In partnership with the Global Digital Health Network, TechChange planned and hosted the world’s largest and most inclusive digital health event. The hybrid format offered virtual content for global time zones, a vibrant in-person conference in Washington D.C., and satellite events in 6 cities worldwide.
In partnership with the Global Digital Health Network, TechChange planned and hosted the world’s largest and most inclusive digital health event. The hybrid format offered virtual content for global time zones, a vibrant in-person conference in Washington D.C., and satellite events in 6 cities worldwide.
Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF) is the leading networking and
relationship-building opportunity to connect government stakeholders, digital health developers, researchers, donors, implementers and field experts in public health and technology. TechChange took over the event’s management during the COVID-19 pandemic, and enabled previously unthinkable gains in inclusion with a 7X increase of attendance, leveraging participation and expertise from all over the world. Moving into the future, the primary funders and partners of the forum wanted to capitalize on those advances in equity and inclusion, while providing a vibrant in-person experience in Washington D.C.
As the primary organizer for the 2023 conference, TechChange convened an Ideation Workshop to evaluate the needs and constraints of key stakeholders and attendee personas, and build out a multi-faced and engaging program designed to meet needs and expectations. A hybrid approach to pair simultaneous virtual experiences in the Asia and Africa regions with the in-person convening was selected to guarantee the best of virtual and in-person offering… and to put inclusivity at the forefront.
TechChange steered the 2023 conference from the priorities fine-tuned at the Ideation Session to the successful production of each and every session. A “content czar” on the TechChange team stewarded the development of a complex and ever-shifting agenda, ensuring that funders and key stakeholders could focus on promoting and preparing for the event without getting bogged down in the details. Our cutting edge virtual event platform provided registration and attendee management, as well as a viewing experience for the over 200 live and pre-recorded sessions. Support teams working around the clock provided technical support and troubleshooting to participants who experienced any technological challenges with access.
The in-person portion of the conference took place at Pike and Rose in Washington, D.C., where the venue was laid out strategically to accommodate the convening and dining needs of the 700+ in person attendees. TechChange’s unique Pop Up Studio transmitted “behind the scenes” footage and interviews with conference luminaries to virtual participants, while the native TechChange platform brought in commentary and viewpoints from virtual attendees to those in person. Ten hybrid sessions were broadcast from regional in-country watch parties in Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, St. Lucia and Chile,
connecting virtual and in-person participants.
Online, the TechChange platform provided live chat and Q & A functionality, virtual networking opportunities, and a points-based gamification scheme to boost engagement. GDHF’s first ever social media engagement competition encouraged participants to share their learnings online and network with one another on other platforms, especially LinkedIn, where participants shared nearly 400 posts with their GDHF learnings.
Inclusion means centering the expertise of individuals from the low- and
middle- income countries where so many global public health programs take place. Speakers at the conference represented points of view from over 60 countries. For one plenary session, “Scaling Locally Owned Community Health Information Systems“, a Kenyan community health worker shared the stage with funders and health experts at Medic, D-tree, IntelliSOFT Consulting Ltd, and the Kenyan Ministry of Health to discuss the local Nairobi context of digital health community services and what is needed from funders and the larger global health community.
This elevation of local expertise demonstrates the inclusive principles of TechChange and the GDHF conference in action, and several attendees remarked that it was the first time that they had ever seen a community health worker with on the ground experience grace the main stage of a plenary session in a major conference. The regional in-country watch parties in Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, St. Lucia and Chile engaged nearly 200 attendees, including 26 Ministry of Health Officials. These watch parties were each led by emerging tech entrepreneurs in an effort to spark local conversations on a global scale.
Prioritizing inclusivity also means ensuring that the logistics of joining are simple, intuitive and on a convenient schedule. In 2023, TechChange decided to offer the hybrid portions of the event during Asia and Africa business hours in order to allow greater participation from those regions. All content was also recorded and available to participants to watch asynchronously at a time of their choosing.
Under TechChange’s leadership, GDHF2023 pushed the boundaries of what is possible in hybrid convening, ensuring that nearly 3000 participants from 124 countries could exchange ideas, share and hone expertise, and collaborate in practice. With ongoing partnership and contributions from digital health’s biggest players, TechChange’s vision for the future of this groundbreaking event will continue to move the digital health sector forward.
