UKCUG: Community Building and Going Virtual

---

Project: UK Citrix User Group

Location: Virtual Event hosted on Swapcard

---

Outsourced Events have assisted the dedicated Citrix engineers and consultants that founded the user group since its initiation back in 2010. Over the past 11 years we have collaborated with the team to build a self-sufficient and interactive community that meets once a quarter.

---

Outsourced Events has been an established supplier with Citrix since 2001 with knowledge of both the channel and eco system. In 2010 dedicated Citrix engineers and consultants founded the UK Citrix User Group and reached out to Outsourced Events.

Eleven years later, the UK Citrix User Group has a steering committee, runs four-well attended events a year, has an active Twitter feed and a busy community chat channel. Their strapline is, “For the community, by the community”. In the past 18-months OE have assisted the User Group translate the meet-ups into the virtual environment and continue to grow the community.

Sponsorship Model

The UK Citrix user group is a self-sufficient event, it was integral to the event’s continuation and translation to the virtual sphere that we came up with a strong sponsorship model. Working together, a new annual sponsorship model was devised which meant that membership could remain free but increased revenue would result in an enhanced delegate experience and therefore an uplift in attendance and membership. This in turn would deliver more data and an increased audience for sponsors as well as an opportunity to put their brand in front of Citrix users.

Challenges

As with anything, there have been challenges. Securing sponsorship by continuing to deliver value has been important as without the right level of sponsorship, the events cannot run. Asking for regular feedback from the sponsors and working creatively to find solutions within budget that deliver has worked well. A paid social campaign from Outsourced Engagement is planned in Q3 as a cost-effective way to increase attendance of new delegates.

Out of Adversity Comes Opportunity

When the global pandemic hit in March 2020, Outsourced Events supported the steering committee to pivot to virtual events. They sourced an event platform that not only offered live streaming but also allowed the community to interact with each other and engage with the content via gamification, chats, polls and Q&A. Due to the wider reach of virtual, throughout the past year, the group has hosted speakers from the USA, The Netherlands and Belgium and increased membership by 30%! As each session is available almost immediately on demand, this has meant that members can revisit sessions or catch up on anything that they missed.

Next Steps for UKCUG

The next UK Citrix User Group meeting is to be held in September 2021 and will be a virtual event.

The pandemic has broadened the reach of the User Group and allowed people who ordinarily could not attend to access the content. We look forward to the results of the paid social campaign and getting back to in-person events in the near future – maybe even the group’s first fully hybrid event!

To read the full story check-out Debbie’s article UK Citrix User Group – A Technology User Group Success Story! and to read more about our Community Building offering click here.

To find out how Outsourced Events Ltd can assist in achieving your tomorrow, get in touch today via info@www.outsourcedevents.com or calling us on +44 (0)330 460 6007.