Circular and Carbon Neutral Expo: Bringing Together More Than 1,000 Attendees

The organizers

Waste2Worth (W2W) is a company that helps organizations identify and bring to life an innovative portfolio of “circular” products, services, and projects that increase profitability, improve competitive advantage and strengthen business sustainability.

Target Audience

• Small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs)
• Governmental organizations
• Chambers of Commerce
• International cooperation
• Citizens with environmental commitment

Challenge

Organize a hybrid event for more than 1,000 attendees and 100 panelists in less than three weeks.

In July 2022, Waste2Worth teamed up with multiple entities to organize the first edition of the Circular and Carbon Neutral Expo. The organizing committee included national and international institutions such as: 

• Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
• Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism of Colombia
• European Union 
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The three-day event included the following activities: 

• A fair that sought to strengthen sustainable business models
• The presentation of the progress made in the implementation of the National Circular Economy Strategy and the Colombia Carbon Neutral Strategy
• The launch of the Circular Economy Laboratory, an initiative resulted from the collaboration between SENA and the German Development Cooperation GIZ. 
  

To learn more about her experience with Eventtia, we discussed with the event organizer Sara Gómez, Senior Circular Analyst at W2W. As Sara told us, it was the first time she planned such an ambitious event, having to consider a wide variety of complexities, such as more than 100 panelists and over 1,000 virtual and in-person attendees.  

Goals

Sara Gomez and her team had two clear objectives in organizing the Circular and Carbon Neutral Expo.

• To create a space where the different actors of the Circular Economy in Colombia could generate synergy with companies that are increasingly interested in the topic but don’t know how to incorporate circularity into their business model.
  
  
• To highlight the connection between Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality, showcasing how the two concepts influence each other, providing companies with unlimited business opportunities.

→ Before the event

The event organizers reached out to Eventtia one month before the event. The W2W team was searching for an all-in-one event management platform that would allow them to achieve their goals. 

Apart from the platform, the W2W team also requested our Premium Support service, allowing us to accompany Eventtia users throughout the event cycle. This service is especially relevant when the event preparation time is short and/or for large events that include multiple elements.  

After a couple of meetings with the Eventtia team, the W2W organizers determined aspects such as: 

• The event agenda
• The format of each dynamic (virtual, in-person, or hybrid) 
• Streaming integrations (StreamYard)
• Interactivity tools (Chat, Social Wall)
• Design elements for the Virtual Stage and Event Mobile App

The event also included a virtual lobby specially designed for this occasion.

→ During the event

A part of Eventtia’s Colombian Support Team was present on-site to provide assistance and help in case of any platform-related challenges. They also helped to manage the speakers’ streaming connection to the virtual stage. As Sara told us, the presence of our team was a great added value. 

“Alejandra [in charge of Premium Support] was the best thing that could have happened to us. We had many stressful moments, and she calmed us down. Alejandra and her team went above and beyond to ensure the smooth running of the event. They had an excellent attitude, giving us peace of mind and confidence.”

→ After the event

Once the event was over, Eventtia’s team generated multiple reports and analytics for the W2W team. These insights were key, as they helped the organizers to evaluate the events’ performance and derive the KPIs.

As Sara highlighted, thanks to its success and overall impact, the event will be held on an annual basis. Also, as she noted, “We want to use Eventtia forever. Moreover, we want to have Eventtia as an ally for this event and involve your team in every part of the process.”

The recipe for success

Discover Eventtia’s functionalities that helped Waste2Worth to organize a successful hybrid event:

• Online registration: The organizers segmented the event audience into virtual and in-person attendees. 
  
  
• Virtual Stage: All sessions were streamed via one virtual stage, which allowed both in-person and virtual attendees to access the keynotes, engage, react with emojis, and interact with each other.
  
  
• Virtual booths: The event sponsors and partners were able to use and customize virtual booths, gain visibility, interact with the event attendees, and access relevant conversion metrics.
  
  
• Chat: The event attendees used the chat to communicate with other participants and to send their questions during the Q&A sessions.
  
  
• Social Wall: Participants could share their live or virtual experiences, react, and comment on each other’s publications.
  
  
• Personalization: Every aspect of the event, including the Virtual Stage, the Event Mobile App, and the Event Lobby, was fully customized, allowing the organizers to showcase their brand identity.
  
  
• Mass mailing: The event organizers communicated with the attendees, sharing the latest news of the event, program changes, and more.
  
  
• Check-in app: The event received more in-person attendees than expected. The Check-in app allowed the organizers to filter the registrants and streamline access to the venue. 
  
  
• Surveys: Eventtia allowed the W2W organizers to design and send satisfaction surveys to collect feedback on the event experience to improve subsequent editions.
  
  
• Certificates: Eventtia’s platform allowed organizers to create three types of certificates.