The Saudi Family Forum Hybrid Event Experience

3 days after the MICE sector restrictions were uplifted by the concerned governmental authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it was our immense pleasure to execute the 4th edition of the Saudi Family Forum which took place on October 24th – 25th 2021 in hybrid format (in-person for invited attendees at the Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residences and virtually through the event dedicated virtual platform and social media channels on complimentary basis). The forum is held under the theme of “The Role of the Family in the Kingdom’s Sustainable Development Structure and Vision 2030”.

Organized by the Family Affairs Council, the Forum was held with the approval of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Patronage of the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Family Affairs Council President Eng. Ahmed Al Rajhi. It was organized to coincide with the 5th anniversary of the launching of Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The Forum discussed top contemporary family issues and witnessed the participation of a wide array of high-level policymakers for example H.E. the Minister of Justice Dr. Walid bin Mohammed al-Samaani, H.E. the Minister of Education Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, H.E the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad and international organization delegations i.e UNWOMEN, UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, UNESCWA as well as local and international experts and specialists.

It is certain that virtual events cannot replace the live, in-person ones and vice-versa, however we tried to present our virtual audience with a unique experience that can reproduce all live components. From the comfort of their homes or being at their desks, virtual delegates were able to:

• Witness the conference through a unique graphical 3D experience

• Attend the forum’s live and pre-recorded sessions & workshops virtually

• Interact with presenters through online features such as live Q & A, live polling, surveys and discussion forums

• Meet delegates, speakers and partners virtually through our Meeting Hub & virtual networking rooms and share contacts

• Export personal attendee notes

• Simultaneous interpretation through a dedicated mobile app for virtual attendees

• Contact our live support team whenever needed

• Virtual speakers from all-over the world able to join us in the hall through the very effective vmix platform and where able to share their presentations, insights and discuss key topics with fellow in-person speakers and answers questions from the audience in the hall.

Given its massive popularity and with aims of reaching out and attaining audience from all levels from the Saudi society, a massive digital marketing and media campaign was executed and we decided to stream the Forum on the Council’s social media platforms as well namely youtube, twitter, Instagram and snapchat. Here is the final count of attendees:

• In-person attendees: 409

• Virtual platform attendees: 633

• Live streaming viewers on twitter: 5,397

• Live streaming viewers on youtube: 953

• Speakers: 23

• Total number of attendees: 7,415

Our experience in executing the Saudi Family Forum 2021 was truly unique, not only because of the use of the hybrid format, but because of our speed and precision in executing it. We were able to execute the Forum within the timeframe of only two weeks from the contract signing! The short amount of time was not an excuse that prevented us from executing our tasks with the usual professionalism that is recognized by our team who worked around the clock with a high-level of commitment and passion.

We were very pleased with this milestone, and would like to truly thank the Family Affairs Council for their trust in our services and we look forward to continue our fruitful business relationship for many more upcoming events and our great team of hard-working spirited innovators for their dedication, spirit and passion.

Regards,

The Specialist – ExiCon International Group team