Pioneering a technological future of hybrid events at IET Venues
Published: Tue 23 Jun 2020
The IET as an organisation has exerted a worldwide pioneering ability to revolutionise and inspire for almost 150 years and we at IET Venues, supported by an unparalleled tech team, continue to lead the way in redefining the nature of events through innovative AV, placing delegate integration at the forefront.
Both venues, IET London: Savoy Place and IET Birmingham: Austin Court were already well-versed in the streamlined delivery of technical AV long before lockdown. In recent weeks, the approach of the AV teams has been to refute the concept of online streaming as an interim makeshift solution for live events and endorse the elevated importance of interaction through the use of the very best technology to come up with a worthy solution.
From Savoy Place we can offer the unique services of IET.tv, the IET’s in-house video and webcasting team with their own independent broadcasting channel, offering both live and post-event uploads to the highest standards. Hybrid events require top quality AV and video production so that virtual participants are provided a similar experience to in-person participants. Knowing every inch of the venue like the back of their hand, the experienced team know every angle and hidden trick to ensure the lighting, sound and delivery of video is of unbeaten quality.
To ensure the success of hybrid events, our AV teams have been integrating popular online meeting platforms into our own AV systems, so online and live audiences can interact simultaneously with presenters and speakers, as well as with each other. Multi-layer video switchers and digital sound desks allow the management of audio and video coming from different sources and locations and can merge them together in a multilevel communication layout. Our packages also offer optional add-ons like Sli.do, which can be embedded into the streaming to encourage interactivity.
On the need for these new tailored hybrid packages, Stefano Raun-Byberg, AV Manager at Savoy Place said: “AV technology post lockdown will be the stepping-stone towards a more stable live events industry. Video streaming, webinars and online meeting platforms will be more and more integrated in our traditional venue-based events, and we needed to find bespoke solutions to include and engage people, rather than making them bare spectators. As such, it is not about ‘making do’ when we can’t host a full capacity live event, but about enhancing the experience for delegates from afar by making them feel more embedded than ever.
The structure of our hybrid events has been built around an online audience, for an all-encompassing online experience, rather than simply persevering with a reduced live event and making the footage available for others to watch. It is the team’s experience and unparalleled equipment at IET Venues that allow this approach to be executed professionally – something that cannot be replaced by the interim solution of home web-casting that we have all become accustomed to in recent months.”