How to Make a Splash in Your Next Livestream
NEWS
The NFL s fully virtual 2020 draft wrapped up yesterday. For anyone who doesn t do sports, a pro draft is a lot like picking kickball teams in middle school gym class but instead of friendships there are multi-million-dollar contracts on the line. Under normal circumstances this event doesn t typically draw the same level of viewership as actual on-the-field competition. You can count on the die-hards, and football-starved fans who ll check in to get their fix.
But not this year. The 2020 NFL draft smashed all previous viewing records with 55 million viewers across various ESPNs, ABC, and the NFL network. Here is ESPN s stats flex:
Each day of the 2020 NFL draft set records, the league said. An average audience of more than 15.6 million viewers watched Round 1 on Thursday, up 37{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} over 2019. More than 8.2 million watched Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, up 40{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} over 2019, and Saturday s coverage of Rounds 4-7 averaged more than 4.2 million viewers, up 32{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} over 2019.
This year the NFL fully embraced their lock-down circumstances and opted for an entirely virtual, completely unconventional media spectacle in the form of hundreds of live feeds from the homes of players, coaches, commentators, and fans across the United States.
This concept was so cool that the core of the event (the draft itself) were eclipsed by all the color of seeing everyone s quirky home war rooms. And there were hijinks! Bears GM Ryan Pace set up 7 monitors in his dining room and briefly lost his feeds when his wife vacuumed and pulled out all the cords. Seahawks GM John Schneider had walls in his house taken down to mount 25 monitors so he could view feeds and surveil Gotham s cell phone signals to locate The Joker at the same time. Patriot s head coach Bill Belichick said screw it and let his dog handle things because he has literally nothing left to prove:
Bill Belichick s House
Now that attempt at trading Tom Brady to the 49ers makes a lot more sense.
These types of hiccups were expected, and we suspect, actually counted on to make the draft memorable. Rather than detract from the event s goals they actually add a certain realness, variety and a human element that attracts people like me who watched despite having zero investment in the draft itself. It was all the more remarkable to watch live feeds from the homes of players and their families who crowded around webcams to celebrate picks.
So how in the hell did they pull this off? Which masterminds should receive all of our jealousy and admiration?
The NFL had been flirting with virtual in the lead up to the draft already. Even initial prospect player meetings, which normally take place in person, happened over Zoom for the past month. This presented new challenges for GM s who are trying to determine whether a potential player will be a huge pain.
The virtual draft required a big effort on the part of the NFL and event organizers, who had to outfit hundreds of homes with additional routers, generators, and other IT gadgetry to manage hundreds of simultaneous live feeds:
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced picks from a studio in his basement, with more than 600 camera feeds in the homes of 85 draft prospects, 32 head coaches and general managers, as well as fans and college football coaches.
The NFL shipped two iPhones one Interview camera running native apps like FaceTime for TV interviews and the congratulatory virtual hug with the commissioner and one Always On camera running the Larix Broadcaster app and coordinated by Amazon Web Services that will showed players and families waiting to be drafted and their reaction once their name was called. One big potential bottleneck was simply the bandwidth at the players homes. If they were in an area without reliable, high-speed Internet access, quality would suffer. Because of that, prospects were asked to get in touch with their internet provider to try to increase their bandwidth.
Among other fascinating details found in this behind the scenes video, we learned the NFL actually sent special mobile phone production kits to potential draft picks, coaches and GMs to set up at home. They look pretty similar to our own recommendations for home livestream setups that we shared earlier in the month:
The NFL even had 3 call centers set up to manage feeds from these mobile setups. Here s the chart they used to keep track of them all:
Video feeds
Clear as day, right?
In addition the NFL feeds, The Famous Group curated somewhere north of 1000 fan feeds which were displayed on background monitors to approximate the experience of a live in-person crowd. The Famous Group have been working with the NFL to produce the Super Bowl since Super Bowl 40 and have staged the in-person drafts for the past few years. These were the guys behind that totally wild augmented reality raven when the Ravens clinched the AFC North in December. It s no surprise to us they were involved here too.
So, are you organizing a draft? Get in touch with us today and we ll help you realize your dream of viewing live video feeds of all of your current and future employees in their homes!
We Accept Defeat: How to Gear Your Next Event Around Your Audience s Vertical Videos
NEWS
According to FBI estimates and the Netflix series Mindhunter, there are at any given time, around 50 active serial killers operating in the United States. According to my estimates, there are at any given time, thousands upon thousands of monsters uploading vertically oriented phone videos to social media platforms. Now, I m not trying to conflate these two demographics simply by invoking them back-to-back (that s not true, that s exactly what I m doing). I m trying to make an edgy opening hook here to remind you that are plenty of confounding realities we all have to come to terms with as members of a society and unfortunately vertical videos, among other things, are part of our modern social fabric.
Admittedly, that started off pretty dark so let s bring it back around. Look, it doesn t have to be all bad. What if you could account for this at your next corporate event and then maybe it ll be better? I guess? Here s what we think.
First of all, we found this amazing series of studies by Buffer on how social media users engage different video formats. If you hail from one of our agency clients, PR firms, or ad shops, you should NOT miss the insights here- you can view the whole thing here. In their case they studied the differences in views and shares between standard landscape videos and square videos (vertical videos with bars on the top and bottom).
There is a lot to digest from that link but here are the main takeaways:
92{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of all Facebook users in this study accessed content primarily via a mobile device, so when you re planning an event with the expectation people will capture and share content, plan for that content to be viewed on a phone or tablet.
Mobile users resoundingly preferred square videos so much so that on average square videos received 30-35{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} more views and an 80-100{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} increase in engagement against landscape videos that featured the exact same content.
It s tough to argue with that.
In some ways this makes sense though. When you look at a vertical video as opposed to a landscape video on your phone you re actually utilizing 78{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} more space on your screen. Now that is A LOT of extra room for content to be displayed and shared.
@subsign at medium.com
With that in mind, there are actually some new technologies that accommodate both landscape and vertical video displays, check this out:
More and more of our shared content is vertical (not necessarily a good thing), which makes our horizontal main screens ill-suited for viewing it. Samsung aims to fix this with the Sero. This 43-inch QLED display sits on a floor stand that allows it to rotate from horizontal to vertical as needed.
See, Samsung gets it. A few of these babies rotating around to display information or stream uploaded vertical content gives you the best of both worlds. Your audience can capture the most relevant information possible in frame as needed. Keep these in mind when you re planning your next event.
I m going to leave you with a final thought. I ve heard this urban legend attributed to both Disneyland and several University of California campuses but the underlying premise is relevant. According to legend, either a very clever architect or a Disney Imagineer neglected to construct sidewalks before opening a space to the public. Why? They instead watched how people moved from place to place and THEN built walkways to accommodate the natural flow of their audience. Simple, effective, brilliant.
Our consumers want flow, not obstacles. They d like to take the most efficient path to sharing or consuming content. Personal aesthetic aside, we need to accept the way our consumers want to engage content and change everything from poster orientation and event staging to marketing for the best results.
It should be said that any ambitious and enterprising event planners (oh, Decibel Management, for example) will understand how consumers want to engage and share content and are ready address these circumstances of engagement at your next corporate event. Reach out and get your vertically oriented event goals moving today!
Links:
YouTube now properly displays vertical videos on iOS
Square vs. Landscape Video $1.5K Worth of Experiments: Here s How They Compare
The NFL Went Big *and* Stayed Home
NEWS
The NFL s fully virtual 2020 draft wrapped up yesterday. For anyone who doesn t do sports, a pro draft is a lot like picking kickball teams in middle school gym class but instead of friendships there are multi-million-dollar contracts on the line. Under normal circumstances this event doesn t typically draw the same level of viewership as actual on-the-field competition. You can count on the die-hards, and football-starved fans who ll check in to get their fix.
But not this year. The 2020 NFL draft smashed all previous viewing records with 55 million viewers across various ESPNs, ABC, and the NFL network. Here is ESPN s stats flex:
Each day of the 2020 NFL draft set records, the league said. An average audience of more than 15.6 million viewers watched Round 1 on Thursday, up 37{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} over 2019. More than 8.2 million watched Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, up 40{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} over 2019, and Saturday s coverage of Rounds 4-7 averaged more than 4.2 million viewers, up 32{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} over 2019.
This year the NFL fully embraced their lock-down circumstances and opted for an entirely virtual, completely unconventional media spectacle in the form of hundreds of live feeds from the homes of players, coaches, commentators, and fans across the United States.
This concept was so cool that the core of the event (the draft itself) were eclipsed by all the color of seeing everyone s quirky home war rooms. And there were hijinks! Bears GM Ryan Pace set up 7 monitors in his dining room and briefly lost his feeds when his wife vacuumed and pulled out all the cords. Seahawks GM John Schneider had walls in his house taken down to mount 25 monitors so he could view feeds and surveil Gotham s cell phone signals to locate The Joker at the same time. Patriot s head coach Bill Belichick said screw it and let his dog handle things because he has literally nothing left to prove:
Bill Belichick s House
Now that attempt at trading Tom Brady to the 49ers makes a lot more sense.
These types of hiccups were expected, and we suspect, actually counted on to make the draft memorable. Rather than detract from the event s goals they actually add a certain realness, variety and a human element that attracts people like me who watched despite having zero investment in the draft itself. It was all the more remarkable to watch live feeds from the homes of players and their families who crowded around webcams to celebrate picks.
So how in the hell did they pull this off? Which masterminds should receive all of our jealousy and admiration?
The NFL had been flirting with virtual in the lead up to the draft already. Even initial prospect player meetings, which normally take place in person, happened over Zoom for the past month. This presented new challenges for GM s who are trying to determine whether a potential player will be a huge pain.
The virtual draft required a big effort on the part of the NFL and event organizers, who had to outfit hundreds of homes with additional routers, generators, and other IT gadgetry to manage hundreds of simultaneous live feeds:
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced picks from a studio in his basement, with more than 600 camera feeds in the homes of 85 draft prospects, 32 head coaches and general managers, as well as fans and college football coaches.
The NFL shipped two iPhones one Interview camera running native apps like FaceTime for TV interviews and the congratulatory virtual hug with the commissioner and one Always On camera running the Larix Broadcaster app and coordinated by Amazon Web Services that will showed players and families waiting to be drafted and their reaction once their name was called. One big potential bottleneck was simply the bandwidth at the players homes. If they were in an area without reliable, high-speed Internet access, quality would suffer. Because of that, prospects were asked to get in touch with their internet provider to try to increase their bandwidth.
Among other fascinating details found in this behind the scenes video, we learned the NFL actually sent special mobile phone production kits to potential draft picks, coaches and GMs to set up at home. They look pretty similar to our own recommendations for home livestream setups that we shared earlier in the month:
The NFL even had 3 call centers set up to manage feeds from these mobile setups. Here s the chart they used to keep track of them all:
Video feeds
Clear as day, right?
In addition the NFL feeds, The Famous Group curated somewhere north of 1000 fan feeds which were displayed on background monitors to approximate the experience of a live in-person crowd. The Famous Group have been working with the NFL to produce the Super Bowl since Super Bowl 40 and have staged the in-person drafts for the past few years. These were the guys behind that totally wild augmented reality raven when the Ravens clinched the AFC North in December. It s no surprise to us they were involved here too.
So, are you organizing a draft? Get in touch with us today and we ll help you realize your dream of viewing live video feeds of all of your current and future employees in their homes!
Take A Look Behind The Most Exclusive Award Show Afterparties
NEWS
When you sit down to watch the Academy Awards or the Grammys what do you look out for?
See, we re the types of weirdos that have a group text during the Oscars with comments like, Did you catch that hot mic , or Who do you think they re using for those video back drops? or Why isn t there any love for Best Production Design?
Last week s Golden Globes kicked off the season of watching obscenely rich and attractive people congratulate each other for hours at a time on stage (see, Ricky Gervais s Golden Globes performance got to me). Mark your calendar- the Grammys are just around the corner on January 27th and the Academy Awards follow soon after on February 10th. There s not much time to rest here.
As you might imagine, the event planning scene in L.A. is in overdrive at the moment getting everything prepped for these two really high-profile events and their glitzy afterparties. Let s take a brief look at some of the event planners and event management companies, venues, and considerations involved in throwing afterparties at this caliber.
The Governor s Ball by Sequoia Productions
We know for a fact that The Governor s Ball is going to be thrown by Sequoia Productions who have been tricking out this exclusive event for the night s winners and nominees for nearly 30 years.
The ball is typically held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom, adjacent to the theatre where the main event is held. There are a handful of companies involved in making this event completely off-the-wall (see the above link) but in past years, the pastries and catering have been covered by such no-names as Wolfgang Puck and Gordon Ramsey. We re still looking out for how this year s ball is shaping up but, I mean, if there aren t 800 lobsters this year it just doesn t seem worth it. I may just turn down my invite and spend that night washing my hair.
The Vanity Fair Oscar Party by Cornucopia Events
According to Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair s Oscar Party is one of the longest standing and most exclusive afterparties for the evening. I m being snarky, but truthfully Vanity Fair always throws an opulent super-exclusive afterparty full of A-listers and other people of significant influence in Hollywood. This year s afterparty is organized by Cornucopia Events from the UK.
For a measly sum of $52,000 you too can attend the Vanity Fair after party. You just have to be willing to put on a tie (there s always a catch!).
The Grammys Official Afterparty by The Recording Academy
As far as the Grammys go the official party is an in-house production handled by the Recording Academy themselves. According to Branden Chapman, the overseer of all the major Recording Academy events prior to and immediately after the awards ceremony, the event will be hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center for nominees, awards winners and other who s whos of the pop music world. The theme of this year s afterparty has yet to be officially announced, but last year s theme was French Masquerade. Admittedly it s tough to get a good look at the party because all these random celebrities get in the way.
We highly suggest you check out that interview of Branden Chapman to read about the planning procedures for the event. It s an interesting and deeply stressful read.
Are you planning a luxurious, exclusive event filled with wealthy people of influence and celebrities? Are you Joaquin Phoenix? Reach out and get in touch with our team we d absolutely LOVE to be your new best friends and get that event started for you!
The Search for a New Greetings
NEWS
Anthony Fauci recommends against handshaking ever again. He s got a good point. Handshakes aren t that much different from coughing into someone s mouth in terms of germ transmission. As part of our ongoing coverage of COVID-19 s effect on the events industry, this week we offer you a handful of substitute no-contact greetings for events this summer.
First, some background The handshake is a time traveler, believed to have originated in Greece around 500 B.C. (it s painted on a bunch of urns and stuff). These were simpler times when people were mostly concerned with keeping track of a lot of gods and when to wear dressy togas. Anthony Fauci was but a middle-aged man warning everyone at the forum about leprosy transmission AKA the Roman Flu. In ancient Greece, the handshake was gesture of peace between strangers. It allowed both parties to demonstrate they were not holding a weapon. This is of course, extremely cool.
But I mean come on it s been 2500 years and we haven t updated it? Handshakes actually came around before Hippocrates, father of the field of medicine, was even born. They re pre-medicine. It s time for handshakes to go the way of other things of the era like armless statues, Zeus, and functional democracy. We need handshake 2.0.
I don t think any of you understand just what a huge moment this is. We have an opportunity here to create a long-lasting legacy. Inventing a new handshake will outlive pretty much everything else we do in our lifetimes no matter how big. This is the time for innovation, to establish something greater than us that generations to come will be forced to comply with out of tradition and the pressures of social convention. Whatever we standardize now will in theory be the accepted form of greeting until at least 4520 A.D.
This is why we at Decibel Labs have been hard at work, tirelessly experimenting in my parents suburban basement for the better part of a weekday morning. We present, nay gift to you, peoples of the present and future, our top candidates for handshake 2.0.
Double Foot Tap
Beginning with your left foot, raise your foot and tap the inside of your foot with the inside of your partners. Then repeat the motion with your right foot. Consider incorporating a festive hacky sack to make a good impression.
Elbowing AKA Pencing
This example truly needs no demonstration from us because it would be difficult to improve upon the master:
Raise your elbow, touch it to your partners, then hold briefly while assuming a beleaguered expression like Mike Pence at a COVID-19 press conference when he hears someone say PPE.
Enthusiastic Double Hand-Wave (Handkerchief Optional)
Take cues from every silent film clip you ve ever seen of a passenger ship departing from a harbor. Wave wildly and without care like this is the greatest part of your day. Incorporate a festive handkerchief into your wave for a bit of variety. If you are Deborah Birx, just go ahead and use one of your many stylish scarves.
Finger Guns
Nothing says I m fun like finger guns. It s like closing an email with the word cheers. In a more formal setting, consider making pew pew sound effects to round out this modern handshake alternative.
Bow with Hand Flourish
We in the west seem to have lost the art of bowing, but it s time to bring it back. This is the double/full Windsor knot of greetings in the sense that it can communicate to an entire room how important you think you are without the need to say anything. It s ostentatious in the best way! Observe:
It should be low enough that you risk dislodging your monocle. For additional flair consider a wearing a dinner jacket with coattails, or a droopy Victorian mustache.
Voguing
Voguing, the unique 1980 s dance style made well-known by Madonna, in which one moves fluidly and gracefully between poses that resemble actor headshots from the golden age of cinema. It really holds up. Strike a pose!
If you d like to add a bit of flair, whisper-yell the word vogue while holding your final pose.
The Plan 9 Salute
The Gone with the Wind of poorly executed, plotted, and acted movies offers us this gem. Draw your arms up with your hands open and cross them on your chest. Your fingertips should come to rest roughly on your clavicles. This is one quick, swift motion. It communicates fealty but self-assuredness.
The Little Rascal
This one is pretty straightforward. Bring your right hand up under your chin and waggle your fingers coquettishly.
The Vulcan Salute
Star Trek. I am apparently physically incapable of doing this. I m gifted in other ways.
The Adam West Batusi
The infamous batman dance, reprised by John Travolta in the dance contest scene of Pulp Fiction. If you re introducing a companion, perform the Batusi first, then begin introductions by referring to them as Robin, my young ward, or old chum.
Wakanda Forever
Seeing as the U.S. government has already slipped the existence of Marvel s high-tech African nation of Wakanda to the public (we re trade partners!) , it stands to reason that our new no-contact greeting should serve a greater diplomatic purpose. We recommend performing this greeting in a full-body cat suit.
Do you have an alternative greeting that s better than our suggestions? We doubt it, but if you do the best way to make an impact on the now open field of no-contact greetings is to get an event started. Make your mark on history and get in touch with us today.
Click on the Handshake 2.0 to get the animate gif.
AGDQ 2020 Should Inspire Event Planners to Embrace New Tech and Audiences
NEWS
Speedrunning? It s not parkour s boring cousin.
It s how the AGDQ gaming event pulls in millions for charity each year.
As event management experts, we re always thinking about innovative event planning processes to keep up with the times. Back in 2018 we posted a little think piece about how live events can stay relevant in the digital era (click the link for a refresher). How did our conclusions stack up, were we right on the money and a savant-level mentalist prediction machine? Eh, kinda, but stay with us here. The major takeaways here are 1) that live events need to embrace new media technologies and data analytics in order to maintain relevance and know what s working 2) that events need to connect with an audience and produce content they will love to share endlessly on social media, even long after the event is concluded.
We thought it might be a great time to revisit the major themes of this article by providing an example of a live event that makes a killing through streaming services. And here s the fun part you can check it out from your phone or computer right now.
Photo by Brian, Provided by GDQ CC4.0
We re talking about AGDQ (Awesome Games Done Quick). AGDQ is a yearly charity event that runs 24-hours a day for a full week (January 5th to 12th). The event is all about speedrunning , a practice by which gamers challenge themselves to complete a game as quickly as possible by working out optimal paths of movement, exploiting glitches to avoid huge portions of a game, and through a deep knowledge of the coding structure of the software itself. It s mad cap. Check out the highlights from last year s event.
Photo by NotManda, Provided by GDQ CC4.0
While GDQ s summer event is always held in Minneapolis, AGDQ has bounced around a bit. This year s event is held at the illustrious Double Tree Hilton in Orlando, Florida. It s like, right by Universal Studios. You know the one.
At each AGDQ, nearly 200 gamers, as representatives of game-specific speedrunning communities are invited to come in and perform speedruns in front of a live audience. Commentary and explanations of each speedrun s tricks are supplied by additional experts on-site in real time. All the while, each run is streamed through Twitch and Youtube and viewers at home are invited to send donations for the event s chosen charity (Prevent Cancer Foundation). It s as much a thrill to watch the donation counter tick upwards throughout the week as it is to watch some guy smash Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom in 15 minutes on a Playstation 2. Really, you d be surprised.
Sounds lame? Well guess what, during GDQ s summer weeklong event SGDQ 2019 brought in just over 3 million dollars for Doctors Without Borders from over 51,000 donations. Since AGDQ began in 2010, they ve raised 22.3 million dollars for charities. Let that sink in. They could ve bought this sick yacht with a jacuzzi by now.
Photo by Arael, Provided by GDQ CC4.0
Photo by NotManda, Provided by GDQ CC4.0
As you might imagine, holding TWO events like this each year is an incredible undertaking. Just think of what an absolute nightmare the scheduling is! Video submissions from gamers are collected months prior to the event. From there, event planners Mike Uyama and Kasumi Yogi aren t just tasked with whittling through the submissions and choosing the best videos. Human error and even plain old bad luck on runs must be expected and taken into account. What if a speedrunner chokes and loses 3 minutes on their live run? Will it throw off the whole week? Keeping a non-stop event like this on schedule in spite of all the variables in play is an achievement. You can check out their scheduling and submission rules to see how they ve handled this challenge.
Photo by Arael, Provided by GDQ CC4.0
Events like AGDQ succeed because the organizers go through great lengths to make an event that accommodates and celebrates the eccentric skills and cultural milieus of its target audience. They re embracing technologies and online platforms their communities are already using year-round to hone their skills. AGDQ provides a key service it s a meeting ground where otherwise separate, niche communities come together and get the rockstar treatment despite having an otherwise pretty unmarketable skill. The loyalty and sense of belonging it inspires translates into donations participation in the community and event means kicking a few dollars to a charity to support your speedrunning comrades.
Keep these in mind while you set your event goals and reach out to the event management experts at Decibel Management we d love to partner with you to bring your event to the next level!
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Check out the schedule to see when your favorite game is getting slayed:
https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule
Check out the action live here:
https://www.twitch.tv/gamesdonequick
Confused by the lingo? This glossary of speedrunning terms should help:
https://www.gamecrate.com/speedrunning-terminology-glossary/17892
Want to see how the internet is reacting to AGDQ? Hit up their subreddit:
So NFL, About that COVID Plan
LIVE EVENTS, NEWS
You know what? Let s talk about sports. That s a nice safe topic right? Can we all just be chill and talk about the NFL for a few minutes without anything bad happening? Can we just have that, universe?
We spent the summer watching the various ways different pro-sports leagues tried to push forward despite the circumstances. The MLB had an interesting strategy at the outset: test players constantly, maintain social distancing, keep the stands empty and pipe in crowd noise to the telecasts. That worked really well until a bunch of players got COVID like 5 minutes after the national anthem wrapped up.
The NBA by contrast created their Disney COVID bubble where players would live, hang out and play in a closed system. While this method was quite restrictive, it did actually work. Like it really worked. The NBA just wrapped up their their 2020 season with the Lakers winning their 17th NBA Championship title and (even more impressively) ZERO COVID cases.
We had zero positive tests for as long as we were here, MVP Lebron James said. That s a success for everybody that was involved.
Enter the NFL. This is likely the most challenging sport to pull off during a pandemic since gameplay requires 22 players to be packed into tight spaces where they just breathe on each other and occasionally move the ball 4 yards in either direction.
After putting on an excellent virtual draft back in the Spring, we expected the NFL to be absolutely on top of their game for their kick-off on September 10th. So how did the opening games pan out? What precautions has the league taken to ensure the safety of their players and confidence in their schedule?
Well, the biggest issues with the season plan were theoretically hammered out at the tail end of July. If any of you sports fans recall, the NFL and NFL Player s Association came to a lengthy agreement that included extensive testing, strict training regiments, new salary caps, roster changes, and everything else imaginable and unimaginable.
The NFL/NFLPA agreement is seriously exhaustive. There s pages of requirements detailing things like how air should be circulated in indoor stadiums. There s new rules about who teams can send out to witness the coin toss. There s rules about masks. There s even rules about how loud the piped-in crowd noise is allowed to be across the league so as not to provide an advantage to one franchise over another. Seriously.
And while the NFL teams would not be playing in a bubble like their NBA counterparts, the amount of logistical work that went into new rules for play suggests the NFL was at least as serious about protecting the health of their players as they were in protecting their finances. And really, that s just about the best we can all hope for this year.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) carries the ball against the Houston Texans in the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Another point of departure that the NFL took from other professional sports leagues was in the allowance of some stadiums to seat actual fans. Each franchise has been allowed to apply their own rules to live attendance based on local pandemic conditions, and the complete list of who is selling tickets can be found here. While some franchises like the Denver Broncos will only allow family and friends of the players to view games, the Kansas City Chiefs actually allowed 16,000 fans to spread out across their 70,000 seat stadium. This arrangement can be seen well here, as fans boo the Chiefs and Giants standing in silent unity to call attention to police brutality (btw, have you registered to vote?). The New England Patriots and several other franchises haven t ruled out the possibility of hosting fans until later in the season but did commit to keeping their stadiums empty at least through September.
Now aside from that unpleasantness in Kansas City, the remainder of opening weekend seemed to have gone off rather smoothly, albeit with a slight drop in viewership from past years. So clearly, the NFL seems to have figured this out and the rest of the season should go smoothly and as scheduled. There s no story here.
Oh no, wait. Hang on.
Yeah, nevermind. Actually there s COVID everywhere.
As rough as the NFL s opening weekend was, that seems to have thus far been the high point of the 2020-21 season. But don t just take it from me, I m only capable of informative snark. Here s ESPN s Dan Graziano with a breathless, dramatic rundown of the state of things at Week 5:
Already the most exhausting season in history, the 2020 NFL campaign now peeks its head around the corner into Week 5 amid cacophonous calamity. Every morning brings fresh news of positive COVID-19 tests, schedule delays, amended protocols, questions that spawn more questions. Two games were postponed last week, and two more already have been postponed this week. The Tennessee Titans are under investigation and have been banned from their own facility for 10 days so far. The New England Patriots two best players have tested positive for the coronavirus, and they haven t practiced yet this week after playing on Monday night. Both teams Week 5 opponents wait for final word on whether and when they might play. No one knows where the next COVID-19-related issue will start, only that it will, and bring with it even more questions and complications.
This week has seen some major changes to the regular season schedule to accommodate teams battling COVID. In the short term, the NFL just issued several changes to their management plan in response to the virus moving through the Patriots as quickly and easily as an opposing team breaks through their offensive line. Anyone exposed to COVID and anyone that person has come in contact with are now required to isolate for a minimum of 5 days, even if it means missing a game.
The NFL is now actually reconsidering the NBA s bubble strategy for the post-season and are potentially looking at Dallas and Los Angeles as their bubble sites before the Super Bowl takes place in Tampa Bay as scheduled.
So there you go. It was a nice try, NFL. Here s hoping things get back on track and everyone stays safe and virus-free for the remainder of the season.
What Does This Have to Do with Your Next Event Plan?
Are you planning to pull together your professional sports franchise for the 2021 season? For real, one of these is bound to be perfectly fine. Isn t that how the law of averages works? We re looking at you XFL third time s a charm.
In all seriousness, here at Decibel Events we look at each of these leagues, individual franchises and major events for key takeaways on what to do, but also more importantly what NOT to do going forward.
When it comes to these major sports seasons, it appears that only the bubble has worked so far. Does that mean that you need to do a bubble to successfully host your next conference or corporate meeting? Not necessarily. It s important to evaluate your ultimate goals with each event, and we re great at doing just that. Reach out to us today to see how we can help you plan and put on your next company event both safely AND successfully.
Missing Live Events? Here is a Look Back at Six That Went off in 2021
BACKSTAGE, EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, LIVE EVENTS, PRODUCTION, VENUES, VIRTUAL EVENTS
Remember 2019? Back when there were large-scale events held. Maybe one that you had attended previously, maybe one that you hadn t ever attended before but you felt it was time to check it out. So, you d make plans to attend. You d buy tickets. You d make travel arrangements. You d book childcare. You d buy a new outfit. You d attend the event. You d take lots of pictures. You d have a great time. And then, you d wash, rinse, and repeat with another large-scale event a month or two later. Ah, good old 2019.
And then, remember 2020? COVID swept the nation and the world and all large-scale events were canceled or postponed. Some were held as virtual events. There were no travel arrangements to be made. No childcare required. Maybe some new pajamas or sweatpants were in order. You bought your first Zoom Shirt (yes, it s a thing). No photos taken, what s the point. It was a meh event. It was a meh year.
And then 2021 rolled around, and along with it a vaccine for COVID. Contraction rates improved. People felt cautiously optimistic about being around others again, with vaccine cards, hand sanitizer, and masks in tow. Some travel was booked. Babysitters began emerging from their COVID-induced exile. New outfits were acquired. And event attendance began to resume.
Here we take a look at six of those large-scale events that went off in 2021.
Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics
In a move that is sure to leave future generations scratching their heads in confusion, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) opted to keep the Toyko 2020 branding for the summer Olympics, despite the event being postponed by one year from 2020 to 2021. Tokyo 2020 was described as an unprecedented demonstration of unity and solidarity as the world came together for the first time following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic for an Olympic Games focused on the pure essentials: a celebration of athletes and sport.
From performance-enhancing drug use to boycotts to claims of corruption to participation restrictions, the Olympics are one of the more scandal-ridden large-scale events, and Tokyo 2020 was no exception. Controversies included:
- Tokyo reporting record-breaking numbers of COVID cases days after the Olympics began, and only a quarter of eligible citizens being reported as fully vaccinated as the Olympics got underway;
- Extreme heat which in itself isn t particularly controversial, but the fact that the Olympic bid lied about anticipated weather conditions, claiming mild and sunny weather and an ideal climate for athletes to perform their best made global headlines;
- Beloved American gymnast Simone Biles withdrawing from multiple events due to mental health concerns; and
- Reactions from competitors and the general public alike around the inclusion of the first openly transgender athlete, Laurel Hubbard.
The final price tag on the event? Officially, $15.4 billion, although estimates put the actual price tag at closer to $25 billion.
Watch: The most emotional moments at Tokyo 2020
Superbowl LV
Tom Brady led his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a decisive 31 9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in front of what can only be described as a one-of-a-kind audience that included 30,000 cardboard cut-outs, 7,500 comped health care workers, The Weeknd, a hologram of deceased NFL legend Vince Lombardi, a hairy male streaker in a hot pink thong, Miley Cyrus, and 14,500 football fans. This was an expensive party to attend with tickets starting at $8,000 and going as high as $40,000. It was an ever more expensive party to advertise at with a thirty second ad setting advertisers back by $5.6 million, equating to just over a nickel for each of the 96.4 million viewers.
Watch: 10 Best Superbowl Commercials 2021
Met Gala 2021
Fashion s biggest night out was held on September 13. The Met Gala, which has also been affectionately referred to as an ATM for the Metropolitan Museum of Art was more scaled down this year after being canceled in 2020, for only it s third time in the events 73-year history. The theme for this year was American independence and Black Lives Matter protestors were congregated outside while attendees rocked can t-look-away outfits indoors including a 3D head horse bustier (Kim Petras), a gold suit of armor on top of a crystal-inspired bodysuit (Lil Nas X), and a map-patterned, ruffled-sleeved outfit portraying two men kissing (Dan Levy).
Watch: The Met Gala 2021 Red Carpet Arrivals
Big Weekend 2021
Big Weekend, hosted by BBC Radio 1, is the United Kingdom s largest music festival. The 2021 iteration of the event was four days long (running from May 28 31) and featured a variety of popular artists who filmed their 100+ performances at a wide range of iconic backdrops. Like Coldplay, who played their set at Whitby Abbey. Or Ed Sheeran who performed with a lovely English countryside backdrop. Or Royal Blood who performed from a pier. Attendees took it all in online from the comfort of their home.
Watch: Top Ten Big Weekend 2021 Sets
Library of Congress National Book Festival
With an incredibly timely theme of Open a Book, Open the World , the National Book Festival was jam-packed this year with a wide range of programs and formats. With an amazing vision from the Librarian of Congress and some great hosts including LaVar Burton and Dolly Parton, the event was flawless. From virtual live events to author interviews to a national television special to free in-person events, this year s festival nicely bridged the worlds of live, virtual, and on-demand events. This literary event, initially founded by Laura Bush in 2001, featured over 100 of the nation s best authors, poets, and illustrators.
Watch: 35 On-Demand Videos from the 2021 National Book Festival
93rd Academy Awards
And the Oscar went to well, lots of different movies, thespians, and supporting personnel, but Nomadland cleaned up quite nicely this year, taking the award for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. Originally scheduled for February 28th, the event was moved up to April 25th due to COVID safety concerns, and only nominees and presenters were permitted to attend. The public response to this scaled back version of the Academy Awards was lukewarm at best. As Mike Hale from the New York Times described, it was more like a cross between the Golden Globes and the closing-night banquet of a long, exhausting convention. The trade-off whether because of the smaller crowd, the social distancing, or the sound quality in the cavernous space was what felt like a dead room, both acoustically and emotionally. There were powerful and moving speeches, but they didn t seem to be generating much excitement, and when the people in the room aren t excited, it s hard to get excited at home. As my cat would say, meow .
Watch: Highlights from the 93rd Academy Awards
Well, there you have it. Six event staples that helped to pave the way for a live event return to pre-COVID times. If your organization is in the market for an event to mark the long-awaited return to pre-COVID times, Decibel Events has you covered!
The Halftime: And Other Badass Stuff from Super Bowl LV
BACKSTAGE, EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, LIVE EVENTS
Super Bowl LV was a monumental event for one reason and one reason only: it happened.
Sure, Tom Brady s indefatigable right arm was MVP, but to pull off the country s most watched event without compromising production quality mid global pandemic was truly an epic feat.
The game meh. While the game itself wasn t super memorable, here are some moments we won t soon forget:
The Triple Bomber Flyover
The Air Force executed the first ever Super Bowl flyover featuring all three of its bombers, including America s oldest bomber, the B-52H, which has been in service longer than the Big Game has been played.
Extreme precision was required to execute the tight flyover over Raymond James Stadium, timed perfectly to coincide with the final note of the Star-Spangled Banner. It was one of those blink-and-you ll-miss-it moments, and utterly flawless.
Fun fact: the three bombers aircraft designations add up to 55 (B-1, B-2 & B-52), which is why, despite the pandemic complications, the tribute had to happen this year.
The Super Bowl Streaker Who Made Bank
With five minutes left on the game clock, a 31-year-old man dressed in a hot pink, atomic-wedgie-style one-piece bared his ass, ran like the wind, and netted $374,000. WHAT? Read on.
Yuri Andrade had a plan. He had a friend place a $50,000 bet that there would be a streaker at the Super Bowl, and then convinced another buddy to fake a streak of his own, in order to allow Andrade the opportunity to slip past security.
Unburdened by the weight of clothing, and surprisingly nimble, Yuri Andrade juked one security guard out of his shoes before finishing his 100-yard dash with a triple tackle in the end zone.
Though live footage quickly cut to commercial, Andrade s streak was immortalized on the interwebs and Twitter, providing the proof needed to collect his cash.
And in true idiot fashion, he bragged about his plan, resulting in serious questions whether he will actually get paid the big bucks for his cheeky stunt, or fade away into obscurity as a naked dude with a big mouth and 15-minutes of fame.
The Un-Centered Stage
It took place in the center of the game, but not in the center of the stadium. This year s Super Bowl halftime show was the first to NOT be held completely at center field with an impressive 6-minute setup time.
Due to COVID safety measures, 15-year Super Bowl halftime veteran planner Bruce Rogers and his team at Tribe, Inc., were only allowed to use one tunnel onto the field. So, they decided to build the stage in the stands and make it 3x bigger.
The elaborate stage they designed over the north end-zone concourse still had to have two modes: Game Time and Half Time. Even though only 20{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of the stadium seats were filled with real people (yes, we have to specify that, as a majority of the seats housed cardboard cutouts of fans), those real people still had to use the 3 existing fire aisles for bathroom breaks and concession runs.
During Game Time, the set was covered with game graphics by Blue Media, had open aisles for guests, had clear sightlines to the field, and embedded an important CBS sideline camera.
In Half Time mode, the aisles were filled with decks, locking in several upstage decks and light carts. Lights and audio were positioned, and rail cams, tower cams and three cable cams came forward for the critical story-telling shots.
The Weeknd s Year Long Story
Storytelling is very important to The Weeknd, and in the year since he released his most recent album, After Hours, he s been showing up to major events bruised, bloodied and bandaged in more and more extreme versions of what he refers to as The Character.
He explained his year-long antics:
The significance of the entire head bandage is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated, The Weeknd said. It s all a progression, and we watch The Character s storyline hit heightened levels of danger and absurdity as his tale goes on.
The bandaged face theme did fit flawlessly into the coronavirus safety measures for the many, MANY backup dancers each of them completely masked as they took up the entire football field for the final number.
Our goal was to find a way to present an exciting show and to not necessarily bow down to the COVID monster, said Bruce Rogers.
All things considered, they nailed it.
Elevating the Ambiance: 5 Awesome Ideas for New Year s Eve Events
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT COLLATERAL, EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EVENT RESOURCES, EXPERIENTIAL, LIVE EVENTS, NEWS, PRODUCTION, TIPS & TRICKS
We don t do boring. Event management requires a high level of creativity. The ability to create inspired, original experiences is the mark of a competent and compelling event management team. At Decibel, we do exactly that. We re not simply talking about big-picture issues here. Consistency and attention to minor details elevate an event from average to exceptional.
Organizing events requires detailed planning and execution, design, marketing, production, stage management, and more. With New Year s Eve around the corner, here are five awesome ideas that can elevate a party s ambiance:
1. Immersive Experiences:
Taking advantage of technological creativity for entertainment purposes allows you to give your event an innovative, immersive aspect. Incorporating interactive displays and all-encompassing experiences will ensure your party is a memorable one. Cater to all five senses, mixed with thematic elements and story driven content. These elements can elevate your event from a typical end-of-year party to an unforgettable experience.
2. Creative Themes and Venues:
Theme and venue are paramount when it comes to event planning. On one hand, you need to make sure your venue aligns with your theme, while, on the other hand, it should check all logistical boxes for your unique event. Get creative, go bold. Try hosting your party in a museum, art gallery, brewery, or a bold architectural space.
3. Phone Charging Stations:
What s worse than an empty phone battery at a party? We ve got you. Include smart charging stations at crowded parties and events to give your guests the opportunity to charge their phones safely. They can pick up a portable battery, charge their phones, and return the battery to any station. These stations are present in many venues, including the Las Vegas Convention Center or MGM Grand Garden Arena.
4. Go Live With 3D Virtual Platforms:
Virtual and hybrid events can be just as entertaining, interactive, and professionally produced as in-person ones. When going live on a 3D platform, virtual guests can create their own holographic avatars that can run, jump, wave, dance, and do other things, making them perfect for participating in any party! Webcams on avatars may be turned on and off, allowing for live presentations or face-to-face chats. Attendees can also keep digital information in a briefcase to view or download directly to their devices.
5. Crowd Control Solutions:
When planning large scale events, there are a few safety measures one should consider. Floor mapping, organizing crowd control solutions, and COVID safety measures are essential for a safe and secure event. After being under lockdown and separated for two years, the intensity of the audience must be considered. Our team at Decibel provides custom plans for our clients in order to maintain safety and ensure a successful event every time. This is something not to forget.
We hope you have a very Happy New Year s Eve and wish you the absolute best for the upcoming year!
Want to learn more about planning and executing a successful NYE party? Reach out to our team of experts and we ll get it handled.