director of learning at EY
EY has been offering learning events to professionals for many years. It started with a single study day, but after more than 11 years it has evolved into a two-day learning event. These events are always based around networking and sharing knowledge. Naturally there is a clear link to EY’s Global Corporate Strategy, which is realized each year with a compelling theme. The underlying idea is that it should be different every year. In this way, EY continues to surprise and intrigue its employees. “We never expected it would be so different in 2021,” says Paul Bartelings, EY’s director of learning.
“It was very important that our learning event was not cancelled this year, particularly to maintain continuity,” Bartelings says. “Our professionals expect a learning event every year; it has really become part of our culture. We are a knowledge organization and we do all we can to keep our knowledge and skills up to date.
“It’s something we’re happy to invest in,” he continues. “But that’s not all: Now more than ever, it is important to keep your employees engaged. This meant it was a logical step for us to consider the possibilities of an online event.”
An online event offers opportunities
It didn’t take long for EY to make the decision internally that the learning event would go ahead, one way or another. But how they would get there wasn’t yet clear.
“A completely different approach was needed, because some objectives were more difficult or even impossible to achieve due to the switch from live to online,” Bartelings says. “In the run-up to the event, we had to reformulate many objectives or even scrap them to achieve our overall goals. However, some objectives were actually easier to realize in an online event.
“For example, the switch to digital was a great opportunity to involve professionals from abroad as well as at home,” he continues. “We were suddenly able to reach many more people — from no less than 17 countries. This was far more than before, when we were always limited to a maximum number of visitors at a single location.
“This format also allowed us to unleash our creativity, together with our creative designer, Danny Rats from studiorats. For example, the online aspect allowed us to stream from multiple locations that perfectly matched the type of workshop, but with a recognizable and uniform design and look and feel. Current circumstances not only presented new challenges, they also created amazing new developments. And the end result: knowledge management at its best, if you ask me!”
Online, content really rules
While the content of an event is always very important, of course, this is even more true online. Lack of physical contact means that content plays an even greater role.
“To implement our strategy, we wanted to deliver high-quality content in a perfect format,” Bartelings says. “Which content was available on the event platform, and how easy it was to use, were very important factors. It was crucial that what we shared with professionals was of high quality and the visual elements needed to look attractive.”
An overarching theme that connects
How do you find a theme that not only appeals to an entire target group, but also holds their attention and keeps them motivated online?
“During the planning stage, we contacted several of our professionals about the choice of theme to find out what was interesting and relevant to them,” Bartelings says. “That allowed us to generate interest beforehand within the target group and make them part of the learning event. This immediately gave us a great deal of valuable input to incorporate into the theme and program.”
The theme — What is Next? Entrepreneurship, Technology and the Human Touch – played a vital role, which was clear to the speakers and sessions.
“Our experienced speakers also had to keep participants interested during the sessions,” Bartelings says. “We briefed them about the theme and offered suggestions on how to use it in their case studies. The speakers indicated links to recognizable strategies and current topics. For example, one speaker covered COVID-19 in more depth and how it affects our brains. People were curious about this current topic, which also fit with the theme.”
A uniform, professional image
As Bartelings explained earlier, visual recognizability was extremely important to retain the interest and enthusiasm of participants.
“We wanted to create that engagement with a smart, professional image,” he says. “The budget was primarily spent on technology and design, since details are much more noticeable online. This meant excellent video streaming with a sleek design and a matching studio setting were also highly desirable.
“As I have already mentioned, recognition and a uniform appearance were paramount. As such, the prerecorded sessions had exactly the same background and branding on screen as the live sessions. The recurring bumper and other attributes and decorative elements in the various studios that appeared during the online event also matched the theme. Together with the superb camera technique, light and sound, this made a professional impression. Thanks to the uniform images and visuals, every aspect of the event was highly recognizable.”
Enthusiastic participants thanks to snappy content and fun
The fact remains that it is much harder to stay enthusiastic when watching a computer screen than it is when you are physically present in a room. Nevertheless, Bartelings and his colleagues shortened only the plenary sessions.
“While many event organizers advise covering the program in a shorter time, we consciously chose not to do this. The reason is straightforward: It was a learning event. The objective was to keep the knowledge and skills of our young professionals up to date, and that takes time. We did, of course, make a few adjustments here and there to keep our content snappy. For example, the host invited four speakers to join each session for a short interview via large screens. We alternated this with a live panel on stage. Various countries were also given five minutes of airtime between the sessions. We also organized entertainment during the breaks, because fun is particularly important during an online edition.
“For many years, we concluded our learning event with drinks and a party,” he continues. “We wanted to retain this fun element, but what could possibly be appropriate for our organization and this online learning event? At EY, we have a health and fitness strategy, which we use to focus attention on vitality and well-being. We saw this as a great starting point, because most of our professionals are currently working from home.
“After three and a half hours of listening, it was time for an energizer. With the help of a professional trainer with just the right props, we created a good balance between vitality and practice. Just as with every live edition, we closed this online edition with a fun element. Since an unforgettable party unfortunately wasn’t possible, we organized The EY ShowQuiz and a Live Cooking show instead.”
My golden tip: Join forces for a perfect result
Bartelings shares an important tip for virtual events: Brainstorm with all relevant parties at the earliest possible opportunity. This will help you create a great result together.
“Thanks to the perfect three-way partnership between EY, studiorats and the event location, NBC, this online learning event was a great success, which is exactly what we aim to achieve with every live edition at an event location,” he says.
The future of events
Everyone agrees that we miss meeting one another physically. But what will the events industry do once physical meetings are possible once more? Will online events continue or will they be forgotten just as quickly as they arrived? In Bartelings’ view, both forms have their own benefits.
“When I look back at this event, the limitations in fact helped us to make better connections with our colleagues abroad. Online events are perfect for sharing knowledge digitally between different countries. But when it comes to networking, live is still easier than online. As such, I expect that the next learning event will have a hybrid format. We will definitely get together with our Dutch colleagues, with online sessions added to include those in other countries.”
