After COVID kicked occupancy rates off a cliff, INNSiDE Manchester was among the first hotels to lead the transformation of disused event spaces into production studios. The Meliá hotel partnered with AV supplier Sterling Event Group to install a stage floor ringed with multiple cameras and a professional audio and lighting system, backed by a HD laser projection screen alongside two 65-inch LCDs for branded content, all controlled by a live stream production suite.

“We used to host live conferences with 300 delegates in the space,” says Scott Brown, INNSiDE’s Cluster Director of Sales in the north. “We can now host that as a virtual event with just 30 people on-site, but another 300 attendees dialling in remotely.

“It wouldn’t be practical for us to house tens of thousands of pounds of kit on an ongoing basis. But because of the size of the space, and the fact we don’t foresee hosting large-scale events for the next six months, it works for us right now while AV suppliers are sat with unused kit in their warehouses. Meliá already offers a hybrid solution, but the difference with INNSiDE Live is it alleviates a lot of the setup and breakdown expenses, making it a really cost-effective solution for clients.”

A year into the pandemic and organisers are increasingly conscious of broadcast quality. Performing Artistes is one of the many agencies racing to invest in professional studio equipment in response to the mounting dissatisfaction of virtual attendees, fed up with low quality webcam footage: “It’s about creating the right impression for your audience,” says Director JJ Jackson. “Having your keynote slumped behind your webcam – with at best a bookshelf and at worst your washing drying in the background – is no longer good enough, especially if clients are paying thousands of pounds. Events agencies have to invest in a decent webcam, lighting and backdrops at the very least, and ideally a multi-camera setup with a little mixer so you can slickly switch between them. We’ve invested in professional lighting and high-definition cameras in our office – it’s a great halfway house between expensive studio rental and having speakers present at home.”

However, Richard Bowden, MD of Sterling Event Group, argues it’s not necessarily the equipment that counts, but the expertise behind it: “There’s a place for in-house studio setups, using venue furniture in a nice location with very simple production. But in the live events market, conferences attended by hundreds of delegates would always see the expertise of a professional AV company – and it shouldn’t be any different with virtual events.

“It’s not just about investing in a broadcast-quality cameras; there are hundreds of pieces of kit behind the scenes that all work together to deliver a virtual event. Having that equipment infrastructure in a safe, suitable place and a core team who know how to use it allows you to deliver events that look more like a television production and less like a Zoom call.”

Kevan Holland, Co-founder of Trident Hospitality Consultancy believes one of the biggest challenges in proper AV investment for virtual events is a lack of knowledge across the industry: “Some of the AV companies who are putting the platforms together are coming across with so much jargon that it’s hard to sell their product onto clients. Our members who work with AV companies to offer hybrid events solutions report their clients are reluctant to pay thousands of pounds to connect 100 people via a platform, when Zoom is virtually free – they don’t actually understand the logistics of how virtual works. It’s fine if you’re a big association, but for the average small to medium size company, it’s hard to swallow some of the costs.”

Trident member Vicky Webb, Venue and Events Manager at Millennium Point, says it has been a priority to ensure her events team are trained to understand the technical aspects of virtual events: “It’s our job to match people with the right solution. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a techie – that’s why I have an AV technician on hand. Clients often don’t understand what they want and it’s up to us to have the knowledge as a sales team to direct them towards what they need and help them understand the cost implications.”

“Not every client is going to have the budget associated with a primetime TV show,” accepts Richard. “How we think about screen content is different for virtual events. AV teams can remotely manage events and achieve some of those production values digitally, combining webcam feeds with professional graphics and pre-recorded content.”

As to exactly what’s possibly right now, Richard is witnessing change on a weekly basis as the pandemic pushes virtual event AV to its limits: “The whole industry is developing so rapidly right now, seeking the advice of a professional production company who can share the pros and cons of using different platforms has never been more valuable. If your platform isn’t right or the interaction doesn’t work in the way that you were hoping, it could mean the difference between a successful event and a PR disaster.”

Virtual Vision

INNSiDE Manchester, part of Meliá Hotels International, has partnered with one of the UK’s leading technical event production and AV hire companies, Sterling Event Group to launch Manchester’s first virtual event production studio in a hotel.

Installed and ready to be booked as and when Government guidelines permit, ‘INNSiDE LiVE’, at INNSiDE Manchester, is a virtual event solution that features a state-of-the-art studio setting, offering a live streaming experience, designed to facilitate a virtual or hybrid event.

A first for a Manchester city-centre hotel, Sterling Event Group has taken over part of the self-contained event space to provide a creative technical studio production that enables businesses to engage, communicate and inspire employees, suppliers, clients and stakeholders by combining cutting edge technologies and expertise to create live, virtual and hybrid events. The set features a central rear projection screen with HD laser projection, 2 x 65 Inch screens for custom logos and content, brandable backdrop, stage floor, multiple cameras, live stream production suite and a professional audio and lighting system – plus more.

The COVID-safe space, set within the eclectic home-from-home leisure hotel’s Chadwick meeting room space, allows companies to hire out and to host live audiences at the venue, in line with current Government restrictions, whilst streaming professional, broadcast-quality content in real-time; engaging, entertaining and communicating with audiences wherever they are across the globe. Content can be streamed to Zoom, YouTube, Facebook and more. Alternatively, it can be pre-recorded ready for broadcast at a later date.

The live studio experience is supported by INNSiDE Manchester’s experienced in-house events team and the expert production crew at Sterling Event Group, who will be on hand to ensure all studio events run smoothly and safely from start to finish.

Commenting on the virtual studio collaboration, INNSiDE UK North, Cluster Director of Sales Scott Brown said: “INNSiDE LiVE is a new state-of-the-art hybrid event studio, that allows us to deliver a top-class event production facility, in a safe, dedicated space at INNSiDE Manchester.”

“With this facility staying in place for the next six months we have been able to offer a cost-effective solution that doesn’t require the usual set up and break down costs, meaning this is accessible for everything from an online conference or awards event to company briefing or online training day.”

“As and when events can return to what they were, on larger scale, this studio offering will only add to the experience; allowing organisers to reach a much larger delegate audience – both within the UK and globally.”

Dan Estcourt, Technical Manager at Sterling Event Group said, this is a great solution for event organisers as it works equally as well with a fully virtual audience as it does with a hybrid audience allowing them to plan with confidence.

Contact the team today to discuss this new space and your next virtual event.