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Live Scribing x Conferences = Perfection

Why live scribing is worth the investment for your conference

When you’re planning a conference or event, it’s essential to consider how your content is captured so it’s engaging and captivating for participants. Because words evaporate when presentations happen fast and the key takeaways aren't written down.

All too often we see people zoning out at long conferences, with only snippets of information being absorbed and then the event is over. That’s where visualisation comes in. By having a visualiser at your conference, your content comes alive. It can be like going from black and white to technicolour. Think Dorothy stepping into Oz.

Let's break it down.

Live scribing means you can actually see the content

Live visual capture means participants see the speaker's content come together in real life. So instead of a dry transcript, you'll get a vibrant and digestible visual summary that captures the key points into something everyone can quickly recall and share.

Watching a live drawing unfold builds curiosity and attention in the room, particularly for visual learners (that’s about 65% of your audience) who may otherwise drift during long sessions.

Participants will often photograph and share the work-in-progress on social media, naturally amplifying your event’s reach.

Impact for event participants:

When complex concepts are turned into bold and clear visuals, participant retention increases. By feeling 'part of' the creative process, participants are more engaged in the conference, they're more likely to ask questions and more likely to connect with each other around the ideas captured.

People leave with a mental “map” of the content, making it easier to apply what they’ve learned back in their own day job.

4 conference participants standing in front of a large wall having their photo taken. The wall is covered with black and white illustrations that summarises the key messages from the conference.

The Meetings Show Participants

Visuals extend the conversation beyond the conference

By having a shareable visual summary of the content, participants can revisit the visuals in the weeks and months after the event on LinkedIn, website channels and social media.

Timelapse videos of the visual being created that offer an engaging recap for those who missed a session and a dynamic memory for those who attended.

Impact for participants and planners:

Instead of the conference being a once-a-year source of inspiration and conversation, these visuals keep the learning visible, accessible, and relevant well into the future. Of course, this reinforces your message and goals without additional delivery costs. It'll also visually share the value with funders, partners, and stakeholders.

Sistren Legal Collective2025 Strategy Visual

Don't let your content evaporate

And finally, you’ll have already invested significantly in the content, speakers, catering, logistics and travel. For a fraction more, you ensure that investment keeps working for you by creating long-lasting, highly shareable and deeply engaging records of what happens in the room.

Live scribing FAQs

Our visualisers are trained and talented in listening and capturing in real time, which means prep before a session is efficient. Before the session, we have a call to talk through the agenda, logistics, and hear ideas from your side about types of imagery to include. Our admin team will organise the finer details such as commercials and material shipping.

Before the meeting we take time to understand the agenda. We like to know what's going to be happening, who is going to be speaking, and what the process is for group engagement. We also ask what we should stay away from. All of these insights will give us a good overall picture leading into the session. From there we go with the flow, listen, and watch. If we're not sure about something, be it a phrase, acronym, or link, we'll wait for a break and ask for clarity.

At its simplest, visually capturing content in the moment is called ‘live scribing’ and is usually used at big events and conferences. There is little interaction with the group and the visual is simple in structure and quick to create. Live-scribing creates a snapshot of the content that has been shared - it’s easy to understand in the blink of an eye.

Graphic recording is a more skilled technique, involving group process and facilitation. Our team is very experienced in working closely with business leaders and we'll work with you to understand the purpose of why the group is coming together. When graphic recording, the visual becomes a tool to unite and inspire.