Executive Summary
The Lincolnshire County Council held their first Climate Summit to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK. Using Whova’s all-in-one event management platform, the organizers successfully ran a paperless in-person event.
The event joined public citizens with UK government officials and local businesses to discuss action being taken to reach sustainability goals.
“If people are looking to build an event on climate change or sustainability, Whova is a really good option to have everything in one place and the platform is really user friendly.”
Ellen MasseyInterview with the Organizers
About Lincolnshire County Council
The Lincolnshire County Council is responsible for public services in Lincolnshire, England. One of their primary objectives is reaching net zero carbon emission by 2050.
The purpose of the Climate Summit was to shine a light on climate change and showcase what the county is doing to reduce emissions. The event was a great opportunity for public citizens to discuss environmental issues with local government and business officials.
With the assistance of Whova’s platform, the organizer, Ellen Massey, was able to engage attendees and help them navigate the in-person event.
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Challenges
- Going paperless
To keep their event even more sustainable, the organizers planned to go paperless during the event, so they needed an online platform that could support all their information.
- Managing speaker information
With 14 speakers, the organizers needed an easy way to manage all their information and make any last minute changes.
- Helping attendees navigate the large conference
While they were determined to stay paperless and not print any physical maps, Massey wanted to help attendees easily find their way around the conference.
- Networking during the event
The summit was an important opportunity for local government officials to connect with the general public. Massey wanted to provide plenty of opportunities for them to discuss climate solutions.
- Registering attendees online
Even though the event was free, the organizers still needed a registration system that would help them gather attendee information.
Solutions
- Adding all the event information on the all-in-one platform
The summit organizers reached their goal of being paperless by utilizing the many online features available on Whova’s platform.
Massey uploaded PDF files onto the app so she did not have to print physical copies for attendees. Attendees were able to view these documents before, during and after the event.
Along with easy document access, the online agenda was great for last minute speaker cancellations. Massey was able to cancel sessions the day before the event and not waste any paper in the process. The online agenda updated automatically in the app as live changes were made. Even better, she was able to send in-app messages to notify attendees about the changes.
“We decided to use Whova to also go with the theme of the event, we really wanted it to be paperless.”
Ellen Massey
Attendees could access documents through the web and mobile app during the conference
- Grant speaker authority to upload information
Whova’s Speaker Center made it easy for the organizers to gather speaker information. Using Whova’s automatically generated email templates, Massey was able to email all or specific speakers inviting them to upload their biographies and session details. Besides the initial email, the organizers could easily send reminder emails to the speakers leading up to the event.
The summit organizers also had the ability to edit the speaker biographies and sessions through the center. Any changes made by the organizers or the speakers were updated automatically in the app.
- Mapping exhibitors on Whova’s floor plan
Massey took advantage of the app’s virtual floor plan to help attendees navigate the event. She uploaded a map of the conference and pinned the locations for each in-person exhibitor booth so attendees could easily locate booths during the conference.
Attendees were easily able to find exhibitor booths on the floor map
- Interacting through Whova’s Community Board
Many of the attendees utilized the online discussion, meetups and icebreakers on the app’s Community Board event discussion forum to network during the event. They posted photos on the app, liking and sharing images about sustainability. Through the app, they were also able to directly message other attendees or speakers.
Any announcements Massey sent through the app were also easy to view in a central location on the Community Board. If attendees had any questions, they could post them on the discussion topic “Ask Organizers Anything” to easily reach Massey and the other organizers.
“The attendees talked about how nice it was to have everything in one place, they also thought using the app was a great opportunity to network.”
Ellen Massey- Registering attendees with Whova’s ticket manager
The climate summit organizers used Whova’s ticket setup to register attendees. As a gratuitous event, they simply created free general admission tickets through Whova’s system.
When attendees selected their tickets, they were directed to fill in a registration form with their names and emails. The organizers customized the form to also include job titles, company names and dietary restrictions.
The organizers were able to use the form information to adjust event logistics, like meal plans or room sizes accordingly. Attendees also had 24 hours to go back and edit their answers on the form.
After attendees purchased their tickets free of charge, Whova’s system automatically sent a confirmation email customized by the organizers. The organizers were able to include invitation codes, check in times and parking information.
The Lincolnshire Climate Summit organizers created free tickets for attendees to register the event online
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