The Brief
Lead Dev is a live event designed for software development teams across the globe to come together and share good leadership practices, discuss problems & solutions and learn new skills.
Each year the event takes place in multiple locations, including Austin, Berlin, San Francisco, New York and London.
The event was due to take place in New York in April 2020 but with the outbreak of Coronavirus and a global travel ban in place, it was decided to switch it to an online event with participants able to join, free of charge, from their homes.
We were tasked with using our live event experience to bring an online event to life and create an engaging experience to a large audience across the world. The event was supported by around 40 speakers from around the world who joined in presentations, panel sessions and Q&A discussions with the vast audience.
The challenges we faced
Events are all about engaging and inspiring an audience. We have spent many years perfecting this art and in a live environment, we take full control of all aspects of the production to ensure the audience get the right experience and a memorable event is delivered.
The greatest challenge with moving an event online is the lack of control over the audience, the environment they are in and the technology they are using. Our greatest challenge was how to remotely inspire an audience!
With all the speakers locked down to their home locations, another challenge was managing their individual live feeds without onsite professional support and control over their hardware. The quality of each feed was determined by their internet connection, video camera/web cam, lighting, microphone and general acoustics. Without careful planning, each of these parameters could lead to a poor quality of output that would mean viewers would switch off.
Another very unique challenge we faced while in lockdown due to Covid-19 was that we couldn’t bring our team together to produce and manage the event from a single location. Instead we needed to set up communication channels and remote preview streams so our team could all operate together as one, but from their own locations. Thankfully we have technology available at our finger tips so could construct systems to deal with this challenge.
What we did
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Step Four
We created pre-set looks to the stream that we could switch to with ease. These included:
- 3 Remote Hosts
- 1 Remote Host + Google Slides
- 1 Remote Speaker + Google Slides
- 4 Remote Panellists
Step Five
We built redundancy into every system where possible and we were ready for a multitude of different technical challenges throughout the event and had content we could switch away to if we lost any feeds.
Step Six
The event went live with just 2 operators required. Dan took the role as Director and was based in an office with super fast internet. Adam was our Producer and was based from home. We used some clever tech that allowed Adam to remote control hardware in the office over the internet.
What our customers say about us
“This was an interesting project to work on in the grounds of a stunning, historic stately home. The trick with this installation was finding a creative way of using simple technology to create a totally believable, immersive world which took visitors on a magical and enchanting journey.
It’s amazing to think how applying a bit of creative thought to lights, props and sound can result in something truly memorable and captivating and we look forward to seeing this initiative go from strength to strength next year.”
Anabelle Parslow
Fabrication project manager
On
“Well, what can I say….this week was probably one of the best weeks I’ve had at Aldermore and this was down to having a fantastic team working on Aldermore Day.
You were all amazing, patient, calm, and on it! You are an incredible team to work with, and we wouldn’t have been able to deliver this event without you all – from logistics, creative ideas, production, animations/videos, and presentations – everything was done to such a high standard. The feedback from colleagues has been immense, and they were wowed by how professional and slick the whole day was.
Jake and Chris, you have been brilliant over the past few months to get this off the ground at such pace and dealing with a lot of last-minute changes, I really appreciate everything.
Jane and Octavia, you were so good at keeping me and the team on track with things and keeping me sane while pestering you with lots of questions. You dealt with everything at the NEC amazingly well, and I didn’t have any worries or concerns on the day, which I’m grateful for.
Aldermore Bank
“This was a challenging project to undertake, simply because of the scale of the installation in such a tight timeframe in order to make this event a success.
However, with our full-service offering, we were able to oversee the whole project in pre-production and manage the teams onsite to ensure that the all elements were executed seamlessly, and hit the excellent creative brief we were given by Muster.
We have the systems in place and use solid processes to provide our agency clients with peace of mind that everything is thoroughly tested prior to their event, to keep any issues on the day to a minimum. Our client commented that they felt in safe hands with a team that clearly work very well together and they couldn’t be happier with the end result.”
Jake Moore
Production Manager
On
“We recently worked with ON to intensively pull together a virtual pivot on an international conference. As always, Adam went above and beyond to help us find the best solution platform. He supported our speakers hugely, taking extra time and care to make sure they got the best and most comfortable experience before and during the event. It was a scary prospect for us with it being our first digital event, as a trusted partner we knew exactly what we would get from ON and Adam really helped us relax knowing the production was in safe hands. It was a fantastic success.”
Megan Kingdom-Davies, Head of Operations, White October Events
A huge thank you Adam. We couldn’t have done it without you, you’re amazing. Such a voice of calm for the speakers and panellists. And such a technical wizard.”
Ruth Yarnit
Chief Executive
White October Events
“Chris and the team were a delight to deal with in organising our event. We had a small lead time for this important and pivotal event for our business, so good organisation was key. They are very responsive, very organised and not afraid to suggest different ways to do things. They made my job so much easier and I’ll definitely look forward to working with the team again in future.”
Client Feedback
Financial Services
“We’ve been working with our good friends at mcm creative for a couple of years now. They did a phenomenal job of creating the concept, visuals and messaging for this event and they needed a partner who could deliver it for them. Working to such a tight, well-defined creative brief made this project a pleasure to work on, and the end result was fantastic.
We managed to create an extremely high-end finish to the set and staging, while the content was delivered seamlessly, to give the whole event a kind of polished, TV studio feel. It was a great event to be involved with and gave the delegates the opportunity to relive the past and look forward to the future with Craneware.”
Guy Eaton
Managing Director
On
“The mirrored backdrop was breathtaking and On delivered a service that was a world away from what we have had in the past – THANK YOU!“
Jess Dubeck
Senior Producer
On/Off
“The Hangar 42 event stands as a testament to the power of creative event production in enhancing employee engagement and fostering a positive corporate environment. Through strategic planning, innovative design, and seamless execution, On Event Production Co. helped D&G elevate their annual manager conference to new heights, leaving a lasting impact on attendees and stakeholders alike.
Ali Pierce, Head of Communications at Domestic & General, praised the creativity, fluidity, and seamless execution of the production. She highlighted that the event received the highest-ever rating, leaving employees with a renewed sense of purpose and engagement.”
Ali Pierce
Head of Communications
Domestic & General
“I love working with Adam and his team. I’ve now worked with On for four conferences and each time they inspire huge confidence in me. I can relax knowing that they’re taking care of the AV production – not just providing what I’ve asked for but thinking through all the details and making extra suggestions. I recommend On Event Production Co without reservation “
Ruth Yarnit
White October Events
“This was a fantastic project to get involved in, simply because we love working with exciting brands and helping them, by collaborating with our agency partners, to bring their vision to life and make a real impact on their audiences.
We were able to deliver a great-looking solution to the client which created a real buzz in the heart of one of Europe’s most popular shopping destinations.
We manufactured all elements to be fit for purpose during the extended install period and to ensure that it looked as good on the day it came out as it did when we put it into the store. The choice of materials were carefully considered to ensure the whole installation real synergy with the brand’s sustainable and environmentally-friendly values.”
Chris Vernon-Smith
Creative Director,
On
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