If you've been working on organizing a great conference, you might wonder what are some ways you could enhance the attendee experience!
Live Graphic Recording
The most commonly known Event Visualization approach is Live Graphic Recording (also known as Visual Scribing or Live Illustration). As a Graphic Recorder, my task is to listen closely to the speakers and draw what I hear - linking ideas together to create a visual map of the key ideas.
These Visual Notes can be taken in many styles and in varying detail, usually filling a canvas during one session of an event. Graphic Recording has become a popular and effective event visualizing service in the past 50 years.
However, during my initial call with my clients, I sometimes find that they are not actually looking for a detailed record of the sessions! Something I get quite often is that they would like 'something to show after the event', something to send out in a follow-up email or share on social media. If that is the case, perhaps they would benefit from something else!
Visual Conference Summaries
So lately, I've been creating more and more of these 'Visual Conference Summaries', which means that I still listen to each session, but combine all of them into one graphic by the end of the day.
Why would one prefer a Visual Conference Summary?
Perhaps they don't see the need for each session's visual documentation
Sometimes the details are too confidential to circulate around on the internet in the form of a graphic - they just want to see the big picture
The Conference Producers see the need for (only) one graphic they can share in a follow up email or on social media, as a high-level summary
What are some benefits of this type of Conference Illustration?
A Visual Conference Summary might just be more practical
For example, live illustrating the 14th IWA Specialized Conference session by session would have left them with 30+ graphics! Instead, we have one rich and elaborate illustration to take away.
With a Conference Illustration, we can visually rank the events of the day in order of importance!
We already do this when Graphic Recording, as we take the key ideas to link, organize and order them. We can do the same on a higher level when it comes to a Conference Summary!
A Visual Conference Summary allows us to be more illustrative
There is more time to delve into detailed illustrations when not capturing the details! Whether I'm Graphic Recording Session by Session, or just summarizing it all on one piece, I find that I'll be drawing more or less without stopping from the beginning of the day to the very end of it!
How are these Conference or Event Summary Graphics created?
Live Visual Event Summary
Just like in the case of Live Graphic Recording, I could join remotely or in-person, based in the main room but keeping an eye out for parallel sessions, to make sure that all of them are included!
For example, when I was invited to create a Live Illustration at an NHS Event, the Sharing Best Practice Festival, I walked around all day to peak into all the sessions that took place during the day! I also had the agenda on me, which helped me follow the days of the event.
Post-Event Graphic Conference Summary
based on a video/audio recording of an event
using photo documentations, slides and notes from the conference
or based on my own Graphic Recording work from the Conference
Here's an example; this Visual Conference summary was created right after the Innovation Acceleration Forum held at the IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition in Kigali, Rwanda.
I created it based on 3 session graphic recordings I had done during the Forum itself! Once those were approved, I could take the highlights from each session to build this final event summary.
These Visual Conference Summaries can complement or replace Live Graphic Recordings for those looking to have a beautiful, stylish, yet high-level summary of the key ideas of a Conference Day.
Above all, these artworks are just a fantastic way to thank attendees for coming, give them something to remember the experience by, and share the outcomes with the world!
Read on to see more examples,
..or to learn more about all the event visualizing options we have!