We're All Broadcasters Now

Calendly, Love it or Hate It? I often forget to add the RSVP to my calendar once I’ve requested the meeting and I’m frustrated by coordinating multi-person meetings. Et tu?

An AI Fest: Yes, it’s a show and tell. Bring the Generative AI that you love best and we’ll compare notes. Spend an hour learning from each other. Led by Jeremy Toeman, creator of Augie, an AI-powered video creation program.?

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As AI and conversations with chatbots dominate our screen interactions, real-life person-to-person events are the new gold. Nary a day goes by without a new festival or event being announced. Events Venture Group hopes to seize the momentum, creating an entrepreneurial community to connect event creators and investors. All are invited to apply for membership and funding. Industry insiders, including Greg Topalian of Clarion Events and Marco Giberti of Vesuvio Ventures, are leading the venture. Can the events industry be incubated the way other startups can? We’ll see.?

Lately, when I travel to attend a conference, I’d sooner leave that extra pair of shoes behind and replace them with the AV gear I need to shoot interviews at the venue. I’m not alone. Capturing content has become essential for almost every event and every eventgoer. Events have become ground zero for video creation.

Also, AV requirements are taking over event budgets. For live events, AV usurps the budget that might have been spent elsewhere. Planners weigh the pros and cons of live streaming versus hybrid events when creating a state-of-the-art second day with well-oiled video production. Whether to synchronize your video feed with the live event or save it for later has big budget implications. Whichever you choose, lighting, large display screens, and pricey post-production impact event budgets.?

AV production studios are plentiful but each is different. According to Truelist, there are over 8,000 in the US. For in-person events, it’s critical to know whether your chosen venue forces you to use their vendors or whether you can bring in your own. And if you can bring your own there are services like Plannernet to help you choose local talent, which usually saves you money.?

Virtual events get tricky because you want an AV crew that can do much more than just point and shoot. You’ll want to make your videos look much better than a traditional Zoom or Teams meeting. Who you choose will depend on your streaming platform, but moreover, you’ll want to think about the following topics as you budget for your event:?

• Breaks during the day: Most production crews have fixed schedules and want you to include breaks or pay for two separate crews that rotate.
• Sound checks and rehearsals: If you want your speakers to look good and sound good, you’ll need to have the AV crew and your speakers all present for a rehearsal.?
• Graphics and pre-roll video: The use of graphics will separate your virtual events from the rest of the pack. Most AV companies have a graphics division to help you with these but you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.
• Spotlighting, lower-thirds, music: Your job is to understand the AV crew's capabilities, and then create a detailed run-of-show that the crew can handle, with every element listed. Think of it as a Broadway play rather than a room with an AV support crew.
• Speeds and Feeds: Know ahead of time how many attendees will be watching and ask your AV provider what backup systems they have to insure against failure.

Does your lighting for your personal video conferencing setup flatter you or make you look like “Dark Shadows”? The discussion about whether to use ring lights or LED lights has some definite pros and cons.?

Ring lights are a good option for beauty close-ups, but having a ring light on your face can become overbearing.?LED panel lights can flood your studio with natural light, making them, in our minds, better for video conferencing.?

The best reason to use ring lights is if you’re using your cell phone as a broadcast device since you can place your phone in the center of the ring and get quite flattering lighting. (Think about all of those creators showing you their makeup techniques.) Ring lights emit light directly towards their subject, creating a flattering, soft glow on the face. Ring lights are designed to reduce shadows, which is good for some (wrinkles, rough skin, ingenues) but our faces are our character, and shadows are a part of our expressions. Also, because ring lights are usually close to the subject, they don't light the background, which looks bad and can cause cameras to overexpose the face. Ring lights also have this great “catchlight” capability, catching a reflection in the eyes, which people find aesthetically pleasing. Ring lights can also be more portable. LED boxes can be bulkier to transport because they often come with telescoping stands.?

That said, ring lights are not as versatile in terms of adjusting the direction of the light as soft boxes. And our tech editor, Alfred Poor, is emphatic that people who wear glasses will not want to use ring lights. LED lights (often called panels or key lights)? offer more control over the direction of the light and they often come with filters to adjust for different lighting conditions. They are less “in your face” than a ring light and with a little practice, they can be used to create softer or harsher lighting as the situation requires. When the subject is wearing glasses, position the lights above and to the side, so that the camera doesn't see the reflection when the subject is looking at the camera.

Mr. and Mrs. TikTok Go to Washington

In the “it was bound to happen” category, eight TikTok creators sued the US government for violating their freedom of speech in light of the government’s legislation to force TikTok to sell to a non-Chinese entity, or be banned. Interestingly, the plaintiffs hail from all geographies, racial backgrounds and political affiliations. Read all about them in the Washington Post.

Events Go Energy Crazy

As events gain more complexity with more lighting, streaming, and large screens, along with event tech such as badging, you better believe that the energy footprint for an event is going to increase. Glastonbury Festival, a performing arts favorite, is considered one of the leaders in climate-conscious practices, relying on wind turbines, solar arrays, and public transportation. With Glastonbury a good example of what can be accomplished, others are waking up to the importance of climate-smart events. PCMA just announced Convene 4 Climate in Barcelona this fall. It's a chance for event professionals to have a serious sit-down about energy consumption at events.?

Bros Gone Wild

Andrew Yang, had a short-lived candidacy for US President, but he ran on a unique proposition: a universal basic income, a basic living wage, as an inalienable right. As the job market feels the turbulence of the switch to an AI economy and AI models continue to have an insatiable appetite for content, a universal basic income discussion has re-entered the news cycle.

In a twist on the theme, this week Sam Altman, AI prophet--in-Chief, spoke on All-In, an influential tech bro podcast. Sam Altman outlined his plan for "universal basic computing." Altman suggests that instead of giving each citizen money, everyone receives a share of computing power from GPT-7. This computing power, he says, could be used in various ways: individuals might utilize it themselves, sell it, or donate it for things like cancer research. Seriously, Sam? I'm not sure computing power is what’s going to put food on the table. The perfect case of brothers talking in the bubble?

Upping Your Game

Missed our last VEG meetup? You can find some great tips and tricks for making your video conference calls look better and understanding what your audience wants from your presentations. Take a listen to Kara Dickerson and Mark Mallchok. WATCH

Catch us on Thurs, May 22nd as we discuss Kids and AI with the Children’s Media Association.

Check out the AI for Good Summit on May 30th and 31st, where we’ll be presenting on Deepfakes.

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