BE THE REVOLUTION Creating Vision, Strategies & Solidarity for Sustainable Social Movements

A Virtual Summit Case Study

Outreach Interviews Video Production Website

1000+Registrations
21Days & Speakers
Three summit speakers on camera during a session, in black and white

The Challenge

Jay Ponti, author of The Political Revolutionary’s Handbook, asked We & Goliath to create a virtual summit titled, “Be the Revolution Online Summit,” that would host interviews with 21 prominent progressive speakers over 21 days. The objective of the extended summit was to generate an engaged, qualified audience to build upon and promote Ponti’s book. This would be achieved by inviting prominent speakers from progressive, grassroots movements. Although Ponti’s book promotion was the central focus, coalescing the respective audiences of each speaker would be a cross-promotional win for everyone involved. The challenge would be streamlining these intentions into a structured event. And one that would generate enough buzz, relevance and momentum for the 21-day period.

Six summit session graphics in the Be the Revolution red and yellow branding, each with its speaker
Six summit speakers on camera during a panel, in black and white

Our Solution

Taking the complex array of topics in Ponti’s book and making them render in virtual event format would be no small task. Fortunately, spreading the summit out over the course of 3 weeks allowed us to isolate subject matter in digestible sessions. However, we also needed to address audience objectives. These could range from political activism to professional development, or include all of the above. We then needed to establish an event format that made it easy for attendees to find the speakers that interested them the most. Our promotional strategy included two separately themed microsites optimized for UX and conversions on session attendance. We also made the event accessible on Facebook and designed sharable social media graphics for audience promotion. Ongoing promotion for the 21 days would also include a daily email sequence with replay clips of previous days’ sessions. Finally, to help fund the effort we created a branded presentation deck to attract sponsors.

The Political Revolutionary’s Handbook by Jay Ponti

Results

Over 1,000 registrants signed up for Be the Revolution’s 21-day period. The production and promotion of the event itself ran smoothly, allowing Ponti and others to focus on content and moderating conversations with speakers. Attendees were able to navigate the website with ease. Speaker/session descriptors included interest tags (e.g. Grassroots Strategy, How To, Publishing) as well as the clear language about what attendees can expect from each session. Video replays were edited and uploaded on a daily basis for promotion across email and social media. The sister microsite to the main event page, titled, “Badass Women of the Resistance,” celebrated speakers like Jodie Evans of CODEPINK and Kerri Evelyn Harris of Medicare for All NOW, and helped broaden the summit’s appeal. The event propelled Ponti’s book promotional efforts forward and awarded him new consulting partnerships. He now hosts weekly events as part of his ongoing engagement with his newly energized audience.

Two summit screens on laptops: a session title card and a speaker on camera

What We Did

01

Platform Discovery

Evaluated top online conference software and chose a platform that best fit their needs and goals. Consulted on ideal software configuration and integrations.

02

Platform Setup

Setup registration flow, and all summit features including: automatic email notifications, replay hosting, video hosting, chat, tickets, reporting, etc.

03

Logo, Website & Graphic Design

Designed the logo, sharable social media graphics, video thumbnails and full conference microsite, optimized for UX and conversion.

04

Sponsorship Deck

We helped write, edit, and design a sponsorship presentation to help Be the Revolution raise funds.

Social Media Posts

Get ready to roll your sleeves up for the next talk with Mondale Robinson from the Black Male Voter Project, where we will discuss:
-white supremacy in organizing spaces
-how to go from being allies to co-conspirators
-how to authentically connect with black voters (and how candidates will lose those votes
-the case for reparations now!
-self care for activists
This masterclass should be required watching imo
Register for free at www.BeTheRevolution.US

BeTheRevolution.US

December 13, 2019

We are each part of a huge movement to bring this world back to balance and back to life. I'm honored to share EFT Dec. 20 on BE THE REVOLUTION: Free Online Summit to Learn How to Create Vision, Strategies, & Solidarity for Sustainable Social Movements http://summit.betherevolution.us

Sonya Sophia

December 11, 2019

The last two interviews with Joye Braun and Lisa Fithian for the Be the Revolution online training were truly captivating. So grateful that these two extraordinary leaders gave their time to share their wisdom, tactics and experience cultivated... http://betherevolution.us

Jay Ponti

December 24, 2019

It's not often that progressive organizers are taken seriously or feared by the establishment. RL Miller is one of those truly effective leaders that is changing the system pushing for progressive Climate Hawk candidates and serious legislation. Want to know her philosophies and strategies to make a bigger impact? Register for free for this training by clicking the link below.

https://summit.betherevolution.us/talks/electing-climate-hawks-how-to-organize-against-the-corporate-candidates-and-win/?fbclid=IwAR1rXEwtwgP4RKohNAkrmA4JEXzi_6HOnJ-LgLQHtzc2b5n8ACMDV79f8sg

BeTheRevolution.US

December 17, 2019

Sponsorship Deck Design

Twelve slides from the sponsorship deck, including the sponsorship packages and their price tiers

Event Participation

We also gave this interview on guerilla marketing tactics in the event.

Platform

Our technology discovery affirmed that Be The Revolution required a platform that not only served the expected functions of registration & agenda, but one that facilitated email list growth and peer-to-peer engagement. We decided on an all-in-one solution that was able to capture attendee data and put it into the service of user experience: Attendees were able to easily discover the talks, speakers and fellow attendees that aligned with their interests and affiliations. Dynamic, automated emails notified attendees of approaching start times and other time-sensitive details. Event sessions were equipped with live audience feedback, via chat. Speakers were able to make offers, give incentives and even prizes. The platform served BTR’s list building objectives by making attendees feel they had a place in the community that grew and surrounded these 21 days of talks.

The summit platform on a tablet, showing How to Create Vision, Strategies and Solidarity for Sustainable Social Movements and the talks below it

Featured Service

Event Partners

Our speakers run some of the most influential non-profit organizations:

  • The People for Bernie logo
  • Progressive Democrats of America logo
  • Marianne 2020 logo
  • Democracy for America logo
  • CODEPINK Women for Peace logo
  • Americans Against Fracking logo
  • Climate Hawks Vote logo
  • Californians Against Fracking logo

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