6Connex | Case Study | Destinos

Case Study: Destinos

Destinos finds great success with virtual events, continuing to give their customers exactly what they need to strive in today’s landscape.

Formerly known as Grupo Destinos, Destinos is a leader and pioneer in corporate events, providing meeting planning services in Mexico for more than 35 years. They develop ideas and production strategies for events, dedicating their services to the event logistics, marketing, transportation, equipment, reservations, and registrations for their clients with their network of suppliers.

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Case Study: Destinos

The Challenge: Shifting from Semi-Virtual to Fully Virtual Organizing more than 4,000 events a year, 10 international congresses, 30 national congresses, and 250 foreign events, Destinos is the official agency for associations and congress organizers in Mexico. While they’ve made use of virtual components in the past, such as streaming services and webinars, the COVID-19 pandemic put some important aspects of their in-person events to a halt.

Aside from their desire to shift to virtual and begin building a digital portfolio, Destinos needed to find a way to fill in the gaps of some of the physical event services that were suspended and brought to a standstill during this time. When the pandemic first hit, members of their congress were discussing the idea of different virtual event platforms they could use as an alternative solution to in-person events; and that’s where 6Connex was proposed.

Shifting their expos, exhibits, and congresses to fully virtual was a challenge, but one that was necessary to overcome in the state of the environment.

The Solution: A Profitable Investment in a Virtual Conference Platform The Destinos team had some initial concerns with bringing their in-person events to a virtual platform, such as usability. They wanted a platform that was easy to use, and able to be accessed from everywhere in Mexico, including smartphones and tablets. They were also concerned with demand. While their clients

enjoy the virtual component of in-person meetings and events, will they be pleased with the fact that every aspect of their event will now be virtual? The team also needed to be sure that their investment was profitable. And that it was.

For their first time taking client events fully virtual, Destinos put their trust in the 6Connex virtual conference platform, where they would host more than 150 virtual events in a span of 12 months.

For their first fully virtual event, Destinos hosted a convention for a chain of pharmacies in Mexico, which had an exhibit room that consisted of more than 60 sponsor booths. The virtual convention was so successful that attendees and sponsors came back to the Destinos team wanting to work with the 6Connex platform again. As a result, Destinos now utilizes the first convention held in the 6Connex environment as their showcase for what they can offer their clients within the virtual platform.

The exhibit rooms were one of the most appealing features. We get creative with them and use them to their full potential.

Guillermo Cardenas, Director of Strategy and New Projects at Destinos

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Case Study: Destinos

Destinos + 6Connex Case Study Results From the capabilities offered and the customization options available within the virtual environments, Destinos was one of the first agencies in Mexico to offer a digital experience to their clients; and with each unique event, Destinos received positive feedback from attendees and exhibitors alike.

“The exhibit rooms were one of the most appealing features. We get creative with them and use them to their full potential,” says Guillermo Cardenas, the Director of Strategy and New Projects at Destinos. “We use the exhibit rooms for sponsors in large events, and when we put on an event for a single company, we utilize them to showcase the different departments in their organizational structure.”

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Case Study: Destinos

Another feature worth notating is the ability to customize the environments. Cardenas states, “the customization allows us to tweak the environment as much as we want to, where we add our own personal touch, which is greatly appreciated by our clients.” Cardenas continues, “the virtual platform is super flexible, so we can plug in and integrate any other technologies we need.”

Aside from the useful virtual environment features, the 6Connex team made a world of a difference. As one can imagine, hosting a virtual event for the first time could require a learning curve. However, in times of need, the 6Connex team was always there. “For our first fully virtual event, a 6Connex team member was live with us, and customer service was always available. They provided us with a document with contact information, in the case that we’d need to reach out to someone for help - even

some personal phone numbers listed with names and last names. While we didn’t need them because we were guided step by step, this relationship gave us peace of mind,” states Cardenas. The Destinos team was also pleased that their customer service and support staff was located in their timezone, and that they were able to assist them in both English and Spanish.

Throughout the process, Destinos learned that it’s important to know and understand their final customer and the participants that they’re aiming for. Their team has worked well with the analytics, reporting, and attendee engagement aspects of the virtual platform, because they’re able to learn who their final users are, as well as their necessities. For example, if they are hosting a virtual trade show for a financial institution, they understand that the user may be more acquainted with technology, as opposed to a conference for an industry where attendees might be in an older age span. By being able to monitor attendee signals and track behaviors, Destinos is able to build their strategies for their environments. This insight helps them to create necessary content to cater to their users, such as informational videos and how-tos, as well as offer additional customer service to those who need it.

The typical virtual events hosted by Destinos consist of anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 people. “70% of our clients are in the pharmaceuticals industry, while the other 30% varies. While pharma is shifting very easily to hybrid events, our other clients are still in the state of virtual,” says Cardenas. “Even if we weren’t in a pandemic, the virtual aspect allows people who are unable to travel to participate and attend these events.”

As virtual has become the new norm, people are demanding something more interesting - and Destinos is delivering, thanks to the 6Connex virtual and hybrid events solution. They are leveraging the 6Connex platform for virtual events to come, and Cardenas states, “the investment is definitely worth the value.”

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Case Study: Destinos

About 6Connex Virtual Event Solutions Our Digital Experience 6Connex is the leading provider of virtual and hybrid event solutions. Our secure, cloud-based platform expands audience reach and drives in-depth content engagement for marketing, sales, recruitment, training, and HR communities to make for successful online events around the world. Our product portfolio includes virtual environments, learning management, and webinars. Demand more from your virtual and hybrid event solution. Request a virtual event demo with 6Connex, or contact our event software experts for more information. www.6Connex.com Have Questions?

Please call 1.800.395.4702 or email us at sales@6connex.com.