Showtime Event Group is reaping the rewards of quickly investing in a new approach to events by taking them online.
An event expected to host 150 attendees in person has welcomed an online audience more than three times larger than the former, thanks to Showtime Event Group’s investment in that space.
The company revealed on its blog that its ‘Admin Professional Day’ was broadcast globally to more than 500 attendees. Delivered with the EA Institute, the four-hour event included keynote and guest speakers, break out rooms and entertainment.
“With the impacts of COVID-19 drastically effecting the events industry, we didn’t want to just pivot for the short term and wait for things to go back to normal,” Showtime said.
“We knew pretty early on that focusing on a return to normal was not going to be the best approach. Things may never go back to what we once called normal.
“This disruption to our industry allowed us to look at what we could be doing differently in the future.”
Showtime Event Group has been running online events that include catering delivered to all attendees, online production management, and facilitation of entertainment and engagement activities – taking what they do best within venues online.
And as the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold, Showtime said it quickly invested in a new approach to taking events online.
This included the setup of a production studio in Cargo Hall allowing events to stream online, and the ability to order catering to be delivered to all event attendees.
The company also developed a range of curated experiences focused on keeping event attendees connected with exercises that work the brain, include physical activity and encourage creativity.
Among these are cooking masterclasses with the groups’ head chef, trivia, mindfulness sessions and ‘Amazing Race’ challenges.
“We really took the approach that what we do in a venue, can be done at any place,” Showtime said.
“There was no reason why we couldn’t still be a full-service event caterer, and organise an event that is streamed online, facilitated with speakers, entertainers and a range of activity.”
Showtime believes “the big change” the events industry will see is the ability to now host events in a different way.
“The requirement to have all attendees in one room for a keynote won’t seem as important anymore.
“You will be able to have a portion of the attendees dial in from a different location. Meeting organisers will now start to consider holding the same event across multiple locations, and break out rooms will be facilitated online.”
Moreover, Showtime Event Group is curating more than just business events online, with opportunities now opening to run wedding receptions, social events and celebrations that connect people across multiple destinations.
