The 34th Alpbach Finance Symposium 2020 was already fully planned and in the bag when the pandemic suddenly turned the entire event industry upside down. How could the 34th symposium be saved?

KATHRIN FREITAG AND PHILIPP COTTOGNI: It was always clear to our managing director: The event would take place. If the circumstances didn't match our planned schedule, we'd have to reorient ourselves. So we researched digital events and participated in some ourselves. It quickly became clear that a livestream wasn't enough for us. The Alpbach Finance Symposium thrives on customers and sponsors being able to exchange ideas and network with each other – so we had to come up with something better. That's how we came up with ONevents, and together we created the 34th Alpbach Finance Symposium, the first hybrid version of the event.

What points were particularly important when switching to a hybrid event?

KATHRIN FREITAG AND PHILIPP COTTOGNI: We wanted a digital platform that was easy to use—everyone should be able to access it without any barriers to entry. Especially at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, perhaps not everyone was familiar with digital events. Participants shouldn't have to struggle with the technology when participating. We also placed great importance on the visual appearance; everything should be seamless. The platform had to match our corporate design so that participants would feel completely at home at our event.

Did everything turn out the way you imagined?

KATHRIN FREITAG AND PHILIPP COTTOGNI (laughing): No! But that's a good thing. The digitalization of the Alpbach Finance Symposium is a constant process; everything is in flux. For example, at the beginning, we thought it would be particularly important to connect the on-site participants and the participants in front of the screens as closely as possible. Then we learned that this isn't really that important to people. For most people, simply sending each other a message to arrange a meeting is enough. Instead, other topics have popped up that we need to implement. We're currently working on the 36th symposium and already have a lot we'd like to develop further.

What developments are important to you for the next financial symposium? Can you share them?

KATHRIN FREITAG AND PHILIPP COTTOGNI: For example, we want every single workshop and presentation you've registered for to be automatically added to your Outlook calendar. This way, you'll have a detailed schedule of the event in front of you a few days before the start of the financial symposium—a personal schedule, so to speak.

What makes ONevents your perfect partner in meeting these challenges?

KATHRIN FREITAG AND PHILIPP COTTOGNI: They're always there! Whether it's programming new requests or the event itself – our contact person from ONevents is always available. It's a huge relief to have experts on-site at the event. Should any technical issues arise with sponsors, participants, or at a trade fair booth, there's always someone there who knows what they're doing. Furthermore, the ONevents team is constantly working with us to further develop the Alpbach Financial Symposium product. We never hear, "That's not possible!" Instead, they search for the best possible solution for everything. This way, we work hand in hand.