Virtual interaction, tangible opportunities
While the advent of Covid-19 has not stopped the relentless advancement of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Project, it has certainly prompted ingenuity in how °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ conducts its work. The latest example took place on 7-8 April, as industrial representatives from around the world "gathered" virtually to learn about coming business opportunities. The meeting was both a test and first full-scale use of the upgraded °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ studio and supporting features: a mix of live talks, pre-recorded videos, lively Q&A sessions, and one-on-one meetings.
Two years ago the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Business Forum (IBF) took place in Antibes, a traditional face-to-face conference with more than 1,100 participants, setting an attendance record for these biennial meetings. The expectation was that the 2021 °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Business Forum would take place in Marseille.
The pandemic blocked those plans, but it did not slow down the march of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ procurements that require industrial expertise across dozens of high-tech and scientific disciplines. The next in-person IBF has been postponed to 5-7 April 2022, but something was needed in the interim. For the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization and Domestic Agencies to have no large-scale interaction with prospective supplier companies was unacceptable.
The challenge was how to build a quality event, enabling meaningful interaction, while minimizing physical interaction. And the result? A hybrid arrangement featuring a maze of cameras, cables, lighting, green screen, and multiple software platforms suited to the laptops and bandwidths of hundreds of individual users, all coordinated through a multi-channel "tricaster" in the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ studio.
The result was a unique success. With more than 1,280 registered participants (a new record), the Remote °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Business Meeting kicked off on time with a live introduction from the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Director-General and a pre-recorded video in which he presented an overview of project progress. The ensuing two days featured more than 250 one-on-one meetings with °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ experts, and more than 500 attendees at individual presentations. Industrial partners and potential partners were led through careful explanations of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ procurement process: tips on how to build consortia, smart subcontracting, balancing risks and pricing, and the constant emphasis on meeting °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ's demanding technical specifications as well as adherence to quality, safety, and timeliness. Thematic presentations covered large upcoming projects such as the Hot Cell Complex and Tritium Plant, specific tenders related to diagnostics and in-vessel coil power converters, and broader needs related to maintenance services and machine assembly. Fusion for Energy, the European Domestic Agency, also presented a broad range of its upcoming tenders.