5th WCO AEO Global Conference

Acorn Strategy

The events industry suffered one of the heaviest tolls of the COVID-19 pandemic. Around the world, trade shows, conferences, exhibitions, forums and concerts were cancelled in quick succession. In certain sectors and industries, this was not an option. There had to be a way for business to continue and stakeholders to meet and discuss issues, in government, defence, security and trade. In the case of the WCO AEO Global Conference, with four editions already held in person, it was quickly looking like this wasn’t possible for the 5th edition of the Conference. Acorn Strategy had to find a quick answer for: how do you make people attend a three-day virtual event? Not only did they find an answer, the event exceeded registration targets, with 3,905 registrations from 150 countries (a significant increase from previous years), supported by the integrated communications approach including impressive paid social and press coverage results.