The Incredible Digital Transformation of HLTH 2020
Overview
HLTH (pronounced “health”) is a leading platform that brings together the entire global health ecosystem, with a focus on health innovation and transformation. Through exceptional events involving industry-leading speakers, inspirational digital content and mission-driven initiatives, HLTH creates a unique marketplace for the health community leading the dialogue and development of a new health ecosystem. The past iterations of HLTH have always been a physical live event. However, the 2020 edition was unlike any other — it was the very first time HLTH chose the digital path by going virtual.
HLTH VRTL 2020 took place on 11th to 14th October 2020. In a year full of uncertainties, reshaping the current health industry was of utmost importance. The agenda was full of major announcements and debates by companies, CEOs, politicians and other major figures in the health industry. The extensive collaboration between all of these key stakeholders is extremely essential to overcome the challenges of healthcare costs and access. Despite HLTH VRTL 2020 being their virtual debut, HLTH still managed to bring together thousands of attendees, 250+ sponsors and 250+ speakers from all around the globe through virtual curated 1:1 meetings, new unique content, special sponsor exhibits and a series of entertaining events.
The Challenges Faced
2020 was the year that everything changed. The global pandemic we are facing right now has entirely changed the way we work and the way we function in our daily lives. Throughout the year, many things have gradually adapted to a digital format, with virtual meetings and events becoming the new normal. However, after being distant from our physical world for so long, fatigue has set in and virtual events may start to become stagnant.
Hence, HLTH needed something drastically different to stand out from the crowd. A creative solution which provides attendees with a collaborative and personalized networking experience without sacrificing engagement and value.
Another obstacle was HLTH’s unfamiliarity with running a virtual event. They knew that the kind of work needed for a virtual event was very different from that of a live event, and hence needed a quick and effective solution. Selecting and integrating the most appropriate technology to power the entire show was a much bigger undertaking in terms of the time and cost behind it.
Jonathan Weiner, CEO & Founder of HLTH, emphasized the challenges of organising a virtual event, “Even so, we assessed over twenty vendors, many of whom provide the same exact functionality and are difficult to differentiate. We also looked into their workload, as many providers were unable to keep up with client demand. We were thankful for the outstanding service provided to us by vendors such as Brightcove, Swoogo, Clarity and Jublia.”
Through their thorough research and endless conversations with the Jublia team, they eventually chose Jublia as their solutions provider to run their entire event.
The Solution: Jublia Match 360º — Virtual Event Platform
HLTH wanted to create a creative experience and at the same time simulate the highly curated 1:1 networking that their attendees had been used to. The Jublia virtual platform provides a curated marketplace of health buyers and solution providers to conduct highly efficient connections for real business interactions, and it allows decision makers to effectively evaluate digital health solutions. The easy-to-use platform also provides the flexibility to manage one’s personal schedule and book virtual 1:1 meetings. As such, thousands of attendees were connected through virtual meetings over the course of the 5-day event.
With the assistance of Jublia’s digital transformation, attendees were given the full experience as the entire virtual event turned out to be just as incredible as the live conferences that have been happening for the past years! The attendees were also able to connect virtually with their peers all from the comfort of their own space.
The one major advantage of having a virtual matchmaking experience over face-to-face matchmaking is the shorter time needed to organize and schedule meetings. This is where Jublia stands out by being able to efficiently manage that for event organisers while maintaining quality engagement. The HLTH’s platform was opened a few weeks in advance to encourage early participation and we are proud to share that we managed to achieve an astonishing 98% completion on booked meetings.
Feedback
There was a good response rate on meeting invites and the meetings were of high quality. In conclusion, the platform was generally problem-free.
- Mcdermott Will & Emery (Attendee)
The platform was easy to use. Initially, I was worried that the presenters would not respond to my requests. In the end, I ended up with even more meetings than I could attend!
- Alexander & Baldwin (Hosted Buyer)
It was very easy and integrated such that when I went to my schedule page, everything I needed to have the meeting was just a click away.
- Weber Metals, Inc. (Hosted Buyer)
The platform allowed me to find relevant providers and made it simple to match our availability.
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Hosted Buyer)
I appreciate the amount of work and coordination this must have taken to put on, thank you! Especially for a virtual event, I can definitely tell that a lot of thought was being put in.
- Primary Medical Group (Hosted Buyer)
Figures
250+ Speakers
3,500+ Meetings
145,000+ Session Views
Above 80% Event Satisfaction Rate
76% Average Platform Satisfaction Score
Conclusion
We all hope that live events will slowly resume in 2021 since there is no perfect substitute for physical interaction. For the time being, however, we must be prepared for live events to take a back seat. More and more event organisers are transitioning to digital formats and they may even continue to operate virtually on a permanent basis. It is therefore absolutely crucial for the events industry to embrace this new digital environment.
Together, I am sure that we will eventually overcome these obstacles and emerge stronger through these tough times. If you are interested in finding out more about new digital formats or would like to seek assistance on your upcoming events in 2021, do reach out to us at info@jublia.com or speak to anyone whom you’re in touch with from Jublia. We will definitely be there to guide you through this challenging period and solve your needs.
