We recently partnered with the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) , the United States’ signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders, and hosted a five-day expansive virtual summit that resulted in thousands of registrations and more than 1200+ leads.
Established in 2010, YALI includes the Mandela Washington Fellowship, four Regional Leadership Centers in Africa, and a robust digital community (YALI Network) of more than 75,000 members.
Through experiential education, in-person and online leadership training, networking, and professional development, these programs aim to strengthen democratic institutions and good governance, spur economic growth and prosperity, and foster peace and security in Africa.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of YALI, the U.S. Department of State in partnership with the Wilson Center’s Africa Program hosted the five-day YALI 10 Summit.
To properly celebrate this important milestone, event organizers needed a virtual event platform that checked all of the following boxes:
Accelevents proved to meet all of the essential needs listed above for hosting the virtual summit. Organizers took full advantage of the platform’s features and began building the summit which included:
YALI 10 Summit speakers ranged from government officials and university professors to YALI alumni and public figures. Some notable speakers include:
The Accelevents platform allowed the Summit to tackle current significant issues and topics like climate change, ethics, COVID-19, servant leadership, and peacebuilding.
In Main Stage and Breakout sessions, attendees had the ability to watch the live discussions as well as post comments and questions in the real-time chat and Q&A which facilitated audience participation during such important conversations.
Standalone keynote discussions, such as sessions that addressed US-Africa relations and YALI’s vision for the next 10 years, took place using the Main Stage feature in the virtual summit.
Event organizers cited Breakout sessions as critical to the success of YALI 10 Summit. These concurrent sessions utilized the Accelevents Studio and made it easy for panelists to discuss topics such as innovation in Africa during COVID-19 and society’s role in combating climate change.
The week-long event had a full agenda with thought-provoking sessions that included:
By leveraging nearly all aspects of the Accelevents platform, YALI 10 Summit generated impressive results:
“Thousands of participants from dozens of countries participated and largely shared the event was successful, particularly in inspiring them, building connections, and refreshing their motivation.”
— Hannah Akuiyibo, Program Associate at Wilson Center Africa Program
Our powerful event technology helps event organizers create engaging events in any format. If you prefer the virtual event space we’ll host your next virtual trade show, summit or seminar.
If you’d like to set up a hybrid event we’ll streamline your check-in, help with badge printing and provide everyone with mobile apps. Contact us to discuss your upcoming event needs.
