Success Stories

How Here2Start increased attendance by 250% at its first online event

Victoria Rudi
September 23, 2020

Table of Contents

Here2Start is an initiative that helps and promotes international entrepreneurs to get their business started in the Netherlands. Launched in 2019, Here2Start runs a yearly international entrepreneurship festival with a guest country which for 2020 was Colombia. The aim of the festival is to put both the Netherlands and the chosen country on the map by gaining exposure and nurturing a community across both locations.

The Challange

Prior to the pandemic, Here2Start was running in-person events comprised of presentations, workshops, 1 on 1 consultancy sessions, networking sessions, and discussion panels. With no option to run a physical event, Here2Start looked to find the best way to transform their entrepreneurship festival online.

For them, the biggest challenge was finding an online events platform that could replicate a live event. It was important that there was interaction so participants could jump into the conversation, ask questions, and network with other people.

The Solution

By Eventtia’s using event platform, Here2Start were able to create a fully branded virtual stage with a full program, live chat, and Q&A features. This gave participants a centralised place where they could hop in and out of the content that they wanted to engage in without having to access multiple Zoom sessions or Hangout links. Additionally, by offering access to the event after it had finished, attendees could continue to watch the content on-demand.

With the help of Eventtia, Here2Start was able to get the event up and running in 10 days. This was made possible with the help of a dedicated program manager and technology leader who made sure the event was designed to their exact requirements.

By taking their event online, Here2Start have been able to expand their reach across new locations, going from 100 attendees in 2019 to 350 in 2020. In terms of exposure, the event was able to reach 15,000 people. Here2Start appeared in the Colombian media and they were able to form 29 new partnerships.

Together, all of this has contributed to a much larger audience and content that is more accessible. After the successes of their first virtual event, Here2Start will be looking to run more frequent events with plans to run a hybrid event already in the pipeline for next year.

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Victoria Rudi
Senior Content Specialist
With a Master’s degree in Event Management and a keen follower of SaaS technologies, Victoria is an event content master, producing insightful and valuable for Eventtia’s blog and beyond

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