Because the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to host the meeting in person, KCADC turned to its creative video partner DEG to reimagine its 2020 Annual Meeting as a virtual event.
In March 2020, COVID-19 hit anyone and everyone like a lightning bolt. Businesses adapted as people began working from home. Families transitioned to accommodate virtual learning, simultaneous conference calls, and beloved pets trying to steal the webcam spotlight.
Yet life continued, and areas like the Kansas City metro continued to work hard to sustain growth, as savvy business leaders and innovative thinkers worked to get others to invest in the city they called home.
The challenge
The Kansas City Area Development Council is a private, nonprofit organization charged with representing the economic interests of the entire two-state, 18-county region of Greater Kansas City. The group’s goal is to attract businesses and talent to the region by enhancing awareness of the metro’s assets.
To show progress over the past year, KCADC hosts an annual meeting that celebrates the area’s yearly updates and accolades. In 2020, the council wanted to highlight that in the last 12 months, the Kansas City region attracted 13 manufacturing, ecommerce, and professional service companies to invest more than $1 billion and create nearly 4,000 jobs.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to host the meeting in person, KCADC turned to its creative video partner DEG to reimagine its 2020 Annual Meeting as a virtual event that still was engaging and bright.
The strategy
In years past, DEG had produced the opening and post-lunch videos for the annual KCADC meeting, which traditionally hosted 2,000 Kansas Citians. This time, the DEG Content Studio team leveraged its extensive video production knowledge to build an entire virtual show, consisting of multiple speaker videos, sponsor bumpers, transitions between segments, and opening and closing remarks. DEG pre-recorded all videos, filmed in visually pleasing spaces that were open, and purposefully shot scenes that showed we were adhering to safe distance between speakers.