Carly Smith
Director of Operations
Acuity: Investor Day
Virtual Events: The Standard, Not The Exception.
Live, virtual events are here to stay. They may have emerged out of necessity in the middle of the pandemic, but in a post-pandemic world we have found that a hybrid event is essential to the success of it.
THE PROBLEM
Acuity Brands is a lighting and technology company that has expanded significantly in the last few years.
Their largest event of the year in 2021 was on the verge of cancellation due to health and safety concerns. They reached out to their video and marketing partners at Between Pixels (that’s us) to help them continue to make their event a reality.
FROM CANCELLED TO COMPLETE
With the impending threat of having to cancel their largest investor event of the year, Acuity and Between Pixels were able to work together to create a live virtual event that had a major impact on all attendees. By creating a mix of pre-recorded content with live, interactive content, the event felt seamless and personal.
IT’S ABOUT THE AUDIENCE
The differentiating factor in this live, virtual event was its personal touches. Using Between Pixel’s proprietary digital platform to stream the event allowed Acuity to brand and customize the audience’s experiences. The content also felt up close and inviting and allowed viewers to feel like they were simply having a seat at the table with experts in their field. These key factors made the event a huge success because the audience felt like it was tailored for them.
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED
Some statistics have stated that prior to the pandemic hybrid events (a mix of in-person and virtual streaming of the event) only accounted for less than 20% of all events. But even then, Between Pixels was working on creating tools to help with those streaming events. Now, well after the chaos of 2020, the majority of events (over 50%) still offer a hybrid streaming element to them.
THE BENEFITS OF VIRTUAL
Beyond the success of Acuity’s event, we know there are lasting benefits to having either an all-digital experience or a hybrid model for events. It allows more attendees to participate in the gathering and untethers them from the need to be local. Virtual options open the doors to world-wide access and can help offer a balance to attendees that have too much on their plate already to make time for. When you open the doors of your event to a virtual audience, you open your doors to success.