The UNH Digital Marketing Conference is one of the most popular spring events offered by UNH Professional Development & Training (PD&T). With speakers secured, marketing began in late fall 2019 for the fourth annual conference in June 2020, and enrollments started rolling in.
Then everything changed.
To help flatten the COVID-19 curve, UNH staff began working from home in March. Social distancing became the norm. PD&T worked together while apart — from home offices, laundry rooms and kitchen tables — to pivot spring programming for a remote audience.
Shifting the conference online made sense (who better to embrace an online experience than an audience interested in digital strategies?), but the logistics of pulling off such a feat in a short period proved challenging.
The team met with Extension’s IT specialists to discuss how to organize 10 presenters across six online breakout rooms into a seamless experience. They created a road map of the agenda, viewing it from a participant’s perspective to anticipate any potential issues.
Next came rehearsals.
The team gathered on Zoom for a run-through. Conference coordinator Stacey Boyle conducted practice sessions with speakers to ensure everyone was comfortable with screen sharing, polling and hosting.
Agendas were sent to 60 participants, and everyone hoped for good Wi-Fi vibes. Sessions covered a wide range of topics — from SEO to inbound marketing to smartphone video production.
When the big day arrived, all participants transitioned from one virtual space to another without issue, serving as a fitting example of PD&T’s core belief: learning is lifelong.
