Techweek TV
Techweek TV in 2022, is probably one of my most memorable events after Tech 21 (that’s a topic for another blog) that I got to work on. It’s an event that taught me a lot about production and some of the things that as conference producers is so embedded in us, that when we write conference agendas, we don’t think twice about it.
To set the scene, between getting Techweek TV as a project to delivery, there were eight weeks. Techweek TV was a week-long production with sessions being broadcast from 9am – 5pm. Each session a fireside chat, a panel, or some form of conversational style session, which meant the minimum number of speakers required per session were two. There was some room for creativity with speakers who might have sent through pre-recorded sessions as they might not have been available during that week.
Given what Techweek stands for, majority of the sessions were taken up by the week’s sponsors. This meant only a select few sessions needed speakers to be sourced for. An easy enough task, but the challenge was the time. The first shock to the system came during delivery. Even though I was aware that there were no formal morning tea, lunch or afternoon breaks, as you would have at a conference, it was only during delivery that you felt it. We as a team had decided to take breaks in batches so that there was always a couple of techies and producers in the room whilst the sessions were on.
The next trigger to the system was changing over sessions. The sessions were a total of 30-mins. But within that we’d planned and advised speakers and the MC for the day, that realistically the session would be 20-25 mins long, as we’d need a few mins for our sponsor breaks, and to reset the stage with the right number of chairs. Some sessions ran over time, which is no surprise, but to see the mammoth effort in pressing play on the ad break, to running into the green room to either add or subtract chairs within the allotted time, so that once the ad break is done, the camera is focused on the MC.
The week felt long during Techweek TV 2022. From 6.30am call time, to ensure the team is updated on any speaker changes or session swaps, to ensuring our speakers onsite are looked after, and taken into the green room, concluding with a briefing for the next day. At the time, it felt nerve-racking. I wanted everything to go smoothly, not really knowing what that means. But in hindsight, I think it was the best project that I was involved with. I’d like to think, that the week did in fact go as best as it could.
Until next time,
Mili
