Background
isla is a non-profit organisation founded by event professionals and industry leaders with a singular focus: fostering a sustainable future for the events sector.
In an industry historically associated with high emissions, including single-use consumables and frequent air travel, isla promotes collaboration and rethinking event design to embed sustainable practices. By educating and sharing knowledge, isla enables companies to transform their intentions into action and helps drive change across the sector.
isla’s membership spans brands, agencies, suppliers and venues, creating a comprehensive network dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of events. For Transform, its virtual community event, isla partnered with CrowdComms to bring that network together in a single online space.
Event Goals
- Celebrate the launch of isla’s first Temperature Check Report, highlighting key insights on sustainable event practices
- Connect 200 attendees from both the TRACE user base and the broader isla community in a single virtual space
- Provide access to essential resources, including the report, training badges and sustainability workshops
- Offer a customisable event experience with live and on-demand content, allowing attendees to tailor their agendas
- Raise awareness and inspire more event professionals to adopt sustainable practices within the industry
Challenges
- Unifying different audiences: for the first time, isla aimed to connect two distinct groups, TRACE users and the broader isla community, within a single virtual space
- Moving beyond a basic online meeting format to a dynamic platform that allowed for tailored agendas, resource sharing and networking opportunities
- Maximising engagement, so attendees could easily access reports, workshops and sustainability content in a highly interactive environment
Solution
CrowdComms created a flexible, brandable virtual environment that seamlessly brought together isla’s two distinct communities in one space.
Attendees could customise their event experience by selecting from different sustainability workshops and scheduling them into personal agendas, creating a genuinely bespoke experience.
The platform enabled timely communication through push notifications, which encouraged engagement before the event day even arrived.
CrowdComms live chat support played a crucial role throughout planning and execution. The isla team could ask real-time questions, troubleshoot issues and receive ongoing training on the platform’s functionality, backed by CrowdComms production management on the day.
Outcome
Transform: The Community was a milestone event for isla, made possible through the innovative technology and support provided by CrowdComms. The platform’s flexibility, customisation options and seamless integration allowed isla to deliver an engaging and informative virtual event that brought its community together in pursuit of a more sustainable future for the events industry. By overcoming the limitations of traditional online meetings and uniting a diverse audience in one space, isla successfully launched its Temperature Check Report and extended its reach, all while championing the sustainability message central to its mission.