PPB March 2021

FEATURE | PPAI Expo Direct-2-You videos and so forth, but SAGE did. They had the inside track because they knew the industry, and they had the data. Tucker: One of the things SAGE was also able to offer was a commitment to fulfilling a number of programming updates and development requests to enhance their platform. We wouldn’t have been able to get that, at least not at the same level, through another platform. Their commitment to doing specific upgrades, and then their follow through in exceeding what they had committed to upfront, made a key difference to us. How were you able to bring the unique personality of the PPAI Expo into this virtual event? Peterson: We took the schedule from Expo last year, as well as other things we do, and looked at what we could take from these physical events and make virtual. There was a long list of things, such as lounges for different groups including regional associations, large distributor companies and the Women’s Leadership Conference community; hosting D2U Live with an emcee talking about what’s coming up next and new products, and doing interviews with me, Ellen and our leadership—the live aspect was a key component to achieve that Expo-like feel. Additionally, we offered professional development sessions from PPAI, SAGE and commonsku. We did a FAQ lounge, held many of our standard meetings and our annual Association Update—all of those things we historically have done at Expo but on this platform. I would say that, other than the actual face-to-face element, we were about 90-percent successful in providing that Expo experience. Tucker: One suggestion we made to participants was to open a separate browser window for D2U Live so they could keep it running as they worked the trade-show floor, and that seems to have been successful in helping participants experience virtually some of the in-person show sensations. D2U Live was able to perform better, reaching more participants with longer engagement, on a virtual platform, and is an example of something we will look to enhance when we go back to an in-person show. Virtually, attendees could experience D2U Live throughout the event; at an in-person show you haven’t been able to do that. That element helped create a ‘we’re there with you’ experience that Expo brings and was a unique way to infuse the Expo personality into this platform. It also allowed our attendees a way to congregate in discussion groups and add their personalities to the show as well. It was a key component in getting people to engage in those group discussions. What role did PPAI’s longtime logistics associate, Freeman, play in this virtual show? Tucker: Freeman provided support, through media and technology, of the D2U Live that fed into the SAGE platform. I got to be onsite with Freeman at its South Dallas location and it was what I imagine it’s like in a newsroom during a live broadcast. You get to see all the steps involved and the number of people who make that livestream go through— it’s surprising. Freeman had nine staff there, plus limited PPAI staff and our live host. We were temperature-checking daily, physically distancing, wearing our masks and using hand sanitizer. Freeman really stepped up to provide their expertise in this virtual environment and a professional, safe studio to produce D2U Live. In what ways did you seek member feedback during the development phase of this show? Peterson: We created a plan of what we wanted to do, and Ellen did a very good job of reaching out to key stakeholders— the larger distributor companies, the board members and others—to provide demos and information on how to work the show. We couldn’t do everything everyone wanted given our limited amount of time, but our goal was to provide Expo as closely as possible in a virtual format and I think we accomplished that. Tucker: We did demos for key stakeholders at certain companies during the development stage so we could find out what would and wouldn’t meet their needs. Based on their feedback, we put through additional development requests. We also had conversations with exhibitors. We did live demos for user experience closer to the event, including two for exhibitors and one for distributors. These were also available on-demand. One of the mixers during Expo D2U drew 75 industry women for a fun networking and catch-up event held on Zoom. 32 | MARCH 2021 |