Case Study:
2022 Conference for IEEE/PCA
Role
Content Creator, Email and Print Coordinator, Copywriter, Graphic Designer, and Data Analyst
Duration
November 2021 to
May 2022
Tools
Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Microsoft 365, Outlook, Mailchimp, Fed Ex Office of San Antonio
Deliverables
IEEE Web Content, Email Lists, Email Campaigns, Signage, Graphics, Social Media Posts, Data & Metrics
Overview
The IEEE-IAS/PCA yearly conference is an event that brings together various experts from the cement and concrete industry for workshops, exhibitions, and networking. The Portland Cement Association works with the IEEE council and the National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) to produce this event on a yearly basis. In 2022, the event took place at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada between May 1 and May 5. This was the first event back in-person after two years of virtual events.
My role on this project was to support the creation of the website, creation of content for both emails and signage at the show, and tracking the amount of registrants for the event.
Problem
The biggest challenge of the event was to make the event appealing for people who had adjusted to an all-remote event space.
We really wanted to encourage people to come out to meet colleagues face-to-face, cover costs, and make a small profit for our organizations that would go into next year’s events.
Solution
The primary goals of this event, were to:
Promote the event through the website and an email list of nearly 1,400 people
Increase the number of registrants and gather data on what kind of registrants are coming
Get all signage, graphics for the event’s mobile app, and promotional items set for the IEEE event
Create and distribute special perks for sponsors of varying levels
How I Met Those Goals
I worked very closely with PCA’s Communications lead for the event. I was responsible for creating graphics, email banners, signage, and web pages for the main event site.
First, we set up a series of email lists: one for attendees, one for sponsors, and one for exhibitors. After that, we sourced show information from the IEEE Council, technical papers from the experts who would be doing presentations, and information from sponsors to provide them unique perks depending on the sponsorship tier that they purchased.
Together, the Communications lead and I set up a series of emails that would go out on a weekly-to-bi-weekly basis. Most maintained an open rate of roughly 22%, which is on par with the standard open rate reflected by Mailchimp’s 2022 data across a variety of industries (21.33%).
I was also in charge of the upkeep and content creation for the materials on the event website, www.cementconference.org. I kept the site updated with new information, graphics, and sponsors whenever they would come in. I also coordinated with the site owner to keep up security, as cybersecurity is more important now than ever.
I created graphics, signage, and social media posts, all of which were coordinated with the Communications head and the rest of the IEEE council. From there, they distributed them through the proper channels and utilized them to promote the event and/or incorporated them at the event itself.
I was in charge of reporting attendee metrics through the CVent registration page, reporting data to my PCA and IEEE superiors about how many people were attending, what kind of attendees were showing up (sponsors, exhibitors, etc.), and the revenue that was generated from attendees.
Metrics
Paid Attendees
790+
Sponsors
45+
Exhibitors
60+
Results
With the relaunch of the in-person IEEE event, we were able to bring people back to the event with better than expected results. We were expecting a lower turnout than that of previous years, but we actually exceeded our estimates, resulting in an event that provided a great source of revenue for all parties running the conference.
I was honored to play such a big part in bringing the show back to life after being virtual for two years. It was also exciting to have my designs and work be seen and appreciated in-person. I am thankful that I was able to contribute creatively to such a prestigious event.
