About the Host:
The Government of Queensland also referred to as the Queensland Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Queensland. Dedicated to making Queensland better by offering services including promotion of employment opportunities, they also oversee public services including health, education, transport, infrastructure, police and emergency services, environment and science, tourism, and community services.
Challenges:
- High costs of hosting a physical career fair to promote employment opportunities across the Queensland public sector.
- Limited event accessibility; it was a struggle to attract out-of-state and overseas veterans who would have to bear hefty travel expenses to participate in the career fair.
- Poor attendee engagement; sharing information and resources to empower veterans with job search advice in-person would be expensive and difficult to plan/execute.
- Any physical sessions conducted by keynote speakers and program management had a limited one-time value making its utility extremely short-lived for the audiences (and no value for those unable to attend).
- Keep tracking of paper-based applications and resumes was inefficient, tedious, and detrimental towards the hiring momentum required.
- Participating employers had no tools to search for relevant profiles and zoom in on talent based on criteria such as location, career interests, etc.
Strategy & Functionality Solutions:
Working closely alongside the representatives from the Government of Queensland, our vFairs dedicated project manager identified client needs, proposed solutions, and built precise functionalities to match the shared requirements. Targeting an exceptional hosting and job seeker experience, the strategy encompassed the following key elements:
1) Fully Customized Exhibitor Hall
Helping the Veterans Virtual Careers Fair secure a distinct identity, vFairs built a fully customized virtual environment based on their preferences. No two employer booths in the Exhibit Hall were the same; providing every public sector entity with its own custom branded booth, the layout spearheaded a great first impression as a part of the design strategy. Mimicking the look and feel of a physical event, attendees could go to various booths, access information such as videos, documents, job vacancies, and even chat with designated representatives in the chat rooms available for a unique yet immersive experience. 
2) Improving Outreach and Maximizing Cost Savings
Ensuring ease of accessibility for local and out of state job seekers, veterans from anywhere could participate in the virtual career fair via their mobile device or laptop with internet connectivity. Removing any capacity limitations for the host, there were no restrictions on job seekers attending the event, nor was there any need to incur costs associated with space rentals, hospitality, venue set up, administrative staff, or giveaways. Reducing costs and building impact, the virtual career fair also transformed the career journey for visitors to make it modern, fast and convenient.
3) Driving Engagement via Webinars
Attracting attendees is one half of the battle, and ensuring engagement is another. This is why the vFairs team used their virtual auditorium to host exciting sessions with guest speakers and employed veterans and share advice related to resume writing to help motivate visitors and support their job search objectives. With a back-to-back roster of topics most relevant to veterans, the webinars positioned the Queensland public sector as a great place to work, in addition to highlighting the rewards and benefits available for employees to enjoy. The outcomes? A consistently high traffic volume with audiences tuned into the invaluable guest sessions proactively. 
4) Helping Employers Find Talent Efficiently
To bridge gaps between employers and job seekers, the vFairs team built a “Search Profile” feature into the platform. This allowed recruiters to filter talent based on criteria such as first name, last name, defense force organization, location and career preferences. Providing relevant matches for hiring authorities to screen and move along in their hiring funnels, the efficiency eliminated any unnecessary time wastage once tied to paper-based resume screening and shortlisting hassles. With access to a digital database of all job seekers, the exhibitors also had the option to view applicants per vacancy, and export the resumes to excel instantly for a detailed information breakdown. 
5) Delivering Content Without the Carbon Footprint:
Career fair hosts take pride in being a powerful resource hub to help job seekers polish their personal brand, learn about employers, and gain detailed awareness of development programs. Traditionally a pricey mission that was accomplished used paper-based marketing collateral, the Veterans Virtual Careers Fair strategically incorporated Video Vault, Resources, and Swag Bag as key features where visitors could view multimedia content, and download other information that they could additionally email to their personal email IDs for future review. 
The Results Recap
The Veterans Virtual Careers Fair hosted by the Government of Queensland was a profound success with results that speak volumes about its impact:
- Total Booth Visits: 1000+
- Most Visited Booth: Department of Transport & Main Roads
- Total Webinar Plays: 200+
About vFairs
At vFairs.com, we strive to build a top-class online event platform that will help event organizers make memorable connections with their target audience. We’re obsessed with taking out the hassle normally associated with physical events and leaving organizers and exhibitors to focus on what’s most important: engagement with the audience. Get in touch with an expert to learn more about vFairs here.
