The Brief
Lead Dev is a live event designed for software development teams across the globe to come together and share good leadership practices, discuss problems & solutions and learn new skills.
Each year the event takes place in multiple locations, including Austin, Berlin, San Francisco, New York and London.
The event was due to take place in New York in April 2020 but with the outbreak of Coronavirus and a global travel ban in place, it was decided to switch it to an online event with participants able to join, free of charge, from their homes.
We were tasked with using our live event experience to bring an online event to life and create an engaging experience to a large audience across the world. The event was supported by around 40 speakers from around the world who joined in presentations, panel sessions and Q&A discussions with the vast audience.
The challenges we faced
Events are all about engaging and inspiring an audience. We have spent many years perfecting this art and in a live environment, we take full control of all aspects of the production to ensure the audience get the right experience and a memorable event is delivered.
The greatest challenge with moving an event online is the lack of control over the audience, the environment they are in and the technology they are using. Our greatest challenge was how to remotely inspire an audience!
With all the speakers locked down to their home locations, another challenge was managing their individual live feeds without onsite professional support and control over their hardware. The quality of each feed was determined by their internet connection, video camera/web cam, lighting, microphone and general acoustics. Without careful planning, each of these parameters could lead to a poor quality of output that would mean viewers would switch off.
Another very unique challenge we faced while in lockdown due to Covid-19 was that we couldn’t bring our team together to produce and manage the event from a single location. Instead we needed to set up communication channels and remote preview streams so our team could all operate together as one, but from their own locations. Thankfully we have technology available at our finger tips so could construct systems to deal with this challenge.
What we did
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Step Four
We created pre-set looks to the stream that we could switch to with ease. These included:
- 3 Remote Hosts
- 1 Remote Host + Google Slides
- 1 Remote Speaker + Google Slides
- 4 Remote Panellists
Step Five
We built redundancy into every system where possible and we were ready for a multitude of different technical challenges throughout the event and had content we could switch away to if we lost any feeds.
Step Six
The event went live with just 2 operators required. Dan took the role as Director and was based in an office with super fast internet. Adam was our Producer and was based from home. We used some clever tech that allowed Adam to remote control hardware in the office over the internet.
What our customers say about us
“This was an interesting project to work on in the grounds of a stunning, historic stately home. The trick with this installation was finding a creative way of using simple technology to create a totally believable, immersive world which took visitors on a magical and enchanting journey.
It’s amazing to think how applying a bit of creative thought to lights, props and sound can result in something truly memorable and captivating and we look forward to seeing this initiative go from strength to strength next year.”
Anabelle Parslow
Fabrication project manager
On
“Chris and the team were a delight to deal with in organising our event. We had a small lead time for this important and pivotal event for our business, so good organisation was key. They are very responsive, very organised and not afraid to suggest different ways to do things. They made my job so much easier and I’ll definitely look forward to working with the team again in future.”
Client Feedback
Financial Services
“From initial discussions to final set-up, your creativity, expertise, professionalism, kindness and general helpfulness was inspiring. Words cannot describe how much we loved the event and working with the team at On. If we could do it all again, we would in a heartbeat”
Dan Janes
Employee relations
INSPIRING AN AUDIENCE
INSPIRING AN AUDIENCE
“Once again an amazing job. I am certain that no other team of people could have made this project happen. The commitment, enthusiasm, attention to detail and team spirit make you a truly stand-out business…We’re looking forward to the next one”
Louiza Vicary
Head of Events
Global Connections
“We were truly the architects of our client’s imagination on this project and the end result was awesome. This event could have been just another forgettable conference, but our client thought outside the box to come up with a concept that we were able to elevate into an event that people will remember for a long time.
We’re firm believers that if you can change the environment that people are used to, they respond in a different way to the content you are delivering. That was certainly the case here…..By taking delegates on a journey, we were able to help our client deliver its message in an inspiring and memorable way.”
Guy Eaton
Managing Director
On
“The idea was simple, but the brief was quite detailed, so we were delighted with not only how it looked and worked, but also how it combined a social media element which enabled people to raise awareness of this important issue. And in the true spirit of recycling, Retro Boombox will be going on tour, so hopefully you’ll see it at a festival site near you in the future.”
Guy Eaton
Managing Director
On Event Production Co
“Yet again On did an incredible job with what was a logistically challenging project. The determination and “whatever it takes” attitude makes On our absolute Go-To-Production-Guys…..Stand out professionals”
Siobhan Ryan
Senior Producer
“This was a fantastic experiential event to deliver. It was really high-concept and included a range of technical elements, which all had to interweave to provide a seamless experience for those taking part.
Luckily, our in-house technical team are as ingenious as some of the spy masters we see in the movies and were able to create something which not only looked great, but was also on-brief and delivered a memorable experience to help enhance the Mountain Dew brand.”
Chris Vernon-Smith
Creative Director
On
“We were delighted with the finished product and the organisers of the Lunch! event rated the stand as one of (if not THE) best stand at the show.”
Annmarie Penderis
Senior Brand Director
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