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It is pretty safe to assume most everyone’s five-year plan was taken out in the chaos of 2020. With the future no more certain now, as business event professionals, where do we go from here? With the Digital Event Strategist course, there is a way to help futureproof your skill set so you are ready to be as nimble as the situation calls for. Song Yi Kim, COO, Chris & Partners took the DES course, and this is her story.
Tell us a little bit about what you do and what made you pursue DES in the first place.
My name is Song Yi KIM, and I am COO of Chris & Partners, a total business event service provider based in Seoul, South Korea. I have built the firm’s business into a growth position from the ground up for the last six years, and we are a well-known company becoming an industry leader, faster than other players in Korea.
However, in 2020, as the whole industry stopped due to the pandemic, we tried to pivot our business areas to digital events. By Q3 and Q4, we had successfully shifted our events digital and conducted more than 25 different types of digital events from webinar to hybrid.
Our team, including myself, was interested in what other major players outside of Korea would do and how they have been preparing for this new normal.
I decided to take the DES course and learn the latest trends and hands-on technology in digital events. It was undoubtedly conducive to capture from the strategy to the actual tactics for managing high-quality digital events.
What key learnings from the DES course have you implemented in the event(s) you’ve worked on and are currently working on?
Currently, I am managing the Walk 21 Seoul International Conference, which will be in the form of a digital event in May 2021. I am working with a couple of main stakeholders to collaborate to prep the event.
Communication Collaboration: I set up smart collaboration communication tools for efficient communication, online meeting, and decision-making to work with different key stakeholders from other countries and organizations. For example, we started using Zapier to integrate apps such as Slack, Zoom, Trello, and Google Drive to work effectively and closely. This primary but handy tactic works very well so far.
Audience Engagement Ideas: Initially, this was supposed to be an exciting in-person event with lots of social events and walking tours in Seoul. Since it’s now a digital event, we have to apply a different strategy. After taking DES, I learned that one of the most critical matters that I have to keep in mind is audience engagement. Therefore, we are now planning a couple of ideas after research and meeting with vendors. We will definitely create interactive participation by drawing audiences’ attention and interest during the event. We came out with some good ideas, so I am very excited to execute this planning.
If a friend or colleague is on the fence about taking DES, what would you say to nudge them?
The DES course offers beneficial information and knowledge to make your event greater than you ever thought. You learn new ideas, yet you reinforce many principles and strategies you may not have taken out of your pocket for a long time. The DES community will keep you actively involved, and you will pride yourself as a certified Digital Event Strategist.
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The Digital Event Strategist Spotlight series features Digital Event Strategists and how they are making an impact in their work through digital and hybrid events.
For inquiries about the Digital Event Strategist certification, please complete this form.