A physical fair turnedinto a live online eventplatform

Challenge

International House Copenhagen helps new international residents make the most of their time in Denmark. Every year it runs International Citizen Days, a fair where newcomers get answers at booths, live talks and networking activities. When COVID-19 restrictions ruled out in-person gatherings, the question was how to turn an interaction-rich event into a safe, online-only experience without losing what made it work.

Approach

We modelled the design on the in-person fair to keep its social and interactive character: a live broadcast with chat on the same page, booths where participants could talk with hosts, and a forum-style space for participants to learn from each other. The prototype evolved into a custom platform with integrated video streaming, tested with actual internationals and tailored to their needs.

Alongside the platform we coordinated the live broadcast with NowTek, administered more than 80 booth hosts in Zoom, and scripted, animated and recorded explainer videos to market the fair.

Outcome

Three days of programming, 80+ booths and 250 talks. 1,840 unique visits, 96 percent would recommend the event and 91 percent took part in a talk. Hundreds of internationals met each other and learned from experts without a single person in a hall.