The latter is a pathogen eradication tool that has been used in venues and tours to help combat the transmission of Covid-19 . While the production services are provided by Entec arm Chameleon , streaming is offered via its specialist division , AmplifiLive .
Such diversification was spurred by the onset of the pandemic , says Entec Live chairman Nick Pendleton : “ Our mission was to ride through the pandemic and help our clients , rather than being victims .”
Having enjoyed success working on a live streaming project with long-term client Gorillaz , AmplifiLive was launched to provide a consulting service for digital event production .
“ Looking back , it ’ s difficult to see why , before Covid , the industry prevented people seeing a high production show live just because they lived too far away , or were otherwise unable to attend . Streaming should be built into event productions ,” says Pendleton .
AmplifiLive offers an array of service and can handle an entire live stream production or will handle elements as required .
Pendleton says his company was involved in Glastonbury Festival ’ s award-winning livestreamed event , Live at Worthy Farm , last year . It was set up by ticketed livestream concert promoter Driift .
“ We were just doing production in the Stone Circle and , of course , the platform they used for that , which we had not advised on , collapsed ,” he says . “ All platforms have different resilience issues , it is quite a minefield , but we were happy to help because we think it ’ s part of the future .
“ Currently , in the absence of proper event cancellation insurance , it ’ s a way of hedging your risk for any tour or event – you can switch it quite quickly to an event without a real-world audience , but the fans can still consume it remotely .”
Entec Live was far from alone in looking for new opportunities during the lockdown periods in order to diversify the offering and generate much needed revenue .
Thomas says that , for Qdos Event Hire , that meant rebuilding from the ground up : “ We were fortunate to find some opportunities in the Covid response effort , supporting the NHS Dragon Heart ’ s and Nightingale hospitals . Then , when film and TV work returned , we picked up several new clients as some of their more traditional suppliers were tied up with responding to Covid , and our reputation has gone from strength to strength .”
Among its recent work on film and TV projects include the supply of kit to the last two series of I ’ m a Celebrity filmed in Wales , creating a bespoke office space and welfare facilities for Lucasfilm ’ s latest production at Pinewood and an ongoing contract at Bovingdon Studios for ITV that includes the filming of the Masked Singer and Dancing on Ice .
The company also found and purchased a six-acre site in Reading which , Thomas says , gives the company space to grow for many years to come . The pandemic also saw the company expand its reach in Scotland .
Says Thomas : “ We ’ d always had aspirations to extend our reach nationally ,
Peppermint Events at All Points East
so when a key supplier withdrew from the event market at the outset of the pandemic , we took the opportunity to open a depot based just outside of Glasgow and appoint Jonathan Reid as regional manager . We not only benefitted from adding Jonathan ’ s experience to the team but it also allowed us to begin long-term partnerships with The R & A and DF Concerts .”
For Entertee ’ s Reece Tee the pandemic provided valuable time to take a step back and asses the company and its future progression .
He says : “ For the first time I could take a deep breath and look at what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong as a business . Ultimately , we have a limited amount of kit and we need to make sure it is making as much revenue as possible in the short time it is working . We need to get the pricing right and manage the costs .
“ In previous years , winning a contract has had priority over these very basic disciplines , and as a company we are not willing to do that any more . We are definitely focusing on what we do best in 2022 , with a great team of hard-working , loyal people .”
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