Prior to COVID, user conferences were a reliable way to gather a few thousand customers, prospects, and partners for some inspirational keynotes, educational breakout workshops, and a couple of networking meals. All that changed in March 2020 when the lights went dark on large-scale in-person events, and companies were forced to do their best to deliver those offerings to work-from-home audiences around the globe. Initially, people eagerly went online for a few hours to consume content, but before long Zoom fatigue set in. So when 2022 rolled around, corporations were champing at the bit to return to live events and reengage face-to-face attendees. But would the audiences feel the same way? Would they be willing to hop on planes, stay in hotels, and breathe shared air? Dell Technologies Inc. was about to be one of the first companies to find out.

Dell Technologies World (DTW) 2022, the tech giant's flagship tech conference, was set to return to The Venetian in Las Vegas after two years of being fully virtual. The company wanted to reassemble its global audience of loyal customers, new prospects, and tech enthusiasts, not to mention the media, analysts, and its own employees, for a four-day in-person event. In many ways, event planners had to relearn and reimagine corporate events. "Planning a large-scale event is always challenging. Planning one after two years of no in-person events is even more complicated," says Daniel Preiss, vice president of experiential marketing for Dell. "From reigniting and reinventing processes and systems to integrating new industry standards, building an event in 2022 was a learning process for all. We had to reset and reimagine how we do large-scale events as so much had changed."

Unknowns surrounded live events because of an unstable global economy and uncertainty about whether attendees would have the appetite for large face-to-face gatherings. Dell was banking that after so long in isolation, people craved human connections and a renewed opportunity to network with peers and learn from experts.

Structural Support
To ensure DTW's audience had a great time – should they show up – Dell again reached out to InVision Communications Inc., the event agency it's been working with for 10 years, to help drive education and engagement. The teams recognized that the event wouldn't be as simple as returning to prepandemic iterations. For instance, they had to consider and implement health protocols and integrate a hybrid component to accommodate a large number of attendees who couldn't make the trip to Vegas due to personal or corporate restrictions.

Plus, Dell and InVision knew they couldn't rely on past statistics and data to develop the program, so the organizers set out to completely reimagine the entire experience from the ground up and set a slate of new objectives. They wanted the event to be a true festival that celebrated its audience of IT heroes who kept the world economy churning forward despite the unprecedented challenges foisted upon them by the pandemic. To that end, organizers designed a more thoughtful, elevated experience from years past, grounding the event in optimism, inclusivity, and empowerment. The primary focus became connection – connection with industry partners and prospective new talent.

In one ballroom, the team decided to create a presentation stage for dynamic keynotes from company leaders, inspirational talks from well-known personalities, and an exclusive concert. Playing off the sense of community, organizers also decided to transform an exhibition hall into The Village, a gathering space for in-person attendees to network, relax, and have fun. Finally, there would be the breakout sessions that provided deep dives into Dell's offerings, ranging from its expanding APEX Cloud Services to cybersecurity.

Instead of myopically focusing on sales or a return on investment, Dell opted to gauge its success on the attendee experience. So the tech firm refrained from setting any hard-and-fast goals, recognizing that past benchmarks were largely unusable in the new phase of corporate events. In essence, DTW 2022 results would set a new bar against which future events would be measured.

Again, though, the big question remained: Would people show up? The marketing teams went full steam ahead promoting the event through Dell's website, social media accounts, and email blasts. As the event grew nearer, it looked as if people were opting to sit out of in-person experiences coming so closely on the heels of the pandemic. At first, a trickle registered, which turned into more of a modest stream. Finally at the last minute – in a pattern event profs are all too familiar with now – a flood of registrants came aboard, prompting Dell and InVision to expand DTW's footprint at The Venetian to accommodate everyone who responded.

Learning Lab
After months of planning and the last-minute expansion, Dell welcomed its tech enthusiasts. Some 6,300 attendees filled the presentation ballroom (while more than double that tuned in digitally), where a massive stage backed by five enormous screens greeted them. Chairman and CEO of Dell, Michael Dell, kicked off the conference, taking to the mainstage to discuss the way two megatrends – multicloud and data – are continuing to transform how we use and consume technologies and highlight how Dell is developing the technologies that drive human progress.

In addition to keynotes, the stage played home to other high-profile speakers such as actor and author Matthew McConaughey, who discussed technology, investments, and following his "North Star." Some of the superstar speeches, which had been part of the preshow marketing campaign, were only available for in-person attendees – no doubt prompting more than one user to make the trip instead of stay home.

Between inspirational and aspirational keynotes, both in-person and digital users dove into trainings, expert talks on the company's solutions, and some of the more than 150 breakout sessions – one of the mainstays of any DTW conference. "The hands-on learning labs are one of the key experiences for our attendees," Preiss says. "It's an opportunity for them to learn and grow not only in a way that can benefit their businesses, but for their own careers as well."

While there is nothing particularly revolutionary about the concept of high-profile keynote speakers and hands-on learning sessions, the execution made them stand out – especially the energetic transitions that delivered that "wow" factor. As attendees moved throughout The Venetian, drumlines, violinists, and other entertainers serenaded them and propelled them to their next destination, providing the energy and pizazz Dell wanted to infuse throughout the conference.

Attendees traversed through cascading haze and an LED-lit tunnel that led them to The Village, a 93,000-square-foot wonderland, where more drummers (some in flashing LED-lit sunglasses and uniforms) drew them in. Whimsical photo ops awaited, including a squad of Stormtroopers cuddling baby Yoda dolls.

Myriad engagements provided attendees with opportunities to enjoy Dell's offerings. The center of The Village was dominated by the 28-foot-tall Circular Oak, thoughtfully constructed by local artists using recycled and reusable steel, plywood, cardboard, and plastic. The surrounding furniture, also crafted from 100-percent recyclable cardboard, made the environment both comfortable and sustainable. Dell used the tree, which was responsive to human interaction, as a storytelling device illustrating how the company hopes to use the intersection of humans and technology to develop a more sustainable world. As attendees watched animations about sustainability goals, the tree responded with lighting and color effects. In essence, the oak's canopy became a real-time data visualization of their engagement, illustrating how Dell is driving a circular economy (i.e., designing products with their end of life in mind and creating a closed-loop supply chain) to protect the environment.

Surrounding the arboreal element, Dell built out a series of engagements. Networking opportunities are a key feature for any conference, but DTW put on a masterclass in how to cater to all attendees. The Global Partner Lounge allowed VIPs to meet with Dell team members to discuss how they can grow their relationships, and the Alumni Lounge offered returning attendees exclusive spaces to reconnect with their industry peers. Additionally, the Meeting Meadows, a dedicated space for one-on-ones or group gatherings, featured private inflatable cabanas, semiprivate beaded curtained hangouts, and open, relaxed living rooms and café seating areas.

In order to ensure that attendees connected with the right partners, Dell tapped E180's Braindates, which helped bridge the gap between online and in-person attendees. The Braindate app allowed event participants to create a profile that outlined their interests and expertise, and then schedule meetups (aka Braindates) with attendees who shared similar interests. Even lunchtime was no wasted opportunity. Attendees hungry for even more content could attend the Luminary Lunches, which allowed them to join the industry's brightest minds as they explored how to transform ideas into innovations. By curating each lunch to match the selected topic, Dell showed that the deviled egg is in the details. For example, attendees enjoyed popcorn during the session, "At the Movies with an Astrophysicist," while listening to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson share insights.

But DTW wasn't all business and no play. The DTW teams incorporated plenty of games and entertainment into the user conference to ensure that everyone stayed energized and engaged. In the Alienware Arena, heroes rose and fell like meteors during Minecraft and Rocket League competitions and Fortnite battles with the famed gamer Alixxa, during which "shoutcasters" entertained bystanders with blow-by-blow quips about the strategic choices – both celebratory and lamentable – as the action dictated. The festive conference ended on a high note on the presentation stage with an exclusive concert by Gary Clark Jr. and Weezer.

Data Mining
By the time the last song ended and the final attendee departed, one thing was clear: DTW 2022 had been a rousing success. Some 6,300 attendees descended on Vegas while another 10,000 joined remotely, figures that demonstrated that industry members were hungry for the reemergence of large-scale conferences and events. Over the course of the four-day event, Dell delivered more than 150 breakout sessions, 59 interactive demos, 29 ask-the-experts sessions, and 4,200 hands-on labs. And Dell ensured that the online attendees had a robust experience by streaming more than 110 segments, which amounted to more than 20 hours of live-broadcast content.

Even better, attendees and sponsors alike loved what DTW offered. According to post-show surveys, 97 percent of attendee respondents said the user conference met or exceeded their expectations – up 2 percent since 2019. And 96 percent of sponsors reported that Dell helped them achieve their objectives while an astounding 100 percent of them said they were satisfied with their DTW experience.

"Throwing out the data from past events was a key gamechanger for Dell Technology World," one judge said. "The company created an historic event as if it were the first time and put the user experience at the center of it all." One thing is certain: Dell set a high bar for future events. But based on the innovations and execution of DTW 2022, we wouldn't bet against Dell growing The Village into The City. E