A fundamental part of our approach to the Virtual Island Summit is to emphasize the need for input and partnerships from across the private, public, academic and NGO sectors. Attendees have the opportunity to listen to and learn from over 100 different world-class experts from diverse backgrounds including world leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics and NGO leaders. The daily sessions are in various formats and the summit imitates a traditional in-person event with opportunities for attendees to interact with speakers and other attendees. As the event is free to attend, this ensures maximum accessibility to expertise from a variety of fields.

Following on from the success of the first Virtual Island Summit in 2019, we aimed to make the 2020 and 2021 iterations more impactful events, connecting much greater numbers of attendees and speakers. The summit grew to 10,000 and 12,000 attendees, more than triple the 4,000 attendees in the first year. To help achieve this goal, we expanded our team and initiated new growth programs, including our Ambassador and Local Events programs, which were both successful. We were able to significantly expand the number of Sponsors and Partners, as well as the number of speakers.