Client:
Itron
Industry:
Utilities
Challenge:
Quickly develop a compelling report for the first-ever virtual Itron Utility Week (IUW) conference.
What We Did:
Developed survey questions for the IUW Advisory Board
Analyzed responses
Drafted executive summary and response summaries
Selected and edited quotes
Edited Advisory Board bios for consistency
How We Did It:
We’ve developed white papers, case studies and op-eds for Itron in the past, so we were able to get a quick start on this project. In fact, we were in the middle of developing a white paper on distributed intelligence capabilities when the need arose for a piece of content that could give greater visibility to the Advisory Board for the annual Itron Utility Week conference. Typically, board members, who work at large and small utilities across the U.S., play an active role in the three-day event, which brings together thousands of industry professionals. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was taking place virtually for the first time, and Itron wanted to ensure that the Advisory Board’s perspectives were well-represented.
A little over a month before the event, we developed three survey questions with a chronological thread that inherently linked responses to a compelling narrative about the conference’s theme—innovation. By exploring how utilities responded to the pandemic, we also were able to reinforce the timeliness of Itron’s most recent Resourcefulness Report on disaster preparedness. As survey responses trickled in from Advisory Board members, we quickly analyzed them for themes and outstanding quotes. With an eye on our hard deadline, we began drafting, editing and assembling the different parts of the report as soon as we had enough material to do so, adding new pieces as they became available up to the last minute.
Outcomes:
Despite the tight deadline and limited responses from the Advisory Board, we met the deadline, giving Itron’s marketing team enough time to review the content and pass it along to internal graphic designers. Ultimately, the 15-page report was downloaded more than 2,000 times in the weeks surrounding the event and drew praise from Advisory Board members and attendees.
“We were extremely fortunate to have Bart handling our conference Advisory Board report,” said Itron’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Marc Heimbigner. “Our entire team was busy handling other challenges associated with moving the conference online, so we had very little time to give to this important piece. Bart simply picked it up and took care of it. He knew immediately what we were after and how to pull it together. In fact, the copy he submitted as a first draft was essentially the finished product. Bart’s an absolute pro at what he does and a pleasure to work with. That’s why he’s become our go-to guy over the last few years.”
