FIRST won the micebook V Award for Best Conference this year for its virtual delivery of Sibos 2021. We check out the winning entry in more detail…

Following on from the success of delivering the first virtual Sibos in 2020, SWIFT’s annual flagship event, FIRST was again called on to push the boundaries of virtual engagement and deliver the financial community’s primary thought-leadership experience on a bigger scale than ever before.

Prioritising authentic interactivity between attendees and speakers with more live sessions and broadcast quality production, FIRST coordinated remote and in-person production teams in studio spaces in New York, London and Brussels, capturing pre-recorded content ahead of the 4-day live streamed event in London.

FIRST produced and managed the Sibos 2021 online content management portal which launched with teaser videos to build excitement and was updated live with on demand content. Maintaining strict data security compliance measures, FIRST hosted the live streams on a bespoke virtual platform embedded into the site for a secure and seamless user experience.

The four-day agenda featured over 330 speakers, 90+ hours of live streams, 200+ hours of content captured, reviewed and edited, and incorporated familiar Zoom-style networking sessions throughout to foster global community discussion. Creative, collaborative technology such as Slido, Virtual Front Row, Piccles and live scribing were integrated into the agenda to facilitate live audience participation throughout.

The event received multiple positive reviews and features in publications such as Technology Record, Asset Servicing Times, Finextra, ANZ bluenotes, FinTech Futures. David Bridgeman, Head of Event Operations & Logistics, SWIFT said that FIRST did “a truly excellent job”, while judges were impressed by the “excellent content”.