#PSEWEB Conference

 
IMG_1378.jpg
 

SUCCESSES

Pivot to online conference

When university campus closures due to COVID-19 hit, I oversaw #PSEWEB’s volunteer planning team to bring a 2-day, dual-track online conference to life. Through carefully-planned marketing, communications, and retention strategies, we successfully:

  • retained almost 100% of our pre-COVID ticket sales, and more than doubled our anticipated 2020 sales goals;

  • retained our entire 2020 sponsor roster, locking in a number of them for additional participation in the 2021 conference;

  • conceptualized, produced, and hosted a conference livestream with 2 simultaneous channels of speakers, complete with banner ads, clickable audience actions, chat, and more.

  • hosted an after-hours conference social complete with a brief scavenger hunt, DIY cocktail recipes, and more;

  • received overwhelmingly positive feedback from speakers, sponsors, and delegates alike in the post-conference survey.

Record levels of sponsorships

As #PSEWEB grew, we needed to expand the team to support it. I came on board as the Corporate Sponsorships Director for the 2014 conference year to manage relationships with existing corporate partners and to build relationships with new ones. As a result, the 2014 conference enjoyed record levels of corporate support.

Under my tenure as Executive Director, #PSEWEB saw its first-ever large-scale university partnership with a host institution, the University of Saskatchewan (2018). This collaboration reduced the conference’s logistical overhead costs and significantly grew the conference’s email leads in central Canada.

Speaker applications doubled

#PSEWEB’s conference speakers are chosen by the community itself by a voting process, but the number and breadth of proposed topics was waning. To encourage more applications for the 2020 conference, we offered incentives for applicants and further raised awareness of our Call for Speakers through paid social posts and through community referrals.

These adjustments saw speaker applications double from 2019 as well as a marked improvement in topics that were previously earmarked for community growth.

Pioneered (and sold out!) pre-conference workshops

2020 saw #PSEWEB’s inaugural online pre-conference workshops, “Journey Mapping the Student Experience” and “User Experience Design for Drupal”, lead by #PSEWEB community members and industry thought leaders. Thanks to solid marketing and timely communications strategies, both half-day workshops sold out well before the ticket deadline and received strongly positive reviews from participants.

Established accessibility scholarship

To promote #PSEWEB’s accessibility for community members, we established the #PSEWEB Accessibility Scholarship in 2020. This application-based opportunity is designed to remove financial barriers that may prevent marginalized community members, new professionals, and students interested in the field from attending.