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

Manchester based Sterling Event Group have launched their new Sterling Studio website to showcase their range of solutions for the organisers of virtual events.

In the temporary absence of live events, Manchester based audio-visual production company Sterling Event Group have continued to invest in virtual technologies and have launched a new website dedicated to its virtual event services.

Launching originally in March 2020, Sterling Studio has now been expanded to include a multitude of studio spaces and virtual event services. Proving a popular choice for the organisers of virtual events, the 5 physical studio spaces, along with 3 purpose-built fully remote Virtual Control Centres (whereby events can be managed 100% remotely) are currently in high-demand.

“We’re excited for the year ahead and whilst we hope to see the start of the return of live events in the near future, there will still be a place for virtual events. We are frequently assisting our clients with global communications, in recent months we have live streamed to audiences in 78 countries. For certain types of events there is a huge advantage in virtual, from an efficiency and environmental perspective, that’s why we believe virtual events are here to stay and will feature in the programme of events for many organisations. Furthermore, adding a virtual aspect to a live event could be used to significantly extend the reach.” Richard Bowden, Founder and MD of Sterling Event Group.

Sterling Studios have also expanded from their Manchester Airport HQ and are now operating Hybrid Studios at a number of popular venues within the Greater Manchester area, each with a unique offering.

Further info on the Studios and other services to enhance virtual events, can be found on our new dedicated site – www.sterlingstudio.co.uk.

Technical event production company Sterling Event Group has created Sterling Studio, a Manchester-based studio space designed to boost the production value of webinars and other virtual events, over video conferencing and online meeting platforms such as Zoom, Go To Meeting, Skype and WebEx. The studio, supported by UK distributor PSCo, boasts a digital backdrop from LED display manufacturer Absen.

The idea to create a studio dedicated to virtual events came before the Covid-19 lockdown, just as the need for an events space with the capacity for high production quality was rising – a need that has only increased since.

“The studio space allows us to use our rental equipment and create a space for users to virtually present to their audience using state-of-the-art technologies, without the obvious limitations that come with presenting from home,” said Dan Charmer, director of Sterling Event Group. This facility is also a fantastic tool for companies who don’t want to invest in, or have the required space or equipment to record and broadcast such presentations.

The 230sqm black box space offers features designed not only to provide presenters with creative freedom, but also to maintain current UK social distancing requirements. The space boasts an 11m wide stage, along with a 3.6m circular podium where presenters can easily maintain the appropriate social distance, fully kitted with a professional lighting and audio system, including digital mixing consoles and stage monitor speakers.

Snaking around the back of the stage is a 16 x 3 metre curved LED screen providing a dynamic backdrop to set the scene for any event. The screen is made up of Absen’s Polaris 2.5mm Pro – part of the multi-award-winning Polaris rental series – which has been specifically created for indoor use, offering 1200 nits high brightness, superior contrast and high precision pixel alignment. The screen is well suited for a multitude of uses, such as Sterling Studio, which uses the LED screen to simultaneously display presentations, social media feeds, branding and custom backgrounds in sharp 18bit+ image processing.

“The screen is paramount to the studio: the sharpness and contrast of the image are key elements to the impact we were looking to create,” commented Charmer. “The Polaris series offers what we need for this project mechanically and, more importantly, visually over our existing [Absen] A3 Pro. The compatibility of the hardware across the range was also a big advantage when adding it to the rental fleet.”

The Polaris 2.5mm Pro panels feature an integrated curved locking system, allowing for convex (-7.5˚) or concave (+10˚) shapes to be modelled as needed to further improve the striking visual effect, as well as round, square or triangle panel shapes. The 9.6kg model also boasts simple and quick assembly, something which Charmer and his team used to their advantage.

“A small team of technicians installed the screen without any help or guidance, and found it to be a simple, stress-free installation,” Charmer said.

The screen is driven by Avolites Ai Media servers, which provide large format backdrops for use during virtual events. All signals are routed through a Barco E2 switching system, which is also routing content down to four 65-inch stage monitors within the studio space, made available to the presenters and their team. These are thoroughly cleaned after every use, along with the other equipment available.

“We wanted to create a safe, hygienic space that encompassed the high production value and set design, whilst ensuring the opportunity for engagement with audiences for our clients in a more visually impactful way,” Charmer said. “We do not know what the future holds, but for now we know we have provided the standard our clients have come to expect from us with the assistance of PSCo and Absen.”