Green was the theme of the day for PCEP’s 2021 annual conference, broadcast from a specialist film studio in Brussels.
While online delegates will not have seen on their screens, Secretary General Venetia Spencer’s appearance as both keynote speaker and moderator was filmed in front of a green screen in a small studio.
Commenting after the event, Spencer said: “This was a slightly surreal ‘first’ for me. However, it is becoming obvious that hosting virtual events is the way forward – and this will continue even after people are allowed to meet face-to-face once again.
She added: “For an organisation like PCEP, whose mission is to create a sustainable world, it was wonderful to be able to welcome many more delegates than usual to our conference – and from many different countries. Moreover, we could do it without the normal travel and accommodation cost for participants, as well as the environmental damage that all that international travel would have caused.”
Petya Todorova, PCEP’s Circular Economy Advocacy and Communications Manager, who organised the online conference, commented: “It was an exciting challenge to turn what is traditionally a face-to-face conference into a virtual event, while still giving everyone the opportunity to meet each other and network. We ended up having more delegates than ever, from all over Europe, and the network and chat functions were very busy indeed. I’m both relieved and excited that it worked so well.”
The special effects technology, provided by Onscreen studios and organised by virtual event specialist OFCORES, allowed Spencer to appear alongside conference speakers and panellists, as though in front of a conference hall backdrop.
