They say the pen is mightier than the sword. If that is indeed the case, then perhaps we can dub our environmental journalists and their fellow activists as Knights — Mother Nature’s Knights to be exact. And this year, from September 3rd to 7th, members of this valiant knighthood convened in New Orleans for the 24th Society of Environmental Journalism roundtable, otherwise known as the SEJ annual conference.
The Society of Environmental Journalists is an association for professional journalists to strengthen the quality and reach of environmental journalism for the public. The SEJ conference provides an opportunity for environmental journalists to gather with scientists, government officials, advocacy leaders, and other environmental enthusiasts to meet with each other, attend writing training and debates, and explore issues and other facets of environmentalism.
We are proud to say that this year Whova joined the ranks of these Knights of Mother Nature by powering the 24th Annual SEJ Conference with our event and networking app. And after five days of working with them, we can soundly announce that the 24th Annual SEJ Conference was a prime example of how an event maximized the benefits of their supporting event app.
Here’s a brief review of what they did (note: we also wrote a case study for SEJ conference):
Logistics
The credits for this part go to the SEJ event organizers, who definitely went the extra mile to make things more convenient for their attendees. In addition to the basic address and map to the event location, the organizers also provided lodging and transportation information, an official travel guide to New Orleans, Breakfast and Dinner maps, and indoor maps to Hilton, making navigating New Orleans that much easier.
Groups
The attendees also made use of their event app by utilizing the networking tools that are available – in particular, the Group tool. Not only did they share articles with each other, they also shared photos that they took while in New Orleans, and opened many discussion tabs for various topics.
Slide/Album
Activity in the Slide/Album feature was a combined effort of both the organizers and attendees. Organizers kept the attendees well informed with tip sheets, Mentor Program information, handouts, and other supplementary material for the conference – and attendees shared photos of their experiences at the SEJ and in various locations in New Orleans.
In terms of its interaction with the Whova event app, the SEJ organizers and attendees both contributed to creating a pleasant experience by actively engaging the tool that they possess for the event. This way they fostered a symbiotic relationship with the attendees having access to copious information and an active community, and the organizers having access to a group of happy attendees!