The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is a UK charity committed to giving young people the best possible head start in life through maritime adventure, training, and community engagement. With thousands of volunteers supporting their mission across the country, effective communication, training, and recognition are essential to keeping this national organisation connected and thriving.
Each year, MSSC hosts regional volunteer conferences, offering updates from leadership, hands-on workshops, and spaces for volunteers to ask questions, share feedback, and build a stronger national network. But in 2021, these events could not go ahead in person due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rather than postpone or cancel the events, MSSC made the strategic decision to go virtual – turning a potential disruption into an opportunity. To make this transition successful, they partnered with Stream7 to deliver a series of fully managed virtual events across nine regions.
This case study details how Stream7 helped MSSC maintain momentum, deliver meaningful online conferences, and ensure their volunteers remained informed, inspired, and included.
The scale of the project required careful planning. MSSC aimed to replicate the quality, structure, and interactivity of their in-person conferences in a digital format, without compromising on the personal connections that make the events so valuable.
Key goals included:
Delivering nine separate online conferences – one per region – across a dedicated series of virtual event days
Running live main-stage presentations alongside smaller breakout workshops
Ensuring remote presenters had professional-quality audio and video, and were confident using the technology
Providing a platform that was simple and accessible for all participants, regardless of prior experience with virtual platforms
Capturing all sessions for later access, enabling flexible, on-demand viewing for volunteers unable to attend live
Ensuring technical reliability, audience engagement, and a supportive environment throughout
For MSSC, this wasn’t simply about replacing in-person meetings – it was about creating a futureproof model for delivering information and building community through online event management.
To meet MSSC’s brief, Stream7 provided a full-service package, managing everything from platform selection and technical delivery to live streaming, presenter support, and delegate communications.
After reviewing MSSC’s functional and branding needs, Stream7 recommended Canapii – a robust virtual events platform with built-in agenda tools, session tracking, and audience engagement features.
The platform allowed attendees to navigate seamlessly between live sessions, ask questions, join breakout rooms, and access support. It was branded with MSSC’s identity and adapted to reflect each region’s individual conference.
The project spanned several months and involved meticulous planning, from schedule development and content prep to speaker onboarding and technical testing. The nine virtual events were delivered over nine consecutive Saturdays, creating a consistent rhythm for delivery while allowing each region to have its own unique focus and voice.
Stream7 managed over 75 live sessions during the project. Each day of the series included:
A live main-stage welcome and keynote presentation from national leaders
Region-specific briefings from area officers and training teams
Multiple breakout workshops covering safeguarding, youth development, programme delivery, and leadership
Opportunities for delegates to ask questions in real-time, either via chat or video
Stream7 handled the full online event management of each day, coordinating camera feeds, facilitating transitions between sessions, and ensuring audio-visual consistency.
Breakout rooms were managed by our production crew using moderator tools built into Canapii, allowing for collaborative workshops and small-group discussion that felt personal and productive.
Many of the presenters were experienced trainers or officers, but not all were confident using a virtual platform or speaking to camera. Recognising this, Stream7 provided full technical onboarding for every speaker.
We scheduled and ran technical rehearsals with all contributors, helping them:
Test their internet connection, camera, and microphone
Position their background and lighting for best on-screen presentation
Learn how to present slides and answer live questions using Canapii
Understand the support available to them during the live event
For the volunteers attending, Stream7’s support extended to creating clear joining instructions, an email-based helpdesk, and an on-the-day chat support team, ensuring no one was left behind.
Recognising that not every volunteer could attend live, MSSC was keen to ensure all content remained accessible. Stream7 recorded all sessions and workshops, producing a library of high-quality video content hosted in a secure portal.
This allowed volunteers to:
Rewatch sessions in their own time
Catch up on workshops they missed
Share insights with peers in their units
The recorded content also served as a valuable internal resource for MSSC, helping standardise training materials and create an archive of best practices.
The series of nine virtual events was an overwhelming success. Across the series:
Over 800 volunteers attended live
Dozens of speakers, trainers, and senior leaders took part
Every session ran smoothly, with consistently positive feedback from attendees
The on-demand video content extended the value of the event weeks beyond the live dates
Volunteers reported high levels of satisfaction and increased confidence in digital engagement
For many within MSSC, the events were their first experience of structured online conferences – and the feedback was universally positive. People appreciated the chance to connect, learn, and ask questions, even from home.
Perhaps most importantly, the event series demonstrated that a distributed organisation like MSSC could remain united, even at a distance, through the power of well-managed virtual events.
The 2021 MSSC Sea Cadets Volunteer Conferences stand as a shining example of how virtual formats can enhance access, strengthen communication, and bring national organisations together in new and inclusive ways.
With careful planning, the right technology, and professional online event management, Stream7 delivered a conference series that was every bit as effective as its in-person predecessor – and, in many ways, more accessible and impactful.
As hybrid and virtual events continue to evolve, Stream7 remains a trusted partner for charities, membership bodies, and public-sector clients looking to deliver high-quality, inclusive online experiences.
Stream7 supports clients across the UK and beyond with:
Full technical production and support
Live streaming and broadcast-quality presentation
Session recording, editing, and post-event delivery
Delegate and speaker onboarding
Whether you’re hosting a one-day virtual event or a multi-region online conference, we can help you make it exceptional. Contact Stream7 to talk about your next project.
Stream7 have been very professional with organising all our 9 events and breakout sessions. The producers managed to guide and bring online even the technophobes. The team was very helpful and always trying to find solutions and accommodate our events’ needs. I highly recommend them.
