Despite the hopes that we all had near the beginning of the year, the Covid pandemic played out in ways far worse than many feared – obviously, it is not just video production companies in London that have had to adapt; almost every business in every industry has had to make adjustments somewhere.
What we are thinking about here though, is how these production companies can offer services (both in London and nationally – even internationally) to help your business keep doing what it does as ‘normally’ as possible.
What at first seemed like temporary three- or four-week measures has evolved into nine months (and counting).
Even with hopes of the announced vaccines, it is realistically several months yet before much of our “previous” lifestyles will return, including many working practices.
One of the main items from the corporate agenda that will take the longest to return “to normal” are conferences – somehow, large gatherings of hundred or even thousands of people clustered closely together just doesn’t seem that appealing – and will not for some time to come.
Adaptation, as with many other situations, is the key.
Can your conferences proceed as they did before, at least for the foreseeable future (2021 and possibly longer)? No.
Can we use technology to adapt and still run an amazing, yet covid-safe conference? Absolutely yes.
If you are looking for a safe alternative to the traditional conference for your company or industry, then there are several solutions available to you, which we will take a look at now. One or more may suit you well.
We are passed the point of waiting for things to ‘get better’ – if you haven’t already, it is time to decide how to best fit in to this ‘new normal’ for work.
So – how exactly can video production companies – in London and elsewhere – help you achieve this?
Safety first
Before saying anything else – it is important to note that Splento, along with many others, view safety as paramount – both for our clients and our colleagues.
For more information on out Covid-safe policy, you can read our overview here.
Live streaming an event
Live streaming was already popular pre-2020, but its growth has exploded in the past year and since then, has become widely accepted as a great alternative to being physically present at a conference or other event.
And production companies in London, indeed everywhere, are very good at producing live streaming events.
In the past year, live streaming has catered for business conferences, TV programs (such as the final of the popular BBC show Strictly Come Dancing) and even presidential debates and elections!
Live streaming an event brings the event to the audience (instead of the other way around). The key speakers may still be in one place for continuity and set up – but even this is not necessary.
Hosting a speaker for a conference requires little space – a simple background, camera and lighting is all that is required, plus the necessary tech to broadcast over the internet or even via traditional broadcasting methods. This means that you can have several speakers or other presenters in various locations, all presenting a conference together, even if physically apart.
Socially distanced camera and audio services are simple to arrange and adhere to safely at each location, and even the production and control centre can be remotely managed.
If you have a conference or event that was cancelled – understandably – in 2020, there is no need to miss out in 2021.
Planning and coordination takes time, especially for a larger event, so start now – but at least you can begin knowing that you can put on your event without fear of disruption.
Social media live streams
With a set-up very similar to the above, your conference or event can be streamed directly to viewers’ personal media devices – be that a tablet, PC or even their smartphone.
So many people have become accustomed to using their technology at their fingertips this year that for most, this is now normal.
You can even stream across social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, and any of these events can be open to the public or closed, private events which can be accessed by invitation only.
Security on the web has come a long way in recent days, so it is quite possible to broadcast a private meeting or conference with confidence.
Camera work and production is also the same as more traditional live stream broadcasts, being distanced and safe.
Studio broadcasts
Many studios offer greenscreen services which can literally “place you anywhere” when you present your conference.
Some production facilities, such as Splento, can even offer such capabilities remotely, bringing the studio to you.
On-demand conferences
Usually when we mention on-demand services at Splento, we are referring to our ability to be there wherever and whenever you need us – but not this time.
An on-demand conference can be filmed in advance and then made available for viewing at a later date and/or time.
This option can work really well if you are multinational and have presenters, or even attendees, spread across different time zones.
The presentations for the conference can be filmed separately, then edited together into one seamless conference video. This final video can then be made available (either publicly or private access only) to be viewed whenever the attendees log in to watch it.
Not only does this mean that your attendance numbers are generally higher, as the conference can be followed by people when they are free to do so, but it opens it up for repeat viewing of key moments if required.
Additionally, pre-recording means you can add graphics, visual presentations and even subtitles and take time to edit the whole video together into one.
Live streamed conferences can also be made available afterwards for on-demand viewing, which is perhaps the best of both worlds.
And yes – if you are live streaming, you can still have graphics, custom stream overlays, and even subtitles going out at the same time; production resources and audio technology will happily provide on-screen displays and live auto-subtitles if you want them.
Video production companies cannot perform miracles – but with the recent advancements in production technology, you can be forgiven for thinking that they can.
Many firms have missed out on important conferences in 2020 – if that was you, then don’t allow the same thing to happen in 2021.
Plan and create a business conference better even that the ‘usual’ ones – take advantage of the amazing technology that is now available to you.
Contact Splento today to find out how we can help make your 2021 conference something to remember.
