AIC 2022
AIC 2022
Project location
Toronto, ON
Project scope
Visual Identity Website
Virtual Portal
Haft2 was awarded with the opportunity to support the International AIC2022 Conference, originally planned to be an in-person event in Toronto, ON, June 14 to June 16, 2022. The event, named Sensing Colour, was hosted by the Colour Research Society of Canada (CRSC) in partnership with OCAD University and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Initially conceived as a hybrid event, the ongoing pandemic forced the organizers to make the conference 100% online. The client needed us to develop a visual language for print and digital for the conference, a website – both mobile and WCAG compliant – and, once the decision was made to move fully online, the client needed a team of virtual event specialists and a reliable and user-friendly platform to manage the conference. The Haft2 team was ready to support all. It was extremely important that the AIC2022 virtual event exceeded the expectations of attendees and ensure the spotlight was properly placed on the presenters, the papers and posters accepted.
Key to the success of the conference was ensuring accessibility across the globe for participants. That included a mix of live presentations, recordings and posting full- day sessions within hours at the end of the day to allow those in different time zones to participate. The tool also needed to be user-friendly for both submitting and approving papers, showcasing accepted posters and for the attendees themselves. For a conference that typically thrives on face-to-face conversation and discussion, creating that enthusiasm and excitement virtually was incredibly important.
Solution
The first hurdle to tackle was finding the right platform. Haft2 recommended Pheedloop for a number of reasons, but primarily because it was a one-stop solution. It allowed event organizers to centralize all activity in one place: paper and poster submission and adjudication; conference registration and payment; and a website portal to attend live lectures, post questions and engage with fellow attendees. It was all supported with a full website built on WordPress that highlighted featured speakers, full agenda, sponsors, topics for paper and poster submission and was integrated with the Pheedloop registration form.
The conference was structured as a three-day virtual conference and each day involved multiple interactive live streams, both as single speakers and panel discussions, poster presentations as well as breakout sessions. The visual identity Haft2 created gave all the properties a sleek and professional look and feel.
Attendees joined via a secure one-click login link which was sent to them via email and as a calendar invitation. They joined the lobby area for a series of talks that were set up as morning sessions and the afternoon sessions. They were able to browse through various paper presentations posted during days prior to the event starting. At pre-specified points in the schedule, attendees were moved into video breakouts and then back to the main stage when the breakout session was finished.
Haft2 moderators ran the backend of the conference to ensure a seamless experience for the attendees. That support included training and briefing speakers, via a livestream rehearsal prior to the event so that technical issues could be addressed ahead of time. Speakers were also provided a chance to test their screen/connection before the actual session started. In addition, we were always behind the scenes, offering technical support to the participants when needed.
Results
The conference was an overwhelming success and the feedback received from participants was overwhelmingly positive. The event gathered colour lovers from around the world and provided an opportunity to meet and connect with top colour scientists, experts, artists, and colour professionals from around the world, including brilliant speakers such as Angelica Daas, Anong Migwans, Robert DeSalle, Anna Franklin, Anya Hurlbert, Joseph Ingoldsby, amd Michael J. Murdoch. It even managed to turn the most skeptical event participants into believers that a fun and engaging conference is possible if planned and executed well.
