How To: Visualize Virtual Events

Live events are experiential and tangible. There’s a real place where people come together and things happen. Though very prevalent and familiar by now, virtual events can still be hard to picture. They’re abstract and live online. Most people only see the screen in front of them without an opportunity to peek behind the curtain. How can you picture or visualize something that can’t be seen?

Simpler virtual events can be hosted using only computers. Some cost-effective enhancements like external mics and additional lighting as well as attention to details like background noise, natural light, video framing, and internet stability boost the quality of the experience as well. As functionality and intricacy increase, so does the complexity of the Production Hub.

The Production Hub is where the content sources come in and push back out. The Production Hub may feature a stage set where speakers engage with a virtual audio in a studio-like environment. In other scenarios, only the production crew is on-site at the Production Hub, pulling audio and video sources from Zoom rooms and pre-recorded content.

In the Production Hub, engineers oversee the video switcher, the audio board, and other technical components. Additional staff members interface with the speakers in designated Zoom room “stages” (input sources) while others moderate audience Zoom rooms.

The more robust equipment and staff in the room create a more impactful, customizable virtual event and an elevated user experience. Although virtual events revolve around technology, it’s the people behind the production that make the experience more layered with other integrated platforms, easier to navigate for speakers and attendees alike, and more aligned with the vision, purpose, and key performance indicators. And not to mention, more fun, high-touch, and interpersonal!