Case Study: MAD//Fest achieves hybrid event success and 23,000-attendee virtual reach with Socio

How MAD//Fest became a hybrid event trailblazer

MAD//Fest, the UK’s largest “marketing, advertising, and disruption festival,” suddenly had to reimagine its high-energy, in-person experience when COVID-19 closed venues. To preserve the festival’s immersive brand and networking value for attendees and sponsors, MAD//Fest partnered with Socio, leveraging Socio’s Branded Mobile Event App, virtual event platform and Professional Services to translate their festival format into compelling virtual and hybrid experiences.

Socio powered MAD//Fest’s five-day 99 Club (23,000 virtual attendees, 700 speakers) and the 2021 hybrid festival (4,000 in-person + 4,000 virtual) with features like RTMP player, Live Display, Social Wall, gamification, Slido integration and sponsor video rooms. The results speak for themselves: 21.47k connections (7.5 per attendee), attendees from 33 countries, an 82% sponsor renewal rate, and multiple industry awards — showing Socio’s impact on engagement, sponsor ROI, and MAD//Fest’s continued growth.

MAD//Fest

Dan Brain

Co-Founder