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CEO Update Roundtable 2020: A Virtual Event Experience

CEO Update Roundtable Goes Virtual

CEO Update’s annual Roundtable Summit brings together association CEOs to discuss macrotrends and hear from thought leaders on the pressing issues facing the business environment. This year was no different. Quickly pivoting the program to the virtual arena, LAI worked alongside the CEO Update team to deliver a broadcast quality, engaging online event experience – equipped with a highly produced general session, interactive breakouts, and virtual networking opportunities.

Always Be Prepared: Pre-Event Platform Previews

To help get attendees comfortable with the virtual event technology, we worked with CEO Update to build out and host a pre-event “open house” two days prior to the event – where registrants could poke around the different areas of the platform and adapt to this new environment. We also worked with our LAI Video colleagues to create an orientation video that CEO Update distributed to registrants, giving them a few tips on how to operate the platform while also getting them excited to join the live event.

From Average to Elevated: Adding Production & Polish

To give the event that high-quality feel and polish that we’d typically deliver at an in-person meeting, adding production value virtually was high priority. From designing the event look & feel to crafting lower-thirds, a custom graphics package, interstitial bumpers, and transition videos, we were able to elevate the event and produce a stand-out virtual experience. We also produced a show-stopping general session, highlighting their virtual keynote speaker Lieutenant General (ret) Nadja West with a moving introduction video and concluding the talk with a live and interactive Q&A discussion.

Ready for My Closeup: Interactive On-Screen Breakouts

A large part of the CEO Update Roundtable event is the – you guessed it – roundtable discussions. To create this environment in a virtual arena, we helped CEO Update choose a platform that allowed for interactive breakout functionality. Attendees self-selected the discussion of their choice and were invited to turn on their video, come up “on stage,” and participate in the moderated discussion on screen. This enabled the conversations to feel more organic and personalized, and provided a great chance for the attendees to network with their peers.

A Different Kind of Speed Dating

Speaking of networking… it was also important to the CEO Update team to facilitate 1-to-1 networking opportunities for attendees. We helped them select a platform that enabled this through a type of “speed dating” feature, where participants would get randomly matched with one another and video chat for an allotted amount of time. Attendees were also given the option to exchange virtual business cards with each networking partner, providing the chance to continue their connections and conversations long after the event wrapped.

Managed and Designed By

With more than 20 years of experience as an event producer, Shannon has produced everything from multi-million dollar, nationally-televised events to a nationwide…

Kate Burns is the chief operating officer at Leading Authorities. With a 10+ year background with LAI, Kate is involved across the company in executing our plans for growth, helping build a company that creates value and opportunity for all of us in the years ahead.

Maddie Abram is the Director of Marketing Events at Leading Authorities. She spends her days supporting the marketing team by managing events and on-site logistics…

With over a decade of experience designing a wide variety of engaging visual media solutions, Benjamin McGeever brings a refined eye and a fresh approach to…