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How We Did It
The planning process for the 2025 Food is Medicine Summit began months before the event itself. We have worked with FIMI for a few years to produce this event, so in planning, we reflected on what was successful and what we could build upon. Over the course of several weeks, we worked with the FIMI team to review priorities, exchange ideas, and identify where we could expand the scope of content beyond the core event production. We wanted to extend the life of the event beyond the day itself.
As a team, we came to the conclusion on the following three areas for content creation:
Video Content: This event convenes many of FIMI’s thought leaders in the same space, providing an opportunity to capture their insights through individual video remarks. We sat down with more than 10 speakers to film brief interviews throughout the day and turned these into four short videos, including one highlight reel. Throughout the event, we recorded b-roll to help fill out this video content.
Prior to the event, the FIMI team identified topics around which they wanted to create video content. The goal was to create four videos: a Summit highlight video, Stories of Food is Medicine, Economic Opportunities, and Research Opportunities. The vision was to create evergreen content that was not simply event specific, but content that could be used throughout the year to promote Food is Medicine. This informed who FIMI chose for these interviews and the questions we asked. FIMI reached out to a handful of Summit attendees before the event and asked them to participate. We created a production schedule to organize each interviewee to the video(s) that best fit their area of expertise and their event schedule.
Because we did not want to pull attendees away during the scheduled event programming, we conducted interviews before the event, during breaks, and throughout lunch. We co-developed a short list of questions with the FIMI team, thus, we were able to keep interviews to 10-minute blocks. This ensured that the interview process was not disruptive to the attendee’s event experience.
Another important variable we had to account for was noise. The event itself was held inside an auditorium. However, because we conducted interviews outside of the event programming time, all attendees were milling around and networking during the scheduled interviews. This meant there was a risk of excess background noise in interviews. Rather than switching up locations from interview to interview, we wanted to stay in one place throughout the day. This necessitated our finding a quiet, yet easy-to-find location. The FIMI team helped us identify a location in a hallway behind a glass door that was both big enough for the video booth equipment and easy for interviewees to find.
This waitlist-only event is always in high demand for attendance. It packs attendees into one auditorium and draws quite an audience. To increase access to the event content, it was important to the FIMI team to bring this event to online attendees as well.
Prior to the Summit, we worked with the Tufts Technology Services team to review live streaming needs, test embed codes, and discuss the support we would need on the day of the event. We also worked with a graphic designer who created the lower thirds, panel and keynote slides, holding graphics, and other visuals for both in-room and online audiences.
Because this event involves dozens of speakers and is held in one space, there is frequent changeover on stage. Our run of show is the guiding organization document that helps us know who is coming to the stage and when, for how long, when a pre-recorded video needs to be shown, and so on. We spent several weeks putting this together in close coordination with the FIMI team ahead of the event. That way, we would know exactly what the day would look and feel like. We worked with the FIMI team to have volunteers on standby to move chairs, give timecards of remaining speaker time, etc. The 5 Tool Program Manager stood in the wings to support with microphone readiness and slide assistance. This created a seamless event experience for both the audience in the room and virtually.
To finish the suite of content, our team documented the Summit through photography. Event photography is important to show the number and range of attendees in the room. For each event at which our team handles photography, we make sure to capture event-specific items like branding and signage. While we ensured that these photos covered elements specific to the 2025 Summit, we also captured candid moments as well. Documenting authentic emotions and interactions was key; moments of people reuniting, laughing, and networking together are timeless. Due to the evergreen nature of these photos, FIMI will be able to use these photos to promote future events.
For the 2025 Summit, our goal was not only to capture the programming, but to create a durable library of stories, insights, and perspectives that FIMI can continue to across its various platforms. Our ongoing collaboration with FIMI has allowed us to develop and shape how the show is produced each year and collaboratively develop products that support the Institute’s ongoing efforts.
From a production standpoint, we ensured that we were aligned on clear project objectives, planned out as many aspects of the live event that we could beforehand, and coordinated interview themes to ensure every asset served a long-term purpose. During the event, our team focused on being flexible and responsive while maintaining a structured coverage plan, enabling us to balance of-the-moment live-event demands with engaged and thoughtful interviews for evergreen video content.
After the event, we fine-tuned each piece of content with longevity in mind. This meant keeping the stories broad enough to stay relevant, focusing on bigger themes, and working to ensure content could be reused for future programs and initiatives. This project showed the value of strong collaboration, thoughtful planning, and a multi-pillar production approach designed to create lasting and relevant content that continues to inform, engage, and inspire well beyond the Summit.
