Assistants' World 2022 Conference & Expo

The Assistants' World conference, which has been taking place since 2002, was held in hybrid form for the first time in 2022 with the help of talque. As Germany's only trade fair with a congress for assistants,...

Kunde:

Assistants' World

Event:

Ausrichtung:

international

Häufigkeit:

1x a year

Lösungen:

Ticketing

Realtime

54 exhibitors
88% Registration rate
200 remote participants
250 local participants
11000 chat messages

Starting position

An established format meets new requirements

Assistants’ World has been an integral part of the German-speaking event calendar since 2002. As the only trade fair with an accompanying congress for administrative professionals, the format targets a clearly defined yet highly interactive audience.

In 2022, the event faced a structural shift: for the first time, it was to be delivered in a hybrid format.

This fundamentally changed the challenge. It was no longer just about organizing a functioning on-site event, but about combining two worlds — physical presence and digital participation. A total of 250 participants attended on site, with another 200 joining remotely. The setup was complemented by 54 exhibitors.

The objectives were clear, yet ambitious:

Digital and analog participants should be a shared experience Get noticed
The barriers to entry for digital participants had to be significantly reduced
Networking and exchange should not only be possible, but actively promoted

These requirements reflect the typical dynamics of complex hybrid conferences, where interaction, participant management, and technical integration must work seamlessly together.

For the event management team, this meant maintaining full control over all processes while at the same time actively engaging participants.

Tansposition

Combining interaction, structure and hybrid logic

The implementation of Assistants’ World 2022 did not follow a classic “event app” approach, but a clear principle: digital and physical elements must reinforce each other — not simply coexist.

The focus was on three strategic levers.

1. Hybrid formats as a connecting element

The biggest challenge of hybrid events lies not in the technology, but in creating an equal experience. This is exactly where the concept started.

Formats such as the “Running Reporter” or a shared raffle were used deliberately to connect both groups of participants. Content and interactions were designed to be accessible and relevant to everyone, rather than tied to a specific location.

The result: digital participants were not passive consumers, but actively engaged.

2. Interaction as a central design principle

The target group of Assistants’ World is inherently social. Accordingly, interaction was not treated as a feature, but as a core function.

To achieve this, several mechanisms were combined:

Social wall as a central communication space
Ability to share images, videos, and comments
Digital business cards for all stakeholders
Easy storage and exchange of contact data
Online and offline meeting features

This structure significantly reduced the typical barriers of digital events. Participants were able to communicate and connect without additional tools or media breaks.

The impact is clearly measurable: 11,000 chat messages during the event demonstrate an exceptionally high level of participant activity.

3. Strategic concept beyond the individual event

A significant part of the implementation lay not in individual features, but in the overall event logic.

Together with talque, a concept was developed that does three things at the same time:

Operational implementation of a hybrid event
Increasing acceptance among participants through clear communication
Building a scalable foundation for future events

Assistants’ World 2022 was deliberately used as a pilot. The goal was not just to deliver a functioning event, but to develop a reusable hybrid model.

This approach aligns with the logic of modern event platforms: not optimizing individual events, but building systems that work across multiple formats.

Results

High usage, measurable interaction and strategic foundation

The results of Assistants’ World 2022 clearly show that the chosen approach was effective.

88% registration rate
54 exhibitors
450 total participants (on-site and remote)
11,000 chat messages

These figures are no coincidence, but a direct result of a structured interaction strategy. Participants were not only informed, but actively engaged throughout the event.

The combination of quantitative and qualitative impact is particularly relevant:

Digital participation became noramlized
The integration of digital participants was not an add-on, but an equal part of the event.

Networking was systematically supported
Digital business cards, meeting features, and open exchange formats created a clear structure for connections and discussions.

Interaction became visible and measurable
The high number of chat messages shows that the provided features were actively used — a key success factor for hybrid formats.

A scalable event strategy was established
Assistants’ World 2022 served as the foundation for future hybrid concepts. The developed setup can be transferred to other events.

The central insight from the project is clear: hybrid events do not succeed through technology alone, but through a consistently well-designed integration of formats, interaction, and participant management.

Or, as the event management team summarized it:

“Success lies in engaging digital participants emotionally and orchestrating all components to create a consistent overall experience.”