Background

The Commission regularly conducts a range of activities and events including consultations, seminars and presentations, campaigns and launches, and conferences. Traditionally many of these are held as face-to-face forums. The main audiences are clinicians, consumers health service managers and policy makers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these forums now need to be delivered online to protect the safety of our staff and stakeholders and comply with government restrictions. Existing digital communication platforms used at the Commission have limitations relating to capacity, scale and the level of interactivity.

The Commission is seeking expert advice to guide its approach to digital communication activities and events. This will help ensure a consistent, effective approach to the Commission’s digital events and provide an engaging experience for attendees and participants.

Digital events and activities

The scope of the Commission’s digital activities ranges from small group consultations with 5-10 participants, to interactive seminars with 50-100 participants, and online conferences with 400–800 participants.

Consultations activities

The Commission consults widely with individuals and groups when developing expert guidance and clinical resources, and scoping special projects. To date, consultations have involved travelling to different sites and undertaking face-to-face workshops, seminars and one-on-one interviews with a range of stakeholders, as well as seeking written and online survey feedback.

The Commission is transitioning to greater use of digital platforms for consultation activities, and features required for this include capacity for interactive discussions, polling, Q&A, moderated breakout group sessions, networking spaces, registration security, automated calendar invites, live technical support, transcripts and recording facilities.

Educational seminars and presentations

Staff at the Commission regularly attend and present at conferences as well as educational events for external organisations such as health services. The Commission also develops seminars and presentations that can be used as educational resources on key safety and quality issues.

Digital seminars or ‘deep dives’ will require a combination of pre-recorded and livestreaming capabilities. Other features that may be required include panel discussions, polling, Q&A, moderated breakout group sessions, networking spaces, registration security, automated calendar invites, live technical support, transcripts and recording facilities.

Campaigns and launches

The Commission’s campaigns and launches range from physical events (such as launches hosted by hospitals and educational institutions, and conferences and scientific meetings hosted by other organisations) to online webcasts.

Conferences

The Commission is currently investigating alternative options for hosting conferences.

Alternative options being considered include hosting a:
• Small face-to-face event, potentially with livestreaming
• Virtual conference (half to one day)
• Series of short online seminars.

If the decision is made to host a virtual conference, the Commission would require advice on the elements of a face-to-face conference that could be effectively transitioned to an online event, e.g. plenary or panel sessions, virtual hall for poster displays. Other features that may be required include polling, Q&A, registration security, automated calendar invites, live technical support, hosting, transcripts and recording facilities.

Required services

The following services and deliverables are required by the Commission to guide their digital strategy and approach.

Requirements analysis

Work with internal stakeholders to develop a comprehensive understanding of the types of digital activities and events (planned and potential), and the platform requirements for each. Provide advice on the effectiveness of current digital platforms and tools used to deliver the types of events run by the Commission.

Best practice advice and resources for staff

Develop a suite of materials such as general guidelines and checklists to support staff in planning and coordinating a digital activity or event. These resources will include best practice recommendations and general principles for hosting a successful digital activity or event, including advice on adapting the program design for online delivery.

Platform and supplier analysis

Conduct an analysis of platform and supplier options for a range of activities and events, and provide a report including:
• costs, features, capacity, security, support required and available, pros and cons, and recommendations, for a range of platforms suitable for the different types of events run by the Commission
• assessment of suppliers based on agreed criteria (if required for specific digital events such as a conference)