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We’ve talked at length about how big of an impact virtual conference software will continue to have in the event industry – even after social distancing restrictions have lifted and post-Covid life returns to normal.  

The truth of the matter is, adding a virtual booth option to your upcoming trade show appearance or hosting a hybrid in-person/virtual-town-hall-meeting not only allows you to connect with a larger audience scattered all across the globe, but it also offers a way to communicate your messaging and achieve your goals that might not have been possible with in-person events alone. 

To help get you inspired about how some of the top brands and events are embracing virtual conferencing, here are three different ways that some of our favorite brands are utilizing our own Bluewater virtual event platform, Parallel.live, in order to connect with attendees and further the reach of their event. 

Ford x Essence Festival 

As plans for an in-person event were derailed leading up to the 2020 Essence Festival, the team at Ford leaned on UWG in partnership with Bluewater to quickly find a way to engage with a virtual audience at the festival, as well as connect with the press in order to fill them in on what was in store for that year. 

Being that this was the first virtual consumer event for Ford (and the first time Essence Festival would be virtual), our team at Bluewater leaned into our years of experience and best-in-class virtual event platform, Parallel.live, to create a fully virtual booth experience that would showcase Ford’s branding and products, while also allowing content to shine front and center. 

The final virtual booth included the ability for online participants to explore Ford vehicles, including navigation into the interior and even video content. Additionally, attendees were able to view all of Ford’s on demand and live content via a virtual Ford stage. Our Bluewater team also teamed up with UWG to create a photo activation that allowed users to choose an overlay, take a photo, and download it for use in multiple places. 

To further support this media event, our team worked with Ford and UWG to provide a highly branded video call that could help set the stage for a select group of media professionals in the lead up to the event, which allowed multi participant views, one-up, and seamless video streams out to all participants. 

Click here to read more about the event. 

VAI Couture for a Cure 

Our team at Bluewater has proudly worked alongside our Michigan neighbors at the Van Andel Institute for years to help produce their annual Couture for a Cure event, which produces a high-fashion runway show for a worthy cause. However, for their 2020 Couture for a Cure event, we quickly pivoted the evening of fashion, fun, and support to a virtual event that brought high fashion right into the home of its supporters. 

By moving the event to our state-of-the-art Studio West streaming studio located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, our Bluewater team was able to utilize multiple cameras, lighting, and audio from within the streaming studio to bring a high-quality experience to those who were attending from home via our virtual event platform, Parallel.live. We also used our 20’ LED wall to serve as a fully customized digital backdrop for the show 

 “The Bluewater team is absolutely top notch. From the very beginning, they helped us think through meeting design, and then fully brought our vision to life,” said Sarah Rollman, Director of Events and Corporate Giving at VAI. “All in all, I would say that this is one of the best virtual platforms out there, with the industry’s top experts running the show.” 

Click here to read more about the event. 

National Nail Annual Kickoff 

When National Nail came to us to move their annual face-to-face kickoff to the virtual space, we knew that we needed more than a standard Zoom call or one way communication to achieve the same results that their annual event typically brings attendees. Therefore, we decided to use Parallel.live and bring their Annual Kickoff into our full production studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

Our virtual event production team produced and guided the entire event that was broadcast to virtual attendees all over the country using our virtual conference software. Presenters were also able to utilize our studio space that included premium audio and visual equipment, as well as an LED backdrop that featured branded presentations and wrap-around imagery. 

Our Bluewater team also took it a step further and brought in the ability for both attendees and presenters to communicate, two-way communication that allowed virtual attendees to feel like they were having a face-to-face conversation with the presenter, and virtual breakout rooms where individual topics that were relevant to specific attendees could be discussed in small virtual huddles.  

Click here to read more about the event. 

Want to learn more about how you can use Bluewater’s virtual event platform, Parallel.live, to extend your next event? Get in touch to learn more.