The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of food science and technology, housing 17,000 members including experts from across the globe. The society’s annual meeting and expo typically receives around 24,000 visitors and 2000 exhibitors across a three-day event; its size makes it the organization’s primary revenue driver.

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached global status in March and caused live events to shut down virtually overnight, IFT had to find a way to pivot quickly to a virtual format in order to ensure their expo could still take place. With the help of Zapnito, IFT was able to convert its hundreds of hours worth of content into an online setting, managing to keep visitors engaged and provide opportunities for networking.

Building SHIFT20
With live events being ruled out indefinitely, IFT was left with only a few months to create an entire virtual event. Zapnito’s highly accessible interface made it easy to sort content by category and create individual ‘rooms’ for separate displays. These rooms were also created for SHIFT20’s sponsors, giving them their own space to advertise their wares and hold meetings and discussions.

Zapnito’s user-friendly platform meant that IFT had no problems getting to grips with the array of features, including video panels and the discussion section. IFT were subsequently able to run training workshops over Zoom for the expo’s vendors, allowing them to fully utilize the benefits of the platform.

Be sure to watch the full interview with Corrine Calice, Senior Director of Knowledge and Learning Experiences at Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and Carme Raventos, Zapnito Solutions Manager.