Let’s get Digital!
In the last four months, Seventy Seven Entertainment has executed over 50 digital events, creating stellar immersive experiences for various clients. The events industry is innately volatile and a complete shift to virtual seemed like a massive change initially, but we have evolved and commendably adapted to it, because, the show must go on.
Close to six months of lockdown now and life seems to have gone through an upheaval. The events industry, which has mass gatherings at the core of its existence, was dealt with a severe blow due to the pandemic. But some of the most passionate players of this space believe that the show must go on and, thus, they shifted gears to explore the world of virtual events; Seventy Seven Entertainment is one of them.
Although a virtual event can never really emanate the magnanimity of an on-ground event, time waits for no one and we could not have halted and stared at this obstacle. Hibernation never really suited us and as an experiential service provider, we strongly feel that although the pace has slowed down, a comma is acceptable but not a full stop to things. For on-ground events, webcasting was the only virtual aspect in play, but with a 360-degree turn of things, video conferencing platforms have now become the new normal for webinars, conferences, R&R, product launches, sales meet, press meet among others.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, each one of us has inevitably participated in several virtual events hosted on a plethora of platforms. Take a closer look and you realize that this new ‘virtual’ normal, indeed, has its own set of pros. Remote audience engagement is taken care of, attendee participation can be tracked more effectively. What’s more? Consider an R&R where the winner gets felicitated at their home in front of their entire family cheering and the event instantly brims up with EQ.
There are several platforms available, each one of them with their own set of unique features. Thus, to find a platform that suits a particular event criterion isn’t difficult. We have been working on platforms such as Zoom, Cisco Webex, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Blue Jeans. Depending on the event type, the number of participants, and platform restriction on the expected outcome, we suggest the appropriate platform.
So now the mighty question of how all these sails smooth for the business of tourism boards. To begin with, buyer-seller meets, travel exhibitions, travel marts, roadshows, etc., are typically the types of events executed in this space. A virtual travel mart allows an engaged party to generate B2C and B2B connections through this one event in an immersive environment.
An on-ground event will at some point pose some or the other limitations, e.g., accommodating a large audience. But, for a digital event, one streaming platform and your audience count becomes just a number. For a travel show/exhibition, footfall is crucial and a digital show can help you achieve great numbers. Another great pro of a virtual travel/ trade show is the ease of talent management. The speaker/ talent can now connect from anywhere in the world at a click of a button.
Virtual platforms beat the simpler video conferencing platforms by a landslide because the latter is one-way communication. No one wants that; there are more than enough OTT platforms for that. What any TG seeks right now is the right amount of interaction and immersive experiences. Video conferencing loses out on a lot of aspects compared to an on-ground event, and yes, no technology will ever come close to personally interacting with another person. But certain platforms immensely help in bridging that gap. With superlative elements such as stage with motion graphics integration, real-time reactions, the hybrid format of an on-ground and online event, immersive environments, customized zones like ballrooms, registration desks, lobbies, exhibition booths and breakout rooms, virtual platforms are equipped to dazzle audiences and leave them asking for more.
Manoj Goplani is the Director at Seventy Seven Entertainment.