The "Sessions" Events
Background:
It all started with EAS.
The ENVI Analytics Symposium (EAS) was a popular event, and people were deeply attached to it. For many attendees and organizers, it was their first experience with a thought leadership event, and it became their primary entry point into this type of gathering. Over time, the event organizers learned to run it more efficiently, making it easier to convey its value to leadership.
Challenge:
Despite the attachment to EAS, we eventually had to adapt it out of necessity. We attempted to pivot EAS to a digital format during the challenging years when in-person events were no longer feasible. Unfortunately, the hallmarks of the event—such as the ability to network with a smaller, close-knit group—did not translate well online. It was disheartening for leadership and stakeholders when this cornerstone event could not replicate the success of its original format.
Insight:
Around this time, I launched Geospatial Distancing, which redefined our approach to webinars. I hadn’t been directly involved in creating our previous webinar format, which followed a decade-old model. I participated in strategic discussions to modernize it, but leadership was hesitant to move away from the traditional format in favor of something new and untested. Nevertheless, Geospatial Distancing saw incredible success. As I refined its promotional content strategy, audience numbers grew by 100% with each episode.
This success led me to realize we had an opportunity to align our event strategy with our video strategy. I spearheaded the concept of creating two focused, digital, thought leadership events called "Sessions." Each event was designed around popular sensor technologies relevant to two regions: one managed by our U.S. team, and the other by our European team. This expanded the international scope of our audience while maximizing the use of our people and resources.
We branded them as "Sessions," events that focused on thought leadership and big ideas. We used a single-track format to maintain a sense of community, keeping everyone "in the same room" rather than spreading content across simultaneous sessions.
The Pitch:
The main challenge was educating leadership and securing their buy-in for digital events, a shift from the traditional formats they were used to. While they were initially drawn to the cost savings of moving away from traditional events, they struggled to grasp the full value of going digital. Digital events required a budget for a robust platform, but leadership mistakenly equated their costs with those of our existing webinars, which required no additional overhead in their eyes.
Selling them on digital events required a new approach. While the primary Sessions events focused on thought leadership, I proposed two, two-hour Breakout Sessions in the weeks following the event. These sessions directly promoted our software through educational, hands-on technical content. Once presented with this approach, leadership finally bought in.
Making It Happen:
In addition to developing the event concept, I managed logistics such as finding a platform vendor within our budget and led the coordination process. For style and branding, I designed a visual identity that we applied consistently across our digital event portfolio. In collaboration with the events team, I implemented a new project management system that ensured better session planning and more efficient tracking of speakers. Our promotion strategy was comprehensive, and we seamlessly integrated new registration technology with our CRM.
Results:
The results exceeded expectations. While our traditional webinars attracted a few hundred attendees on average, these digital sessions drew over 3,000 participants each. These were highly engaged leads who became part of our broader lead generation system, growing our marketing database and building pipelines.
Replicating Success:
In subsequent years, we replicated the format with great success. I played a key role in refining the process, which included reselling the value of these events to new leadership, who were more focused on data-driven outcomes. I implemented tracking measures to ensure we captured all key metrics and demonstrated ROI. We also capitalized on recorded content from these sessions, creating a secondary promotional stream. Ultimately, the "Sessions" concept became a repeatable model. Although we have since upgraded vendors and CRMs, the foundation I established remains, and the format continues to thrive.
Legacy:
The legacy of the "Sessions" events is that they are still ongoing today, maintaining the branding and strategic framework I introduced. They became a cornerstone of our video strategy and lead generation efforts, blending thought leadership with actionable, hands-on content in a way that is both innovative and sustainable.