Building connection and networks

About the Client

The 2021 USAID Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) International Development Conference was co-hosted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Harry T. Moore chapter of Blacks in Government.

Collaboration with TechChange

As part of USAID’s commitment to expanding its partnerships with more than 100 HBCUs and recruiting their brightest minds to work on the world’s most pressing issues, USAID reached out to TechChange to organize a first-of-its-kind virtual event. TechChange worked with the Organizing Committee to create specialized session types and interactive activities to showcase opportunities with the Agency and HBCUs for students and alumni to learn about and build new careers within international development. TechChange’s plug and play platform and hands-on management allowed USAID to focus on speaker recruitment and student outreach, while the TechChange team handled set up, production, and support.

Presenters, including USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, White House Director of Public Engagement Cedric Richmond, and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, were selected and coordinated by members of the Organizing Committee. TechChange provided onboarding and support resources to all speakers to ensure a seamless experience and flawless virtual production.

Custom Branding and Virtual Event Platform

The TechChange team customized an all-in-one virtual event platform with a professional, accessible interface powered by the best online tools. USAID wanted a fresh look for the conference so TechChange’s in-house design team created a vibrant set of event branding materials for the platform and conference promotion. The conference provided four different session types including livestreamed presentations (held in Zoom and Vimeo Livestream Studio), concurrent livestreams and workshop sessions, and networking events. Attendees could interact with panelists through chat and participate in live-networking sessions, as well as chat discussion threads to share their own experiences and questions. The TechChange team was there every step of the way to ensure maximum participation.

Outreach Unlocked

This innovative conference allowed USAID to meaningfully reach an important community with substantive interactions, and set the standard for Agency offerings in the future. The team noted that the TechChange platform was lower-cost than other options, and came with above and beyond service from the team.

The USAID-HBCU Conference provided a valuable skill-building and networking opportunity for more than 1,000 members of the next generation of Black international development professionals. The TechChange virtual event platform elevated and powered the experience to make it simple for the organizers and special for the attendees.