though, became something even bigger.
“We secured a stellar speaker line up and intended to have a virtual event, all on-line. The crowd wanted more,” Gazzar said.
She added, “They wanted to meet in person, so all of a sudden 15 popup events were created for this event in different cities internationally, including Capetown, South Africa, Amsterdam, London, Belgium, multi-cities in Canada and the United States.”
There was no charge to attend the day-long event, Gazzar said, everything was comped to make the event happen.
The organizers used a bevy of online tools to put the event together:
· Bizzabo for the registration, website
· Slack to communicate with all sponsors, speakers, organizers, all the popup organizers and main ones had different channels
· Google Drive to collaborate on schedules, sessions, speakers, and docs
The actual virtual event was held through GoToMeeting, although Gazzar explained there was a glitch initially when more than 1,000 people signed on in the beginning of the event.
“Everyone that was logged on at the start had to be kicked off … We didn’t know we were going to have that many people, so our license wasn’t allowed that many people, we had to bring in GoToMeeting to help asap!” Gazzar said.
The sessions touched a broad range of topics, such as talking about the new breed of event strategist, event technology trends, looking at fresh ways to design meetings, how to create more digital engagement and the ROI on marketing, to name a few.
Speakers included a who’s who from the event industry, including David Adler, CEO of BizBash Media; Eric Ly, one of the founders of LinkedIn; Corbon Ball, owner of Corbin Ball Associates; Julius Solaris, founder and editor of EventMB; and Stefania Conti-Vecchi, founder and CEO of EVENTagist, to name a few.
The full speaker list and overall event website can be found HERE.
The very active Twitter feed from the event can be found HERE and a video HERE.
And, for those who are now chomping at the bit to see this virtual event for yourself, HERE is the replay.
Gazzar said the main goal in holding the event was to “co-create and collectively create the brain date and include as many passionate people as possible.”
Stay tuned, Gazzar said they definitely will be holding [CTRL] + [ALT] + [DEL] again in the future.
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
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The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact
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