Protecting your brand at virtual events

For years, the events industry has delivered exceptional standards of production for conferences around the world. For a live conference you would not accept a mic cutting in and out, so why accept it on a virtual one?!

We have all become far too accustomed to seeing pixelated live streams, and presenters in their bedroom with the occasional interruption from the dog barking at the postman. But just because right now its deemed acceptable to get away with slack presentation standards, doesn’t mean you should. Particularly, when your brands reputation is at stake.

100% of responses to our recent poll answered ‘YES’ when asked “Does bad production quality of a virtual event reduce your engagement?” So quality production is essential to a successful virtual event.
Whether you are delivering a formal presentation to your employees, shooting a consumer video, or sharing company updates with your shareholders, the virtual experience should still showcase your brand and align with its standards of quality.

Here are some ways you can make sure your brand is protected when delivering virtual events.

Use a studio set up

For a live event you would put together a fully branded stage production. Why approach a virtual event any differently? TV studio style production is understandably the approach many brands are taking right now, as it allows for the most professional set up.

Using multiple camera angles makes the viewers experience more dynamic as their view regularly changes, giving them something new to look at which helps keep engaging high. Also, having a branded studio with your speakers in one place minimises distractions, and gives you more control over what your audience is seeing.

You obviously need to consider the safety factors if bringing speakers to one location, so this option depends on individual circumstances as to whether it’s suitable.

Presenting at home

You may have a very limited budget, or you have speakers from all around the globe meaning it is not practical for a studio style set up. No matter, there are still multiple things you can do to ensure your presentations are aligned with your brand.

Play director. Just as a film director would, look through the camera of your speaker setting and check what you can see. Adjust the camera angle, and make sure the background is tidy and free from distractions. Ideally speakers should be in a quiet and private environment to minimise the risk of interruptions.

Depending on your content and the brand, it may or may not be appropriate for speakers to subtly showcase some personality in their background, for example through particular books on the shelf, or with their favourite piece of art on the wall. Review this with each of your speakers and agree the background setting for their presentation.

Or for an even more professional production at home, you can of course ship some recording equipment & branded kit to each presenter in advance, so they have their very own mini studio. This protects the quality of the content captured but keeps the personality behind the speakers. This is a popular approach many brands are taking as it ensures the brand is positioned with quality production but keeps the personality behind the speakers.

Brief your speakers

Presenting virtually is a whole different experience compared to standing up in front of a room of people and speaking live to a real audience. Most of the time, with virtual presentations, speakers cannot see their audience, so they have no reactions to bounce off. This sometimes results in monotone presentations that lack energy and come across no different to a pre-recorded message.

This can be tackled by efficient speaker training from both a technical, and delivery perspective. Making sure your speakers know how the software works, when they will be cued up, and tips on how to bring in some flair will all help the presentations to land successfully, and of course the content be the focus.

Bring in support

Just as you would for a live event, your onstage speaker cannot be the only person there to help deliver the experience. The speaker needs to focus on their content and engaging the audience, not making sure the live stream is working, or regulating questions. Tech support, as well as a speaker host are both vital, as the tolerance for time lags in virtual events is so small.

 

Remember, your virtual event is the face of your brand today, so it’s even more important to deliver a professional production. At Strata we have delivered hundreds of digitally enabled projects with broadcast quality production and world class technical expertise. So, if you need help to deliver your next virtual event to professional standards then get in touch.

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