Sanlam Benchmark Symposium 2015
Sanlam Benchmark Symposium 2015 wanted to bring the yearly conference of retirement fund managers and stakeholders into the digital age while creating deeper audience engagement and a unified narrative flow to an event consisting of nearly a dozen separate presentations. The 2015 theme was set as ‘A Future Worth Saving.’
Identifying the greatest obstacle to saving as the inability to properly picture the future, I proposed a solution that would allow one to see, in real time, the long-term effects of current financial choices. Enter Thumi, the virtual co-host of the event, whose life unfolds from birth to retirement during the course of the conference. Introduced via an emotive video, spanning from birth to college graduation, Thumi worked hand-in-hand with the real MC, Maya Fisher-French, to solve her financial woes with the help of the audience. Key financial milestones were created, each backed by deeply emotional circumstances – getting engaged, going through divorce, caring for her child as a single mother, sending her child to college even if it meant hardship for Thumi herself, etc. – and a decision had to be made. The audience then, via voting pads, cast their advice and the result of the guidance with the most votes played out as pre-recorded video segments. Real calculations were conducted by Sanlam specialists and Thumi’s growing, or depleting, retirement fund was always displayed as a graph on screen.
The audience meets Thumi on the eve of her wedding. Thumi and Maya's interactions were scripted as that of old friendly acquaintances.
The varying results of Thumi's first choice - whether to start saving immediately upon starting her new job or opt for some extra cash to buy things for her coming baby. Each segment would also set up the following choice, in this case - the harsh financial calls involved in being a single mother.
The two outcomes of a choice much further into Thumi's life - whether to pay for her daughter's college education or to have her daughter take a student loan. Thumi's estrangement from her daughter sets up her next choice - offer to pay for her daughter's wedding and reconnect or use the money for a much needed surgery for herself.
The audience watches the results of their advice on the main screen while Thumi's financials are displayed on the supporting screen.