That’s a Wrap: 2021 Events Year in Review

What a year 2021 has been! The past 12 months have brought on many changes and challenges, teaching us all the benefits of remaining flexible. We’ve learned to adapt and grow with each unexpected twist and turn. Through it all, we’ve still managed to gather together, whether we’re in a conference room or in front of a computer screen. From in-person occasions to virtual and hybrid events, 2021 events have taught us there’s nothing stopping us from building strong communities in the midst of uncertain times.

AVentPro is proud to have been a part of bringing people together. We’re celebrating our year’s successes by taking a look back at our 2021 event highlights as we wrap up the past year and look forward to the new year ahead. 

1. NFI’s Annual Investor Relations Day

Powered by 450 years of combined experience, NFI is an industry leader in scalable, smart mobility solutions around the globe. From zero-emission buses and coaches, infrastructure, and technology, NFI delivers sustainability alongside building stronger, more accessible communities.

With a reputation for innovation and inclusion, how could we turn away from the challenge of a last-minute shift from in-person to fully virtual when it came time for NFI’s Annual Investor Relations Day?

AVentPro tackled the challenge of a change in venue by seeing the positivity in new ways of gathering and turning this sudden setback into a virtual event success story. As the first major full-production event that we hosted from our studios, we are delighted to report that the event reached over 1,000 current and prospective investors and went off without a hitch. In fact, the data, projections, and forward-looking statements that the company’s Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors presented virtually contributed to a 15 percent increase in stock valuation day-over-day from that event. NFI’s CEO address was fully tech revolutionized. It took place in front of an LED wall with an integrated presentation backdrop that went far beyond the usual boardroom slide deck in bringing key players into the conversation.

This 2021 event was an opportunity to showcase NFI’s successes and strengthen global connections with investors. Attendees from across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America watched live presentations and heard a host panel of industry leaders have engaging discussions. It brought new voices to the table while setting NFI up as an industry leader.

2. Manitoba Government & General Employees’ Union Local Meetings

A year ago, when faced with the task of running more than 200 virtual meetings while prioritizing the health and safety of our teams, many companies would have thought that was impossible. If there’s one thing these unprecedented times have taught us, it’s that there’s no challenge we can’t tackle through resilience, innovation, and a little event planning magic.

Manitoba Government & General Employees’ Union (MGEU) was faced with the challenge of hosting hundreds of local union meetings in a COVID-restricted environment, during one of the worst waves of COVID-19 to hit Winnipeg at the time. To complicate things further, MGEU’s elections were scheduled to take place at their upcoming October convention. That meant we needed to get their union locals together before then. Each local needed to be in the same virtual room – and we had to ensure our hosts had a safe, reliable environment to facilitate the interactions. 

We are pleased to report that, when faced with a monumental task, we delivered monumental success.

AVentPro has been proudly hosting MGEU’s conventions for several years. We were determined to deliver the same experience that our client has come to rely on us for. Client priorities are our priorities, no matter the changing climate of event planning. With that in mind, our key considerations for a successful event were:

• A consistent look and feel.
• Reliable, dependable equipment and infrastructure.
• An easy-to-use platform that was both robust and secure (for anonymous voting that could be accurately audited).
• A solution that guaranteed the safety of each and every meeting participant, and adhered to public health guidelines.
• A solution that would work in rural areas with limited internet coverage.

To deliver these goals, we handled local election voting and delivered a reliable platform for virtual gathering. We developed a hybrid solution for MGEU facilitators to have an on-site studio in the form of small workspaces called PODs. These provided the perfect “safe space” for representatives to chair the union meetings while keeping a live tech support team close at hand.

Altogether, we facilitated a total of 258 meetings. Over 400 meeting participants walked through our doors with not a single case of COVID-19 community transmission reported. Our unique hybrid solution allowed us to maintain and grow our technician pool, offering them hundreds of hours of work during a challenging economic time.

So how does MGEU feel about tackling the impossible these days? With these meetings under their belt, MGEU enlisted our help to host their annual convention from our studio last October. In addition, we’re scheduled to help with another 100+ meetings and into their next convention in June 2022.

3. Savour Manitoba: Wine & Food Experience

AVentPro has proudly facilitated HSC’s annual Wine & Food Gala for many years. The most recent in-person gathering was in February 2020. As the pandemic surged shortly thereafter, we prepared to raise a glass virtually and launch our very first virtual wine and food experience in February 2021.

Participants were able to journey across the globe without ever leaving their desk and sample delicious and inspired local fare. Each attendee received wine and a charcuterie board – delivered direct to their homes. All enjoyed an evening of memorable experiences brought closer by the power of technology. A featured highlight was Big City All Star Band, recorded live at AVentPro Studios.

Although the transition from in-person to virtual came with plenty of uncertainty, we were quick to implement the benefit of agile event planning in tackling the biggest challenge HSC had yet to face. The annual auction, a prime opportunity for fundraising, was top priority for our client. Naturally, pulling the event off without a hitch was top priority for us as well.

Since 2009, guests have generated over $2 million in support of vital initiatives at HSC. We weren’t about to let 2021 be the exception to a phenomenal year.  AVentPro seamlessly integrated an auction platform for a live virtual auction experience. HSC was able to connect with their most valued supporters for a celebration of the year’s hard work and drive incredible donations through one, easy-to-use platform.

We look forward to making 2022’s Gala even more magnificent for our friends at HSC!

4. Graduation Ceremonies

Graduation is a milestone that deserves a party. How we celebrate may have looked a little different in a post-pandemic world. But AVentPro was determined to bring the spirit of an incredible sense of accomplishment and a bright future through virtual and hybrid graduation events.

We hosted many proud grads in 2021. Just a couple of these highlights included hybrid drive-in graduation ceremonies and a hybrid traditional ceremony, where students were allowed one guest on-site while the rest of their supporters watched from home. The common thread through each event was a sense of togetherness, even in cases where regulations limited the number of guests in attendance. 

Our hybrid drive-in ceremonies featured hundreds of vehicles at Assiniboia Downs in support of our grads. For friends and family watching at home, our remote camera crews were at the ready. LED trailers, radio, and livestreaming were available to join the celebration. We strive to make every student feel recognized for their achievements. When names were announced, the students and parents were invited to step out of their vehicle for our cameras to spotlight them on the big screen and for those viewing at home, while horns honking to the place of traditional applause.

Our team was especially proud to support the classes of 2021 during these unprecedented times and look forward to cheering on their future success.

5. RRC Polytech Events Series

2021 was a big year for RRC Polytech! We were delighted to support our friends at RRC Polytech with their hybrid event series to capture the importance of the naming of their new expansion. Inclusion, reconciliation, and innovation were the themes throughout all three hybrid events. AventPro helped them honour the heritage behind the name reveal, as well as ensure each attendee was engaged and appreciated.

This innovative combination of in-person and virtual events featured a small in-person gathering with a larger virtual audience joining in tandem, as well as the launch of their new fundraising campaign, which featured keynote student speakers. We were honoured to bring these students’ stories to life while bringing people together. Donors were also able to see their contributions in action through a social-distanced tour of the building.

The crowning moment for our RRC Polytech’s 2021 event series was announcing the campus building naming as a hallmark of progress as we head into 2022.

Looking to 2022

What milestones are you looking forward to celebrating in 2022? No matter where or how you plan to gather, AVentPro will be there to proudly support your community. On behalf of our event planning team, we wish everyone a safe, prosperous year and look forward to the opportunities ahead.