#MarketingEventsAwards 2021 highlight: Bridge Alliance cuts no corners in virtual forum event

Bridge Alliance had to host its annual CXO Forum virtually in 2020, but did not want to cut corners and provide a watered-down version of its physical event. It engaged with the same calibre of keynote speakers, and fostered candid conversations during breakout sessions.  

Bridge Alliance’s ability to successfully pivot to a virtual event impressed the judges, and secured it the bronze award for Best B2B Event: Conferences/Meetings/Seminars at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Marketing Events Awards 2021. 

Challenge  

Bridge Alliance is a mobile alliance for premier operators and their customers in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. The alliance comprises 34 members who serve more than 900 million customers collectively across these regions.  

Its annual flagship event, CXO Forum, is held annually in Singapore and sees attendees such as C-level executives, Bridge Alliance’s board of directors, industry leaders, and experts from Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.  

The forum features exclusive C-level round tables, networking and candid sharing, strategic outcomes, global participation, high-level panel discussions, and high calibre speakers. The forum also covers key developments and the latest market trends, regional collaboration opportunities, as well as the alliance’s regional strategies.  

With travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic in 2020, Bridge Alliance wanted to pivot to a well-produced digital version of the Bridge Alliance CXO Forum that would deliver the same value as the physical forum. 

Strategy 

Bridge Alliance wanted to create an impactful and memorable virtual CXO Forum that would pack a punch through quality production, with a well-curated compelling agenda that featured impactful keynote speakers and panellists. To that end, it had to bring the ballroom to attendees’ computer screens, retain engagement remotely, and engage attendees through impactful content. 

It also wanted to ensure the forum would feature the same calibre of keynote speakers and programming that would result in actionable outcomes for the telecom community – it did not want to provide attendees with a watered-down version of the physical event. 

Furthermore, Bridge Alliance’s research showed that optimal events cannot run over a full day like physical events do.  

Hence, Bridge Alliance decided it would segment the forum into two separate three-hour events to cater better to shorter virtual attention spans. The forum took place in two parts, six months apart from each other; primarily with 5G at the centre of discussion. It also included closed-door breakout rooms for CXO round tables.  

Execution 

During the first part of the event, the forum addressed the impact of 5G on consumers and the customer experience. The C-level speakers were from companies which were first-movers in various aspects of launching consumer 5G.

Bridge Alliance also convened a group of regional CEOs for a panel discussion on how they spearheaded a new regional digital telco strategy in key Asian markets. 

Meanwhile, the second part saw the forum address the wider implications of 5G for businesses. Bridge Alliance convened C-suite representatives to look at how mobile operators were realigning to enable their enterprise customers’ digital transformation, powered by 5G. It also invited a management consultancy to round-up the salient points of the discussions as key takeaways for attendees. 

Additionally, the attendees, 10% to 15% of whom were C-level decision makers, were split into more intimate breakout sessions, with a Bridge Alliance moderator present to foster candid discussions. 

Results 

More than 30 countries were represented in the forum, with a total of over 700 participants. Tech influencers also shared key insights from the forum on their blogs, and the forum was also able to build social media buzz despite being a closed-door event.