Lorne I&I 2021 Virtual Conference

 
 
 

“I was a co-chair at one session and was very impressed with the level of preparation and behind the scenes co-ordination that went into the session running smoothly. Really seamless and well done!”

DELEGATE & Virtual session co-chair, Lorne i&I 2021

Event Snapshot

339 virtual attendees, with online attendees both within Australia and overseas 10 virtual exhibitors. 

21 expert Australian and international speakers. 

Overview

The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic has seen long standing effects on the conference community. Many F2F (Face to Face) conferences in 2020 were cancelled with some converting to a ‘fully virtual’ delivery. The 11th Lorne Infection and Immunity Conference was not immune from the impact of COVID-19. With global border closures and Government sectioned lockdowns, determined to see the 2021 conference continue the Committee & ASN Events were quick to pivot the traditionally F2F conference fully virtual for 2021. HISTORY 

The Lorne Infection and Immunity Conference has been running since 2011. The conference attracts 200 registrations on average along with 10-15 sponsors/exhibitors and 130 abstract submissions. The conference has always run in a fully F2F format, and never before been recorded for live or on-demand viewing.  

The Brief

Early in 2020 all international and state borders were closed to Victoria posing a real threat to the viability of holding a 2021 meeting for the Infection and Immunity Committee. With the continued uncertainty surrounding border closures and potential vaccine rollout still many months away careful consideration was made to shift the conference fully virtual. At this stage, ASN had run a handful of virtual conferences and were confident  in their ability to successfully pivot the conference on to a virtual platform delivery. 

In conjunction with the Committee, ASN were responsibile for developing a strong program that would generate interest and discussions amongst potential delegates and boost sponsorship through past sponsors. Fortunately, COVID happens to be a key research area of many of the delegates so we were able to leverage topical content as a mainstream theme of the meeting.  

Key client goals and expectations for the conference included: 

  • Providing a virtual program to attract registrations, abstract submissions and sponsorship. 

  • Use strategic marketing skills to drive the program and featured speakers.   

  • Actively pursue keynote speakers that have been unable to travel to Australia before and request they deliver a presentation virtually (pre-recorded) with live Q&A. 

  • Keep registration rates as cost effective as possible, especially for students.

Making it happen

ASN devised a budget which allowed for maximum attendance at minimum cost. The sponsorship target was healthy but not unrealistic. ASN devised a marketing strategy that focused on the keynote speakers aligned with key milestones of the meeting. Keeping the traditional  F2F program structure similar in a virtual setting  was a challenge, however as ASN had run several seamless events with the virtual platform Pheedloop previously, they were able to utilise this experience to adjust the program structure where necessary to best suit virtual viewing and participation, resulting in the delegate (and Committee’s) expectations exceeded. All oral and poster presenters were asked to prepare their presentation as pre-recorded videos. These were then uploaded to the platform (e-posters) or played during the livestream with live Q&A following many of the presentations, even from international speakers.   

e-Posters were limited to a 3-minute pre-recorded presentation and displayed on the online platform as a virtual Poster Hall. ASN checked all presentation recordings in the lead up to the conference for quality and consistency purposes. 

The ECR/Student Networking function was facilitated via Zoom over one of the lunchtime breaks. Up to 10 breakout rooms were used to maintain consistency with the intimate nature of discussions normally held in Lorne.  

Delegates were able to network with one another (including contacting speakers) using the mainstream chat function. They were also able to contact sponsors via the virtual booths. 

Offering sponsors the opportunity to present video presentations prior to a session commencing was one way we were able to generate additional exposure for them in a virtual platform. We also encouraged delegates to access sponsor booths and go into a prize to win a registration to the 2022 Conference. In addition to this, sponsors could also contact any of the delegates using the online chat function of the platform. The Outcome

Outcome

The 2021 virtual meeting delivered record numbers (342, exceeding the previous record of 271 by 71 delegates) from over 16 countries. 10 virtual exhibitors participated in the meeting generating over $50,000 worth of support. The 2021 virtual meeting also received 198 abstract submissions, exceeding the previous record of 179.  

One of the many positive comments received by delegates during the post conference survey: 

“I was a co-chair at one session and was very impressed with the level of preparation and behind the scenes co-ordination that went into the session running smoothly. Really seamless and well done!” 

The planning and execution of this virtual event exceeded everyone’s expectations, highlighting ASN’s ability to adapt under external pressures, listening to client needs and continuing to deliver above expectations with professionalism and flexibility.