Taking an Annual Event to Zoom: Airefco’s 2021 Dealer Meeting
Planning the event
Airefco, one of the top HVAC distributors in the nation, faced a challenge echoed across the world this year: their live events needed to pivot to virtual. In particular, their annual dealer meeting, which typically brings together several hundred people in-person, would need to accommodate the crowds virtually. This year, instead of a hotel or conference venue, the event would be hosted on Zoom. We were grateful for the opportunity to come alongside Airefco to bring their dealer meeting to life through video.
Pre-recording video for Zoom
After weighing the pros and cons of having a live recording vs a prerecorded program, Airefco decided for the latter. While we also offer more comprehensive live streaming services, we were happy to assist in the creation of a click-and-go pre-recorded event. VideoPro’s task would be to help produce and assemble the content for the two event days. We’d assemble the cohesive program using video content recorded by VideoPro and videos from associated HVAC manufacturers. Finally, each day’s entire program would exist as a single video file to stream on Zoom.
Creating a live-event feel on a live stream
Collectively, we wanted the virtual event to simulate the live event as much as possible. A key part of this would be helping attendees follow the event in real time without losing track of the schedule. The first half of our solution was an informative and attractive content loop for breaks between sessions. Attendees would see a continuous countdown clock for the next session, with a rotation of information including a schedule for the day with the current segment highlighted, announcements related to the event, and a fun video montage of past events. This is a snippet from one of the breaks:
In addition, we created a series of announcements and “coming up next” popups. Throughout the sessions, these would periodically remind attendees of key information they’d typically see in a paper program handed out at in-person events.
A successful Zoom live event
The event went off smoothly, and Airefco checked the box for yet another successful dealer meeting. As always, we were grateful for the opportunity to partner with this great organization. We look forward to continuing to support them in the future.
Are you looking for help with your next virtual live event? Drop us a line, our team would be happy to help!
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