Filed in: Virtual & Hybrid Event Case Studies Tag: Case Studies
How do smart cities provide a sustainable future for the 21st-century citizen? This and other questions were addressed at the 2021 IEEE International Forum on Smart Grids for Smart Cities (SG4SC) held in March. Sponsored by IEEE Smart Grid, the event gathered over 110 participants from the energy, telecommunications, and computing sectors to discuss how smart cities converge data and energy infrastructures to enhance our lives.
Last year, the organizing committee led by Co-Chairs Antonello Monti and Ferdinanda Ponci decided to postpone and transform their September 2020 in-person forum into a virtual experience. To ensure that their event went off without a hitch, they employed the help of the MCE Digital Events team.
The team partnered with them on everything from adapting their technical program to providing support during the event. IEEE Smart Grid Program Manager Phyllis Caputo shares, “the MCE Digital Events guided us every step of the way to ensure a smooth transition to virtual. Their expertise was invaluable to the success of our event.”
SG4SC’s program featured a combination of eight technical sessions, four keynotes, two tutorials, live Q&A, and a virtual exhibit hall. Speakers hailed from leading organizations like the European Commission, Ericsson, and the Center for Energy of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. Keynotes broached topics such as how a data economy will affect future energy systems and how 5G can make cities smarter and our power grids greener.
Technical presentations provided participants with the opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in smart cities research. “Local Energy Communities and Microgrid,” “AI for Smart Cities,” and “Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructures” were just a few of the featured talks. Tutorials provided practical knowledge on developing use cases in smart grids and using the IntegrCiTy Toolchain for data storage and simulation modeling.
Live sessions were gated inside the Engagez platform and conducted live on Webex. All of the recorded sessions and presentations from the event were made available in IEEE Smart Grid Resource Center for on-demand viewing/downloading. The Social Sphere networking tool enabled attendees to connect via message, email, chat, and one-on-one video chats.
SG4SC featured an innovative concept called “The Projects Zone,” which provided research projects with opportunities for networking and dissemination. Each participating project could design a custom virtual booth to present their project to participants. The booths also served as a virtual meetings hub with other researchers at the Forum. The Projects Zone showcased 18 projects including CoordiNet, Platone, and OneNet.
At the virtual booths, participants could meet with staff representatives one-on-one, send staff direct messages, conduct video chats, and even book meetings. They could also view videos, download documents (case studies, white papers, etc,), explore links, and check out social media The virtual booths received over 250 visits and feedback from presenters and participants was positive.
Despite their postponement, the organizing committee was able to develop a creative and engaging virtual event that sparked thoughtful dialogues about the intersection of smart grids and smart cities. Chair, Antonello Monti shares, “Our 2021 event provided opportunities to explore the challenges and opportunities of how smart grids will enable the sustainable cities of tomorrow. Given the current situation, the virtual platform gave us a unique networking opportunity that we have been really missing recently.”