Case study
Transforming to virtual inside a week
vent management agency
MCI China recently
entirely redesigned,
coordinated and delivered
an offline product launch event into a
combination of live and virtual attendee
experiences within a week of the event
date.
MCI China was the mandated agency
for the management and design of a
global product launch event for a Chinese
multinational technology company and
faced a situation whereby certain
elements of the event were not able to
take place as planned, due to
governmental regulations and health
restrictions pertaining to coronavirus.
The challenge, which jeopardised the
participation of key stakeholders, was
accepted with just one week to go before
the event date.
After collaborating with the client to
identify the best alternative and handling
cancellation regulations, the MCI China
team decided to transform the event into
a hybrid one.
The agency re-evaluated the necessary
elements, taking into account user
experience, design, strategic purpose and
technology.
It was important that the online user
experience had the same essential
elements as the offline original event
design.
MCI China developed an offline
environment and demo area in which
media and channel partner guests were
present and participating in the keynote
and other live speakers’ presentations
while they were being broadcast and
recorded.
The result was a hybrid event, where:
• 500 media and channel partner guests
participated safely live at the product
launch over half a day
• Event elements were broadcast via live
online stream on client-owned platforms
• Information was made available in seven
languages
• The live streams had a mobile-centric
functionality and were all branded with
the client’s logo
• The product launch content had a
significantly enlarged reach.
The client’s creative director admitted
not being able to provide enough
guidance for the product demo area, and
so the agency paid a visit to the
company’s own store to learn about the
products “and create a uniform and
It was
important that
the online user
experience
had the same
essential
elements as the
offline original
event design.”
Above: A week
can be a short
time in event
management
complete showcase”.
Florence Chua, director, Greater China
Development, MCI China said: “This
project was a true test of the team’s
can-do attitude and relationship with the
client. Together we overcame all the
uncertainties and changes to deliver the
best possible hybrid experience for both
live and online participants amid the
challenging period.”
Challenges included supporting the
client in handling the cancellation and
issues concerning committed contractual
obligations and identifying the best
alternatives. Although there were WHO
recommendations, there was a lack of
guidance documents from the host city
and venue.
There was a need to balance the need
to be socially responsible for Covid
prevention and be sensitive to local
culture and norms (Covid had not broken
out locally at the time so the community
had low level of awareness and organisers
were anxious not to cause anxiety and
discomfort.)
Organisers redesigned the flow of the
onsite attendee experience from
registration to security, to consider open,
well-ventilated space, and efficient human
flow; increasing space per participant but
maintaining the level of connectivity with
the brand and the content. Physical
touchpoints were reduced.
The live broadcast had to be
redesigned to be viewed online with
maximum screen composition. A
pre-streaming experience using
introductory video to ‘warm’ the screen
was put in place and technicians balanced
the colour temperature of pre-recorded
video and live stream, as well as the
sound capture and quality of the different
video sources for a more unified look and
feel.
Overall, the team achieved a complete
integration of live event + recorded + live
broadcast in a week, from design to
delivery.
50 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 107