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Client: Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
Category: New Category | 300c. Other -- Virtual Association Event
2021
The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Annual Meeting unites the world’s best sales professionals in the life insurance-based, financial services industry to share the latest thought leadership, best practices, and accomplishments. The event convenes thousands of sales professionals and financial advisors who are driven to better understand how to continue to run businesses effectively and be strategic advisors to clients and key stakeholders.
Faced with travel restrictions and safety concerns caused by COVID-19, the objective was to plan, design, and execute an international, virtual event for the first time in the organization’s history with 88 days until the event.
The primary goal was to recreate the magic and high-end ethos of the in-person event in a virtual environment. The event needed to capture the connection, celebration, and camaraderie of the in-person experience. This executive-level audience expected an engaging experience and white-glove customer service, along with opportunities to meet new people and connect with friends and colleagues.
By partnering with 360 Live Media, MDRT planned, designed and executed a compelling and engaging virtual event that delivered on the audience’s expectations.
1. STRATEGIC PLANNING: In rapid-cycle development over the course of 6 weeks, 360 Live Media led the strategy and integration of the MDRT Annual Event program into the virtual meeting platform, which included 5 days of live programming and networking for 8,000+ attendees in 13 languages across 5 global regions and 17 different time zones. Additionally, the event was broadcast on a rolling basis, which required overseeing 24/7 delivery of 308 sessions and speakers, networking opportunities, and technical support.
2. EXPERIENCE DESIGN: 360 Live Media created and implemented a custom online experience, including a 3-D event lobby interface that welcomed virtual attendees and became a source of wayfinding and high engagement throughout the week. In fact, the lobby was such a hit that many attendees photo-shopped themselves into the lobby and shared the pictures with each other on the social media feed within the virtual event platform. Beyond the lobby, 360 Live Media built the following elements into the experience:
• Daily welcome videos
• Custom networking preferences
• Custom ribbons for attendees
• Fundraising page for the Foundation
• Mentoring exchange
• Multimedia sponsor booths
• Gamification and polling
• Social feed and chat
• On-demand access post-event
3. FLAWLESS EXECUTION: In collaboration with the MDRT staff, 360 Live Media successfully managed the virtual event platform to deliver a high-touch, interactive online experience that MDRT members have come to expect as part of the in-person event. Highlights of the program included serving 300+ educational and networking sessions, managing virtual gamification (i.e. trivia, capture the flag, and scavenger hunts), and coordinating global philanthropic donations.
The event exceeded audience expectations across the board.
• 93% of attendees surveyed said they are “Very Likely/Likely” to recommend this event to a colleague
• MDRT successfully convened 8,000+ attendees for 5 days across 13 languages and 17 time zones around the world.
• Attendees were highly engaged with each other on the virtual platform. Highlights included:
o 395,087 points earned through gamification
o 41,417 session check- ins
o 38,207 likes in the social feed
o 30,739 comments in the social feed
o 12,096 exhibitor clicks
o 90% of attendees surveyed rated their experience as “Excellent/Good”