14 Feature
September, 2020
Bringing virtual to life
Event production company Showcase AVi has developed
a four-fold plan for delivering online and hybrid events
Showcase AVi’s events have been
pushing creative boundaries
for over 20 years, and now they are
doing the same with technology.
Our industry is facing new challenges
on a daily basis to create experiences
that match the buzz and
atmosphere of a live event, but that
also comply with current government
guidelines and regulations. Showcase
AVi’s tech and creative teams have
embraced these challenges and think
that they have found the solution
with the addition of a dedicated live
streaming department. This is not just
another streaming service, but four
offerings enabled by today’s technology,
to give clients what they are
desperate for - a live event experience.
This collection offers the flexibility
of working in a live environment,
together with digital and remote
content. It can create experiences
that are completely online or hybrid.
Words
Stuart Wood
manager oversees everything, just
as they would in the good old days.
Online events
A dedicated ‘virtual online platform’
created by Showcase AVi themselves.
Think of it as way of them
hosting your event, which can be
attended by anyone from anywhere.
Swap the phrase ‘web-based portal’
for ‘event venue’ and you begin to
get the picture. The platform also
promotes the event during lead-up as
well as hosting it. It’s just like the real
thing: attendees can walk around and
connect with key sponsors and exhibitors.
Traditional event ‘stages’ are
replicated through multiple streams
of live and/or pre-recorded content.
Seen this already? Got bored?
Showcase AVi is only too aware of the
extra creativity a online event needs
to bring it to life, and this is where
their 20 years of experience comes in.
Hybrid events
Where physical and virtual audiences
get together. With current
regulations, you can now invite a
limited number of people to your
confex or perhaps awards ceremony
in a traditional venue environment.
Couple this with live streaming and
you’ve got yourself an event with
atmosphere and maximum audience
numbers. No wonder it is so popular.
Showcase AVi has collaborated
with St. Ermin’s Hotel in Westminster,
a historic, characterful central
London hotel, designing configurations
that comply with the new
regulations. They have installed a
permanent live stream studio there,
creating a dedicated home for their
hybrid event offering. This ensures
a safe, regulated event environment
is ready and waiting to go live.
Tom Walsh, director of sales at
St. Ermin’s explains: “Showcase Live
Streaming hybrid events is just what
Event streaming
Showcase AVi’s production service can
include live or pre-recorded content,
streamed into single or multiple broadcasts.
Content comes in the usual
forms such as presentations, imagery
and videos, as well as sponsor messaging
and adverts between sessions.
Although it is all created from
behind a screen, Showcase are event
professionals so a dedicated project