Virtual Event Production Team: What Does It Look Like?

So, we’ve been talking about virtual events a lot lately, but we were yet to tackle the virtual event production team. And yes, virtual events also involve a production team! Sure, you can just choose a platform and roll with it. But as we explained before, a virtual event production partner is your best choice. If you want a successful experience for you and your attendees, you need the right people by your side. People that know the ins and outs of the game and will create a tailored solution for you!

But who are these mysterious people? Who’s behind a virtual event production team? And what are the roles they play that ensure a fruitful end result? Well, we have the answers! On this week’s episode of Whiteboard Wednesday, our incredible host Will Curran will teach you all about the components of a virtual event production company. Keep reading to find out!

Virtual Event Production Team: Management

Everybody knows what an account executive is. This person is your main point of contact for everything, and they’re the one who is going to be talking to you day to day, talking about your vision, your goals. And they’re going to be establishing your scope and budget when it comes to the event.

Then, we move forward to your technical director. This is the person who gets all geeky and technical when it comes to everything. Technical producers are going to build out your proposals and quotes. So they’re the ones who are going to source the equipment, source your platforms, source all the technologies that go into everything. Also, they’re the ones who manage the entire technical setup. Make sure those integrations are working well, that you have exactly what you need on the tech side to achieve your goals.

Next up is your project manager. So, this is the person that’s going to be working on your timeline. When it comes to events, we know that timelines get really condensed down and we tend to not have enough time to get everything done. So they’re the ones who make sure the timelines are perfect. And they’re also the ones who are going to work with you to provide guidance into the software and help you navigate the tools and understanding the tools.

Virtual Event Production Team: Nuts & Bolts

Now that you have an idea of what the management side of a virtual event production team looks like, let’s move on to the actual event. So, the things relating to the general session, main stage, content, and so on.

The first person that you have here is your show caller. This is the person who is going to be calling the show. Just like whenever you’re watching broadcast television, somebody who’s calling all the shots when it comes to the entire production.

The next person is the video engineer. And this is the person choosing the camera shots. They’re the ones tweaking the cameras to make sure they look good, the ones basically in charge of everything that’s going to the live stream of your virtual event.

Following up is the audio engineer. This is kind of a forgotten position, but we want to make sure audio sounds fantastic when it comes to your virtual event, including on your microphones or your audio clip playbacks. So that’s what the audio engineer is going to be there to do.

Then we have the video playback manager. This is the person different from the video engineer who is actually going to be playing back all the video content. When it comes to these virtual events, things like PowerPoints, video playback, custom graphics, lower thirds graphics, that’s all run by the video playback engineer.

More Production!

So, the next thing you need is a producer. This is the one who’s going to work as the speaker manager too, to make sure that everyone’s good to go. They’re going to be handholding with the talent. And they’re the ones who are overall going to make sure the production runs really smoothly when it comes to that main stage.

Up next is a graphics operator. They work in tandem with the video playback manager. And then last but not least is a teleprompter operator. When it comes to your teleprompter, you have all your notes there and it tells you exactly what to say. And the teleprompter operators are the ones who are slowly scrolling through those scripts, especially when it comes to virtual events.

Breakout Rooms

Moving on to the last components of a virtual event production team! And they’re all about the breakout rooms. These are smaller sessions. And when it comes to it, you still need a team.

The first person you’re going to need is a lead engineer. This is the person who’s in charge of all the breakout sessions, making sure they’re all running well, making sure that the video conferencing software is working well, making sure everybody’s mics are working well.

But you’re also going to need a speaker manager for this. Somebody who’s going to make sure that the speakers get into the rooms, that they’re on time, they know how the tech works, all of that. So making sure that runs really smoothly!

And last but not least, you have your round tables. This is like your networking, your small group discussion. You’re always going to need a lead engineer when it comes to these sorts of things, making sure that, for example, if someone can’t get in a room, somebody can manage the entire round table experience.

Conclusions

And that’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Whiteboard Wednesday about the components of a virtual event production team! So, are you ready to take the jump and plan your very own virtual event?

Download our free virtual event planning checklist today and learn what you have to do every step of the way to create an unforgettable experience for your attendees. And if you’re looking for the best virtual event management company out there, chat with us! The Endless team is here to help. We take care of event planners every step of the way: from event strategy, technology, and production.