The Situation 

SOLIDWORKS is known for their passionate user group meetings and this year was no different. For the 6th Annual Single Largest User Group Meeting Ever (SLUGME), the SOLIDWORKS team was ready to upgrade their program. Each year the team brings together groups of users to share their top tricks, tips, and hints on the SOLIDWORKS platform. Think of these groups like your local SOLIDWORKS expert.

For this year’s program, their team wanted to go big and build connections between their global network of user groups. Users love the casual atmosphere of these gatherings, and the SOLIDWORKS team needed to ensure the production would run smoothly to keep the attention on the community, not the broadcast logistics. They also wanted to leverage the success SOLIDWORKS Live has had by streaming directly to YouTube. Lastly, they also wanted to break a record-–and a pretty big one at that.

The Solution 

Together, the SLUGME team and the Cramer team produced a 26-hour broadcast connecting user groups from around the globe. (Yes, you read that right). Each hour brought a new segment for users to watch. Between each segment, a news desk based in the SOLIDWORKS HQ in Waltham, MA would interact with the speakers and share that hour’s giveaway information. Seven of the sessions were completely live – including the 6-part keynote that displayed a real-time build of the SLUGME car (see below).

Cramer served as the broadcast headquarters for the entirety of the event – each feed was brought through our Communications Center and switched together in our broadcast hub. Our crews monitored the live chat and made sure all presenters were running on time. With over 5 feeds coming directly from HQ, we made sure no moment was missed.  

The Results  

SLUGME was a success bringing in the largest viewership yet with engagement throughout the entire 26-hour program. Despite being miles away, their user groups felt connected and informed. With guest appearances from SOLIDWORKS key executives, this program cemented itself as one of the top user group meetings this year!  

  • The total length with the pre and post-show was 25:24:08.  
  • The live stream was viewed 5,273 times and with an estimated number of 3,300 unique viewers.  
  • There were 3,249 messages sent in the live chat.  
  • The event was viewed by people in 41 countries.
  • 54% of viewers watched on a smartphone.
  • 684 Surveys were completed. 

Hear from Our Producer:

Cramer Associate Producer, Lyssa Winslow, speaks on Cramer’s relationship with SOLIDWORKS, and how this 26-hour show was a success!

"This event would not have been possible without the help of our amazing production crew at Cramer. They were organized and patient with us as we clawed our way to 19 pre-recorded presentations and 7 live sessions. The logistics were flawless, and the quality level of the event was second to none. Please extend our gratitude to the entire Cramer staff. – Thank You!"

Dan Wagner, Manager of SOLIDWORKS User Group Network

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