Having been accustomed to hosting and participating in zoom workshops, I thought that organizing a virtual conference will be a breeze. I was thinking beyond my head. Staging a virtual summit is as difficult as organizing a national conference in- person.
Certainly, there are advantages in meeting virtually. You save on transport, venue, hotel expenses and food. But there are costs and “must do’s” that we never imagined before.
We needed an events manager, a first in our vocabulary. We managed our past summits at PICC from our own blood, sweat and tears. But since the conference would be online, we needed a specialist to make sure that the audience is engaged, and the technical requirements are put in place. We hated to think of participants falling asleep, reading their facebook messages, cooking, and yawning while pretending to listen. It is not farfetched that many of them would sleep through a two-hour conference for two days listening to speeches and messages. We could not blame them for being part of a bland, boring program. We wanted to make sure that attending the summit would be worth their while. But I did not imagine that it would be such a big production number. I would play many roles like script writing, editing, hunting for talents, and a skill I have mastered through the years, “crabbying”. It was almost like producing a movie.
Our production staff was a village by itself. It took us time to hunt for an online events manager. Our partner from Smart Communications, Steph Orlino, came to the rescue. My jaw dropped with the expenses involved. I thought we would only pay for a zoom connection. I had to familiarize myself with the costs of a creative director, zoom manager and logomotion.
After an emotional blackmail, we succeeded in convincing Enteng Romano who is known for his “e-lagda” initiative. But since we did not have a big budget, we had to marshal the Information Officers of local governments to produce the videos that would provide the content. We decided to go over the top and be more creative than the “roll call” during the Democrats’ convention in the US. We were totally amazed at the videos they produced. Mayors and their local school boards are garbed in their native costumes and danced like they were competing in the “Philippines Got Talent,” Those who were more reserved made up through bravado in their messages and chants.
We were literally buried in videos of superintendents, principals, local leaders, parents and children sharing their reflections on their Synergeia experience. Our hearts go out to them. They must have spent so much effort in writing scripts, dressing up for the occasion, and practicing for countless times. But we have very limited time and we needed to be cruel in editing. Our jurors, Tess Villacorta and Director Oscar Atendido were heartless. I could only imagine the sighs of frustration, and worst, dagger looks, when our partners see that only one second out of the 30 minute videos that they sent will be shown. Rene Pizarro, our communications specialist, promised that he will work on all the videos so that they can be previewed in our facebook page and website.
It is no joke to stage panel discussions, messages, open forums, games, and interviews into a seamless tapestry. It requires grace in coordination and constant follow-ups. A social capital that we have nurtured through the years plays a big role. In our kind of work, personal relationships and commitment to a mission are valued. We even managed to have a cacophony of voices of Fr. Ben Nebres, Prof. Winnie Monsod, Mr. John Silva, Dr. Torralba, Dr. Nina Yuson, former Mayors Rey Aquino, MJ Ortega, and Jay Jalandoni in singing an Elvis’ love song with gusto. Mayor Rex finally caved in to pressure and interpreted the song with sign language. John said they “sounded aged”! And beyond our expectations, Mr. Jose Mari Chan said yes to an invitation to sing and explain why some of his songs are meant for a community working for children.
With the support of our USAID partners, Ms. Gloria Steele who was appointed by President Je Biden as Acting USAID Administrator will be our keynote speaker. Despite her stature, Ms. Steele has remained a humble Filipina at heart.
Producing a virtual summit is difficult. It requires creativity, hours and days of preparation for networking, managing invitations, dry runs, and “friendly” arguments. But with an entire village, it becomes a work of love.