6Connex Helps Anima International Connect and Inspire Animal Rights
Advocates at Annual CARE Conference
The Challenge
For the last two decades, Anima International has worked in multiple countries to reduce the suffering of animals. With an emphasis on farmed animals and a concentration of activity in Eastern Europe, Anima International conducts investigations, works with companies to introduce higher welfare standards in their supply chains, and secures legal milestones for animals in addition to making a concerted effort to share knowledge and skills at scale to build a stronger movement and increase the reach, efficiency, and speed with which it can make change happen across the European continent. From rescuing minks and foxes to persuading major retailers to phase out cage eggs, Anima International has successfully influenced public policy and opinion and continually inspires activists to encourage plant-based innovations, promote meat alternatives, and support animal rights.
Seven years ago, Anima International hosted the first Conference for Animal Rights in Europe (CARE), a yearly international event designed to connect and inspire animal rights activists across the continent. CARE offers attendees an opportunity to network and share knowledge, experience, and best practices as well as learn effective advocacy strategies. CARE consistently features a broad agenda, where attendees can enjoy everything from keynote presentations from well renowned speakers, to “speed dating” networking events, to training in advocacy skills such as negotiating and public speaking. One of the benefits of the event is that large, well developed animal rights organizations in countries where pro-animal movements are gaining momentum can
1 | Case Study: CARE 2022 Case Study: CARE 2022
mentor smaller organizations in countries where the movement is nascent.
For the 2022 event, Anima International decided to host the CARE Conference in a hybrid format, recognizing that not everyone could easily travel to the conference location in Warsaw, Poland, and wanting to attract as large an audience as possible. While the Anima International team had hosted several virtual events during the pandemic and therefore understood the value of online attendance, hosting the CARE Conference in a hybrid format was a new approach, and stakeholders concerned whether providing an opportunity to attend online would cannibalize in-person registration numbers. The team also knew it was of paramount importance to identify an event management technology vendor with experience in hybrid event formats, as they would need to lean on outside expertise while planning their first hybrid event. States one of the Anima International event planners, “It can be challenging to manage a live event when there’s a virtual component. For example, when there is a delay on stage, people in the audience can see there is an issue with a microphone or the slides. Those online, however, may not be aware if streaming hasn’t started. It’s crucial to have the means to communicate to the online audience via a push notification or chat, and we needed a partner that not only
had the right technology but also knew how to plan for different scenarios.”
The Solution
Fortunately, the Anima International team had attended prior events that leveraged Eventory technology by 6Connex, and after meeting the 6Connex team and exploring 6Connex’s portfolio of event management technology and apps, they felt comfortable 6Connex had the platform and the people to help them create the best possible experience for both in-person and remote attendees.
To further validate Anima International’s technology selection, prior to the CARE Conference launch in August, Anima International hosted an internal event in June to test the Eventory by 6Connex solution. This increased adoption of the Eventory app prior to the CARE event and normalized the virtual event experience for those who were unfamiliar with the format and/or the technology.
The Results
Anima International’s fears that a hybrid event format would cannibalize in-person registration numbers proved to be unfounded. What the team discovered,
is that many of their previous attendees prioritize networking, and therefore these individuals chose to again attend the CARE 2022 event in-person. And by also including an online component, Anima International was able to meet their objective and attract a wider global audience, particularly of individuals who prioritize learning and education and could now easily attend information and training sessions virtually.
Event attendees too achieved their objectives. Postevent surveys revealed high satisfaction levels, and many attendees commented it was the best CARE Conference held to date. The push notifications and live Q&As in particular were well received, and CARE Conference organizers shared that one of their best decisions was to ask all event attendees – in-person and online – to submit questions via the app. “It gave us the opportunity to easily moderate the questions, and the number of questions submitted was very high.” In fact, event metrics show that the number of questions and upvotes submitted was higher than the total number of attendees.
Event metrics also demonstrate the effectiveness of the CARE Conference’s networking opportunities. More than 1,300 connections were made online, and more than 600 messages were exchanged.
In addition to enjoying Eventory’s engagement tools, the Anima International team appreciated Eventory’s ticketing module, noting how the feature made it easy for the event planning team to manage tickets and discount codes as well as make changes and answer registrants’ questions.
Of course, technology is only as good as the people using it, and Anima International credits the 6Connex Customer Service team for being good partners. States one of the event planners, “They listened, and we enjoyed seeing how our suggestions and ideas were implemented and how they innovated to meet our needs.”
They listened, and we enjoyed seeing how our suggestions and ideas were implemented and how they innovated to meet our needs.
About 6Connex Virtual Event Solutions & Event Tech Our Digital Experience
6Connex is the leading provider of in-person, hybrid, and virtual event technology for enterprises worldwide. Our cloud-based product portfolio includes in-person event apps, virtual venues, webinars, learning management, and more. Designed for corporations in need of engaging with communities in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid fashion.
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3 | Case Study: CARE 2022