The Synergy Conference typically celebrates the local community and a lot of effort is put into ensuring delegates traveling to the conference city have the chance to experience the local scene. When we decided to move to a virtual solution, we knew we needed to bring in the local flavour to the heavily education focused conference. The CEO of Shareworks didn't want to deliver just another webinar, but rather wanted to ensure we were creating valuable experiences and maintaining the Shareworks reputation of being fun, engaging and above average.
Three social events were produced virtually showcasing local talent, locations and products that not only allowed us to contribute to the Austin economy but provided attendees with much needed interaction and escape.
The first session was a custom video tour of Gold Rush Vinyl, one of Austin's leading vinyl pressing factories, with a live Q&A between Caren Kelleher, CEO of Gold Rush, and Chief Marketing Officer of Shareworks, James Thomas. We produced a video, taking guests behind the scenes at the Gold Rush Vinyl factory, with CEO Caren Kelleher describing her experiences as an entrepreneur and explaining the vinyl pressing process. This was broadcast over Zoom webinar and was followed by a live Q&A session where attendees were able to ask Caren questions about her business, her career and the music industry.
The second session saw us partnering with local Austin Chef, Aaron Franklin for a BBQ demo and live Q&A. Similarly, we produced a video, this time in Aaron's backyard as he walked guests through how to grill the perfect steak and make a simple bbq sauce.
We closed the virtual conference with an interactive concert with Ruby Jane and the Reckless, live from a studio in Austin! The full band loaded in with masks and hand sanitizers at the ready, and took them off only to perform the live set. It was an intimate setting and was enjoyed as much by the band as it was by the attendees.
Safe, engaging and fun!
