Business Sweden – The journey to successful digital conferences

Business Sweden is owned by the Swedish state and the private sector. They have an office network that spans five continents. For 45 years they have, with their unique mandate, helped Swedish companies increase their global sales and international companies to invest and expand in Sweden. They offer hands-on support, strategic expertise, and access to key networks and decision-makers. Both smaller meetings and larger international events have been important parts of their business model.

We assist companies in finding and winning business opportunities. One way to do this and to increase their global sales, is to create meeting places where Swedish and international businessmen can collaborate with each other and with other official decision makers, says Gustav Wennerblom, Head of Digitalization at Business Sweden. We are present in more than 40 markets so travelling has been a central part of our mission.

When the traveling restrictions were established, the conditions for global business changed drastically. Business Sweden needed to find a digital solution to meet their customers’ needs and continue creating events at the forefront.

It was important to us that registration services and networking would work with the digital solution. So, we put all our effort in finding a platform that could meet our challenges and could be implemented fast.

The step towards interactive networking

Business Sweden chose InvitePeople’s virtual event management platform, based on previous experiences of their service on physical events. The online platform would work in a similar way and make it possible for conference participants to interact and network without meeting in person.

It’s not exactly the same thing as meeting people face to face in a hotel lobby, but the possibility to network is as big, Gustav says.

Through a mobile-friendly website and a user-friendly app, participants can find payment services, tickets, and the possibility to interact, in one platform. Here, they can easily access seminars, digital showrooms, and live streams. The participants can see who has signed up for which reading, create their own speed meetings, and use break-out rooms to talk to each other.

For some people this might be the first time they attend an interactive, digital conference. With this solution we can easily help participants who are unfamiliar with using digital platforms. I like to compare it to staff at conferences who gives a helping hand to lost guests and help them find their way to the right room. It’s an important service.

Effective onboarding and tailored solutions

The journey toward virtual events went faster than Business Sweden expected. With an effective onboarding, they could soon continue to create local, digital events, no matter where they were in the world. If they saw something missing in the software, they received quick assistance and support from InvitePeople.

It has been the fastest delivery from idea to deploy that I have ever had with any supplier. It took InvitePeople two days to meet some of our wishes and that is very valuable.

Today Business Sweden feels prepared for future challenges. Now they have the tools to plan and create prosperous, digital events as soon as the need arises.

We believe that hybrid events will be a common meeting format in the future, even when the pandemic is over, Gustav says. Now we are ready to meet the new normal in a modern and effortless manner. We can bring a first-class experience to our customers, whatever the future holds.