Hire Frequencies Case Study: The CONSEC 2020 Online Conference – A prestigious convention goes virtual

Introduction

CONSEC is the Association of Security Consultant’s showcase annual event, a big day in the security industry’s calendar attracting many renowned exhibitors. Hire Frequencies were tasked with re-imagining this illustrious event virtually. This case study highlights our solutions to the challenges of moving a convention online.

The Background

Due to the cancellation of live events this year the ASC sought to re-imagine CONSEC online. This meant re-creating the spirit of an exhibition hall and a feeling of connectivity. The ASC were in need of an event platform that allowed multiple sponsors to connect to attendees in an engaging and personal manner. They also required a virtual main stage to host a high-quality live stream.

Summary of build

We provided a landing page to register attendees and a highly customisable event platform to host the event. We dialed the ASC’s guest speakers into the event via Zoom and mixed the live video output with bespoke graphic overlays in our studio. We ensured a high quality live stream for the attendees using our Epiphan Pearl hardware encoder.

Our core range of services

Live – With more than a decades event production experience our team know how to deliver successful and inspirational live events.

Online – We can bring almost any event online and offer a wide range of virtual event solutions enabling us to cater for almost any event.

Installs – We offer expert advice and latest technology ensuring we provide you with the right solution at the right price. 

Technical Crew

-Production Manager

-Live Vision Mixer

-Zoom Operator

-Slideshow Operator

-Graphic Designer

Step by step guide

The ASC’s vision was to emulate their annual convention in an online setting, but they were a little apprehensive as this was their first virtual event. However, once we had thoroughly discussed the challenges and benefits of an online event, they were much more comfortable with the idea and keen to pursue it. A large portion of this vision hinged upon choosing the right event platform for the job. We settled on Evento Virtual, an online platform with features including a ‘main stage’ for hosting the live stream of their guest speakers, an ‘exhibition hall’ comprising virtual sponsor booths for attendees to interact with, and networking options for all guests.

In order to register attendees for the event we were asked to create a landing page to enable people to sign up for the event. This is essentially a basic web page with information about the event schedule and a registration portal. The ASC was able to access the registration database to see how many people had signed up and how their promotional content was affecting sign-ups. Everyone who signed up received a confirmation e-mail, and a reminder/access code the day before the event.

We liaised directly with the event sponsors to begin creating their exhibition booths with their custom graphics. The level to which we assisted with this process varied for the different sponsors, with some simply needing specifications for their graphics team to work with, and others wanting us to create their booths for them using branding elements from their website. In addition to this, we made an instructional video to brief the sponsors on how to operate their booth during the event. The booth contained bios, brochures, videos and polls for attendees to engage with, along with the option to video chat with a representative of the company. In addition to this we were able to add clickable areas to the booths, for example the TV screen (pictured to the left) brought up a promotional video when clicked.

To prepare for the main stage live stream we invited all of the speakers to attend a virtual rehearsal via Zoom to ensure they had a good quality connection to the event. We also used this to test any slideshow and video material they wanted to share on the live stream.

On the day of the event we ran a live production Zoom call for the speakers to give their presentations, which we combined in our studio with custom made graphic layouts to create a broadcast quality stream. Using our Epiphan Pearl video encoder, we output a high quality stream to the event platform main stage for the attendees to view.

We were also on hand to provide technical support for all attendees and sponsors using the event platform to ensure everyone was able to access and engage in the event. Once the event finished we promptly provided the ASC & their sponsors with a large quantity of post-event data, showing attendee activity and engagement.

Summary

With the help of Hire Frequencies, the ASC managed to pull off their first online event in style, creating an informative and enjoyable experience for all attendees. They received excellent feedback from attendees on the ease of use of the event platform and the quality of the presentations on the main stage live stream. If you are looking to host a virtual event, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of experts for a free consultation.