Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme, provides satellite and in situ (non-space) data to public and private service providers to improve the quality of life of European citizens. Today over 150,000 organisations in Europe and beyond are regular users of Copernicus information services. In the EU, the internal market for space-based applications is developing rapidly.

challenges

The European Commission approached logos and MCI Brussels to propose, design and deliver four workshops that should boost the uptake of Copernicus services among private sector and industry stakeholders. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the second physical workshop planned in April 2020 was turned into a virtual one in June 2020. The aim was to create an immersive and interactive workshop that would bring together industry stakeholders and Copernicus experts for both technical discussions and networking.

The focus of the second workshop was on “monitoring anthropogenic CO₂ emissions”, which is pivotal to measuring progress towards a decarbonised economy and the fulfilment of the Paris Agreement objectives. Reliable and consistent data on emissions is thus critical and Copernicus services can prove invaluable in that regard.

solutions

logos and MCI worked around the clock to turn a physical workshop into a virtual within weeks. Indeed, the change had many implications:

• Audience: moving the workshop to a virtual meeting platform meant that anybody in the world could join the discussion. logos thus designed and implemented a promotional campaign to boost the workshop attendance with both European and international experts. logos also managed the online registration process in close consultation with the client.
• Moderation: for the moderator and the speakers, taking part in a virtual event was new. logos thus created a speaker guide explaining how to proceed digitally (e.g. raising your hand, giving the floor, PPT slide deck). To ensure good audience engagement, logos also supported speakers in organising online polls. Finally, logos facilitated online rehearsals with the speakers.
• Timeframe: because following a workshop online is relatively new for most and can be more tiring than attending a physical event, logos recommended to break the one-day workshop into two consecutive days. In the morning, virtual attendees participated in thematic sessions with presentations given by invited speakers. In the afternoon, they could e-meet the speakers and other participants in networking sessions. logos and MCI Brussels set up the needed platforms and used online polls to interact with the audience.

logos also created the workshop’s visual identity and developed the related assets such PPT templates, agenda, e-mail invitations, and speaker visuals. logos also compiled an event report that drew lessons learnt on the basis of a satisfaction survey and social media metrics.

results

The virtual workshop proved to be a success. The feedback received by the client was very positive.

• 300 people from 65+ countries participated in the virtual event.
• The number of attendees tripled compared to the physical Copernicus workshop organised in January.
• About a third of the participants used the networking features (e-meetings).
• On Twitter, we raised more than 11.000 impressions per post.
• Speakers were satisfied with their first participation in a virtual event.

services

virtual events, event branding & audience marketing, social media management, online & offline strategy, visual assets, speaker & programme management, event reporting