Tag: liveevents

Lollapalooza said ????to COVID-19 and ????to music

EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, PRODUCTION

How Did Lollapalooza s Virtual Festival Pan Out?

So, this hasn t exactly been a great year for music festivals.  Coachella s annual April festival was delayed to Octoberand other big destination fests like Stagecoach, Bonnaroo, and SXSW were canceled outright in the Spring.

That s why we were surprised to learn on July 27th that C3 s Lollapalooza would move ahead with their annual August festival as planned, but as an entirely virtual affair.  

Now sure, this certainly isn t the first virtual music event to take place this year.  If you all remember, way back in March (we were so young and naive then) Elton John hosted a number of performances from his stunning, spacious mansion for an iHeartRadio benefit concert.  It s one thing to livestream DJs or solo artists from their home setups. It s an entirely another challenge to accommodate full bands that require multiple performers and other personnel singing and breathing in the same place.

Which is why, all things considered, we were actually pretty impressed by the way Lollapalooza handled that challenge.  Their free Youtube event dubbed Lolla2020, took place from July 30th to August 2nd and featured home setups, interviews, live soundstage performances, and never before seen archival recordings from past festivals.  This gave us some insights into how we might expect Coachella to pan out, and offered an interesting concept that festival organizers would be wise to use in a post-COVID environment to maintain hype year round.

One of the biggest challenges that Lollapalooza managed well was anchoring the setting of the event.  How did Lollapalooza integrate its home turf of Chicago into its virtual experience?

Well on top of a slew of Chicago acts on the bill like Chance the Rapper, interviews with key Chicago figures like Michelle Obama and Lori Lightfoot were also billed as a central part of the experience.  Even the Chicago Bulls were part of a live event collaboration featuring Polo G, Wendell Carter Jr., and Zach LaVine.  

Events like the Democratic convention, which we discussed previously, have gone to great lengths to virtually reinforce the notion that the event is taking place in Milwaukee, even without most major events or speeches taking place on site.  Utilizing local organizations, drawing on local artists, and involving local luminaries is a great strategy for actually grounding your virtual event somewhere.

As we mentioned above, livestreamed performances are no longer newsworthy.  Everyone with a webcam and an acoustic guitar has proven that to be the case since March. So how do you make a virtual concert an unmissable experience now?

Well, one great way to do that is to really make it live.  There are no VODs.  If you missed it, then you really missed it, unless you manage to find pirated videos floating around somewhere.

While the archival gigs were briefly interesting to see (mostly because no one was social distancing!), special reunions from bands like Jane s Addiction, one-off performances by Metallica or a rare Lupe Fiasco performance turned the event into spectacle. 

The diversity of the streams also made for an entirely unique event that would just not have worked in person.  Salesforce sponsored LL Cool J s 4-part series on the pillars of hip-hop, providing audiences advice on breaking, DJing, graffiti, and MCing from one of hip-hop s undisputed masters. 

Interviews with everyone from Metallica s Lars Ulrich to Michelle Obama touched on a variety of topics and kept the event lively and engaging. 

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One of the more unfortunate aspects of this event for me as that I had to finally admit I m not up to speed with the young people anymore.  While the internet was ablaze with chatter about H.E.R., I was completely jazzed about this Porno for Pyros reunion so I could throw on some flannel and party like its 1996.

If you re looking to pull off a virtual music event over the next 6 months, Lollapalooza is a great starting point to develop your concept. Get in touch with us today to make that happen!

Virtual Democratic National Convention

EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, LIVE EVENTS, POLITICAL

FINALLY. It s political convention season. Doesn t it seem like this campaign has been going on for our entire lives? 

But seeing as the United States remains in the throes of COVID s first wave, how will the conventions function? What will happen to all the red, white, and blue paraphernalia of past events? The cutting-edge staging setups with pyrotechnics? Or Lenny Kravitz? How will we get a repeat of this moment from 2016 when it appears the retirement-age Clintons just discovered balloons for the very first time?

Think of the memes democrats!

Due to COVID, it seems this year each party is forced to hold a more subdued virtual convention focused on things like the formal delegate voting process to confirm a presidential candidate, updating party platforms to reflect current political realities, and hosting speeches from notable rising party leaders to introduce ambitious new goals to the national public. You know, the important stuff. It ll be a throwback to the Eisenhower era when smallpox was a hoax and the president often expressed a fondness for his good friend Khrushchev in the Kremlin.

Now, you may have noticed I just said BOTH parties. Portions of the Republican convention were moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida last month. While the actual party convention functions like writing an updated party platform will still be held by party leadership in Charlotte, the super-sweet-sixteen-everyone-pay-attention-to-me-its-my-special-day portion  will be held in Jacksonville. 

These plans may once again change due to Florida s new outbreak. Florida s current daily case numbers have been higher than the total daily case count in all of Europe for the past week, a development surprising to literally no one outside of Florida.  Governor DeSantis has mandated masks be worn indoors and gatherings allow a maximum 50 people, throwing the key goals of the convention into disarray.  Will it be cancelled?  Will it be virtual?  We ll be back with a part 2 once the RNC comes to a consensus on how to move forward with their planned festivities.

So right now, we can really only explore the current plans for the virtual Democratic National Convention.

The Democratic Convention will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from August 17^th to 20^th, but what does this really mean if the convention is largely virtual?

Some portions of the event will be held in Milwaukee s Wisconsin Center. The anchor location of the event was moved from Fiserv Forum at the end of June to accommodate extensive public health requirements. Presumptive nominee Biden s official acceptance speech will take place in-person at the center, but it remains to be seen how many, if any, spectators will be invited for a live viewing. There is no word yet whether or not the to-be-announced vice-presidential nominee will be joining him.

Put this one in the perk column. As a Chicagoan, I d like to say one of the best things about this virtual convention is that you no longer have to go to Milwaukee. When God closes a door, He opens a window.

The convention initially had 1,500 total events on the books. These additional speeches and satellite events that would normally be attended by up to 50,000 total people will not be taking place in Milwaukee or have been cancelled all together. Instead, socially distanced events and speeches from party leaders will be held at locations and landmarks across the country, with the actual convention center in Milwaukee acting as an anchor point from which these virtual events can be emceed and various live feeds can be managed. 

The virtual event will be produced by Ricky Kirshner who has been producing the Democratic Convention since 1992.  Kirshner has also done the Tony s, the Super Bowl, and he actually has 9 Emmy s.  You read that right.  He didn t produce the Emmy s 9 times. He s won 9 Emmy s for his production work. Respect.

And finally, as we said above one of the key purposes of party conventions is for state delegates to cast votes for their chosen candidates and officially confirm the party s presidential nominee. Several states are still in the process of selecting their delegates to send to the national convention due to COVID-related delays. The Delaware DNC, for example, are expected to virtually cast their votes to choose state delegates using Google forms this month. 

The DNC has specifically relaxed it rules for state delegates to cast their votes virtually. We re still waiting to see how the DNC plans to collect votes at the convention but Delaware s straightforward voting strategy leaves us with some confidence that lessons were learned from Iowa s Caucus App debacle. Keep track of our Instagram for updates as we learn them!

Are you a member of the RNC looking to take your convention virtual? We can handle that!

An Event Planner s Worst Nightmare: Inaugural Edition

BACKSTAGE, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, LOL, POLITICAL

5 Times Throughout History the Presidential Inauguration Didn t Go Quite According to Plan

The 2021 Inauguration is here. A day that changes history and this year certainly is a big one. While everyone has their eyes on Capitol Hill, our event planner vision has us peeking behind the curtain.

It takes a lot to plan a presidential inauguration, and as every event producer knows, events of this scale don t always go according to plan. We decided to take a fun look back at the epic fails (do people still say that?) from inaugural s past, complete with some of our own experiences sprinkled in.

#5 1865: Andrew Johnson was Hammered at the Inauguration

???????? 1865. At the second inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, Vice President-elect Andrew Johnson had the bright idea to manage a bout of typhoid fever with a giant jug of whiskey. He ended up absolutely hammered before the inauguration and was booted off the dais. (Sidebar: bummer social media wasn t around back then, after leaving office, he d have scored a sponsorship with EmergenC.) 

Decibel has produced hundreds of events over the years, and we have thankfully only encountered this scenario a handful of times. Most memorably at an award ceremony for a government agency helmed by a Cabinet-Level appointee.

One of the winners came in hot + over-served, and when it was time to accept their award, they hip-checked the Secretary and commandeered the mic to give an acceptance speech even though no speeches were planned. ????

We needed to manage the situation with the least amount of disturbance. We queued up loud award music with our audio engineer, and ballyhoo with our lighting tech, and when the drunk awardee took a pause in remarks, we hit the cue, cut the mic, played the music, moved the lights, and our awesome ASM came out with the proverbial Vaudeville Hook maneuver to walk them offstage.

End result? Looked like it was planned. Yeah, we can handle that.

#4 1961: JFKs Lectern Catches Fire

???????? 1961: The inauguration of JFK. As the cardinal was mid-invocation, the podium caught fire. Turns out the electric motor used to adjust the podium s height shorted out.

The fire was quickly extinguished by Secret Service, and the inauguration continued without further incident, but srsly, can you imagine that After Action report?!

Rest assured, when we say Decibel s events are ????, we mean metaphorical fire never, ever literal.

#3 1873: The Champagne & Canaries Froze

???????? 1873: This is a sad one. It was so damn cold at Ulysses S. Grant s 2nd presidential inauguration in 1873, that the celebratory canaries (yes, that was a thing), froze to death. ???? 

The 16 degree windy weather had the same impact on the celebratory champagne. History books don t attribute Grant s frigid inaugural to the invention of fros , but that s a leap we re willing to take. 

We ve encountered our share of adverse weather, from the double hurricane that hit while we were managing a bus tour in Florida, to the time torrential storms in DC dumped so much rain that we had to slice the roofs off a few tents to avoid collapse under the weight. 

Decibel never compromises on safety, #period. We have developed a long-standing relationship with #WeatherDecisionTechnologies and have come to depend on their trusted, hyper-specific forecasting services. Through their team, we are assigned a dedicated meteorologist to stay on top of the situation for the total duration of our outdoor events.

Because if your event isn t a success, neither are we. So yeah, we can handle that.

#2 1973: Nixon s Bird Shit Remediation Greatly Backfires

???????? 1973: Understatement: Richard Nixon didn t care for bird ????. So much so, that he asked the route be sprayed with chemical repellent. Reader: that was not the move. 

The poisonous chemicals resulted in a path covered with dead birds. (What is with dead birds & inaugurals??) 

Let s be clear Decibel Events is highly environmentally conscious, and we love birds and animals of all kinds. We haven t nor would we ever use dangerous chemicals at our events, however, we have some experience with shit the discourse kind.

One of our recent large-scale virtual events was free and open to the public, so our client understandably, wanted a profanity filter in place. We worked with their internal counsel and social team to develop a comprehensive list of profane words. 

The list not only included standard profanities, but also social media work-arounds (shit vs s h i t with spaces). Turns out that when we imported the CSV, it uploaded each individually spaced letter as a curse word. In other words, every word that contained an s was blocked. ????

It took our team nearly 24 hours to trace back why we were blocking so many non-profane words, right in time for the event to go off without a hitch. So yeah, we can f****ng handle that.

#1 2021: Due to the Global Pandemic We Are (Mainly) Virtual Again

????????2021: Yup, we re going virtual. Joe Biden s parade will be the first ever virtual presidential inauguration parade, due to COVID-19. 

Inaugural planners say they re going to celebrate America s heroes, highlight Americans from all walks of life, and reflect the country s diversity, heritage and resilience. 

We know first-hand that switching to virtual can create a new host of problems, but  know  that the Presidential Inaugural Committee shares in our yeah, we can handle that attitude. 

Our advice to #prfirms #adagencies & #eventprofs: Tune in. Take notes. Democracy doesn t wait, and we don t either.

Bonus: Forklifts for Dead Horses

????????Bonus: This one is more of an urban legend, shared among #eventprofs in hushed tones . 

Horses are a crowd favorite during the before-times presidential parade. But if one happened to pass away en route, everything could literally stop in its tracks. 

Event planners prepare for this heartbreaking scenario with two forklifts on standby, and the fervent wish they re never needed. This is hardly a fun fact, and absolutely our worst nightmare, but yeah, we can handle it.

Drowning In Content: How Can Live Events Stay Relevant In The Digital Age

BRAND ACTIVATIONS & MARKETING, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, LIVE EVENTS

We all feel it the digital monsoon. Every time you open your inbox, search google, see yet another cat video. We are all literally drowning in digital content everyday.

Here s some perspective for every minute on the web:

• Email users send 204,000,000 messages
• Google receives over 4,000,000 search queries
• Blog writers post 1400 new blog posts
• Facebook users share 2,460,000 pieces of content
• Twitter users tweet 277,000 times
• Amazon makes $83,000 in online sales
• Tinder users swipe 416,667 times
• Whats App users share 347,222 photos
• Instagram users post 216,000 new photos
• Pandora users listen to 61,141 hours of music
• Apple users download 48,000 apps
• Yelp users post 26,380 reviews
• Skype users connect for 23,300 hours
• Vine users share 8,333 videos
• Pinterest users pin 3,472 images
• Youtube users upload 72 hours of new video

How do you measure a year? In 525,600 minutes, which is a universe worth of content available at everyone s fingertips.

So, how in the digital overgrowth can live events even survive, much less remain relevant? Well all of us here at Decibel Management believe that live events are more important now than ever. Actually providing a face-to-face experience in the age of digital interactions is pivotal. But, the game has changed. No longer can event marketers rely on old standby strategies to be impactful. Here s what to pay attention to:

Always-on Engagement

Experiences are no longer consumed in a vacuum. Social media has ensured that. Yesterday, we watched a giraffe being born while simultaneously attending a business presentation and side convo-ing with a guy in South Africa about how great the surf was looking. Everything we do, see, experience and learn is readily and often shared these days. In other words, everything is connected. Just try asking your watch if you have any new emails.

Obviously, engagement with your audience starts long before the actual event now but, keeping those audiences (both on the ground and out in the digital stratosphere) engaged is a challenge.

So what are the implications of this phenomena?

1. Your content has to be on point and on message.
2. Your event needs to embrace new digital platforms regularly.

Solid content will beg to be shared by your audience so, set them up for success from the beginning.

Data, Data, Data

More data means more information more information means more insights more insights means better customization. Events need to capitalize on the immense wealth of data available to create integrated, seamless online and offline customer experience.

For example, ever feel like Google knows what you are actually searching for before you even type into the search box. You know why? Because they do actually know because they have the data about you. We know it s creepy but it works. Kind of like Tim Curry.

As technology and customer data continues to infiltrate our day-to-day lives, demands and expectations increase. Data is the key to staying ahead of the curve.

So while the live event world is changing in light of how people experience things and interact in the digital age, a true in-person and face-to-face experience is one of the most impactful ways to reach your customer, especially given the amount of content constantly bombarding our screen. And that is where Decibel Management steps in to help.

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.

NBC s Olympics The Technology Behind The Triumphs

EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, LIVE EVENTS, NEWS, PRODUCTION

With 180 commentators covering over 7000 hrs of footage, NBC s coverage of the Tokyo Olympics was the largest of any media organization. While relying somewhat on the Olympic Broadcasting Service, NBC also provided a lot of its own infrastructure and team, including over 3000 employees across the world, and dozens of broadcast booths both in Tokyo and their American base in Stamford, Connecticut. 

Source:Twitter/PlanarSystems

The Raw Numbers

NBC s 2021 effort included:

• 8,000: Number of miles that the Rings Across America marketing activation will drive across the country
• 7,000: Total programming hours across NBCUniversal
• 6,745: Miles between Stamford, Conn., and Tokyo, Japan
• 5,500+: Hours of coverage across NBC Sports Digital platforms (NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app)
• 1964: Year that marked NBC s first-ever coverage of an Olympic Games for the Tokyo Olympics
• 1,800: Approximate number of domestic-based NBC Olympics employees
• 1,600: Approximate number of NBC Olympics employees on-site in Tokyo
• 180: Number of commentators on NBC Olympics talent roster
• 41: Number of sports that will be contested in Tokyo, comprising 339 medal events
• 28: Broadcast booths located at NBC Sports International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.
• 17: Consecutive nights of primetime coverage on the NBC broadcast network
• 13: Number of hours Tokyo is ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone
• 4: Production trucks based at NBC Sports International Broadcast Center

Source:Twitter/SVG_Brandon

The Technology Behind The Visuals

It may be surprising to learn, but the technology used to film NBC s Olympics coverage has the same brand logos you d see on our own camera equipment. NBC partnered with a number of camera companies but relied heavily on Sony for its state-of-the-art 4K digital cameras that could stream directly to their base at the press center. Over a hundred Sony cameras were used throughout the weeks, and were complemented by thousands of sony monitors for viewing at events, in the broadcast center, and back in America.

Of course, while enjoying the best in digital video capturing from Sony, NBC also recognized that the best lenses for their cameras may not come from the same company. Instead, they reached out to Canon, who supplied them with next-generation UHD lenses, the only of their kind to allow for long-zoom fieldwork.

At Decibel Events, we have yet to have the opportunity to implement underwater cameras or dozens of concurrent 4K systems. However, we are strong believers in ensuring the technology we use is right for the task at hand. With a large inventory of equipment and trusted rental partners we can rely on for unique projects, we always bring the best event technology including sound, video, and lighting for your needs.

Now That s A Lot of Data!

NBC s main broadcast center in Stamford is the primary center for editing and production before much of the Olympics coverage went to air, which required dozens of hours of high-definition video to be sent across the globe every day. Imagine downloading all of Netflix every day and you wouldn t get close to the data they moved. For this, NBC relied on Signiant intelligent file transfer software for low latency transfer. 

With more audiences tuning in online than any Olympics before it, NBC partnered with Amagi to make streaming possible through NBCOlympics.com. Amagi also provided help to seamlessly connect this new site with Peacock streaming services and normal broadcast services.

While your events will not *likely* need the sort of data streaming that the Olympics do, it is within your reach to have online viewers partake in the experience as well. Here at Decibel Events, we are experts at combining live and online experiences, and develop bespoke platforms to showcase your speakers both in real-time and on-demand. To learn more about how we do it, check out how we approached the 2020 National Book Festival as it went online-only. 

Source: Twitter/sportsvideo

The Olympics would be impossible to organize, except

There are some incredible technological solutions when it comes to organizing massive events. For NBC, the solution came in the form of Xytech s ScheduALL. Having worked with NBC for the last eight Olympics, they knew the system would work perfectly to manage video router assignments and satellite uplink scheduling, pass information to downstream systems, and facilitate on-air coverage for each feed. 

Without strong management systems and experienced leadership, organizing with hundreds of employees, event staff, and vendors would be impossible. Like NBC, we believe in tailored solutions. Decibel Events has long perfected our own management systems to ensure the smooth running of events large and small.

NBC s coverage of the Tokyo Olympics may end up in the record books. With a global pandemic and greater support from Olympic Broadcasting Services, over three hundred events were watched by more online viewers than any previous sporting event ever. While your event may not be of the same scale in terms of cameras, or viewers, that doesn t mean you can t expect the same level of quality in film, production, or organization. By having the same strong belief in quality technology and event management systems that NBC had for the Olympics, Decibel Events can offer you the same quality of coverage for your events.

Tokyo Olympics By the Numbers (for Event Geeks)

EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, LIVE EVENTS, NEWS

The Tokyo Olympics may be the largest audio-visual event to ever be broadcast around the world. With many events running without live audiences and even family members of competitors having to stay home because of the pandemic, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) were faced with one of the greatest challenges ever to offer a production as immersive as being there yourself.

And oh, how they have risen to the challenge. With the latest advancements in audio-visual technology and a massive team of talented people, the OBS provided a way to experience the 339 individual events in a way never before seen.

A Quick Glance at Impressive Numbers
The numbers almost speak for themselves; for the biggest broadcast, the Olympics have ever seen, OBS used an infrastructure larger than any other.

• 9,500+ estimated hours of content produced by OBS
• 3,800 4,000 estimated hours of sports and ceremonies
• 118 HD contribution multilateral feeds
• 68 UHD contribution multilateral feeds
• 76 HD distribution feeds
• 44 UHD distribution feeds
• 31 Outside Broadcast (OB) vans
• 22 fly-away systems
• 1,049 camera systems
• 210+ slow-motion cameras
• 250 minicams
• 18 cablecam systems
• 27 tracking camera systems
• 37 jibs and cranes
• 3,600 microphones

[Image: The Tokyo OBS Media Center, Source: Instagram/@@_markpickering]

Looking closer, however, we come to realize how OBS built a system through careful decision-making, great staff, and the best technology available.

The Highest Quality Images Ever

For the 2016 Rio Olympics, we got to see high-definition video playback of all our favorite events. For 2021, we got 4K and even 8K cameras, offering over four times the quality of those pictures from only five years ago. These were captured by over 1,049 camera systems, 27 tracking camera systems, and 37 jibs and cranes. These include cameras connected to cars, flying besides runners, and even underwater. Between them, they covered dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of perspectives for over 4000 hours of content (which will later be edited and produced to double that number).

[Image: Olympic Broadcasting Services Cameraman. Source: Wikicommons]

An Immersive Experience

The OBS didn t settle for simply the sharpest images available. Nor did it settle with the 5.1.4 surround sound (which captures sound vertically from four extra perspectives). No. In 2021, the OBS also captured images and other data for audiences that we haven t experienced before.

For the first time ever, the Tokyo Olympics included Live and on-demand immersive 180 stereoscopic and 360 panoramic coverage. From AI that produces 3D modeling at the gymnastics to vital sign monitors that show the heart rate of archers, the Olympic Broadcast team offered us an immersion beyond anything we could expect while sitting in the stands.

[Image: A golf tournament can take dozens of cameras to capture. Source: Twitter/@@GarageUganda]

[possible video to use as alternative:https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/E7YrqiRX0AElink.mp4 Source: Twitter/@@AtPeterHayes]

Live Streaming with 5G

When you talk about high-quality images, you end up talking about large amounts of data. The minimum streaming bandwidth for 4K cameras is around 25Mb/s, over the typical bandwidth available on 4G. With up to 64 streams entering the main center at any one time to be processed before being added to the OBS cloud, the infrastructure required has to be massive!

That is why OBS partnered with Alibaba and uses its own next-gen 5G network to process and release thousands of terabytes of data to its partners every hour.

[Image: OBS Contribution Distribution Unilateral Room. Source:alibabagroup.com]

The Best Events Team in The World?

Of course, no event recording succeeds without a strong and competent events management team. While the planning group comprises 166 people from 30 nationalities, the number of employees during the Olympics ballooned to over 8100. These included cameramen, gaffers, sound engineers, editors, producers, and drivers. Believe it or not, 120 employees dedicated their days simply to labeling footage to be used; these people were even so busy that they employ AI to help them!

[Image: The Olympic Broadcasting Services Team is already working on Beijing. Source: Twitter/@@YiannisExarchos]

Can I have Olympics Level Coverage at My Event?

Let s be real. You don t need this level of coverage. Very few live events outside of the Olympics do. However, most corporate live event managers don t realize that a lot of the experiences Olympic audiences view can actually be reached within their budget. Here at Decibel Events, we work to provide this level of production in all of our event productions. From our live event broadcast production with live streaming from multiple cameras and perspectives, to IP cloud integration, and from design through execution.

Want to see more? Check out the 2021 National Book Festival this September to see our work in action including both live and virtual audiences. We have been the Event Agency of Record for over a decade, and also work with other corporations on their large-scale events and meetings to bring them this level of production and to give them the opportunity to have global-level productions at a budget they can afford.

Holy Fuck, Apple. You Spent HOW MUCH?!

EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, LOL, PRODUCTION

10 Major Events That Cost Less Than WWDC

Apple spent a whopping $50 million on its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. $50 MILLION. 

This staggering figure was recently unveiled by Phil Schiller, former head of Apple s worldwide marketing, during his testimony at the ongoing trial of Epic Games vs. Apple, and it shook us to our core.

Yes, we know Apple is a billion-dollar company, and yes, we know they use their week-long conference to announce their shiny new gadgets (of which we re big fans), but it s still just. a. business. meeting. The set-up is super basic: a stage, some cameras, some speakers, and occasionally a musical guest (Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy and Good Charlotte), but nothing so spectacular or extraordinary or life changing that the event could run up that kind of bill. 

To put this in perspective, we rounded up some other extravagant events that didn t cost nearly as much as Apple s week-long business meeting. 

10.  Naomi Campbell s 36th Birthday Party $1.8 Million

Supermodel Naomi Campbell rented out 18 floors of Burj Al Arab, the world s first seven-star hotel, to host her elaborate three-day birthday bash in Dubai. Each day featured a series of celebratory themed events for the OG Super Model and her high-profile guests, including David and Victoria Beckham, and Linda Evangelista. No assistants or phones were harmed at the big birthday bash.

9.  Trump s 4th of July Event $5.4 Million

In 2019, during Donald Trump s presidency he hosted an over-the-top 4th of July event featuring tanks, fireworks, and a military flyover at the Lincoln Memorial. He called the event remarkable; we call it a misuse of public funds.

8.  Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade $12.3 Million

This 2.5 mile parade with enormous balloons, unbelievable floats, and talented performers, dazzles crowds during the holidays each year. According to The Smart Shopper s 2016 report, the average total cost to host the parade is between $10.4-$12.3 million. Event logistics can cost up to $3.4 million.

7.  Producing Hamilton on Broadway $12.5 Million

Everyone wants to be in the room where it happened. Mounting the show on Broadway took $12.5 million, or one-million-two-hundred-fifty-thousand ten-dollar bills featuring our founding father. There is nothing scrappy about the Tony Award-winning musical, which has grossed more than $1 billion in global revenue to date. 

6.  Jennifer Lopez & Shakira s Super Bowl Halftime Show $13 million

JLo and Shakira killed the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020. The 14-minute show included more than 130 dancers, 600 field team members, 5,350 pieces of pyrotechnics and some spectacular lasers. The televised performance won an Emmy Award, and resulted in millions of viewers feeling bummed out about their physical fitness and skin care regimen. 

5.  Opening of the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai $31 Million

With a goal to make this resort opening one of the biggest events of the year, event designer and producer Colin Cowie and Empire Entertainment turned up the flash to throw a lavish three-day extravaganza. Powerful video projections, pyrotechnics and fireworks told the story of the Atlantis across the outer facade, ending in the largest-ever fireworks display on record more than seven times larger than those used at the Beijing Olympic games. 

4.  2021 Oscars $40 Million

The Academy Awards wanted to go big and go live this year. All attendees were required to take three COVID tests prior to attending, but considering they received a gift bag containing approximately $225,000 worth of goodies, it feels like a fair trade to us. Plus, ya know, human interaction.

3.  Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics $42 Million

This spectacle was called Isles of Wonder. Directed by Academy Award-winning British film director Danny Boyle, the London Olympic opening ceremonies pulled out all the stops. With a television audience of 900 million, it became the most-viewed Olympic opening ceremony. 

2.  Burning Man Music Festival $44 Million

In 2018, Burning Man reported it took $44 million to produce the music festival focused on community, art, self-expression and self-reliance. The event creates a temporary city in a Nevada desert and features a 40-foot-tall burning effigy among hundreds of other elaborate art structures. Fun fact: they spend $1.4 million for sanitation services alone (aka: port-a-potties). 

1.  Prince Harry & Meghan Markle s Royal Wedding $45 Million

We watched, we wept, we drank tea at 5am. A royal wedding is more affordable than a work conference. <<>>

Apple: give us a call. We can produce a fantastic WWDC for you with a lower price tag and so much more than a stage with a screen and some lights.

David Sonntag Talks New Event Venue Outlook on LMG s The Road Ahead Podcast

COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT RESOURCES, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS, VENUES

I recently had the pleasure of guesting on Les Goldberg s 39th episode of LMG s The Road Ahead podcast, alongside Lauren Chelf from AOAC International, and Diane Kovats from ISCB, to discuss negotiating and navigating event venues through the COVID-lens.

I d love for you to give our chat a listen, or keep scrolling for what you need to know when planning a post-pandemic event. 

1. Pay attention to event size vs. event capacity. Just because a venue can

   accommodate 1,000 attendees, doesn t mean that the city or state will allow that many people to gather just yet.

2. Review requirements and regulations. Safety measures and restrictions vary drastically from state to state, and city to city. The hotel, convention center, or event venue itself is also likely to have an additional set of rules. Ask upfront and get details in writing.
3. Determine venue staffing needs. Hotels and event venues are just as excited to be back in action as we are, and welcome the opportunity to bring back furloughed team members. It s crucial that your event venue has enough experienced staff working now to handle your events needs. (Because we all know there s more to a flawless event than the event day itself.)
4. Consistent, coordinated communication regarding COVID safety. Both the event venue staff and the event producers must be on the same page when it comes to communicating and executing COVID safety measures. These could include mask wearing, temperature checks, COVID tests, cleaning measures, and on. For example, a venue, city or state might not require temp checks, but the event producer and client does for all attendees and staff. Share safety requirements before the event takes place with all involved parties, in order to manage expectations and equal treatment across the board.
5. Internet is essential. We ve encountered venues that are willing to improve Internet service and create hot spots, and others who are not. As Les says in the podcast, he d prefer Internet over air conditioning these days, it s just that important. Amen.
6. Hotel room rates are often negotiable. Holding a large-scale company meeting or conference in a hotel? So far Team dB has found that there s a lot of wiggle room with room rates.
7. Hybrid events are here to stay. Yeah, I said it. Not your jam? Think of it like this: hybrid activations allow for greater attendance. (And elastic waist bands.)

Those are a few helpful highlights from our fun discussion; listen to the full podcast for more, including our thoughts on specifically when I predict think 250+ attendees at an event will be the new (old) normal.

2021 Oscars BINGO Card

EVENT INDUSTRY, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, LOL

It s almost time for the 93rd Academy Awards show!

Though we re starting to see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel, most of us are still planning to tune in to the 2021 Oscars at home, and we ve got the perfect free Oscars BINGO card to help you do just that.

This year the Oscars are going to be completely live that s right, with real people in the audience and everything! The Academy specifically said NO Zoom, NO sweatpants. While we can t promise that WE won t be donning some comfy clothes, we are excited to watch a fully live awards show again.

Enjoy this challenging and cheeky BINGO card that we have created to help your 2021 Oscars watch party really pop, all you have to do is print it out and play along. If you get BINGO, make sure you TAG us on Instagram: @@DecibelManagement for a chance to win an exclusive prize!

Click here to print your 2021 Oscar Awards BINGO Card