Success Story

The Challenge

Pfizer needed a way to host its Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Regional Summit virtually across Latin America. This hour-long session would focus on internal medicine, infectious disease, and microbiology for an audience of healthcare and pharmaceutical experts.

The main challenge was delivering the session in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Owing to the different languages spoken by the presenters and attendees (who were joining from six countries across Latin America), there would need to be live two-way translations between English and Spanish, with everything also available in Portuguese.

The Solution

Pfizer’s engagement work group consulted with AMI to develop a solution involving multiple virtual platforms to deliver the remote meeting and manage the multiple translations. A robust studio platform was the client-facing element of the solution where everyone registered for the meeting, with a break-out room-enabled technology acting as a back-end component of the solution.

During registration, attendees could select which language they wanted to listen to, ensuring the meeting was tailored to each attendee’s language requirements. A series of break-out meeting rooms with an audio line connecting to the studio platform were implemented, enabling translators to translate content in different rooms. Webcast producers ensured the connection between the break-out rooms and the main platform kept everything running smoothly.

The Q&A section of Pfizer’s meeting was also translated for all attendees. The moderator received questions in Spanish, then translated them into English to ask the presenter. External translators were on hand throughout the meeting to ensure everyone had access to all parts of the meeting in their language.

The Outcome

The complex virtual meeting translation requirements met Pfizer’s meeting objectives and helped increase attendance. Pfizer’s event owner said that the value for money of the meeting platform and project management was well within budget. Overall, the event received an “Exceeds Expectations” ranking – the highest available.

Most importantly, Pfizer’s meeting had 87% attendance, which was double the expected amount. Historically, around 30-40% of registrants attend this type of event. Still, the subject matter and speakers, along with the ability to listen in their language, attracted more attendees than usual, effectively doubling attendance.

One valuable feature of the studio platform is that the mp4 recording of the event can be exported in all languages, whether that’s English and Spanish as it was originally presented or only in a single language – English, Spanish, or Portuguese. To extend the event’s reach, Pfizer requested that the meeting be made available on-demand for three months, and on-demand attendees can also access the recording in their specific language. The on-demand session will also be used to advertise the session internally and promote future events.