How are events changing and is it permanent?
How are events changing and is it permanent? Is a question we are getting asked all the time now. Followed up with, what are we doing to adapt?
We believe that the way we organise and run events has changed and may never be the same again. The events industry isn’t just going to press the reset button once this is all over and we need to prepare for a new normal. This won’t be the last global event to change how we do things; it’s going to happen again and more frequently. Governments around the world will be better prepared and so should we as event organisers. We need to be ready and implement the changes now to protect all our future events.
Our industry can’t just stop and stand still every time there is a global incident outside of our control, we simply wouldn’t stay in business. We all have to work smarter and find solutions that suit all our communication needs.
As a leading supplier of event solutions, we are always striving to be at the forefront of reliable technology and since the start of the pandemic back in December we have been working with our clients to protect their events. We work with large corporate clients, UK Government departments and indeed private clients. Many had to cancel their events but many also pivoted to online solutions.
Amplitude organise and provide technical solutions to 1000’s of events every year from small board meeting, conferences, roadshows and international summits. All these clients are now looking at what’s available and how they can adapt to keep communicating and delivering their messages to their clients and stakeholders alike.
We believe the solution to this is embedded in Hybrid and Virtual events. That’s why we have over the past year or so been working on a platform with our partners at Orcula to deliver these solutions. Solutions we can control and manage to deliver the outstanding event you should always have. Using the latest production technology with outstanding production values we can deliver your hybrid or virtual event.
There are lots of providers out there now offering “webcasts” but we need to think differently; the world has changed. Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, WebEx and more were all deployed to provide solutions for small group meetings online. We need to look at the larger and international meeting and conferences, how will they fair in this changed world.
Here at Amplitude working with our partners at Orcula we have built an in-house platform specifically for this type of event in many locations and where there is a need for strong delegate engagement and interaction.
Let’s be clear this isn’t just about sitting in front of your PC and streaming for everyone around the world to see. We’re talking about a total encompassing solution. From registration through to plenaries, breakouts, exhibitions, live interaction, Q&A, delegate networking, video meetings, and much more.
These Virtual Events need production values and they need to be first class, produced to TV standard. As an industry we already have very high levels of production value but now is the time to move beyond that, be even more creative. That’s why we have been working closely with our partners around the country to provide safe broadcasting facilities, a safe space where presenters could go to deliver the content if needed. We have also been discussing with our preferred venue partners how they could help facilitating such space. Look out for updates on this.
There are many areas to consider but the main one has to be the delegate experience, what the content looks like and how they interact to keep them engaged. No longer constrained by the physical location this engagement has many levels all of which can be turned on or off at the tick of a box. Let’s encourage the audience to get involved, ask questions, request face to face virtual meeting, and let them into chat rooms where like-minded individuals can meet and chat. Let them visit the exhibition, see the products, download brochures and arrange live video chats with your exhibitors. There are many real interaction options available.
Also, worth remembering these events can stay online for longer allowing delegates to re-watch streams, look at and download content, and continue to engage with each other if required.
Face to Face events will return and will continue, we are all humans and need the interaction that this brings. However, we can’t just sit back each time something happens. Now is the time to consider making your changes.
Chat with us now and see how we can help you pivot your event to the digital world and even creating a virtual master to sit alongside your live event as a back-up for the unexpected.
