When the pandemic forced Disability:IN to reimagine their annual conference in 2020, the stakes were high. This wasn’t just another corporate gathering. It was the premier event connecting disability & inclusion leaders, NextGen talent, and Fortune 500 companies. With a short runway to pivot from an in-person experience to a fully virtual production, they needed a partner who could deliver broadcast quality production at unprecedented scale while maintaining their commitment to accessibility.
edgefactory took on the entire virtual production scope, transforming what could have been a basic webinar series into a professional broadcast experience.
The Challenge
At the time, large-scale remote production was largely uncharted territory. The tools that would later become standard (like vMix) were still relatively unknown, and the industry hadn’t yet established best practices for virtual events of this complexity. We needed to seamlessly coordinate:
- 175 speakers broadcasting from their own locations across nearly 20 countries
- Live ASL interpretation and real-time captioning for every single session
- 8 plenary sessions and 31 breakout sessions running across multiple days
- 68 virtual expo booths, matchmaking sessions, and pitch presentations
- 3,000 attendees expecting a cohesive, professional experience
Every technical element had to work flawlessly. Speakers, interpreters, and captioners all coordinated through our master control, then broadcast back to the conference platform.
Our Solution
We built a centralized production control system that functioned as the nervous system of the entire event. Every speaker, regardless of their location or technical setup, was brought into our master control where we could ensure consistent quality, integrate live accessibility services, and maintain production standards across all sessions.
Beyond the technical coordination, we designed an animated motion graphics package that was intentionally inclusive and engaging, bringing visual energy to the virtual environment without creating distraction or accessibility barriers. This wasn’t standard practice at the time; most virtual events were still using static title cards and basic overlays.
The Scale
Over the course of the conference, we produced:
- 3,000 attendees from nearly 20 countries
- 175 speakers, including 3 Fortune 500 CEOs
- 39 total sessions (8 plenary, 31 breakout)
- 600 NextGen Leader matchmaking conversations
- 100+ NextGen Leader interviews
- 20 NextGen iLab pitches
- 13 NextGen Leader breakout sessions
- 68 expo booths
- 250 DOBE matchmaking conversations
- Over 900 attendees at the Inclusion Works meeting
- Full ASL interpretation and real-time captions for every session
The Impact
In a moment when the event industry was scrambling to adapt, we proved that virtual didn’t have to mean compromised. Disability:IN delivered their most accessible conference to date, reaching attendees who might never have been able to attend in person, while maintaining the production quality and professional experience their community expected.
