Most Engaged Sense In Events Right Now
There’s no question that with events and live experiences taking place mostly from the comfort of everyone’s homes (online), the power of our five senses have shifted. It used to be an event producer’s passion to ignite all of the senses in calculated ways, at specific times, to entice memory or create action.
We’ll get back to a new version of that eventually, but for now, as a means to deliver content, we have virtual reality and screen time with which to work. Because of this, the sense of Hearing is among the most engaged in live events right now and it’s so critical to get it right. In addition to this, we spend equal amounts of time on nailing our audio design, as well as building an inclusive event environment. See more details on this below.
Since the dawn of surround sound home theatres and now worldwide phenomenon Dolby Noise Reduction, current audio technology is a beautiful blend of engineering and innovation.
That said, the pandemic brought about a new demand for sharper, clearer, spot-on audio production in virtual environments. Gone are the days when a less experienced event AV company can “middle” the audio in order to provide a full turn-key event production for a client, if they really don’t have the chops: right now, in live events, bad audio can’t be hidden.
What’s more, the world-popular nature of audio-only content like podcasts, audio books and emerging apps like Clubhouse and even the foundation of the multi billion dollar gaming industry, has cemented the need for brands to perfect the audio experience in their products and live events.
As the pandemic roars on and virtual and hybrid events continue to mainstay in 2021, producers and clients should challenge their audio producers and virtual event tech platforms to continue to evolve, spurring new innovations.
Yes, the role of audio in events hasn’t changed - we all know what it feels like to lose audio connection during a keynote speech or listen to constant feedback during a live performance - but the ways brands will engage with audio engineering and ultimately rely on it for brand presence will expand.
As well, and perhaps even more importantly, remember you might have audience members who are hard of hearing, have experienced hearing loss or are deaf. Always, always, think of your experience through the lens of inclusivity - there are those who can hear and see and those who cannot. Invest in closed captioning technology for all of your virtual content and videos, as well as sign language interpreters. There are some strong virtual event platforms have built in accessibility features like font customization, closed captioning, intuitive navs and subtitles built through the lens of inclusivity.
Want to up your audio game for your virtual events? Here are five top line tips for in-house event teams or brand managers who are leveraging virtual experiences in their events portfolio this year:
Engage event strategists/producers like us to support you in building out the right plan that not only fits your objectives but gives you top quality production;
Partner with a premium event AV company that specialize in broadcast technology and producing content for television experience and invest in quality production equipment, virtual platforms and teams - it is incredibly hard to recover from poor tech quality in an event;
Turn off ambient noise contributors like fans, air conditioners, HVAC units, vending machines (if not at home), hand dryers (if hosting near a washroom), and ensure all back of house team mates wear soft soled shoes;
Split your event team to have a crew that monitors the livestream broadcast constantly for audio quality and overall experience as well as a crew dedicated to producing the virtual experience as a whole;
Design an inclusive event experience, leveraging powerful tools for ensuring hearing impaired, hard of hearing of deaf guests can engage in content as well.
Nowadays, customers and attendees are more discerning and less forgiving when it comes to a negative experience particularly if they can't hear the content. Higher (and smarter) spend now will pay off in spades down the road.
Let’s connect and talk about how you can elevate your virtual or hybrid event with a custom strategy, a team of event professionals and of course, spotless audio.
