When the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses canceled its 5,000-attendee annual meeting just 10 days out due to a resurgence of Covid in their host destination, its leadership made the risky decision to keep the same August dates to execute the event online.

Working almost around the clock, the association built out and executed its meeting on Convey Services’ Cloud Conventions virtual platform with the help of MCI Group and Freeman, the latter of which provided the “simulive” broadcasting of sessions.

That trial-by-fire experience prodded Convey Services to design a formal contingency product for business events. Called SafetyNet, the product is a standby virtual-event template that can be activated if the in-person event cannot be held or if attendance for the in-person event drops to an unsatisfactory level.  

In short, associations can create a virtual-event setup without committing to all the costs of a virtual event. There’s a basic set-up fee, and if the host organization chooses to go live with a hybrid or all-virtual event, that fee is credited to the cost of the total event package.

SafetyNet maintains a virtual platform on standby behind a private login, allowing an event to be developed for a online audience in a matter of days without needing technical or programming support. For that set-up fee, Convey Services helps the client create a foundation for what can become a fully configured, custom-branded virtual program.

The foundation is hosted on a secure custom URL and can be built out to deliver live and on-demand sessions, exhibitor booths, sponsor activations, and a resource center for all content. For video interaction between presenters, attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors, SafetyNet can integrate with Zoom and Bluejeans, while Apple’s iFrame is built into the platform. Gamification and language-translation options are also available.

Attendee data can be imported from the in-person event’s registration system, including demographics and event-access permissions. Exhibitors are assigned a virtual-booth template and can place their content and activate their attendee-communication channels without technical assistance.