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COVID-1 9 has already converted the face of everything concerning social events and rendezvous. While many companies resort to software like Zoom to have virtual forums or powwows, how can one take an entire social group of thousands of people virtual, and how do you control such an contest? It is very clear that the need for a better-skilled event organiser is required, but what does that character look like.
We had a conversation with Mr Vishunu Arumugam, Digital Event Manager( DEM)- GEVME, about managing the virtual live event for a large organisation. He talks about his experience as a Digital Event Manager( DEM) and what were the essential skills and areas of expertise that he utilised to organize a successful digital event.
Vishunu domiciles a series of questions concerning the planning, organising and mapping of the fully digital live occurrence managed by him and his squad. He strokes upon topics like how the team learnt to manage the finer details, treat virtual glitches, the physical and technical requirements, the work and the skills that go behind into offsetting the happening a success, and his capacity in all of it as a Digital Event Manager( DEM ).
The event was conducted by an entity that acts as an intermediary between the suppliers and the buyers. This event was spread across a period of eight days and was for around eight hours daily. It was the first time that this company conducted a virtual incident as it could not hold a live physical episode because of the pandemic. The phenomenon streamed live through the company, where they had more than a million viewers for the contest on the first day itself.
There were approximately about 40 loudspeakers at the contest who belonged to different parts of the world and were from countries like Germany, China, Japan, the US, and Mexico.
It was the first time that this company had organized a virtual live occurrence, because of which they had a lot of questions with regards to using the live-stream platform and how to go about with it, for which Vishunu and his squad had to attend to all their questions and instruct them on how things worked.
Pre-event planning:
The event spread out for eight days, and each day, it had its pre-rehearsal day. The pre-event preparation included gleaning all the content that had to be streamed live on the primary daytime of the event; the team had to go through each of the content with their clients, consolidate everything and make sure that everything epoch well. The timing of videos submitted had to match, the failings of which would interfere with the flow of the event.
The team had to go through with the run down and apprise on which loudspeaker would speak when. In addition to being able to that, which orator would penetrate the chat room, and at what time had to be curated. All of this required a lot of devising, going through the client’s content to understand and avoid any unnecessary perils that were bound to happen on the event’s primary daytime. The speakers of the incident had to go through technological recitals and the various specialized technical exercise process. They had to be instructed to watch out for questions, the do’s and don’ts at the occurrence, when to speak, and are permitted to screen share.
The onsite production team setting up for the upcoming event
The difference between physical and digital occasions:
Unlike physical phenomena, where the crew has to meet every speaker to convey any info, digitally finagling an event doesn’t require the person’s physical vicinity and can only be done from one target itself over a verse or scold. As a Digital Event Manager, Vishunu had to go throughout and make sure that everyone acted as per what was planned for the primary era of the happening.
In the case of a digital affair, the speaker is just sitting behind a screen because they don’t feel the same kind of stress they are able to face while speaking to a million people in an public at a live happening. The nervousness or anxiousness that a person goes through while speaking in a area filled with a live gathering versus talking to the same audience sitting behind a screen is much less.
Revamped skill set:
Mr Vishunu spoke about how his crew learned about the system’s working and what steps the team took to understand virtual stream. The unit firstly had to know how live-streaming slogs; they had to learn about how the differences between stream software that is already available in the market job. After received information that, they had to master it and consult its end users about it.
They also had to learn how CMS scaffolds wreak and ruler it. To open the China market, they had to bypass the China firewall, for which they had to understand Tencent Cloud to been through that firewall. Anything that was streaming would re-stream through Tencent Cloud and then enter the China market.
The entire Tencent Cloud website is in Mandarin, because of which the team had to translate and understand what the words meant and could only then go about it. At the end of it, how skilled you are at managing the entire event on the bigger scale is what matters because a click of a button can turn everything upside down.
The team had to go through the entire process of learning and to understand it on their own.
Ascertain the required skills:
Vishunu and his team on their own learned how to run a virtual occurrence. Since this is a new concept and none was formerly finagled a live episode at such a large scale. They had to go through the entire process of learning and to understand it on their own. They been put forward with their interpretations, techniques, educate, and orator do’s and don’ts. During this process, the team went through multiple tests and mistakes and learned from it all. This process, in turn, has enabled them progress faster and understand how to function effectively.
The team managed to get the necessary information about live streaming from the internet; however, they didn’t outsource anything immediately from online and had to figure out most of it separately. This process helped them to come up with their documentation on how to run the show.
Challenges faced by the team:
One of the biggest predicaments that the company had to face during the preparation of this event was how to manage this large team and canal all the large pipeline of information coming towards them at one time, says Vishunu. They had to think for themselves and specify whom to be heard and know how to manage all the information coming in.
Even in case of a physical affair, having something to deal with even in the last minute is inevitable. It is so when it comes to handling an incident practically as well. Hence, the moderator needs to be accommodating of even the last-minute changes.
The talkers who attended the event were beings coming from different backgrounds and cultures, and so Vishunu had done a bit of his the investigations and learned at least a few mandarin words to know when the speaker would intent and when he had to change the place. The orators of the affair were superiors, merchants, and beings having a busy schedule, because of which they would send their assistants to attend the pre-event rehearsals. Nonetheless, at times due to the main person’s absence, the person can still make a few mistakes. Hence, just before the phenomenon began, there had to be a quick recap session for the potential benefits of the person who missed the rehearsal.
Set up had to show the live screen, as well as meet what the virtual observers see
Setup requirements:
The setup required one monitor to show precisely what was showing on the live screen, and look what the virtual observers read. There was a 30 seconds retard because the stream had to be re-streamed on Tencent Cloud before the sees accompanied it; hence the audio and the video character had to be kept in check.
There was a separate monitor to keep track of period and ensure the flow of the content exposed. There was another monitor system that was required only for the modification of stages. Besides this, there was a Skype set up where the instructions were communicated to the speakers; their positioning was checked, etc. They had to even re-train a new speaker and to coordinate and make any reforms if required.
Misconceptions of having a virtual happening setup:
One of the fallacies of having an online event is that one requires a laptop and can run the part support singlehandedly. Mr Vishunu states that it is necessary for the person to always be on the ball. Multitasking throughout the whole event is inevitable, and that however you work, will be reflected on the screen to the end-users.
Communicating virtually can bring its own name of challenges
Communicating directions practically:
Vishunu states that, during the entire event, it is crucial to have just one point of contact at all era. Instead of having numerous parties to check with, there must be only one person whom you contact with at all occasions for everything to go smoothly.
The team had a group chat made on WhatsApp to find each orator and communicate the necessary instructions.
Bringing the physicality of such products on a digital live river:
Regarding managing the impact of the product in digital form, the company’s marketing squad was innovative. It incorporated the highlights about what the company does and had a question and answer session about the product.
Since the virtual attendees would also have questions about the commodity, and it wouldn’t be possible to attend to all the inquiries together, the questions asked more frequently would be addressed first during the live-stream. Any other inquiries concerning the product were then answered in the end. Virtual attendees would be able to put forth their questions by typing it in the live conversation chest comment section.
Switching from handle physical contests to virtual contests:
Finally, Vishunu addresses what parties should be aware of and having in mind before making this switch of managing a physical affair to a virtual happen. The first thing that he speaks about is the ability of an individual to withstand pressure. Organizing an affair practically is a massive responsibility because even a modest mistake or pressing a wrong button can spawn everything go off beam. Hence, a person must manage all the information coming in and not be overwhelmed.
The second thing that Vishunu speaks about is managing people’s possibilities. Parties will have different opinions about how an item has to be done; however, taking a step back and analyzing what steps need to be taken is essential. One must think for themselves while overseeing such an event.
The third thing Vishunu speaks about is that it is crucial to have the necessary knowledge about how a live stream duties, understand and steer the dangers that can come along the way, and have multiple backup programs. One thing that is good about deporting a virtual happen is that the moderator or the occasion director doesn’t have to be present at all places physically, which spawns the toil even more cozy. The director or the moderator can sit in one place itself and run the entire substantiate. The last thing that Vishunu speaks about is to be ready to always be on the go. There will be happens when you have to accommodate last-minute deepens at any pint of duration during the event, and hence it is necessary to be vigilant at all times.
The last six months have caused a big modification throughout the world for individuals and customs. Many business resorted to allowing their staff to work from residence during this pandemic. For months now, the events that were even schemed were either re-scheduled or some even cancelled. While the future still imparts no guarantee of what everything will look like, companies must stay dynamic during these times.
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