INTRODUCTION

AI Festival was a global, multi-day event to showcase the transformative power of artificial intelligence across science, operations, and culture. The festival featured live broadcasts from five global hubs, immersive sessions, and interactive watch parties, aiming to democratize AI knowledge and empower colleagues to integrate AI into their daily work. The corporate event team utilized AI Producer in Teams to streamline workflows and facilitate complex broadcasts over the course of 4 days.

EVENT OVERVIEW

With the help of AI Producer in Teams, the corporate event team led a cross-functional team that provided end-to-end support for the festival’s meetings and sessions.
Scope: Over 10,000 attendees participated in 50 sessions and multiple watch parties, with broadcasts across the globe.
Format: The events included keynotes, panels, workshops, and localized engagement through watch parties and Teams Townhall broadcasts.
Technical Facilitation: The team supported 40+ sessions including:

• Three concurrent tracks with watch parties across all tracks
• Tailored sessions that required consistent experience throughout
• Sessions in multiple time zones

CHALLENGES

Complex Production: The final day required three concurrent learning tracks with overlapping sessions in all three tracks, necessitating seamless broadcast transitions and minimizing production risks.
Technical Agility: Traditional workflows were tedious and unstable, especially when switching between presenter meetings and broadcasting to Teams Townhalls. Shifting agendas and content changes required a need to be agile at all hours.
Global Coordination: Managing sessions across multiple time zones and ensuring consistent, inclusive engagement was a significant logistical challenge.

SOLUTIONS

AI in Production Platform: The adoption of AI Producer in Teams streamlined the connection and production process, enabling the team to manage over 40 sessions with 70 links, including keynotes, panels, workshops, and watch parties.
AI Producer in Teams Mobile Workflow: Agile updates to run-of-show, content, and design changes could be made at any time and from anywhere (even on mobile devices while commuting). This reduced risk and stress for the support team. Team members were also able to help with support while not connected to the broadcast, adding additional flexibility.
Real-Time Issue Resolution: AI Producer in Team’s AI layout features empowered the team to resolve technical issues and production updates in real time and still maintain broadcast quality.
Scalable Engagement: AI Producer in Team’s features democratized AI learning and empowered local teams. Features included: Q&A automated workflows with QR codes, automatic recording to OneDrive, cloud-based video playback in high quality, and easy watch party joining.