IAWG 2020 Conference
Overview
IAWG’s international conference is an opportunity for sexual and reproductive health, humanitarian, and development professionals to join together, discuss the state of the field, and devise a roadmap for the future. The 2020 conference, scheduled for late February in Bangkok, Thailand, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our strategy quickly pivoted to support a summer webinar series featuring the planned sessions.
Organization: Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises
Collaborators: Secretariat, Steering Committee, Communications Task Team, Legal, Finance
Date: May 2019 - September 2020
Goal: Streamline event planning, including marketing and registration. Repurpose planned sessions to take place online.
Results: I developed a comprehensive project plan to support event planning, increase transparency for coalition members, create a marketing strategy that drove a 60% increase in registration, and automate the registration process, reducing staff time by 70%. Ran a 14 session online series, varying from 30-person working groups to 400-person webinars.
In-Person Opportunities, Actions & Results
Develop a Project Plan
Historically, one staff member managed all pieces of the event. Undocumented tasks and processes made it difficult to delegate tasks, understand the inter-connectivity of activities, and identify risks and opportunities.
I ran a brainstorming session with the Secretariat to better understand all steps, delegate tasks, and define the project’s critical path.
Created a project timeline in Smartsheet (link opens in a new window) and trained staff on using the project management software. Held regular meetings to check on outstanding and upcoming tasks and assure all deadlines were met.
Automate Registration Process
All attendees require a personalized invitation letter to get their visa. Historically, this required a dedicated full-time staff member while registration for the event was open.
I automated the invitation letter process by integrating Google Docs and Smartsheet using Zapier, reducing staff time by 70%.
Solicitation of abstracts was run by word-of-mouth, creating inequitable opportunities for those without a pre-existing relationship with IAWG. I developed a standardized, public abstract submission form and matrix to review, rate, and select abstracts.
Create a Marketing Strategy
In collaboration with the Communications Task Team, I created a robust email marketing plan and streamlined registration process that drove a 60% increase in event registration.
Streaming Opportunities, Actions & Results
Screenshot of the webinar series landing page.
Technological Support
Offered assistance in bringing 14 sessions online, helping to set up registration, webinars, and simultaneous translation when needed.
Shared recordings of all 14 events, making sure all sessions provided closed captioning.
Event Marketing
Created a template email invitation so organizers could promote their sessions independently.
Created a series-specific weekly email consolidating upcoming events and released recordings, preventing audience email fatigue.
Created a landing page (link opens in a new window) where coalition members can access session recordings at any time.