Conrad Centennial’s virtual studio gives event organisers access to a 9m wide x 3.7m tall extended reality stage.
Any event with a virtual aspect may come with a whole slew of
technical difficulties that can ruin the experience for attendees. To
help minimise these issues, Conrad Centennial Singapore introduced a
smart yet simple solution launched in conjunction with its virtual
studio: a dedicated team of production specialists specifically trained
to man the virtual booth.
Planners who have dabbled in virtual or hybrid events during the
pandemic are all too familiar with the frustrations involved with
handling technical difficulties — connectivity issues from a remote
speaker dialling in or simply the tedious process of ensuring a
presentation unfolds in a seamless sequence.
Mike Williamson, general manager of Conrad Centennial Singapore is
confident that the hotel’s virtual studio and the team behind it has
what it takes to seamlessly execute virtual and/or hybrid events from
start to finish.
“We see guests returning back to in-person events with the re-opening of the borders, nevertheless the demand for hybrid meetings remain high since not all countries are fully opened,” says Conrad Centennial Singapore’s Mike Williamson.“We have a dedicated team that works hand in hand with the guests to
ensure their needs are taken care off at every stage (pre/during/post),”
Williamson said. “We ensure that the team involved are trained and
provided with the necessary tools to deliver the assistance to the
guests.”
Conrad Centennial Singapore promises a smooth end-to-end user journey
for event organisers. The production specialists that operate the
numerous dials, buttons and digital screens on the AV console will work
closely alongside planners in mapping out and running the entire virtual
side of the event. This includes cuing in remote speakers, providing
translations on the fly, operating digital effects like pyrotechnics and
even designing bespoke extended reality stages.
The virtual studio that features a permanent green screen setup, LED
cackdrop, audio, broadcast cameras and studio lighting is connected to
the hotel’s ballroom. Event planners can stream their live feed straight
onto the three in-built LED walls within the ballroom.
The virtual studio offers a feature that can dress up speakers in a customised MoCap (motion capture) avatar live on stage.Williamson acknowledges that full virtual events are on a downward
spiral but observes that the demand for hybrid events remains high, and
believes “organisers are seeking for more interactive and engaging
initiatives to capture the audience attention who are both present on
site as well as virtually. It needs to be seamless and teases all visual
and auditory senses.”
Since its launch in 23 June 2021, Conrad Centennial Singapore’s
virtual studio has seen an optimistic response for its virtual studio.
But as Asia gradually reopens to the world, the hotel expects larger
in-person events to return, and is ready to meet that demand.
“The hotel prides itself to offer the most prompt and comprehensive
conference and event services for sustainable meetings up to 400
delegates,” William explained. “Therefore, to offer a virtual studio is
part of the strategy as the need of our guests evolves over time.”