Over the last couple of years, the virtual event space has experienced dramatic spikes in demand. Although a virtual event follows the same rules and aesthetics as a traditional event, you need to consider key differences in the technology required to execute it.
A virtual event is nothing less than a live broadcast delivered via the internet. The goal of the tech team is to ensure continuous, smooth, and high-quality streaming. Remember that people may attend virtual events from the comfort of their homes. The chances of them quitting on a glitchy feed are more likely than walking out of an in-person event.
The gear required to achieve this is quite different from the stage controllers and consoles used for in-person events. You require the expertise of a seasoned event production team to successfully execute a virtual event.
Apart from the production team, several other professionals are also involved in a virtual event setup. This includes the tech team, marketing team, design team, etc. If you want to run a virtual event, it is best to hire a virtual event management company like Advertas to handle these complex tasks and make your event a success.
In this post, we will look at what it takes to put together an effective virtual event management team, who plays what roles, and other specifics that can help you bring your event to fruition.
Also read: 4 Reasons Why Virtual and Hybrid Events will Remain in Future
The Virtual Event Management Team
Account Manager: The virtual space requires a point person like in traditional events. Generally, this person holds the designation of an account executive and will act as the main point of contact for the client. The account manager’s job is to ensure that everything happening during the preparation phase adheres to the client’s scope, goals, and budget.
Technical Director: We can’t ignore the technical expertise required to operate technologies used in big physical events. However, you will have to deal with different setups that help you broadcast events through the internet with virtual events.
The technical director involved in virtual event production must have knowledge and expertise to conduct online streaming that can handle the heft of high-quality live feeds and other technical aspects involved at the back of the whole production. They are also supposed to detail the requisites for preparing the event budget.
A major chunk of the event budget will go towards sourcing equipment, setup costs, the expertise required for special equipment operations, and platform fees through which the event will be delivered. In short, they are responsible for managing the A-Z of the technical aspects of the program. You must hire the right person for the job because even a slight error could ruin the whole event, no matter how well prepared the other teams are.
Project Manager: It’s common for event professionals to be on a time crunch. Things can go haywire when there’s limited time and lots of information to process. The project manager is the bridge that carries the flow of information, whose responsibility includes timeline maintenance, team coordination, project navigation, and timely guidance. They also work with teams and provide guidance when necessary.
Also read: Top Tech Innovations Make Remote Working Models Easy
The Virtual Event Production Team
Now that you have an idea about the tech resources and their management model, let’s discuss the hands and brains required to operate them.
Whether it’s a movie or television show, you need a show caller or producer to call the shots and pull the strings. Imagine a movie made without a director. How haphazard would it be? Similarly, your event requires an authoritative person to control the production.
Next, you need a seasoned video engineer. While typical events use video mostly for content reproduction, virtual events are entirely video-based. So, in this case, a video engineer is not only in charge of producing quality video but ensuring it goes with the technical constraints of the streaming platform and hardware.
But what good is a video without quality audio? This is one area that many people overlook when it comes to online video production. You must have the right person leading your audio team to ensure quality and uninterrupted audio during streaming.
Next up, you must have a team in charge of playback. This includes inputs from the video playback manager and graphics operators. They are responsible for all the graphics and presenting information in attractive ways without disrupting the main subject of the event.
To Conclude
A visit backstage of a major event might surprise you with the complexities of expensive setups. However, they differ greatly from what you’d require to run a virtual event. Even though the soul of a virtual event is essentially the same as a typical event, the technology used is more function-based than something used to improve the quality of the event.
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