Les défis
The National Urban League had to move all their events to a virtual setting, like the rest of the world, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, even though they were returning to an in-person NUL Conference, they still wanted to host the event on a virtual platform.
Low Engagement and Accessibility Issues
The main goal for the virtual conference this year was to increase engagement and make it more accessible for all audiences. They were looking for a platform that would help them increase their audience reach and make the virtual event more engaging and fun as well.
A Difficult Shift to Hybrid
Another big challenge for going hybrid was to bridge the gap between the virtual and in-person events happening at the same time. The shift needed to be seamless for their audiences to grasp the new medium even with little to no tech savviness.
Finding the Right Sponsors
They were hoping to attract more sponsors and corporate partners for the event. Sponsorship proposals and visibility opportunities was a new revenue model for them. So, they also wanted a platform that could help provide branding space for sponsors. They wanted fully customizable exhibit halls, booths, and lobbies. Sponsors should be able to add their company branding and connect with their audience through networking lounges and chat options.
Galerie des événements
La solution
To increase their reach, they decided to opt for a fully customized virtual event happening at the same time as the in-person event. vFairs was able to bring the NUL Conference to a larger audience that surpassed all of their previous events. The virtual platform was able to reach international audiences and underrepresented urban communities at a national and international level.
The virtual exhibit halls and lobbies also provided a new platform for their partners to host more content. The virtual booths allowed them to use their company branding and impart more information through videos, graphics, documents, and external links. The virtual swag bag made it possible for attendees to take away the resources they were most interested in to refer to later on. They were also able to add networking options like a lounge and live chat capabilities.
Why vFairs?
NUL had hosted a virtual career fair with vFairs before. However, they saw some of the other organizations in the same business use vFairs for their virtual conferences as well. The events were seamless, well organized, and provided more opportunities for growth and sponsor visibility. They wanted to give vFairs a chance as a virtual conference platform after seeing what other organizations had achieved with the platform.
In the Spotlight: Gamification Features
The virtual conference had multiple gamification features for attendees to feel engaged and involved. The event made use of vFairs’ gamification capabilities, such as Leaderboard, photo booth, and spin the wheel. They were able to highlight key events at the conference through the Leaderboard by urging people to attend certain events such as a webinar in exchange for points. This increased attendee engagement at the virtual event, which was their main goal.
Les résultats
The NUL Virtual Conference 2022 received twice as many registrations and attendees from around the world, as compared to previous in-person events. The virtual conference platform mirrored the look and feel of the in-person conference and attendees were able to take advantage of it the same way. vFairs played a pivotal role in making sure that the bridge between the two audiences was seamless and well-managed.
They were able to discuss solutions for Black America and open a discourse on equality and equity in the opportunities for growth, education, and employment through multiple live webinars. Attendees were also able to apply for jobs with leading organizations like Toyota, FedEx, Nestle, Delta, MasterCard, Verizon, and many more through the virtual career fair. The engagement around the content hosted at the conference had the following key statistics:
- More than 3,000 attendees registered for the event.
- The virtual booths at the conference received more than 11,000 visits.
- The NUL Virtual Conference 2022 was able to host 21 live webinars with over 1,100 views.
- Documents hosted in the booths were clicked more than 5,000 times.
- Attendees applied for over 580 jobs through the virtual booths in the Career Fair halls.
