Now in its second year, Hydrogen for Life 2022 is an event dedicated to the discussion of hydrogen power and fuel cell technology.
With 900 industry professionals coming together in 2021 in-person and online, Hydrogen for Life 2022 had to be bigger and better and at the forefront of current industry topics and future trends. So it enlisted some of the event spaces at London's Science Museum to ensure the event was truly electron-fying...
- Client: Bosch/JSO
- Agent: JSO
- Event: Hydrogen for Life
- Date: 30 June 2022
- Number of guests: 350 in-person; 1,000-plus online
- Venue: The Science Museum
Event brief & objective:
Hydrogen for Life was a unique showcase of the best of Anglo-German innovation and technology. It built on the themes in the Government’s Hydrogen Strategy, underlining the strength of innovation across the hydrogen value chain, and showcasing operational demonstrators of hydrogen technology ready to kickstart the world’s energy transition. Hydrogen for Life was a private daytime exhibition of technology demonstrators across the hydrogen value chain. It included a Ministerial keynote address, keynote speeches on hydrogen technology and panel discussions on the topic.
A venture capital/inward investment element was also integrated into the proceedings. There were around 350 physical guests, with a further 1000-plus joining via the livestream. They were senior stakeholders, selected Government Ministers, senior civil servants, politicians, journalists, and investors from across the energy industry.
Why did you choose the Science Museum for your event? What were you looking for in a venue when you
started planning this event?
We chose the Science Museum for the event after an extensive search of other venues in London because it is
a prestigious venue with good transport links and crucially had the space to accommodate both the numbers
and the scope of activities we envisaged. As a venue it has personality and it fitted with the theme of the
event. We had also used the Science Museum before for events so knew the practicalities of access, timings
and so on.
What sort of experience did you want to create for your guests?
We wanted guests to feel enthused by how much is going on in the hydrogen space, not only from the
speaking agenda but also from the exhibits. We wanted a full, busy event with spaces available for guests to
network, and also quieter areas to take a break and catch up on calls and emails. We wanted guests to have
the opportunity to dip into lots of different areas and interesting activities during their time at the event.
How did you choose which spaces at the museum you wanted to use?
We had previously held events in the Science Museum so we knew the spaces and what might work.
Previously we had split exhibits between the Smith Centre and Level 5 of Illuminate, but by focusing on the
latter for the exhibits and using the Smith Centre for meetings it meant that the event remained compact and
easy to navigate for guests. Level 4 of Illuminate is perfect for a speaking auditorium, so it made sense to use
this too.
How did Illuminate and the Smith Centre work for your event? What was the benefit of using these spaces?
What set up did you go for? What were the standout features of these spaces?
Level 4 of Illuminate was used for the speaker sessions, while Level 5 was used for exhibits, catering,
networking, and some parts of the agenda. The Smith Centre was used as the entrance to the event and also
for private meetings. Level 5 of Illuminate is extremely light with a fantastic view of London and works very
well for networking. We focused the event on Illuminate to minimise guests having to use the lifts to the
ground floor, and this kept the event tight in a compact area.
Who were your catering and AV partners? Did they create anything bespoke for the event?
We used White Light and Moving Venue for our AV and catering respectively. We did not ask for anything
bespoke, trying to keep things as simple as possible; we kept branding relatively light and neutral. Both
elements worked extremely well on the day.
What feedback did you receive from guests?
We received highly positive feedback from guests, who particularly liked Level 5 of Illuminate. Guests stayed
longer than anticipated and were reluctant to leave at the end of the event. They enjoyed the food and felt
that everything worked seamlessly and was incredibly slick. The event was a great success, and we are already
planning for a follow-up in 2023; several organisations who attended as guests have already asked to be
sponsors next year.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
