Rethinking and Repurposing Virtual Event Recordings
By Melissa Rogers, Hatcher Senior Video Producer
Over the last two years, even as our in-person interactions have become fewer, our need for interaction has not lessened and has dominantly become virtual. Events switched to virtual spaces and we all became well-acquainted with Zoom. Even though life is still anything but normal, clients require compelling video content. To face these changes, the very types of video content needed has also changed.
Prerecorded video content is taking over the virtual event agenda, as video components add visual impact, enhance content and messaging, and break up the monotony of watching a computer screen. By adding prerecorded portions, such as kickoff sessions, Q&As, and short segments to introduce sessions, you now can help break up long presentation periods and add personality to your virtual events.
The Hatcher Group is helping clients advance their virtual events to the next level. For example, early on during the pandemic, Hatcher helped the STOOP Storytelling series bring events into the virtual space by recording stories of multiple Baltimore mayoral candidates via Zoom. We paired the content with soundstage-recorded host breaks, musical guests, and graphics. This entirely prerecorded format took the stress out of hosting the live event. All attendees had to do was press play and let the event run in its entirety. And since this aired on Facebook Live and YouTube, there was still a fair amount of audience interactivity in the chat functions.
Even after your event takes place, there are things you can do to continue to engage your audiences and extend the life of the conversations held. Because most virtual event platforms allow you to record video during your event, organizations are finding its merit; the amount of recorded video content being created by organizations has increased over the last few years. However, it takes more than dropping your whole Zoom_0.mp4 file onto YouTube and calling it a day. What virtual event attendees respond to and what your YouTube audiences react to are different. We suggest editing your virtual event content to focus on specific panels or sections of programming to share with stakeholders: add in some graphic elements, like an intro/outro card and a PowerPoint Presentation, and you suddenly have a dynamic videorecording of your event with minimal effort.
Great conversations often take place during events, so highlight them. Identify two to three takeaway messages and match those to quotes from your recorded session. Then generate social posts featuring the voiceovers. Called event or podcast audiograms (depending on their original source), these are visualized audio waveforms with animated text to reinforce soundbites and are great for audiences who engage with social with their audio muted.
Packaging event recordings into stand-alone products offers an exciting opportunity for organizations to extend the life of their events, create compelling content, and continue to engage their audiences across multiple channels. If you’d like to discuss ways to reimagine and repackage event video content for any of your programs, please reach out to Hatcher today!