In a world of endless online video calls and webinars, how do you make your event stand out and ensure your messages land?
Video “conferencing” is now the new norm with several calls being scheduled a day. There are some great tools out there such as Zoom or Teams that make this an absolute breeze for businesses to communicate and small meetings can take place with a click of a button.
This is great for “convenience comms” but how do you elevate the experience to a new level when broadcasting out to a larger audience with the objective to deliver some key strategic messages? We’ve been supporting clients with professional live event delivery for decades and we’ve looked to use the wealth of experience within our business to develop OnLine.
So what is OnLine?
OnLine is a professional online meeting and event support package, designed to make your content stand out in a live online forum. Put simply, we take away the worry of all things technical and make you and your content look and sound great when it really matters.
We draw on our extensive experience and understanding of a live audience to produce and manage online events, ensuring maximum engagement through a polished and professional delivery.
This isn’t easy! We understand that presenting to a distant audience can be quite a daunting task. That’s why we’ve built a simple to use presenter interface that puts everything they need on one screen. We take care of managing and playing all content so your presenters can focus on what they need to do… present!
The end result is a well drilled and executed piece of business comms that isn’t distracted by technical problems.
How does it work?
As with all live events, the pre-production phase is the absolute key to successful delivery. Our team of experienced event Production Managers provide assistance and guidance at every step of the way. We run tests and coach all presenters in advance of the event to ensure everything is set up correctly. We can even supply hardware if required.
Holding an event online does occasionally bring a few technical challenges. With presenters needing to join the meeting via the internet, we are reliant on their internet connection which sometimes isn’t as fast or reliable as we’d hope. We put robust contingency plans in place and through our clever systems we can keep monitor of all incoming presenter connections. Should we experience a technical glitch, we’ll have your back to ensure the show goes on with minimal disruption.
What happens on the event day?
You can have the confidence in knowing that we have a team behind the scenes to support the event at every step of the way. All events are professionally produced and we aim to replicate a live event experience. Multiple presenters, panel sessions, Q&A, presentations, videos… the list goes on!
Our Producer will work with you in advance to ensure your content is presented in the most engaging way possible. This definitely does not mean 2 hours of PowerPoint with a few questions at the end. An online audience has many potential distractions so its critically important to provide them with a broadcast they want to watch.
We fully stage manage your event using many of the tools you will have experienced at a live event…but online! We have a virtual green room to greet new presenters and run final technical checks, our bespoke presenter screen provides everything they need to see in a simple to use and uncluttered interface (more on that later), a countdown timer to keep everything to time and the all important clicker to advance slides. The big advantage of this clicker is that it’s fixed to the screen so you can’t walk off with it in your pocket…instead we virtually throw it at the next presenter to take over when you leave the “stage”.
What does the end result look like?
We can customise the broadcast stream ensuring your audience gets a fully personalised brand experience. This includes full screen graphics, presenter and slides, panel sessions for Q&A…You sketch it and we’ll make it happen!
Watch OnLine Demo Presentation (7 Mins 30s)
To give a true “live” experience, you will want to interact with your live audience. We can integrate a range of different audience interaction tools into OnLine with public and private chat functions, questions and polling. There are different options available depending on your audience size and needs and we’ll happily provide our expert advice on what tools will work best for your event.
What do my presenters see?
For us, this is one of the most important elements of how OnLine works. We’ve bespoke designed a system to make this really simple and provide everything they need on one very easy to read screen. As the virtual clicker is handed over to the next presenter, their notes appear on the screen. Why are these at the top you ask? Simple. The vast majority of webcams are built into the top of a laptop or tablet so putting the notes at the top means your presenter can keep eyes on the camera.
We look after all the content and flow so presenters don’t need to worry about sharing their screen and the potential issues this brings. It also means we have full control of what the audience see and can design a view that integrates slides, camera and any other branding or live content as required. This level of flexibility is what sets OnLine above and beyond DIY video platforms.
Where do my audience go for the event?
OnLine is not here to replace some excellent online forums for watching and engaging with a live event…it simply enhances them! This means we can stream into just about any platform on the market and can work with you to establish the best solution that meets your event needs. If you have just a handful in the audience and want full two way audio and video with everyone, a video meeting platform could be the best choice, whereas if you’re looking to go LARGE with hundreds or thousands of viewers, you’ll definitely want more of a streaming platform such as Vimeo or YouTube.
We completely understand that not all events are to be viewed by the public and security is sometimes one of the most important elements of an online event. You may have already invested in an enterprise system that gives you this peace of mind for video communication. We’ve used OnLine with Teams, Zoom, Blue Jeans and many more robust communication channels that your audience will be familiar with and most importantly, your IT team will be happy with for security.
How do I put my event OnLine?
As we tailor our services to the individual needs of our customers, the best place to start is with a call to chat through your event objectives and we’ll take it from there. Whether you are planning a one-off event or looking for regular support with your communications, we’re here to help.