In a typical year, KCADC’s Annual Meeting brings together 1,700+ of KC’s top business and civic leaders for a highly-produced and energetic show. Each November, attendees leave feeling proud of the KC region’s top accomplishments - and excited for the prospects of the year to come. 

As we all know, 2020 is anything but typical. When the KCADC team started planning the 2020 Annual Meeting last spring, we quickly realized we needed to reimagine the entire program into an all-digital broadcast format. And most importantly, we wanted to keep the messaging upbeat, forward looking and positive. 

To determine the best way to create and execute the most impactful virtual event for the community, we attended webinars, talked to event planners, connected with our investors and partners and looked internally to how our team executed the all-digital Animal Health Summit last summer.

We engaged the team at DEG as our digital experience production partner, and got to work securing speakers, writing scripts, creating the CHOICE theme and graphics, setting our shooting schedule, producing videos and finalizing the details. Our vision was a fast-paced, 60-minute program much like a morning news show. 

To tie it all together, we knew we needed an energetic host to help keep the show moving along. When we were introduced to Shawn Edwards, film critic and journalist on FOX 4, we knew his passion for KC was a perfect fit for our show. 

In addition to making the show free for all to attend, we also decided pre-recording was the best way to capture all of the program elements. This format allowed us to implement a safe and efficient production plan.  

View the Interactive Event Guide to learn more about our featured speakers. 

We started in-person filming in mid-October. Safety was extremely important for our production crew, speakers and the KCADC team. To reassure our speakers who were volunteering their time for us, we had temperature checks, wore masks and practiced social distancing. Only those on-camera or behind-the-camera were on-site, and all others Zoomed in to review and provide real-time feedback.

Many thanks to our speakers who shared their stories of “choosing KC,” our partners who submitted b-roll, videos and other content to make this year’s first-ever digital event a success. We couldn’t have done it without you. 

View the We Choose KC Sizzle Video 

View the Choosing One KC Video