Wordly Provides Real-Time Interpretation at PCMA CL 22 Conference

The Professional Convention Management Association's flagship education and networking event was held January 10-12 in Las Vegas. 

PCMA selected Wordly to translate speakers on 7 stages into 20+ languages simultaneously. Thousands of participants in the digital and physical conference had access.

Experts and innovators in many disciplines gathered to share research and insights. Here are a few things we learned.  

Virtual meetings tripled in size in 2020. Audiences skewed younger and more volunteer-based.

• Implications: Younger audiences have higher expectations for engagement, production values of the digital experience, and interactivity. They are quicker to click off if the content is not speaking to their interests. 

According to Freeman Research, about half of Pre-COVID event attendees have not returned to in-person events.

• Implications: The road back to full attendance may be long. Business models need to allow for smaller numbers of on-premises attendees, creative revenue sources, and flexible budgets to match the attendance generated. 

To win back on-premise attendees, focus on the why-they-should-care, in addition to health and safety.

• More than ever, prospective attendees need a strong expectation of value and relevance to their interests. That’s a combination of great content and experiences, well communicated in advance.

Post-Covid, people will be more selective about which events they go to, so planners will need to work to make on-site events even more compelling

• Most at risk are smaller and second-tier conferences in a given domain. Quality, alliances and strong themes may go a long way to influencing which events community members choose to attend.

For growth, focus on omni-channel events with year-round community building.

• Event tech providers are innovating capabilities to bridge virtual and physical audiences, and ways to help foster brand relationships with community members before and after the event. 

Digital audiences have little patience for fluff or friction. If you have 60 minutes of content, consider extracting the best 20 minutes and delivering that.

• If you have a global audience, you'd be well served to let them follow along in their preferred language with an AI-powered interpretation solution like Wordly. 
• They expect your platform to work seamlessly and easily for them. 
• Time and attention are precious. Fluff is off putting. Friction aggravates and alienates. 

Inclusivity is essential. 

• If you're not actively including everyone, you're passively excluding people. 
• Digital gives you unlimited reach. Good content, accessible to a global audience, gives you unlimited pull.

Engagement is key.

Hybrid events are here to stay

Physical meetings offer greater networking, experience and engagement opportunities. 

• If the lynchpin of your strategy is physical events, lean into their strengths.  

We at Wordly greatly appreciate the mission of the PCMA community and the great resources they assembled the PCMA CL 22. We’re working to best meet the needs of convention and meeting managers and their constituents.

To learn more about how AI-powered real-time interpretation increases inclusivity and attendee engagement, visit Wordly Conference Interpretation Solutions or Schedule a Demo.