CEIR GLOBAL VIRTUAL EVENT TRENDS SERIES Case Study: 1st Arabia Tradeshows & Conferences 5 participate in-person or virtually. 1st Arabia was the event management company for the ICCA 59th Congress, Riyadh Hub which was hosted and sponsored by the Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority (SCEGA) in November 2020. This was an education and networking event. There was no exhibit component. Sessions included speakers and panel discussions on a range of topics. The format worked very well. Content was broadcast live onsite, as well as online. People from the eight hubs could see each other on a big screen. 1st Arabia managed the differences between each hub’s region. There were different programs for each as well as networking. Participation and Financial Outcomes A total of 100 professionals attended in person and a larger audience, 700, attended online. What Worked Well This event was hybrid. There was the in-person aspect of organizing and generating original content onsite. It was a satisfying approach. When there is a physical aspect to an event, it is more encouraging than a fully virtual or digital event. One can get people to engage onsite as well as online. Questions among the live audience also generate questions from those watching online. Attendees are willing to pay to hear speakers who are engaging on stage, where people are engaging and conversing with one another. There is a Master of Ceremony (MC) engaging with people online and onsite. It feels different than attending a Zoom meeting. Seeing people engage by talking and asking questions rather than typing in questions on the chat is more meaningful. When someone asked a question via chat online, the question was read at the in-person event. It was meaningful to hear the questions read out loud.