5th International Conference on Mitochondrial Medicine
Due to the epidemiological situation, the 5th Mitopharma Conference was held online. This vital event for our client was attended by over 1000 registered users and 9 speakers. Many of them were world-renowned medical specialists in mitochondrial therapies. Attendees had access to over 90 minutes of online presentations, a showcase of an exclusive online shop and conference materials.
Due to the epidemiological situation, the 5th Mitopharma Conference was held online. This vital event for our client was attended by over 1000 registered users and 9 speakers. Many of them were world-renowned medical specialists in mitochondrial therapies. Attendees had access to over 90 minutes of online presentations, a showcase of an exclusive online shop and conference materials.
Online medical conference – challenges
Specialist conferences on mitochondrial medicine have been held regularly for the past 5 years and are enjoying increasing popularity. This time it was necessary to move the event online. Obviously, this presented a huge challenge both for the organizers and for us as a multimedia and technical solutions provider. Although COVID-19 forced us to hold the conference online, we did not want to give up any of the activities that participants had taken part in during the previous live conferences. More: we wanted them – without compromising on anything – to gain new, attractive experiences.
A medical conference is attended by a certain number of registered participants – so it is an example of a closed e-event, unlike, for instance, the Opera web browser launch we organized in 2018, which any web user could join at any time.
A closed e-event poses additional challenges for the organizers. A number of activities that already had standard solutions in the real world have to be adapted to the online formula. These include above all:
⇨ registration of participants
⇨ payment of the conference fee
⇨ content management – before and after the event
⇨ ensuring that all participants have access to the event at the same time
⇨ ensuring that organizers are in contact with participants before, during and after the conference.
Web-based platform for online conferences
The way an online event platform works can be compared to the functioning of a conference center. The organizer of every event is faced with the choice of the venue. In addition to the attractiveness of the place itself in touristic terms, the decisive factor is the infrastructure of such a venue – its technical and logistical facilities.
It is similar in the case of choosing an internet platform. What tools do we need most? What will make our online event attractive to participants? It is worth discussing all of this to ensure that the platform’s functions meet our needs and expectations as closely as possible.
To host the medical conference https://www.terapiemitochondrialne.pl , we offered a platform that allowed for the efficient registration of 1000 participants in compliance with GDPR requirements. We also used a unique streaming system protecting against link copying. Participants gained access to interactive forms of communication, such as chat, voting and Q&A sessions. They could choose a conference room or participate in closed meeting rooms. The entire event was broadcast live (RTMP technology), and the organizer could access a wide range of data on participants and their activity during the conference (and here we can give a link to e.g: system specification – but first you need to create it).
Multi-media conference solutions
Our tasks preceding the broadcast itself included the preparation of many digital materials to be used during the conference. Starting with the concept of a virtual stage design (here is a link to an article explaining what it is), through conference materials, up to the KV (key visual) theme of the conference appearing in the video materials.
Visuals, and especially their consistency, become even more important with online events. During live events, the participant does not pay as much attention to it, whereas during online editions, the eye-catching design often determines the attractiveness of the event. Conference materials must be clear and the presentations must be prepared keeping in mind the specifics of online communication. Therefore, we created special animated product sliders – short animations played between presentations. In addition, using digital capabilities, we provided interpretation of presentations from German – in the form of audio and subtitles (audiodescription). Consistent efforts in the area of graphic design took us even further: we designed the cover for a book written by one of the conference speakers entitled “The Thyroid and Mitochondria”. And it did not end there: we prepared a sponsorship billboard for the publisher of this book, which was aired on television. Thus, the collaboration with MOOV proves that you can really count on professional support from the beginning till the end of the project. And even further….
