With one of the largest property portfolios in the UK, NHS Property Services estates comprises of more than 3,000 properties with 7,000 tenants across England. At a total value of more than £3bn, it represents about 10% of the total NHS estate with properties ranging from listed buildings through to state-of-the-art integrated health campuses.
It employs over 5,000 people up and down the country and this year more than ever, given the challenging circumstances of the pandemic, wanted to recognise some of the local heroes that had gone above and beyond over the last year.
Following the success of a previous virtual leadership summit, we were asked to help them professionally produce their annual People’s Choice Awards to celebrate and recognise their wonderful employees. Usually, their awards ceremony is a live in-person event, however, this year, we had to turn it into a fully virtual broadcast. Our client wanted an event which would bring everyone together, virtually, to celebrate their unsung heroes in an engaging and exciting way… we were keen to help make this a stand-out experience to give thanks for the heroic efforts of the entire NHS in the last year.
Using virtual audience technology, all nominees were seen on screen when the awards were introduced using a clever combination of Zoom integrated into our video mixing software. We were then able to bring the individual winner for each award into shot to show their reaction and for them to hear the various comments read out from their colleagues. Other audience members were also able to get involved by sending in messages of support which appeared as a “ticker” scrolling across the bottom of the screen during the show for friends and colleagues to see. By the sheer number of text messages received, it was clear everyone was engaged and interacting during the event, resulting in a successful and entertaining celebration.
We held several rehearsals before the virtual event, making sure that all the speakers were prepped and ready to go. We also sent out technical equipment including microphone its, earpieces, connection cables and laptop stands to presenters to make sure that they looked and sounded extra professional for the day! Before going live, we always check, check and check again. So just before the show, we made sure that we carried out all final technical checks and ensured the presenters were comfortable with the systems and equipment. We also ensured we had back-up plans for each component part, just in case there were any issues along the way. Thankfully everything ran seamlessly as planned.
“Since the restrictions of the pandemic have been in place over the last 16 months, it has been a real challenge for businesses to fully engage their audiences virtually, particularly for awards events. NHSPS trusted us once again in the delivery of this high profile event to recognise individual contribution.
The feedback received from the audience was absolutely outstanding with everyone feeling involved and proud to work within a team providing vital services to the NHS during the pandemic. It was a real honour to help make this event super special and to further cement our relationship with a forward thinking client.”
Guy Eaton – Director and Founder at On
