As we transit to the new normal, virtual and hybrid events in Singapore are here to stay. With that, many of our old ways of doing things have changed, especially when physical events have restrictions and makes it difficult to gather everyone at one single location.
Some might even be appalled when asked to plan for a virtual event. You may think, how? And where should I start from? What should I even be planning? Many questions may fill your mind and you wish you could go back to “normal”. We wish so too.
However, not to worry.
The purpose of this article is to guide you through on the things you should take note of when planning for your virtual event. At the time of writing (Jan 2021), Vivid Snaps have done multiple kinds of virtual events for our clients over the past year, and we wish to share with you our experience to make your virtual event planning simple and fuss-free.
Table of Contents
TL:DR
If you want to skip straight to the promo package, scroll down to the bottom of this article.
What Hybrid Event Are You Planning For?
Based on the current guidelines, only Business-to-Business (B2B) events are allowed to have a hybrid of physical and virtual events at a physical location. Event that are recreational or social in nature (eg. company D&D, networking events, gala dinners, etc) are still not permitted at the moment.
B2B Hybrid Event Production in Singapore
Make sure you meet with the Safe Management Measures Guidelines for MICE Events provided by our local government as we transit to Phase 3.
In words, these are what you should know:
- Not more than 50 pax within each zone (e.g. function room)
- Not more than 20 pax within each cohort (e.g. intermingle)
- Not more than 8 pax within each group (where individuals are allowed to remove their masks)
- Ensure 1m spacing between each individual at all times
- No intermingling between any cohorts and zones at all times
- 8sqm of space per attendee for event spaces that exceed 930sqm
- Submit 2 post-event reports consisting of photographic evidence of SMMs and health monitoring of all attendees
You will need to plan for within the venue
- Safe distancing ambassadors
- Health monitoring equipment (thermometers, etc)
Social & Recreational Virtual Event Production
As physical social events are not possible at the moment, many took to virtual gatherings for networking and D&Ds. With that, we have to comply with IMDA guidelines on filming in Singapore if you are planning a virtual event for your company.
In words, these are what you should know:
- No more than 30 personnel on-site, including no more than 10 on-screen talent/performers (unmasked) at any given time. (No need to register with IMDA)
For a small scale live stream production, we would usually require approximately 5 to 7 pax of live streaming crew on-site, inclusive of cameramen, technicians and producers. This information may help you better plan on the number of personnels your team plans to allow on-site.
Pre-recorded Live Stream
When it comes to staff appreciation virtual event, many companies have chosen a fully pre-recorded live stream filming, or a combination of live and pre-recorded segments. This makes the virtual event live stream much more engaging.
Sample of Pre-recorded Live Stream Filming
In 2020, our video production crew covered video filming and production for virtual staff appreciation ceremony. Above is an excellent video that our team produced for Changi Airport Group.
Which Virtual Event Platform Do You Live Stream On?
There are various virtual event platforms available to do live streaming to reach out to your viewers, audiences and stakeholders. Based on our experience, The most popular live streaming platforms are Zoom, Facebook, YouTube, within Singapore.
Different live streaming platforms have different functionalities, and it all depends on what is required for your event. If it’s a closed business meeting only for exclusive sign-ups, you might want to go for platforms like Zoom, which enables password protected webinars or meetings. If you would like to have a more open platform for the public, Facebook and YouTube are both good live streaming options to go for.
What Content To Feature On Your Hybrid Event Live Stream
Our live stream team will need to know what you would like to show on your live stream to your guests or audience so that we can plan and prepare the kind of production equipment to bring and use for your event.
Knowing things like the number of camera angles required, if any multi-presenter view required, powerpoint presentation slides, video playbacks, etc. would enable us to have a good sense of what is to be expected of the production. Hence, live streaming production companies will be able to advise you accordingly on what can or cannot be done for the live stream.
Furthermore, different live streaming platforms do have their own set of limitations in terms of production. A professional live stream production company will then be able to integrate their production software so that you can achieve your agenda even within the platform limitations.
Find The Perfect Venue For Your Virtual Or Hybrid Event
There are many locations and venues in which you can hold physical events in Singapore, but there are only few that are compatible for live streaming.
For a virtual event, having a good Internet connection is the most important. Make sure that the location and venue that you are deciding to engage has an Internet connection via LAN port for the live streaming production team.
Alternatively, if the venue does not have any LAN port or direct access to the Internet, Wi-Fi or 4G connection is still able to work. However, we highly discourage using Wi-Fi or 4G connection for live streaming.
Physical Aspects Of The Hybrid Event Should Not Be Neglected
If you are planning for a hybrid event with physical guests, the event experience should not be neglected as well. You can even consider hiring event photographers and event videographers to help you cover the event, which showcases the happenings of the physical event itself.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Virtual Event in Singapore?
The cost of running a virtual event will vary greatly depending on the requirements. You can expect to the overall costs to start from S$15,000 onwards.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Hybrid Event?
A hybrid event will likely involve more logistics and coordination, not to mention venue rental. You can expect the overall costs to start from $25,000 onwards, and considerably more if you need to engage an events management company to help.
Green Screen Studio Usage For Virtual Events & Video Filming
Booking a green screen studio for your live streaming or pre-recorded video content can be a daunting task, juggling between the availability of your stakeholders, talents, video production team and the studio. To ease the video production and live streaming process, we provide in-house studio, exclusively reserved for our clients only.
Get Started Now
You may get in touch with our project coordinators to discuss more on your requirements! We look forward to being able to work together with you for your upcoming virtual events.
