Brick & Mortar to Virtual :: How One Company Took Their Conference Online [Case Study]

By taking what had historically been a physical, brick and mortar conference and delivering it virtually, SEDL was able to use their budget more effectively, make their event more accessible, and reach a larger audience.

The Challenge
With budget cuts and the state of future funding unclear, SEDL, a nonprofit education research, development, and dissemination organization, decided to look for alternatives for their annual face-to-face conference.

SEDL’s conference planning committee was hesitant about hosting an online event knowing that there would be many technical logistical complexities that would be new to participants.

The Solution
That’s when SEDL’s team discovered their Austin neighbor – online event management services provider, InteSolv.

After learning more about InteSolv’s solid online event production track record and their Adobe Connect Gold Partner designation, SEDL felt confident moving forward in the partnership and quickly got to work on the details of their event.

SEDL had a great conference committee in place that already had a solid vision for the event. InteSolv came alongside as a trusted adviser and ally to provide guidance around those elements specific to delivering a complex, multi-day virtual event.

“[Solution Consultant] Mike Kordell made us feel really good knowing we were covering all the bases that needed to be covered. We especially enjoyed InteSolv’s project management style — very structured and organized,” Kathleen M. Murphy, SEDL Project Director shared.

The Results
One of the best outcomes SEDL experienced was around attendance. Without having to worry about travel costs, entire staff groups were able to attend the event instead of just one single representative. A virtual delivery also allowed more speakers and subject matter experts to participate, whether they were around the corner or “across the pond.”

The recorded session gave SEDL content that could be shared on-demand with new audiences, as well as recorded content for future live events.

The success of this event has created a template for other government funded organizations to consider delivering their events virtually and enjoying savings in time and cost, as well as increased reach.

SEDL was so pleased with their virtual event experience with InteSolv that planning is currently underway for their 2014 conference, slated for late October.

View the downloadable pdf of this Success Story here.