While summer is typically full of barbecues, warm weather, and vacations, the summer of 2020 is full of social distancing, wearing masks...and virtual events.
The Next Web (TNW) puts on one of the biggest and best tech festivals in the world, but after postponing their annual event this year due to COVID (which has since moved it online), The team got creative with how to reach the international tech community this summer from the comfort of their couch: Why not host 5 online events in 6 weeks?
TNW launched a new virtual events series called Couch Conferences spanning May 29 to July 2. Each conference focused on a different topic ranging from marketing to retail to digital product strategy.
Patrick de Laive, the Founder of TNW, shared his vision behind TNW Couch Conferences as an opportunity to find “solutions to the many challenges that our community is being confronted with. We’ve enlisted experts and top executives to host thought-provoking discussions, to inspire and educate our audience in an online-only format.”
Below are snapshots & speaker highlights from the 5 online conferences.
Re:Brand: May 29 | Brand & digital marketing
Kicking the series off, speakers like the CEO of Headspace and CMO of Booking.com took the “digital stage” to share insights on how digital marketers can quickly adapt their strategy during COVID-19. Viewers explored how to react fast to maximize ROIs amidst consumer disruption and how to proactively reach audiences spending more time at home and online. Topics covered included “How to adapt your marketing strategy when the industry is in crisis?” and “Mitigating tone-deafness in branding for tech companies.”
Sprint: June 11 | Digital product strategy
With more people relying on digital products and software to conduct business online, product teams are shifting strategies to keep up with changing client behavior, product use, and customer acquisition.
SC Moatti, Managing Partner at Mighty Capital and Founder of Products That Count, participated in two sessions. She led a virtual hangout session on “The Three Rules Behind the Most Successful Products” engaging with viewers to address their questions in real-time. In her second session, SC was joined by Patrick de Laive, Co-Founder of TNW, to discuss the investor view on product development in the new COVID-19 era and how product leaders can continue to build great products.
Fun fact: Over 2000 viewers tuned in for Sprint from 89 counties and 357 cities!
Checkout: June 18 | Digital commerce & retail
There’s no doubt that retail is changing and becoming more reliant on technology. Checkout was designed for anyone who works in e-commerce, has their own online shop, or wants to learn what a successful omnichannel strategy looks like in 2020.
Nick Huzar, CEO and Co-Founder of OfferUp, was joined by Natalie Angelillo, OfferUp’s Vice President of Community & Communications, to discuss the rising trends in resale and recommerce. They dug deep into the ways COVID-19 is changing the way people shop—how it’s harder to visit brick-and-mortar stores, and more difficult to find the items you need in-stock—and how tech-driven resale is helping people find and buy what they need.
Sree Menon, COO of Tophatter, spoke about change management in a shifting retail environment. She unpacked how the future of shopping is either entertainment or utilitarian—no middle group. Sree outlined what the retailers of the future will look like and how to understand customers holistically.
Krysta Lewis, CEO & Co-Founder of Aisling Organics, tackled the topic of retail post-COVID with Ana Andjelic, former Chief Brand Officer of Rebecca Minkoff and author of The Business of Aspiration. They shared vital next steps that retailers and brands need to take now in order to survive the pandemic and then thrive post-pandemic.
This retail-centric conference that focused on the merge of commerce and tech, attracted 1000 viewers from 87 counties and 277 cities!
Ecosystems: June 25 | Government & startup collaboration
How do we renew economic growth in 2020? Speakers from European Commission, Global Entrepreneurship Network, The World Bank, Amazon, and more addressed topics around how the tech ecosystem contributes to the resilience of a city or region, government startup collaboration, and how to support innovators in a time of crisis.
Thomas Walle, CEO and Co-Founder of Unacast, spoke with Annette Kroeber-Riel, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe at Google, about the role technology and the tech industry plays in building resilient cities and governments—for example, how cities are using location data to track whether or not citizens are following social distancing guidelines.
Transform: July 2 | Corporate innovation strategy
TNW Couch Conferences wrapped up its series in early July by focusing on corporate innovation strategy. Those leading innovation in a large company, a tech product owner, or interested in learning how to affect change in large organizations heard from the likes Verizon Media, Accenture, & VICE
Conversations around the future of work, workplaces, and technology as well as how innovation leads to dramatic shifts within nutrition, health, and security filled out the agenda.
Interested in speaking at virtual events like the TNW Couch Conferences? Get in touch!