The Economist Events Pride & Prejudice Festival

A 24-hour live streamed and in person rolling event between Hong Kong, London and New York, The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice Festival was a global conversation on the status of LGBT rights in specific countries, it aimed to map new battlegrounds and identify the scope for action. 
The relationship with Broadsword is a brilliant one because of the trust we have with each other. It could be that we have a very fixed idea of what we want and they are able to deliver that perfectly or that it’s we need help in coming up with these creative ideas and equally they step in and provide that direction. It’s this spectrum that makes them so fantastic to work with. 
Senior Event Manager, The Economist Events

A hybrid experience 

2021 might be where the hybrid event began to shine but Broadsword, alongside The Economist Events, were pioneering as far back as 2017. 

Live camera relay, presentations and on-stage handovers in real time between the three continents — we delivered the 24-hour in person, live streamed event to a truly global audience, with in person and remote presenters. 

Audience member taking a photo of a stage on a mobile phone
Female speaker sat on a chair onstage
Male speaker onstage speaking to a panel

Online and in-person connectivity

In-room and online facilitated Q&A ran alongside interactive touch points which connected those online with those in attendance. We collated a message wall which began in the morning in Hong Kong and finished in the evening in New York, constantly updating and sensing the mood across the event. 

A laptop with a tweet about the pride and prejudice event on the screen

Consistency across all platforms

It was key to ensure that all attendees, be that in Hong Kong, London, New York or online had the same engaging, interactive and thought-provoking experience. To do this Broadsword personnel were present in all physical locations, in addition to online. This 360 support maintained consistency in look, feel, image quality and messaging. 

96%
said they would attend next year 
49,282
minutes of content viewed online 
93%
said the content was highly relevant to their organisation