We had an amazing conversation with event organizer Kristine Dill from Linaro. Linaro leads software collaboration in the Arm Ecosystem and they host engaging in-person events multiple times a year. They had a big event scheduled in Budapest to kick off on March 23rd. The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 quickly changed those plans. They saw this as an opportunity and pivoted to a fully virtual event in just a few weeks.

Kristin shared with us their main priorities when making the shift and some amazing benefits to changing the format of their event:

Host Your Schedule in a Clean Easy-to-See Way

With all their sessions published on Sched and a central location for all attendees to see what’s happening and when, attendees always knew where to go to find the event details. They were able to browse the agenda anytime and log in to find out what sessions were the most important to them. 

Let Speakers Manage Their Information

Linaro Tech Days made it possible for their speakers to log into their own profiles to upload a photo and add a short bio. That way their speakers were able to include a current bio without depending on the event organizers to update a website or listing. 

Set Up Integrations

Using Sched’s open API, Kristine and her team set up an integration that pulls all the session resources onto one page on the event website. Even after sessions were over, attendees could find PDFs and other resources from the discussions.

Time Blocks For Different Timezones

Linaro Tech Days had attendees from all over the world – from Asia to North America. Without those attendees traveling to one central location, they had to create time blocks to make sure they had live sessions available during all the major timezones of their attendees. It’s a completely new consideration when organizing events but the extra consideration was a great benefit for their attendees. 

Expect More People in Each Session

Just one amazing benefit many presenters share with Kristine after the event was that they had more people viewing their sessions than they would usually expect at the live event. By offering fewer sessions and a focused agenda, every speaker had the opportunity to maximize their attendance.


How To Run Successful Virtual Events

Interested in learning more?
Check out our webinar How To Run Successful Virtual Events. This fast paced, 60-minute webinar will help you become a virtual event maestro answering questions such as:

  • How do I prepare and plan for my virtual event?
  • Who do I need on my team to ensure my virtual event’s success?
  • How do I create an interactive experience with my virtual event?
  • What software, equipment and infrastructure do I need to organize and run my virtual event?
  • What are the best ways to market my virtual event?
  • How do I follow-up with attendees after the event is over?

This on-demand webinar is 100% free but only offered for a limited timeSign up today before it comes down.

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Author: Rachel Drudi

As an event producer and creative collaborator, with a focus on community relations and a passion for design thinking, Rachel helps create and manage experiences on and offline; working at the intersection between ideation and execution. Rachel is here to help you set your business and event apart by focusing on the way your customers, clients, and community interact and engage with you. She especially loves working with companies that are just getting started.