From the pandemic to a driver of innovation: The origins of visolite
visolite stands for video, sound, lighting and technology, and is a classic B2B event technology service provider, with a particular focus on conferences and congresses. The team led by Managing Director Eik Hofmann has only operated under the name visolite since 2024. The company’s short history is closely linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Had it not been for the pandemic, we simply would not exist in this form,” says Eik Hofmann. “When business collapsed in 2020, everyone in the events sector had to rethink their approach. Fortunately, the right people came together at exactly the right time to develop something new.” In concrete terms, this meant that Eik Hofmann connected with event.lab, a professional congress organiser (PCO) based in Leipzig and also part of the Leipzig Convention Network.
After completing his studies and holding various positions in the events industry, Eik Hofmann was working as an event technician at a Leipzig conference hotel at the time. “When events suddenly became impossible, we very quickly started thinking about how conferences could be delivered digitally. The result was a set-up with cameras, streaming and interaction via an app,” Hofmann recalls. In this way, pandemic restrictions became a catalyst for the conference sector. This marked a restart for industry players: in October 2020, the German Obesity Congress was held in hybrid format for the first time at the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig. This was followed by several fully digital congresses with changing set-ups at the Congress Center Leipzig.
Technical innovation for modern conferences
The shift in mindset – and the willingness to rethink how conferences are delivered technically – continues to shape visolite’s work to this day. One of its key partners in this process is event.lab. The teams come together to review processes in search of potential improvements. “Hardly has a congress ended before we start thinking about what we can optimise,” says Eik Hofmann.
The biggest challenge lies in convincing organisers to embrace new ideas and move away from established routines. “There are many different reasons for not implementing innovations. Particularly at conferences with a fixed group of participants, you often hear: ‘We’ve always done it this way.’” A number of examples, however, show how technical innovations can enhance conferences and contribute to the satisfaction of both speakers and participants.
Efficient participant management: Digital self-check-in
visolite equips conferences with self-check-in stations. In practical terms, this means that participants receive a QR code when they register. At terminals in the venue, they scan the code themselves and receive a printed badge. “The terminals combine a computer with registration software, a scanner and a printer. We have developed them step by step – optimising the printing process and designing a white casing with a clean, minimalist look,” explains Eik Hofmann. Thanks to self-check-in, larger numbers of participants can be processed in a much shorter time, without queues forming at the registration desks. At one major congress, as many as 3,000 participants were registered via self-check-in within just an hour and a half. While some participants print their badges themselves, staff at the counters are free to focus on individual requests and questions. “In the next step, we are looking at the processes involved in issuing conference certificates,” says Eik Hofmann. “We are continuing to develop modern services for conferences, step by step.”
Modern stage and presentation technology for seamless sessions
visolite is also modernising presentations and sessions through technical innovation. One example isthe chair’s table. During academic presentations, several people are often seated at the chair’s table. In front of them are name plates, usually printed on sturdy card. visolite offers digital chair’s tables whose front panels can display not only the event logo but also the names of the session chairs. This eliminates the need to print and replace name plates. Changes in personnel can be accommodated at short notice. To allow session chairs to set up their workspace comfortably with a laptop and mobile phone, power sockets and USB ports are integrated directly into the chair’s table.
Another important area: confidence monitors. These display the current presentation, so that those seated at the chair’s table do not have to turn around to see the screen behind them. The monitors can be switched flexibly between the speaker view and the chair’s view. In addition to the presentation itself, visolite also displays the current time and remaining speaking time. Small details like these make it much easier to keep to the tight schedules typical of conferences, without requiring major additional effort.
Next up:media handling. “At many conferences, there are still runners carrying USB sticks from one meeting room to another. When everyday working life has long since moved to solutions such as cloud storage and SharePoint, why not use the same approach for conferences?” says Eik Hofmann. At visolite, that means that speakers no longer arrive with their presentations on a USB stick, but instead upload their media digitally. The files are automatically checked for technical compatibility and then assigned to the relevant presentation room. The responsible technician can access them directly on site.
Silent conferences: Greater flexibility for parallel conference activities
At conferences and congresses, making the best possible use of available space is always a key concern – particularly when multiple sessions are running in parallel. Thanks to technical innovation, organisers can use large venues efficiently without additional physical installations. This is made possible by silent conferences. Participants wear wireless headphones set to a predefined frequency and can listen to their speaker without any additional background noise. All participants can remain in the same room while still splitting into different sessions.
At Studio 5 at media city leipzig, two different sessions have already taken place simultaneously in the same room using the silent conference format. “This is also a practical solution for acoustically challenging spaces,” says Eik Hofmann. One example is the Bechtle IT-Forum Mitteldeutschland, where 13 presentation forums were set up as silent conferences in the Glass Hall at Leipziger Messe. Located directly next to the exhibition area and main stage, participants were still able to focus fully on the different speakers.
E-posters and digital presentations: The future of poster exhibitions
Poster presentations are a key component of scientific conferences. They allow members of the academic and medical community – from early-career researchers to professors – to present their current research to a specialist audience. Traditionally, posters are displayed as large-format printed boards. “Organisers often find it difficult to move away from this established format,” says Eik Hofmann. Yet there are already attractive alternatives. Posters can be uploaded to digital touchscreens. E-posters offer a number of advantages: viewers can filter content or search directly for specific contributions, making poster exhibitions far more interactive. For those presenting, e-posters also open up additional possibilities for knowledge transfer – for example by integrating videos or an AI avatar that explains the content of the poster. Organisers require less space for touchscreens and can rethink their spatial layouts entirely.
Lighting design as a key success factor for events
And what about lighting? While lighting design plays a central role in product presentations, it is often neglected at conferences. “And yet, very simple measures can have a big impact. The stage backdrop can glow in the conference colours. Different coloured lighting helps guide visitors. Carefully managed lighting contrasts, for example at the start of a presentation, create cinema-like effects and capture the audience’s attention.”
Even with minimal effort, a lighting concept enhances the overall impression of a conference. A sterile room gains atmosphere, and distinctive architecture is shown to best effect through well-designed lighting. Eik Hofmann sees significant untapped potential here: “At conferences, the conscious use of light is often forgotten, even though it is the first thing visitors perceive.”
Digital solutions for sustainable conferences
Although sustainability is not usually the primary focus of these technical considerations, digital innovations nevertheless almost automatically make conferences more environmentally friendly. By reducing the number of printed materials – such as posters, programmes and signage – resources are conserved and the associated logistics simplified. In addition to technical equipment, elements such as stage backdrops and carpet tiles are reused as often as possible. “We do what we can within our scope,” says Eik Hofmann. Another reuse concept goes one step further: stage backdrops can be repurposed as bags or similar giveaways, becoming genuine one-off items and a thoughtful token of appreciation for guests and speakers.
Enhancing your conference with smart event technology
Technical considerations often only come into play once all other aspects of a conference have already been planned. visolite demonstrates just how much potential lies in involving event technology specialists at an early stage. Eik Hofmann’s team at visolite makes technical innovations accessible to event planners and transforms conferences into events that impress across the board.
As a member of the Leipzig Convention Network, visolite works alongside more than 50 partners to strengthen Leipzig as a conference destination. Thanks to this collaborative approach, organisers benefit from high technical standards and professional support from planning through to delivery. Contact visolite directly today and inspire your participants at your next conference with state-of-the-art event technology.
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