Vox Media increases Code conference attendance by 125 % using Zoom Events

As a company built to inform and entertain millions of people, Vox Media is a pioneer in independent journalism and a truly modern media company that hosts large-scale festivals and events rooted in its editorial brands. For Tara Reilly, VP of experiential and partnerships, working at Vox Media enables her team to create meaningful experiences that resonate with audiences, including the highly-respected, 20-year-old Code conference. 

More than just a tech conference, Code is known as the place where news is broken. It’s an event where deals are made, businesses are introduced, and networking is of the highest caliber.  The 2022 event featured respected business leaders such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Disney’s Robert Iger, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

While registration numbers are always important, Tara’s team is tasked with delivering an exceptional experience year after year that reflects the franchise’s commitment to bringing the highest caliber of live journalism to life for its audiences.

“A big part of what we do is make sure Code is the best experience for attendees by offering compelling and thought-provoking conversations on stage,” said Tara. “We measure success by the quality of speakers and attendees, and by making sure the right things are happening at the event,” she added.

Code transcends into a truly hybrid event 

When planning for Code 2022, the Vox Media events team needed a strategy that would accommodate the modern events landscape. Not only were virtual and hybrid events popular, but they were preferred and expected among many hopeful attendees. To overcome physical location and capacity limitations, and sustain their reputation as a “must-attend” experience, Tara’s team chose to add a virtual component and make Code 2022 a truly hybrid event. 

Zoom Events becomes a trusted partner

Although they’d dabbled in hybrid events in the past, Vox Media had never hosted a virtual experience they could monetize, so they sought a technology partner that was easy to access and would provide a strong yet familiar user experience. With this in mind, they chose Zoom Events — an all-in-one event management platform — and turned to Zoom’s Event Services team to consult and lend their hybrid event expertise. 

“The first time you do anything can be a little nerve-wracking, especially with something so public. But we had the huge benefit of partnering closely with Zoom to collaborate and make recommendations about what would work best and how we could create a perfect user experience,” Tara said. 

The two teams partnered together to create a unique format that included high-end technology, production, and logistics designed to enhance the overall experience for both in-person and remote audiences.

Virtual attendees could not only watch the mainstage interviews but they could also network with other remote viewers in between sessions using the Zoom Events lobby feature. What’s more, all attendees could access the video-on-demand library to view content after the event concluded, a first for Code’s in-person participants.

Hybrid move generates 125% growth

While they initially wondered if the virtual element would inhibit people from attending in person, the Vox Media team was excited to see that their total attendance increased 125% from the previous year.

“We wondered if offering a virtual option would reduce the interest of people coming in person, but we actually saw that was not the case,” Tara said. “People who wanted to be there truly wanted to be there. It opened up another attendee type,” she added.

By making Code 2022 available online, Vox Media could sell virtual tickets and open the conference to additional journalists, guests, and the general public. This extended the Code brand beyond its Beverly Hills ZIP code and landed an even bigger audience. All told, the positive feedback from the conference cemented Vox Media’s decision to host more hybrid events in the future. 

Looking ahead to Code 2023

As most event marketers know, there’s little downtime between one event ending and planning for the next. Looking ahead, Tara envisions another hybrid Code conference, hoping to expand the virtual offering.

“There’s more we can do. We kept the first one fairly simple, but we definitely saw the benefits of the Zoom Events features,” Tara said.

Code 2022 not only enabled Vox Media to expand its guest count and earn additional ticket revenue, but it provided the opportunity to find a new technology partner in Zoom. 

“There’s no greater way for us to evaluate vendors and platforms and decide who we want to work with than to look at what’s worked before. Zoom was the perfect vendor for Code 2022 and that was really exciting for us,” Tara said.