In the aftermath of COVID-19 and the host of government-sanctioned safety protocols that followed suit, venue closures and strictly-enforced restrictions on public gatherings dealt an especially devastating blow to the live events industry. Determined to provide an alternative “venue” for clients to safely host live events, Quince Imaging quickly transitioned its focus from in-person events to remote, virtual gatherings, expeditiously converting their office space into a massive, 40,000 square-foot broadcast studio. Quince Imaging technical engineers and event producers rapidly constructed the technological framework to integrate live events’ virtual streaming and hybrid interaction by remote fans and audience participants. Leveraging experience from the esports realm as their roadmap, Quince rolled out “Studio Q” in lightning speed and made headlines when their suite of hybrid solutions supported the National Football League by remotely streaming in draft picks, players, coaches, cheerleaders, and each team’s inner circle of fans, to launch the first-of-its-kind, hybrid-interactive, virtual NFL Draft.
Since its inception in March 2020, Quince Imaging has utilized Studio Q to produce over 500 hours of interactive, broadcast-quality content for virtual and hybrid events, empowering dozens of industries to transcend geographical barriers and international pandemic protocols to safely deliver remotely accessible live events. To date, Quince Imaging has supported numerous professional sports, esports, healthcare, government entities, trade unions, and news publications, in addition to the following brands, in their virtual and hybrid event endeavors, and the list continues to grow.
- National Football League (NFL)
- United States Tennis Association (USTA)
- Riot Games (League of Legends)
- World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- The Human Rights Campaign Federation (HRC)
- Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
- National Basketball Association (NBA)
- International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Beyond the studio, Quince Imaging has developed a remote, virtual-production kit for clients, speakers, and moderators. The package includes an internal communication platform for event participants, video, camera, lighting, and web-conferencing tools, custom configured for seamless, reliable, off-site connectivity throughout the broadcast. Redundancy, reliability, and accessibility measures have been tested and reinforced to ensure all content is synchronized between remote locations and the studio, delivering a flawless, live broadcast across multiple viewing platforms. Given the virtual format, integration of numerous custom feeds across televised, web and social media streams maximizes bandwidth and increases viewership and return on investment for clients.
“The keys to success in hybrid event production are equal parts technology and strategy,” said Eric Gazzillo, Director of Innovation at Quince Imaging. “Not only have our clients had to adjust to hosting their events on a new platform, they’ve also been challenged with reformatting their content for consistency within the new medium. The live experience from your living room sofa greatly contrasts the live experience in a packed arena or auditorium. Likewise, absorbing information while interacting with peers in-person at a venue will be quite different from your laptop headset and keyboard. Brands have to get creative about the methodology they use to deliver content virtually to sustain captivation from fans and audiences. We’ve seen tremendous success with the production and distribution of episodic content, a format that closely resembles a podcast-style workflow. Breaking down content into small, digestible chunks and publishing it consistently provides a flexible solution to audience retention. More than ever, producers must deliver content in an accommodating and succinct format to drive remote attendee participation. Not only are audiences empowered to maximize absorption and retention of content delivered in an episodic, event-centric format, but brands are seeing returns by way of increased viewership, shortened sales cycles boosted visibility, and resource effectiveness.”
“The hybrid model is here to stay,” said Scott Williams, COO at Quince Imaging. “Live events are no longer a novelty item. Our clients leverage the ‘virtual event venue’ to extend engagement opportunities to captive audiences worldwide. We are witnessing an unprecedented paradigm shift that has completely transformed how conference attendees access and absorb information and fans interact with their favorite teams and entertainers. We owe all of our success to our clients. They pushed us to think outside the box, and as a result, we were driven to create a hybrid solution that has made live event production indestructible- post-pandemic and beyond.”