Arinex’ Digital Conference Organising (DCO) team is celebrating a busy first year in operation, marked by a spate of virtual events and successful client outcomes.

The DCO team has produced 29 virtual events in the last 12 months, providing professional advice to a myriad of clients across a range of industries. These events have attracted a total of 7113 attendees from around the world, led to 58,480 sponsor interactions and collection of 2,271,257 data points allowing clients to make instant, informed decisions around their events.

The DCO team was officially established on 16 September 2020, timed by the launch of the “Turn of Events; Bringing Business Events Back” hub and spoke event, which was held simultaneously across 6 locations and live-streamed globally. The event went on to win an IAPCO Driving Excellence Award for Collaboration as a result of the collaboration of 26 industry partners demonstrating the industry was ready to deliver events in new and innovative formats which aligned with COVID-19 safe requirements.

Other major virtual events Arinex’ DCO team has managed include the International Neurotrauma Symposium 2021 (February), the 23rd International Congress on the Education of the Deaf 2021 (July) and the Concrete Institute of Australia National Conference 2021 (September).

Arinex’ DCO team has been gathering statistics on these virtual events, providing clients and sponsors valuable data and insights for increased personalisation and engagement opportunities.

CEO Nicole Walker said a challenge for virtual events globally is demonstrating ROI for sponsors and exhibitors and that these insights provide clients with the ability to customise the attendee experience throughout the event to maximise exposure and touch points for all stakeholders.

“The birth of the DCO was introduced as a new initiative due to the pandemic but will see continued growth and an ongoing necessity in the events sector,” Ms Walker said. “It is fast becoming an industry-recognised service, given the greater need for virtual events and technology, as well as the specialised skills required to ensure event results are exceeded.”

CEO of the Concrete Institute of Australia and long term Arinex client, David Miller, said: “Our industry is very hands on so the thought of a virtual conference was foreign to the majority, including our sponsors. Through a very guided approach by our DCO Arinex, we were able to educate all stakeholders in the value of using a virtual platform and it not being just “another zoom call”. With over 400 booth visits per exhibitor and an average of 32 sessions attended per delegate the data insights have been vital to increasing value for all attendees and maximising return on investment.”