Unique event venues such as Museums and Performing Arts Centers are well positioned to be leaders in the post-pandemic event industry. Throughout the pandemic, many cultural institutions have found creative ways to remain open, connect with constituents virtually, and utilize their resources in a variety of new ways. The staff that have been able to remain working at these institutions have developed invaluable knowledge and expertise in producing a new wave of special events.
JGL Foodservice Consultants had the opportunity to speak with some of the leaders in this new space. We started by speaking with John Hess, Event Sales and Business Manager and Brook Nichols, Technical Director at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Like all other organizations, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) was forced to pivot because of the pandemic. In addition to a variety of performance spaces, DCPA operates the Seawell Ballroom – a dedicated event space at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
We strive to be a turnkey experience with a 100% live event success rate with no equipment failures. (Loud knock on wood.)” – Brook Nichols, Technical Director at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
The Pivot to Virtual
The DCPA production, sales and events teams collaborated to quickly develop a new program for the Seawell Ballroom – a 10,000 square foot virtual production studio. The DCPA launched a full-scale digital events package in July and have booked 30 external events to date. As a result of the team’s amazing success, the DCPA will soon begin to utilize their in-house production studio to broadcast a wide range of internal programs. The greatest challenge John and Brook are facing now is figuring out how to manage their space so that they can accommodate live, hybrid and virtual only events. The creation of the production studio has opened an entirely new revenue stream for the DCPA external event business.
In-House Production Elements that Contribute to DCPA’s Virtual Success
Lighting – This basic element is the key to studio success for its ability to create the mood and atmosphere for the intended audience.
Vimeo– DCPA’s dedicated streaming platform is Vimeo. This ensures content won’t be removed, which can sometimes happen on platforms such as Facebook Live and YouTube.
Network Lines – DCPA dedicated two of their network lines just for streaming. They also purchased a dedicated hardware-based encoder to ensure stability while streaming.
Production Team – The in-house team works full-time to ensure clients don’t have to worry about coordinating technology from a third-party vendor.
Cross-Trained Crew – DCPA’s production crew consists of four full-time employees who are all cross-trained, but who each have a specialty in either lighting, audio or video.
Take a virtual tour of the digital studio here: https://vimeo.com/434163196
We are confident that there will be some element of virtual broadcast or interaction in events for a long time after COVID-19.” – John Hess, Event Sales & Business Manager at Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Bridging the Gap Between In-Person & Virtual Events
New-York Historical Society
JGL spoke with Karen Roshevsky, Director of Special Events at the New-York Historical Society, to receive her insight into what she has been experiencing from a museum venue sales and management perspective.
Karen is involved with both internal and external events that take place at the New-York Historical Society in New York City. The day before our conversation, Karen was filming pre-recorded segments at the Museum in preparation for an upcoming Museum Gala. The Historical Society has developed a successful formula for utilizing both pre-recorded and live content for their internal virtual events.
Karen quickly recognized that she needed additional support to help bridge the technology gap between the in-house IT department and the events department to execute a seamless virtual experience for their guests. (Unlike DCPA, the Museum does not have an in-house production crew.) Karen explained that creating a virtual event requires a full production team to not only organize and edit the content, but also to add creative direction to ensure an engaging and impactful experience. For this type of expertise, the New-York Historical Society has partnered with Eventique, (Eventique | Award Winning Event Planning) for the majority of their virtual productions.
Hosting a Hybrid Event at a Museum
Museums as event venues are in a unique position. Many museums have been open to the public (at a limited capacity) during the pandemic, therefore hosting an event in the space does not require much gearing up from an operational standpoint.
Museum event planners, like Karen, have been working on creating engaging virtual experiences for internal events throughout the pandemic. Clients that come to museums to plan an upcoming hybrid event receive the benefit of working with someone who can help guide them towards the best current practices both in the space and with virtual production. Hybrid events will be here to stay for our foreseeable future!
“I truly believe that cultural institutions will be best positioned to spring back into hosting client events, as we have weathered this storm with buildings that reopened this past summer. Our teams have navigated how to operate safely throughout the pandemic, and so that will encompass all of the necessary tools to welcome guests safely back to events.” – Karen Roshevsky, Director of Special Events at the New-York Historical Society
JGL Foodservice Consultants & Events Moving Forward
Cultural venues around the globe have been working tirelessly to keep existing patrons and new visitors interested in their missions. The doors to these great institutions have remained open (virtually) while the physical world has been shut down. JGL applauds the creativity and tenacity that so many venues have demonstrated during this chaotic time. We are energized by the new ways in which cultural venues will be utilized moving forward to service an even wider variety of events by unlocking the world of virtual entertainment. JGL is closely monitoring the marketing, earned income potential and industry response to cultural venues that have been successful in creating hybrid event experiences. Contact JGL for more information on how your organization can offer the best of both worlds!