Each year, the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) annual meeting draws more than 20,000 people from around the world to share information, collaborate with colleagues, network and learn about advances in earth and space science. And, there is a lot of information to present; over the usual five-day meeting, there are more than 10,000 individual presentations delivered each year.
So, as we started planning the fully virtual Fall 2020 meeting, the team had to get creative about how to design and execute an exceptional and flawless attendee experience that supported such a content-heavy agenda.
It’s easy to look at all we’ve lost this year, especially in the meetings and events industry. Our friends and colleagues have been hit especially hard, their livelihoods disrupted by the need to stay home.
And yet, we have seen those same friends, colleagues and business partners design, create and execute virtual experiences that rival the best in-person events. The creativity, innovation and perseverance we have seen across this industry continues to amaze and inspire me, and will carry me through the next few months as we await vaccine news and begin to find ways to gather together in person again. Read More
Even if a meeting is fully virtual for attendees, there is always a physical element. Whether it’s the tech team in a “command center” or speakers gathering in a virtual studio to pre-record their talks or deliver them live, every event starts from a physical place.
And, now, even though most meetings are still taking place in virtual environments, we are starting to talk about and plan for hybrid events with elements of both virtual and in-person. Read More
Think about the best events you’ve attended – both in person and virtual. They likely had one thing in common: An element of fun. Maybe those elements were woven throughout the entire event, from the plenary to the closing session, so that you were never far from something – or someone – that made you smile or laugh. Those experiences stay with us. Read More
At Projection, we’ve been AAP’s audiovisual partner since 1983. Over that time, we’ve designed and executed some incredible and inspiring experiences together, aimed not only to deliver educational content to the association’s membership, but to convey, instill and re-invigorate their sense of community, pride and purpose. Each year, we strive to create experiences that build upon the unique community for which AAP is known. The end result is often goosebump-inducing, as the AAP team finds new and creative ways to inspire their passion-driven members. (Check out our video case study showing the 2018 in-person meeting.) Read More
Like the majority of people these days, presenters are having to get used to delivering their talks virtually. While the experience of jumping on a Zoom has become ubiquitous for day-to-day meetings and even social gatherings, the reality is, when it comes to a large virtual event, there is likely much more a presenter will have to do – both to prepare for and deliver their session. Read More
As the tech people “in the room” (or, more accurately, behind the screen), we are often asked for our recommendations for the best technology and tools for virtual presentations. From lighting and sound to communication, we’ve compiled a list here that we hope will be helpful to our meeting planner partners as they prepare the speakers and presenters for their virtual events. Read More