AWS Community Day Virtual Event
Transitioning AWS Community Day Dublin from a live, in-person event to an engaging virtual event.
Services
End-to-end project management
Virtual event platform sourcing
Virtual event platform supplier management
Bespoke event platform design
Event day speaker management
Budget management
Event agenda building
Registration coordination
Attendee communication strategy
Project Background
The AWS Community Day Dublin is typically an in-person, community-led conference where the content is planned, sourced, and delivered by AWS community leaders.
In 2019, Sleek worked closely with the AWS community leaders to create a 500 in-person event that featured technical discussions, workshops, and hands-on labs led by expert AWS users and industry leaders from around the world. 2020 however, presented the challenge of transforming this in-person event into a virtual event with the hope of mirroring the same engaging workshops, technical discussions and ‘hands-on’ labs.
The Sleek Approach
Transforming AWS Community Day Dublin into the virtual evolution that the world of events has become and ensuring the event was held to the high virtual, cloud standard that AWS represents, it was imperative that Sleek sourced the right platform that would be the right fit for both the needs of the event and also the attendees.
The decision to transition the event from in-person to virtual was made 3 months prior to the event after Irish Government regulations around safety measures for COVID-19 were changed. For Sleek this meant a quick turn around on researching different virtual event platforms that met the client’s requirements and Sleek’s own recommendations that would help drive attendee engagement and attendance, which included:
Hosting live speaker sessions from around the world
The ability to run 3 different event tacks so attendees can choose between different speakers and sessions
Ability for speakers to share their screen in real time
Virtual chat and live Q&A features between speakers and attendees
Virtual ‘green room’ space for speaker management before going live
AI chatbot to support attendees looking for assistance on the day
Feature event sponsors
A bespoke platform design and landing page
Recording content and making it available post event
Sleek worked closely with stakeholders to develop the customer journey that included invitations to attend, joining instructions, reminders to attend, stakeholder packages and any event FAQ’s attendees may have. Sleek created a customer journey that ensured that even though the event was delivered in a virtual space, attendees would still receive a personalised experience.
The Results
The transition from in-person to virtual was seamless, as attendees joined virtually from around the world.
After shortlisting, attending demonstrations and assessing the different virtual platforms, Sleek decided that the CrowdComms event platform would provide the required functionality and cost structure that best suited the event.
On the day, attendees signed into the bespoke, custom designed platform and had the opportunity to attend 25 different sessions in the form of online workshops, roundtable discussions, talks and an inspirational keynote from Jeff Barr, Chief Evangelist for AWS. Speakers and presenters were a mixture of pre-recorded and live, and had interactive Q&A opportunities to engage and allow attendees to be involved throughout the day. For those unable to attend the live event day, the event content was recorded and has remained available for others to review and revisit on demand so the event can still drive interest and engagement even though it has concluded.
The success of the event wasn’t just measured by attendee numbers but also by the suitability and functionality of the platform to the event, management of speakers, attendee engagement within the event and ability for attendees to learn and develop within their communities.
“I have nothing but praise for the team at Sleek Events, who played a key role in ensuring the success of our recent AWS Community Day Dublin 2020.
To produce a live broadcast, featuring a large panel of international speakers and multiple concurrent content tracks, requires very detailed planning, coordination and execution.
Sleek not only delivered a professional service but did so with a personal touch.
The event was a huge success and we look forward to working with the team again on future productions.”
- Rónán Ó Caollaí
AWS Community Leader
