Digital Event News January 2021 | Page 58

58 Partner Content January 2021

Taking Financing Wind North America 2020 online

During 2020 nearly all events have pivoted from physical to virtual or hybrid delivery , due to the Covid-19 pandemic . A Word About Wind ( AWAW ) was referred to EPS to utilise its Oxfordshire Broadcast Barn facility to create a TV ‘ morning show experience for FWNA2020 .

With a virtual conference platform already in place , AWAW was in need of a technical supplier who could create an interactive television programme for its delegates and sponsors .
Working alongside AWAW ’ s producer Siobhan Barlow , EPS ’ Dan Parry created a TV set concept taking its influence from previous FW events but with the feel of a morning show . The event was to be streamed from 2pm UK time , to hit 9am on the America East Coast .
With over 650 delegate registrations – a huge increase on 2019 ’ s physical event – 22 sponsors and 51 industry experts joining the conversation , the emphasis was naturally on insightful content and high production values .
Despite having worked on many conferences in the past , including streaming them via various platforms , this was the first time EPS had worked on a purely online conference , and in a format far more similar to television than live events . However , the end result was a resounding success : two days of conference each comprising a fourhour live TV show with a complete mix of pieces to camera , punditry , pre-recorded VT segments , live panel discussions ingested via Zoom and including two-way communication with the host on set .
Robert Nisbet , managing director , EPS said : “ Despite tight lead times , and a wealth of new challenges to overcome , our technicians rose to the challenge and delivered an event with high production values and a great brand . As always , I ’ m hugely proud of what our team at EPS are capable of creating .”
Delegates spent an average of nearly three hours within the virtual conference platform , showing the value and depth of the content on offer . Further , on average each participant made an average of 10 interactions per visit within the platform , giving value to sponsors and delegates alike .
The lead-time from contract to live show was only around five-weeks , which had to include all the testing of the conference package provided by a third-party , and development of all the branding .
With AWAW ’ s in-house design team producing most of the on-screen assets such as lower thirds , idents and titles , EPS ’ team concentrated on the design of the set and the technical aspects of the stream . Fortunately , over the past few years , EPS has invested heavily in HD and 4K video equipment , meaning this
EVENT STATS
REGISTRATIONS : 650 ( 230 % INCREASE ON PREVIOUS YEAR )
SPEAKERS : 51
AVERAGE VIEWERS PER SESSION :
109
MATCHMAKING INTERACTIONS :
716
LIVE CONTENT : 9H OVER TWO DAYS
SPONSORS : 22
CHAT INTERACTIONS :
374
AVERAGE TIME ON PLATFORM :
2HRS 42M
change of direction was easily handled .
Prior to the show itself , EPS provided AWAW with an animated set design ; once this was approved EPS also created the backdrop graphic and built the set in our workshops . By having such a wide range of departments and skills in-house , EPS is able to provide a complete turnkey solution for all kinds of events , whether physical or virtual .