54 Partner Content January 2021
Digital chaser
KDMedia , owners of The Scottish Home Awards , Scottish Legal Awards , Scottish Gin Awards , Scottish Beer Awards , Scottish Whisky Awards , share their story of pivoting online
KDMedia is one of the biggest independent event companies in Scotland . With a portfolio of national business award programmes , conferences and trade shows , it delivers around 40 live events for 4,000 people every year across multiple business sectors .
As Covid-19 swept across the UK in the spring of 2020 , KDMedia had to postpone their five forthcoming annual
ABOUT THE EVENT
TYPE OF EVENT : DIGITAL AWARD CEREMONIES HYBRID OR FULLY ONLINE : FULLY ONLINE DATE : OCTOBER 2020 CLIENT : KDMEDIA AUDIENCE : VARIOUS ; HOUSEBUILDING INDUSTRY ; LAWYERS , DISTILLERS , AND BREWERS ACTUAL ATTENDEES : 200 PER EVENT PLATFORM USED : THE AWARDS ROOM , POWERED BY EVESSIO award ceremonies until the latter part of the year , but as the pandemic continued into the autumn , the company was forced to look to alternative options to deliver the ceremonies .
KDMedia operates six awards programmes in the busy Scottish industries of property , law , whisky , gin , and beer . The purpose of the awards programmes is to highlight the quality and diversity of Scottish products to an international audience , raising the profile of the Scottish industries , creating desirability and prestige around the brands . The awards are highly sought after and attended by a loyal following of industry professionals .
As an owner-managed business , there was the freedom for KDMedia to choose a bold alternative to hosting the awards ceremonies live . Most of the digital alternatives on offer involved a pre-recorded package , which KDMedia believed would be a major obstacle for audiences with little appetite for another zoom call at the end of their day . However , they then
“ MOST OF THE DIGITAL ALTERNATIVES ON OFFER INVOLVED A PRE-RECORDED PACKAGE , WHICH WOULD BE A MAJOR OBSTACLE FOR AUDIENCES WITH LITTLE APPETITE FOR ANOTHER ZOOM CALL .”
heard a rumour about a new software product , the Awards Room by Evessio , in development .
After initial conversations and a