Back to Our WorkICES Annual Science Conference 2024
No. of delegates: 770+
Location: Newcastle, UK
Event type: Hybrid Conference
Industry: Government & Environment
Understand:
We worked directly with the department responsible for facilitating this conference, and their parent organisation, to create and execute one shared vision that met the expectations of all stakeholders. We came to understand that this conference is seen as a space to share vital updates throughout the industry, as well as inspiring future talent to find their passion in this exciting sector.
Translate:
The core purpose of this event was to fuel the growth of this thriving community. With plenty of networking opportunities on offer, this client wanted to bring together this passion-driven organisation in a conference that reflected their core values and beliefs, which heavily included sustainability. The success of this conference hinged on being able to fuel the tangible passion across this community, and create an environment where this could thrive for years to come.
Plan:
Knowing that sustainability was a core value for this client, our aim was to make this conference as sustainable as possible, and reflective of the organisation’s wider brand values. We selected The Glass House as the venue for this conference, owing to their high-quality waste management programme, and how their location and ethos reflected that of the client, whilst also catering to the capacity and requirements for the conference.
Over a year-long planning process, we worked with our client to create an AV concept for this event. We provided expert advice on how to execute the AV vision within certain rooms, adding elevations where appropriate to improve the attendee experience and the community feel to the event.
The event itself consisted of a constant rotation of 5 different speaking sessions throughout the day, creating a large quantity of event content that had to be seamlessly coordinated and executed in the right place at the right time. We also wanted to ensure a smooth transition of attendees between speaker sessions and meticulously planned how attendees would move between each time-slot.
Deliver:
We attended to each guest’s needs during the execution of the event, overseeing check-in, and assisting with directions to various talks throughout the venue. Since registrations for each of the speaker sessions weren’t required, we also had to monitor the capacity of each room to remain compliant with the venue’s health and safety policies.
With each room hosting a range of different participations throughout the day, we assigned dedicated staff to oversee each room. To cater to the hybrid attendees, we recorded all the session content, ensuring that these were uploaded and available on demand within the same day of the session, so that hybrid attendees wouldn’t miss out on the in-person experience.
We also paid for the nearby Millenium Bridge to be lit up in our client’s brand colours; an added extra to say thank you to our clients for choosing us as their event partner.
Measure:
In evaluating the impact of this conference, we used a range of tools to gauge audience engagement, attendee satisfaction, and community impact. These included post-event surveys, live feedback, and monitoring participation. With 773 participants (689 in-person and 84 remote), 400+ presentations, 40+ business meetings and dedicated content uploads for hybrid attendees, engagement metrics demonstrated strong alignment with the client’s goals of fostering community and knowledge-sharing. Notably, 264 early-career scientists attended, underscoring the event’s role in inspiring future talent within the industry.
Live feedback from attendees included:
“Through the conference, I’ve made connections with really amazing people who have amazing ideas and there’s a lot of opportunities for collaboration.”
“The UK is committed to supporting, engaging and developing the next generation of marine scientists, we also aim to support and strengthen the IC’s network to ensure IC’s future global success incorporating social sciences.”
