For over a decade, the University of Louisville in Kentucky has been building and growing their annual business pitch competition. MBA students and others from around the world travel to Kentucky for their chance at cash prizes towards their business plans. What once began as a campus event became a local event, a regional event, national, and now international.
Amidst a pandemic, there is no international travel. However, business has to move forward, students have to continue their course work, and investors still want to hear fresh ideas.
Business pitch competitions have challenges. We know, we’ve been providing A/V and Event Production to competitions like this one for years. There are time limits, judge confidentiality, and last-minute team presentation revisions. Staying on-time, down to the second, isn’t a luxury, it’s vital to the pitching team who pitches next.
When the University of Louisville began asking for help, their colleagues recommended avad3 from previous national competition support. Expertise is rarely found locally, but when it’s engaged, the subject-matter familiarity can make it feel like a firm is right in your backyard. We don’t have a Kentucky office but our states felt closer than ever as we worked together on this event.
Hear the words of their leader, moved to gratitude on-air. He thanked our team during one of the live public sessions streamed out via Facebook and YouTube to their online audiences.
We travel across the country for over 100 events each year. We love making and building relationships with wonderful event planners in different states as we do. In this client’s case, they had never met avad3, never seen us in action, and would never set foot in our Arkansas HQ. We planned, produced and executed their pitch competition event 100% remotely because at no point was travel necessary. Amidst a pandemic this was a necessity, but going forward, it’s also a great way to reduce travel expense waste.
Remote Planning
From the initial introduction meeting from their trusted colleague, to the very end, every planning meeting was remote. This saved their team traveling to us, our team traveling to them, and ultimately saved budget dollars, a metric we’re all tracking, because ROI drives sustainability of what we all do every day.
Remote Producing
We met with their competition teams to prep them to present remotely. We met with judges. We met with their leadership. All thanks to the digital tools our team relies on every day, the distance didn’t slow any of us down for a minute.
Remote Execution
Teams dialed in via Zoom. Judges did the same. We brought all those screens into our HD Video Switcher here at avad3 HQ in our Master Control room. We made sure hosts had countdown clocks and a member of our team speaking privately to them cueing them in and out of transitions. We also simulcast select sessions out to the public as final sessions and awards were given.
What was once an in-person business competition held in the breakout rooms of a Kentucky convention center became an online-only and 100% virtual event in a matter of months. Through their trust from a mutual colleague and client of ours, they placed their biggest day of the year in our hands. More than their big hearts behind the vision of this event, they trusted their sponsor relationships to us in executing an event that would build those relationships, not jeopardize them.
On a down year in a limited environment, they received exactly what they needed. On time, on budget, and viewed as a success not just by us or their internal team, but by all those involved. The business teams, judges and sponsors were able to persevere together. It inspired us, and we hope their story inspires yours.