{"id":7271,"date":"2021-01-24T09:24:43","date_gmt":"2021-01-24T09:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vfairs.wpengine.com\/?p=7271"},"modified":"2022-10-17T16:45:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T16:45:50","slug":"wicys-builds-connections-in-a-disconnected-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vfairs.com\/case-studies\/wicys-builds-connections-in-a-disconnected-world\/","title":{"rendered":"WiCyS Builds Connections in a Disconnected World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WiCyS<\/p>\n

Women in CyberSecurity<\/a> (WiCyS) is a non-profit membership organization that is dedicated to recruiting, retaining and advancing women in cybersecurity. They offers mentoring, learning, networking, and career development to women <\/span>at all stages of their cyber security careers. <\/span>Every year, WiCyS set up an in-person event to recruit, retain and advance women in cybersecurity. However, this year the management went forward with a virtual event. Why?<\/span><\/p>\n

As thousands of scheduled events were affected by the COVID-19<\/a> chaos, so was WiCyS\u2019s spring event. But this kind of a challenge was one that the WiCyS was ready to embrace, and face with hyper-focused steps to move forward.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While on the brink of cancellation, the leadership team could not undermine the dedication and the time invested for over a year into making this event a success. So, keeping under consideration the lack of viability of an in-person event during the covid, they devised a strategy to pivot towards a virtual event to ensure the outcomes that they had planned for. The aim was to create an environment where people felt they belonged, could collaborate and grow together, and WiCys Virtual 20 was going to be nothing less of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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VIRTUAL EVENT STRATEGY<\/b><\/h3>\n

WiCyS Virtual 20<\/a>, against all odds, took place on the 15<\/span>th<\/span> of April 2020. Using the vFairs<\/a> platform, Lynn Dohm, Executive Director, WiCyS, crafted a bold and drastic strategy knowing their mission had to be served, regardless of a pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

The objective that was in place was to continue to form connections between women who were ready to be recruited with companies who were ready to hire. For this, WiCyS benefited from the following online features, taking their event into the realms of success.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"WiCyS<\/p>\n

1) <\/b>Visually Rich Experience for Visitors<\/b><\/h5>\n

It wasn\u2019t just any event for WiCyS, but one that uplifted attendees during a globally challenging time. Something that only true leaders would dare to do. By creating an environment that was well-lit, with rays of sunshine seeping through the glass building, and surrounded with palm trees, the team at WiCyS<\/a> aimed to set up a cheerful atmosphere for their audience amid testing times. The purpose of this insightful design was to enhance the experience of every visitor setting foot (virtually) at the event.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, WiCyS was able to make the most out of customizations in terms of the avatars that they used. Not only were they animated, but belonged to different ethnicities, promoting inclusivity as a major part of their event. They also paid great attention to detail, especially by choosing to have about 90% of their avatars as women.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no doubt that WiCyS looked a challenge in the eye and reacted by recreating an immersive experience for their attendees in the form of a virtual event.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Virtual<\/p>\n

2)<\/b> Exhibit Hall with Multiple Employers<\/b><\/h5>\n

Like any physical event, the WiCyS Virtual 20<\/a> had a number of employers exhibiting their vacancies at the event. This included top global organizations such as Bloomberg, Google, Nike, Cisco, AWS, Facebook, and many others. While some might say virtual events cannot entirely replicate the essence of a physical event, our prime example is that of WiCyS, who proved the hypothesis untrue.<\/span><\/p>\n

This virtual environment enabled attendees to no longer stand in long queues or navigate through crowded spaces, as they could visit a booth simply with a click. Booth visitors had the opportunity to:<\/span><\/p>\n