
Event Date: 30 September 2020
VIRTUALLY THE BEST BIRD FAIR IN AFRICA.
The challenge
BirdLife South Africa has for about 15 years held physical Bird Fairs, initially at the Johannesburg Zoo and latterly at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden.
These have been very popular and they have been an important activity on the calendar of Gauteng birders.
Due to Covid-19, BirdLife South Africa decided to have a virtual event in 2020.
Of course, because it was to be virtual, they were able to have a truly African event. They secured the support of many South African organisations and a growing number who work across the continent.
AT A GLANCE
96 469 Page Views
1 562 delegates
137 535 sponsor and exhibitor banner impressions.
982 messages sent between delegates.
The Why
BLSA’s goals was an opportunity to shake the event
industry:
- Bring birders from around the world together to
experience the first ever virtual birding fair.
- Connect attendees with their peers to encourage
sharing knowledge.
- Encompass all aspects of a face-to-face event into a
completely virtual experience.
- Give attendees the ability to bid on exciting items.
- Live morning safaris.
- Show BirdLife South Africa as a forward‐thinking and
innovative non-profit organization.
- Exciting art galleries.


THE INTERACTIONS
Activity Feed
Ever wanted a social experience without having to link to social media?
The event app can do that.
By allowing delegates to post photos and comments on the app, engagement was increased and excitement levels increased throughout the event, all from the privacy of the app.
IMMEDIATE SESSION FEEDBACK
The event app gives the ability to give instant feedback, either to show to the audience, or as insights for the speakers. Answers can be anonymous, or tracked to a user.
This allows both honest and anonymous feedback, or direct feedback which you can help an individual with.
LOCKDOWN? GEO-UNLOCKED
When moving from a physical event, held at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden to hosting a virtual event, the initial hurdles of interaction morphed into possibilities of a country-wide event. South Africa wasn’t enough, and it morphed quickly to include many countries in Africa and beyond.