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
“I just want to say thank you again – having previously worked with ON in events for my previous employer, I knew you would all do a cracking job, and you did not disappoint.
I was really impressed with your creativity when it came to bringing to life the game-show element, how flexible you were with some last minute changes to the format of the event, and in general your friendliness and attitude throughout.
We have received a lot of really positive feedback about the event, and will be exploring how we can combine an in-person event with a virtual one for our next awards, so that we can engage as many colleagues as we did this time.
Thank you!”
Internal Communications Team Leader
“I have worked with On many times and I am always delighted with the quality, professionalism and creativity of the team.
Our 2018 conference was incredibly successful, and it’s largely down to the slick production and beautifully designed set, which really highlighted the message we wanted to get across to our audience. The team on the day were brilliant – they ensured we ran to time and had everything we needed to make the day as impactful as possible.”
Ali Pearce
Head of Communications
Domestic and General
“This experience was all about putting adidas’ customers into the mind of a professional footballer, to give them an understanding of what it takes to score a vital spot kick under pressure.
Not only did we deliver on the technical brief, but we scored big on the audio-visual side of things to deliver an event experience that was both exhilarating for those taking penalties, but also delivered a visually-stunning light and sound experience which those taking part in will remember for a long time”
Chris Vernon-Smith
Creative Director
On Event Production Co
“On’s experience shows through in the service they provide, making it easy for our team to focus on the rest of the event. This exhibition was our main event of the year; On 100% delivered across the board making show that we will never be forgotten.”
Rachel Wyatt
Managing Director
Olaplex
“Many thanks for all of your hard work on the Pepsi NFL job. Appreciate it was a quick turnaround, with many curve balls thrown at you… well, more oval shaped ones!
We were really happy with the final outcome, as was the client, so thank you.”
Olly Holcombe
Head of Production
ID Agency
“Once again an amazing job. I am certain that no other team of people could have made this project happen. The commitment, enthusiasm, attention to detail and team spirit make you a truly stand-out business…We’re looking forward to the next one”
Louiza Vicary
Head of Events
Global Connections
“Wow!”
“Every Time we want Wow!..we bring you guys in.”
Helen Hydes
External Comms
Toyota Manufacturing UK Ltd
“They truly owned the project, and took away the hassle. They were not fazed by our high standards, constant or last minute changes and were highly professional at all times, delivering an outstanding production!”
Serena Tutt
Marketing Manager
Selfridges & Co
“I still get goose bumps thinking about the event. We dared to dream… then made it a reality!. We really turned everyone On that night!”
Guy Eaton
Managing Director
On
“When we had to book the audio for our biggest ever show to date there was only one option for us. On Event Production Co, in our humble opinion, is the best in the business and the most reliable contractor we have ever worked with.”
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