Case Study: Hub-and-Spoke Events
A few years ago we read about a concept called a “hub and spoke” event. Essentially, you create micro events at various locations and stream the meeting from one location to the others. Why is this helpful? If you have employees, clients, or partners across the country or across the globe, you can easily include all stakeholders without a big travel plan. And, it significantly reduces the cost of travel (and emissions) by having attendees join near their own office instead of traveling across the country.
We recently had the chance to bring this concept to life through an annual meeting for one of our clients. They have 1,800~ employees across the region - 9 different cities, to be exact. They wanted their team members to have the experience of an annual meeting, without having to bring 1,800 people to one location. Here is a case study on the event - we HIGHLY recommend the H-A-S concept, as long as you are prepared for it! Our scope included venue site selection, some staffing, food & beverage planning, vendor selection, decor, activity planning, comms, audio visual management, and more.
LOCATIONS:
We needed 13 locations in 9 different cities. The client had clear goals:
They wanted everyone to have to travel somewhere, but it must be in the area of their division office.
The locations needed to be somewhat similar so that no division got something “better” than the others.
We needed the associates to be able to go to one location for the day, so we needed the ability and space to have the meeting, lunch, and networking/activities all in the same place.
After the meeting + lunch portion of the event, they wanted the associates to be able to have fun - network, hang out, etc.
CITIES
Louisville, KY
Erlanger, KY
Cincinnati, OH (5 locations)
Columbus, OH
Dayton, OH
Indianapolis, IN
St. Louis, MO
Atlanta, GA
Panama City Beach, FL
The event goals made the venue process easier - and more complicated at the same time. The date was not flexible - everyone had to be at their location on the same day at the same time, otherwise the meeting portion of the event was moot. We instantly started looking at national locations that might have multiple facilities in the cities we were targeting. This sped up the venue selection process and allowed us to focus on the cities that didn’t have a present chain. Here is where we landed with venues:
VENUES
Main Event (LOU)
Wooden Cask (NKY)
Main Event (CIN)
Top Golf (CIN)
Hard Rock Casino (CIN)
Full Throttle x2 (CIN)
Top Golf (COL)
Dayton Brewing Company (DAY)
Top Golf (IND)
Main Event (STL)
Top Golf (ATL)
Axe Throwing PCB (PCB)
hurdles:
There were a few obstacles to overcome throughout the planning process. This is always the case - which is why you hire a planning company - so we can navigate those on your behalf.
venue changes - we had to pivot two groups due to some attendees not being 21. We swapped groups for one location and found an alternate location for the second.
In addition, we were notified that another city/location was in financial trouble and was not going to be able to accommodate our event.
After a site visit at one location we realized that the format of the event would not be conducive, so we combined them with another group at the same venue (in a different city) that could accommodate the double-group.
audio visual - we needed to ensure that each location had A/V capabilities so they could receive the stream of the meeting. The client wanted to switch from the live feed to a live first-person camera shot (still streaming to the other locations) on-site at one location - this location was being announced as the “division of the year” winner and everyone (including that division) was to find out in real time as we came in through the back room. More on this later.
food & beverage - we needed to ensure that the menu was as similar as possible across all locations for a cohesive experience company-wide. That can sometimes be challenging to do with 13 different caterers. More on this later.
decor - we needed the decor to be consistent across all venues to create a cohesive experience company-wide. Similar to f&b, this can be challenging when you are considering providers in different cities.
AGENDA:
We had associates in both Central Standard and Eastern Standard time zones. We had to make sure that the timelines made sense so that everyone was on the same page for the streaming meeting, but so they also got a similar experience for the full event. The timelines looked like this for everyone (CST / EST)
10:30a / 11:30a - Guest Arrival
11:00a / 12:00p - Meeting & Remarks
12:30p / 1:30p - Lunch
1:30p / 2:30p - Happy Hour / Networking / Activities
4:00p / 5:00p - Event End
FOOD & BEVERAGE:
Creating a cohesive menu across all venues created some hurdles on its own. When planning the menu we had to consider:
A menu that we could duplicate (as close as possible) at 13 different venues
A menu that holds well in a buffet setting - we only had one hour to get everyone through the buffet and eat, so we needed static buffets (no action stations, plated meals, etc.)
A menu that could easily accommodate dietary restrictions in real time. We couldn’t collect individual dietaries for 13 locations / 1800 people, and we didn’t want to try and manage individual meals for those folks with the number of moving parts we already had working.
We knew a “bar” of some kind was going to be key, and we knew it had to be buffet-style. The result? Mexican food. We had variations of taco, nacho, and fajita bars depending on the location - but the general menu theme was the same. These “bars” all featured sides that were vegetarian and gluten free - and in this build-your-own format guests could self-regulate what items they chose based on their specific preferences. Each buffet featured 2-3 protein choices, including a vegetarian “protein” and plenty of sides.
We offered two drink tickets to each guest so they could choose the bar beverages they preferred, and provided all-day non-alcoholic beverages for those who wanted something other than alcohol.
AV + STREAMING:
The Audio Visual created it’s own unique challenges. The venue where the stream was to happen didn’t have reliable WiFi and due to construction, no access to hardwired internet. That is an audio visual nightmare when you’re talking about a live stream where your meeting ONLY goes if your connection works. And this is why you hire the experts - we brought in a third party A/V team who knocked it out of the park! They worked out of a small “office” (read: closet) and made the clients vision come to life, including:
monitors in a venue that didn’t have enough visual,
satellite WiFi to stream the live feed from,
setup and assistance with the private channel where we streamed from,
sound and PA package for the winning division venue,
camera operator for the first-person feed to announce the winners,
equipment rental,
directing the show
We’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - audio visual is not an area to skimp on. Without a top-notch company, we might not have been able to pull off this part of the event.
DECOR + Activities:
We kept the decor minimal. We felt budget dollars could be allocated elsewhere and that simple was best in this scenario to accomplish a cohesive look across 13 locations and 9 cities. We went with balloons, signage, and other small touches. All of the venues had in-house rentals (tables, chairs, etc.) so we didn’t need soft seating. Each venue had different regulations in place for what could be brought in, which eliminated some decor automatically. And, some venues we were placing decor indoors and outdoors, and some venues everything had to be indoors.
From an activity standpoint - after the formalities (meeting + lunch) we wanted the associates to have a space to let loose. Networking, activities, happy hour, and a chance to hang out with their peers in a less formal setting outside of the office. Part of our venue selection centered around this - the activities offered at the venues. We weren’t able to find 100% of venues with in-house activities, but we were able to supplement for the two that did not have it. Here is what the activities included, which varied by location:
golf simulator
lounge with billiard tables, corn hole, shuffle board, etc.
yard games (giant connect four, jenga, corn hole, etc.)
board games
bowling
virtual simulators
paintball
go-karts
video arcades
gaming tables
axe throwing
COMMUNICATIONS:
Comms were easier in this scenario as this was an internal company event. No tickets were sold, all associates were required to attend, and they didn’t have to register. Each division had an assigned delegate that served as a point-of-contact for their office, to answer questions, mark calendars, etc. We had an on-call event manager staff a dedicated line for the event delegates in case they had questions day-of.
Luckily, we have team members in or nearby each of these cities which helped with execution and kept costs low preventing us from flying/driving our staff to each location.
IN REVIEW:
We were so excited to put this event model into action! Overall, it was a smooth event. The A/V went off without a hitch, which was the biggest concern going into event day. So many variables out of our control. A few day-of hiccups: diverted linens due to a storm resulting in a day-of replacement from another company. One of our team members tested positive for COVID and was unable to make it day-of, so we replaced her on-site (thanks, Phil) and she still operated our on-call line (thanks, Sydney!) to keep the events running smoothly. Some access issues at one location, which we got resolved with the manager. And some streaming issues at two locations which was specific to their site as none of the other locations experienced the same problem. A few tweaks we would make to the planning and the event in future years - but we are thrilled with the results. And, we didn’t get the green light on this event until mid-December! I’m proud of our team for what they accomplished in two months! A longer lead time would definitely open up availability at more national venues - while the event was on a Thursday, it was the day before Valentine’s and several initial locations we investigated were already booked. We love the hub-and-spoke concept, but don’t get us wrong - this set up isn’t “easier”. There are just as many details to review, consider, and plan for and in some ways, more to plan for as you have multiple simultaneous events happening at once. Staffing is key, and we cannot stress enough the pre-planning and team reviews that are needed to ensure everyone is on the same page.
