On-site, Pod & Online: Blending Three Different Experiences at One Event

Fresh from the trenches of Event Camp Twin Cities 2011, Brandt Krueger, Technical Director and On-Site Producer for the event, will be at Event Camp Europe Sept. 9 to share what he learned.

Brandt has more than 15 years experience providing technology support for corporate meetings, conferences and events. He used that know-how to help pull together a complicated hybrid event production for ECTC last week that included live streaming, six remote pods, 2 different tracks and a mock studio for 2 virtual emcees.

But Brandt insists that you don’t have to be an audio visual geek to understand the basics of producing a great hybrid event. All an event producer really has to ask is, “What is the audience experience?”

Brandt recently agreed to answer a few questions about hybrid event production and his experience at ECTC.
JENISE: What was your official title or the role that you filled for ECTC?

BRANDT: Originally I was a volunteer, but later metroConnections came on as an official sponsor.  Though we did not do full meeting production services, we landed on providing “production support,” among other services, which consisted of myself and one other tech from metro.  In that new more official role I’d say I acted as a Technical Director, and on-site Producer.  In the final weeks leading up to ECTC I had Sam and Ray lay out what they wanted to do, and I sourced the AV gear accordingly, which is how Heroic Productions was brought on board.  On-site, I acted more as a Producer, with the headset on and trying to keep the show as on time as possible, call the AV cues, and act as much as I could as the single point of contact for the AV side of the world.
JENISE: What new things have you learned about hybrid events after your experience at ECTC?

BRANDT: There’s a lot swimming around in my head post ECTC that hasn’t quite materialized.  I’m starting to think of the Pods in a new way.  I think in the past we might have looked at them as an offshoot of the virtual audience, with limited glimpses into their world.  Last year I think each Pod was only talked to twice.  There was a desire to do more with the Pods this year, but obviously technical difficulties got in the way.  I’m truly frustrated by that, because I think we’re very close to figuring this out in a meaningful way.

Meanwhile, I’m trying now to start at the other end of the spectrum and figure out how we can try and make their experience more like the “In Person” experience.  I’m trying to put the tech out of my mind and start at the end instead of the beginning.  From there, we can back into the tech.  In the end, I think we’re talking about three completely separate experiences.  The In Room Experience, the Pod Experience, and the Virtual Experience.  That’s going to be a lot for the meeting planner to keep in mind!
JENISE: Why is experimentation so important when it comes to hybrid events?

BRANDT: It’s how we learn, put simply.  It’s going to be one of the central themes in what I’m talking about at ECEU.  If you do it the way it’s always been done, the experience is never going to improve.  We have to try every communication tool available to see which one works.  Almost all of this can be done away from the meeting hall, in your office, with as many laptops as you can get your hands on.  Unfortunately, though, some things need to be tried full scale.

ECEU is doing something brilliant in my opinion.  They’re having a pod on-site.  Ostensibly, it’s so that the attendees can experience what it’s like to be in a pod, but there’s a wonderful side value.  Good experiments require good observation, and having a pod on property means if we want to know how something looks or how something sounds, we can actually just go downstairs and find out.  I’m practically giddy about that prospect, and even though I’m only speaking and doing a little consulting for ECEU, my wife is going to have to pull me away from not hanging around as they set everything up!
JENISE: What takeaways do you hope to give participants in your session at ECEU?
BRANDT: Hybrid Production: We’ve virtually got this figured out…

1. Establish that hybrid and virtual production need not be a scary thing.

2. Start with the audience experience and the tech will follow

3. Experiment, test, try. Experiment, test, try. Experim

Shorter Lead Times, Finding Niches: Paul Cook on Challenges in Event Industry Today

Event-o-phile. If it existed, that would be the word I would use to describe my friend, Paul Cook. Paul has worked in England to support event professionals in many different ways over the years. When he has seen a need, he has taken action.

Paul founded Clarity Event Insurance  in 2006; created and maintains the online event planning resource, Planet Planit; has served MPI in many roles and recently wrote a book on risk management for events entitled “Risk It!“. In an effort to help young people coming up in the business, he organized the Young Acheivers awards last year and repeated it successfully this year.  This year he also organized a successful speakers showcase in an effort to connect planners with quality presenters.

I met Paul on Twitter nearly two years ago. His open, warm and supportive social media persona impressed me from the beginning and, as is often the case on Twitter, our friendship evolved into a collaboration as co-organizers with Ruud Janssen and Lindsey Rosenthal on the upcoming Event Camp Europe, Sept 9 in London, England.  Paul recently agreed to answer a few questions about the state of the event industry in Europe and what Event Camp Europe will offer event professionals.

JENISE: As a very involved event professional you’ve seen a lot of change in the industry, I’m sure.  What do you think are the issues that are impacting European event professionals the most right now?

PAUL: This is a great question and it is hard to know where to start to answer this. But I think that the shorter lead-in times to events is key as this has been becoming less and less which creates its own demands. Finding a niche event or show to differentiate you from the competition is always a key issue regardless of where the economy is, whether in good times or bad, and finding ways of communicating and connecting without turning people away will always be a challenge.

Then we have the evergreen issues of ROI, value for money, sustainability and now we have the issue of the relevance of social media. So for an event professional there is always something that will require attention, either from trends, fashion, political change or legislation requirements.
JENISE: How are these issues being addressed?

PAUL: By using the educational resources available to event professionals through associations, communities, peer to peer exchange, lobbying government, specific training and understanding the issues via media and exhibitions. There are numerous associations all offering broadly similar advice but there is no one cohesive body at present. Maybe one day that will change but for the moment the experience of event professionals and their desire to learn is key to how many issues can be addressed.
JENISE: How can learning about hybrid events help event professionals?

PAUL: Learning about hybrid events can help all event professionals whether they are working in venues, planning corporate, association or other events. It is not just event planners that need to learn but also the suppliers. Otherwise how can venues offer their facilities as pod locations? How can the technology companies know just where event planners in their understanding and what is needed next?  My belief is that there is a lot of talk about “hybrid events’ but I am not sure just how much deeper experience and understanding there is in general in the events community. It is easy to use the terminology but what does it really mean?

Learning about hybrid events will show people what options there are for broadening events which can only be to their benefit.
JENISE: Do you find a lot of resistance to hybrid events or virtual events in general?

PAUL: I think there is resistance when people don’t fully understand what benefits there may be to them. Often the issue of cost can be used as an excuse. So I wonder if the technology companies could come up with a  way of demonstrating the value of the hybrid or virtual against the cost aspect. It all seems a bit grey and mysterious at the moment.
JENISE: Are new meeting formats such as open space conferences having an impact in Europe? Why or why not?

PAUL: This is a tough one for me to answer as I have spent much time at European and USA based conferences where open space has been a component so I am used to conferences that include these formats. What, I know though is that each meeting may not always require an open space element. Again this will depend on the objectives of the meeting. I have seen open space/un-conference formats used very effectively in both corporate and association environments.

I think new meeting formats are relevant to all event professionals regardless of where they are based geographically.

We know that attendees require more interaction rather than the traditional speaker and classroom style based event. People are demanding more which has to be good for our industry.
JENISE: Are  techniques that increase audience participation gaining ground at European conferences?

PAUL: Absolutely yes. Again this is not geographic specific. People are asking for opportunities to be involved and to be heard. Some events will need changing, e.g. panel sessions should re-think and re-invent if they are to become valuable. A series of talking heads, effectively talking to each other just will not leave attendees feeling satisfied anymore.  In fact the combined experience and knowledge in the audience can add a huge benefit to overall discussions.

JENISE: What do you hope participants at ECEU will take-away?

I would like participants; whether remote, in a POD or with us at the venue of Down Hall, to go away inspired and exhausted. Inspired because they will have been actively involved in the event and can see how some new ideas could help with their future events, and exhausted because we will have worked them as ‘guinea pigs’ and looked under the bonnet/trunk/hood of hybrid events with them. Anyone who thinks they can come and watch and not participate will be sadly mistaken.

Get your hands dirty at Event Camp Europe, after all we are all experimenting and learning together to progress our industry.

Event Camp Europe – Start a Pod, Join Onsite or Catch the Live Stream

Registration is open for Event Camp Europe, a day-long conference for event professionals exploring innovative formats and technology for meetings and events to be held in London Sept. 9.

The conference will focus on hybrid event technology  (the use of online streaming to add a way for remote attendees to participate in a live event) as well as innovative meeting formats and techniques.

Event Camp Europe will also be a hybrid event and will offer opportunities for remote participation via PODs (groups that agree to attend the event together at a remote location) and for individuals viewing from their home or office.

Cost for the event is £100 for onsite attendance, £250 per POD for participation including a full instruction kit and case study on How to Set Up a Remote POD for Your Event.   Individuals are invited to participate remotely at no charge, but registration is still required. (space is limited to 5 PODs for this first EventCamp Europe).

For more information, please check out the Event Camp Europe website or to attend Event Camp Europe, please register here.  Seats are limited.

(Photo courtesy of TNOC)

Event Camp Europe: Innovative Event Formats, Technology & Experimentation

Event Camp Europe To Highlight Hybrid Events, New Meeting Formats

European event professionals will gather September 9,  2011 at Down Hall near London, England to experience and learn about innovative event formats and hybrid event techniques at the first ever Event Camp Europe.

“We’re going to be exploring ways that events can reach out to wider audiences online as well as new methods for improving onsite attendee engagement, learning and networking, ” explained Co-Organizer Lindsey Rosenthal.

On the technology side, Event Camp Europe will focus on hybrid events; events that seek to combine an onsite experience with an online one.

“Hybrid events are still quite new but we’ve come a long way in a short amount of time,” noted Co-Organizer Ruud Janssen.   “The most successful hybrid event organizers have learned that it’s not enough to merely live-stream video of your event online. There are excellent ways to engage a remote audience that actually enhance the onsite experience as well.”

More and more conferences provide at least some access to remote attendees. Many are finding that, far from cannabilizing the on-site event, remote attendee engagement builds on-site attendence at subsequent events. “It’s really remarkable how effective live-streaming is as a marketing tool,” added Janssen.

Hybrid events aren’t the only new format that Event Camp Europe will explore. Audience centric conferences have been growing in number over the last few years and Event Camp Europe hopes to give participants an idea why.

“The audience-centric conference was born from the frustration of internet technology enthusiasts who had little patience for sitting passively at traditional conferences listening to speaker after speaker,” Co-Organizer Jenise Fryatt explained. “They recognized that a great store of knowledge was going untapped in the audience.  So they created conference formats that allow participants to connect and learn from whoever attends.”

Event Camp Europe will embrace an international audience both online and via remote international PODs. A POD is a group of people who have agreed to meet at a location other than the event site, to interact with the event via video communication such as Skype.

Both remote and on-site participants  will receive practical guidance in the application of these new techniques while experiencing first hand what it’s like to be an attendee at such an event.

Event Camp Europe is being organized by an international group of event professionals who met through Twitter. Ruud Janssen of Basel, Switzerland; Lindsey Rosenthal of Washington D.C.; Jenise Fryatt of La Quinta, California; Paul Cook of Surrey, United Kingdom; and Elling Hamso, of Stavenger, Norway have been working together for months using online collaboration tools to organize ECEU.

The event is the fourth Event Camp ever, following the first Event Camp held in New York City in February of 2010; Event Camp Twin Cities, held in Minnesota in September of 2010; and Event Camp East Coast, held in Philadelphia in November of 2010.  All of the Event Camps have focused on innovation for events and all can trace their origins to the online Twitter community for event professionals known as #eventprofs.

“This is truly an event born online so we are very keen to welcome online participation and create the best on-site experience possible for those who are making the trip to Down Hall,” commented Co-Organizer Paul Cook.  “Event Camp Europe will actually be the first time all of the organizers have met in person. I think that in itself will give the event an interesting flavor.”

Registration for the event is £100.   For more information about Event Camp Europe please go to http://www.eventcamp.eu or follow @eventcampeu on Twitter.

(Photo courtesy TNOC)