Digital Roadshow

Solving the logistical problem of engaging thousands of employees across the UK in a staff roadshow event was the challenge set to On recently by one of our clients, a global financial services provider; solved via a digital roadshow.

We were tasked with delivering production management and technical support for a series of roadshows for the client, which culminated in a multi-venue live broadcast event inspired by television spectaculars like Children in Need and the Eurovision Song Contest.

The event did two shows in Manchester, two shows in Birmingham and three live shows in London, before a live broadcast, over Skype, which linked London’s ExCel with venues in Brighton, Glasgow and Cardiff.

The final event saw the audiences in Brighton, Glasgow and Cardiff linked with a TV studio that we created at ExCeL in London for an interactive business news-style programme aimed at bringing them up to speed with the company’s success over the past 12 months and its strategy for the year ahead.

Whilst technical production for conferences and exhibitions is bread and butter work for the team here at On, creating a multi-venue interactive digital roadshow presented a number of logistical challenges.

Because ExCel is used for events all year round, we were unable to broadcast the event via satellite because another huge event being dismantled at the same time meant we were not able to get the satellite truck sited in the right place.

Instead, we had to arrange for dedicated high-speed broadband lines to be installed so we could carry out the broadcast via Skype, which involved using dedicated professional hardware.

Adam Dewhurst, our Production Director, said: “This was a fantastic event to be involved with, but logistically it was challenging. Because the venue had a large event on the day before we arrived, we were unable to bring in our satellite truck and park it in the correct location. This meant we had to come up with another solution.

“But, problem solving is what we do, so we were able to find a really effective workaround which enabled us to link the four venues – and their audiences – together, news-style, to deliver the programme. Overall, the roadshows were delivered to more than 4,000 people nationwide at live events.”