AIB Retail Banking Townhall 2020
Case Study: Townhall
Client Needs and Challenges
The AIB town halls are an employee conference which used to take place in the Convention Centre in Dublin. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, AIB was unable to deliver its town hall event in person in 2020 and has continued to offer virtual access to the events.
The purpose of the town hall is to bring all AIB employees together, make company-wide announcements and update all employees on company news from the previous months. The AIB town hall is a key employee engagement event for AIB, helping to strengthen employee relationships and boost morale. Vstage were contracted to produce AIB’s first town hall of 2020, a virtual employee conference with remote and in-studio speakers and has delivered them since, along with other AIB events.
Utilising FUEL Studios on Camden Street, this live event featured talks and presentations from AIB CIO Colin Hunt, live in-person in-studio speakers, live dial-in remote speakers, breakout sessions and pre-recorded video pieces.
AIB challenged us to create a premium and professional event in which the attendees would feel more connected and engaged on a platform which attendees could interact and engage with. They wanted to obtain real-time feedback and comments from their employees.<\/p>
One of the main challenges was for the event to appeal to their 1000+ employees and maintain the audience number throughout the full two hours.
Our Approach
Pre-event, FUEL worked closely with Vstage, alongside AIB, on pre-event comms, design and delivery of virtual invitations, speaker instructions (dial-in and in the studio), platform graphics and platform content.
It was important to provide detailed and clear instructions for the remote diallers because this was their first virtual event. Vstage drafted concise instructions that ultimately helped in the successful execution of the event. Additionally, it was crucial that all attendees had clear instructions on how to register for and attend the event.
AIB wanted to use the large-scale L.E.D. screen located in FUEL studios. The Vstage team worked closely with AIB on utilising this for maximum impact for viewers. One element displayed on the screen was the real-time results from the Mentimeter, a live survey which attendees could input their feedback into throughout the event. This resulted in a positive interactive, and engaging element.
Vstage produced a premium virtual event with a VIP panel discussion, separate breakout sessions and interaction with attendees.
To keep the audience engaged throughout the event to avoid a drop off in numbers, Vstage encouraged AIB to consider adding some more captivating content through videos. By including some light-hearted videos, as well as a piece from their wellbeing \/ employee engagement in-house programme, this resonated with the audience and stimulated an abundance of comments.
A dedicated tech support team was at hand both before the event and for the duration of the event. Answering any tech problems or concerns from the speakers and attendees.<
Outcomes
High Turnout
A turnout of 886 attendees with a low drop-off number.
High engagement in breakout sessions
Engaged viewers – 774 comments and over 15% of attendees inputting feedback into the Mentimeter
Positive feedback from attendees, speakers and client
Future intent by the client to run more virtual events: the CIO and leadership team were extremely satisfied with the event’s running, delivery and execution. Especially the professionalism and safety throughout the event.
Due to the success of the event, and the satisfaction of the client, AIB has subsequently used Vstage to produce an event of the same format for their Christmas town hall event.
AIB recently worked with Vstage to deliver a virtual event to our workforce in Ireland, the UK and the USA. Featuring presentations by AIB CEO Colin Hunt, Chief of People Operations Geraldine Casey, and a live performance by musician Gavin James we were particularly impressed by the level of professionalism, excellent production values, and the feeling of ease that Vstage instilled in our Leadership team.
This event was watched live by thousands of our people, with extremely positive audience interaction throughout. We look forward to working with the team again in the near future.
Giles Barrett AIB Head of Employee Engagement