The pharmaceutical company's valuable hybrid lessons
Event Logic
They had been planning their big event for about 15 months. Venues had been booked, speakers invited, and "D-Day" was approaching rapidly. And just as the feeling of having everything under control was starting to settle in, the by now infamous "second wave" struck with full force.
The meeting was of great importance to the company, and despite the fact that the chances of being able to proceed on the chosen date seemed almost nonexistent for a while, the idea of having to cancel was not appealing. Instead, they swiftly changed course and set their sights on a largely digital event, which eventually — in collaboration with us at Event Logic — was exactly what was carried out. Below, the client shares their reflections on and lessons from the gathering that took place about two months ago:
"What was supposed to be a physical meeting became a largely digital affair. So instead of food and face masks, it was all about cables, screens, and Wi-Fi connections. We decided early on to do our utmost to tie all the threads together and make this major meeting a success in digital format. What matters most is of course the value we deliver to our customers," says a representative from the pharmaceutical company.
Tell us briefly about the meeting:
"We had a total of seven speakers, broadcasting from three different locations. Without major difficulties, we were able to reach approximately 120 people with the information our speakers had to share. In fact, we reached significantly more people through this format than we would have if it had been held as originally planned."
How do you view Event Logic's role in this context?
"Very positively! If there is one thing that has characterized this event, it is adaptability. We have had to be extremely flexible, and the ability to quickly and smoothly update and change everything we needed to adjust along the way has been very valuable. Furthermore, I want to emphasize that we received excellent support — when things were most stressful, all communication with the relevant hotels and similar was handled via Event Logic's platform with the help of Event Logic, and we could trust that everything we needed to know was always accessible. Finally, the consolidated invoicing was a very positive experience. It naturally makes things easier for us to receive one invoice rather than several after an event like this. We are very pleased that this was made possible with Event Logic's help."
In hindsight: what are your main lessons from the meeting?
"Technology is of course very important in a context like this — there is no getting around it. This time we brought in external help for the technical aspects. To make the whole thing work, it is almost unavoidable to get some form of assistance. But you need to find the right partners to collaborate with, and get help with the right things. It may take a couple of attempts before you find exactly the right fit on these matters — you have to accept that. So rather than pointing to something specific, I want to highlight that the experience we now have means we are better equipped for next time, all things considered. Beyond that, I can mention the importance of clear role allocation, including internally. It is of course a team effort, but someone needs to be ultimately responsible and delegate tasks from that role — otherwise things risk becoming disorganized."
Finally, what tips do you have for other organizations planning similar events?
"Partly what I already mentioned, such as ensuring that someone truly takes charge and bears the main responsibility internally. But also, when needed, choosing external partners with great care. Beyond that, I would recommend investing some effort in the venues and locations where the broadcasts take place. Ask yourselves what it actually looks like for the participants. A person sitting upright on a chair talking becomes — regardless of content — boring faster than someone who 'gets a little help' from the surrounding environment. Lastly, we recommend that everyone has at least one representative from their own organization at each location where broadcasting takes place. No matter how careful the preparations, the chance of everything going perfectly is quite small. And if a problem arises, it is probably much easier to solve if someone who has been part of the preparations and is well aware of the meeting's goals and purpose is on site."
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