26 Mar The Space propulsion event in 100% virtual
The Space Propulsion Conference is an event that brings together over 600 international experts in the field of aerospace every two years. Organised by 3AF (Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France) and ESA (European Space Agency), this scientific conference highlights the latest scientific and technological discoveries in the field of aerospace propulsion and transportation. A must-attend event for all players in the sector: national agencies, manufacturers and research labs.
In 2020, the edition was initially planned in Estoril, Portugal. But due to a very difficult sanitary context, it was impossible to gather everyone in the same place. After a first postponement, the 1st Space Propulsion Conference 100% online was held in March 2021 !
La Créative Boutique, who has been working as PCO (Professional Congress Organizer) for the past 4 editions of the conference, had to use all its creativity and adaptability to design and implement this digital edition.
The challenges were not easy to overcome:
– Offering participants the opportunity to attend lectures and presentations on technical topics such as engineering/science, aerodynamics, propulsion (space and aeronautics) and many others…
– Give the floor to hundreds of speakers, with slots organized in a program with many parallel rooms,
– Promote networking and cooperation opportunities, which is the “raison d’être” of this conference,
– Promote sponsors and exhibitors, without whom such a format could not be financed,
– Perpetuate the partnerships established with the media and journalists,
– But also to re-invent the economic model of this type of conference, by negotiating postponements and cancellations conditions with the service providers initially retained in Estoril and establishing new pricing packages for participants, exhibitors and sponsors.
Together with the 3AF team and thanks to the technical solution chosen (Let’s Get Digital), we transformed this conference into a digital mode, keeping in mind to offer participants the closest possible experience to a “real” conference.
Between 17 and 19 March 2021, more than 450 participants logged on to listen to more than 280 speakers, visit our virtual exhibition, and network with their peers. More than 38 nationalities were represented, an even greater diversity than in the real editions. There has to be some advantages to the virtual format !
Another advantage: in order to tackle the time difference constraints, all presentations were recorded and offered in “replay” for one week. A real “plus” for all participants who are usually frustrated not to be able to attend all the presentations taking place in 7 different parallel rooms.
The first feedback from the participants is very encouraging: “Very well organized, my experience was far beyond what I could have imagined”, “Nice conference, with an even more diverse group of speakers than usual, Bravo! “.
Now it’s up to us to imagine the 2022 edition, which will mark the return to the physical event, but also integrate the best of digital. A clever mix to imagine … and a new challenge for the teams of La Créative Boutique.
Our intervention :
– Project coordination, budget monitoring
– Benchmark of different online conferencing solutions, for final selection
– Re-invention of the business model
– Prospecting for exhibitors, sponsors and press partners
– Relation with sponsors and exhibitors to personalize their virtual stand
– Support on the communication strategy
– Community management of the LinkedIn page
– Assistance on the 3 D-Day
– Production of feedback and statistics.