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Worldwide lockdown forced events and experiences into the virtual realm, from business meetings to social gatherings and education.

Was this a short-term fix or a better way of doing things long-term?

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鈥�Events are about the senses鈥� we had to replicate that鈥�听

When your business is based around people being in one place to share in an experience, months of lockdown comes as a devastating blow.听听

鈥淚 was frozen at first,鈥� says Holly Moore, founder and MD of Make Events. Based in Wilmslow, Cheshire, the company organises events for FMCG, pharmaceutical, automotive, tech and public sectors. 鈥淚鈥檓 a face-to-face person and our events are all about the senses, so I didn鈥檛 know what was going to happen to the business I鈥檇 built up.鈥�听

While many events companies immediately started talking about virtual events, Moore was cautious at first. 鈥淢y appetite for virtual events wasn鈥檛 really there before because our whole strategy has been to create the ultimate experience,鈥� she says. 鈥淧utting events on a platform wasn鈥檛 what we did or were passionate about.鈥�听

When US motivational speaker Rachel Hollis announced a live online event, 13 of the Make Events team registered to attend from their homes for eight hours of content. With networking being one of the key elements of a business event, Moore knew this should be present in a virtual sense.听

鈥淲e set up a WhatsApp group and had a coffee before the event and then during the break,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e all wore slogan T-shirts and tried to replicate a live event as best we could. We鈥檝e always been about putting ourselves in the customers鈥� shoes.鈥�听

After attending several more virtual events, Moore decided to add them to the Make Events portfolio as a long-term offering, rather than as a temporary measure. Their first event was organised with five days鈥� notice 鈥� a quiz hosted by Gethin Jones for the charity Seashell Trust 鈥� and saw 300 participating households raise 拢10,000. The virtual events arm of the business was born, though Moore says the focus was always on bringing in Make鈥檚 wow factor before setting up the tech around it.听听

鈥淎 lot of people start with the technology, but we did it the other way round,鈥� she says. The team set up a virtual studio complete with a stage and LED backdrop and worked out the optimum time for viewers being engaged with a virtual event – 22 minutes, compared with 45 for a live one.听听

There were other elements to consider. 鈥淲e decided to offer branded boxes, delegate kits, that could be sent out to people before the event with an invitation, branded hoodie, workbook and even things like a bag of sweets and a coffee that people could open at a set time during the event,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hen during the event there are chat boxes on screen, voting systems, live Q&As, virtual breakout rooms, an app 鈥� everything that makes people feel part of the event.鈥�听

There is a cost-saving on venues, catering and accommodation; but Moore says the rest of the event should feel听similar to听a live one.听听

Already thoughts are turning to Christmas events, while one large law firm is holding five weeks鈥� worth of one-hour-a-day conferences which, if successful, will be rolled out globally.听听

鈥淚f we couldn鈥檛 have done all these extra bits then we wouldn鈥檛 have gone down the virtual route because that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e about 鈥� offering added value,鈥� Moore says.听听

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Education听听听

鈥�Sending people around听the听world for听classroom听training听is听finished鈥�听

Liverpool-based Tapiit Live was set up in 2019 to offer live stream maritime training globally.听

Group founder Richard Turner, a former seafarer, initially set up听Tapiit Maritime, a maritime hub providing access to the world’s largest database of maritime courses and training providers.听However听he found shipping companies faced a trade-off between classroom experience and cheaper online training.听

鈥淪hipping companies would tell us that the cost of training courses was fine, but it was all the peripheral costs such as accommodation and travel that made some courses too expensive,鈥� says Turner.听听

Tapiit听looked听into听virtual training but knew it had to听offer听much more. 鈥淚t had to be interactive and at the same standard as classroom training,鈥� he says, adding that there was also a hesitancy over quality issues. The business did a lot of technical work to compress the file size of the different platforms required for live streaming such as video, recording and PowerPoint, as well as setting up its own studio in Liverpool.听听

It also struck a deal with the world鈥檚 biggest maritime satellite provider, Inmarsat, enabling it to offer live stream training to crews on more than 45,000 ships worldwide. The platform was launched in March, with a visit from the UK Shipping Minister, following six months of developing the techniques to get it right.听听

Equally as important as the technical aspect听is the way training is delivered. Tapiit Live estimates a five-minute window to engage people in online learning 鈥� compared with 40 minutes for classroom training 鈥� so content is based around 鈥榗alls to action鈥� every five minutes. Then there is the training style:听instructors have been coached in presentation techniques, such as standing up and moving around and keeping eye contact with the studio cameras.听

Tapiit Live writes its own courses or can develop bespoke material for a particular company. Participants receive workbooks before the course, there are interactive elements through live and private chat and the ability to answer question and polls. Courses range from toolbox talks听to maritime听English, risk assessments, security and safety culture, as well as mental wellbeing 鈥� vital during a time when thousands of seafarers have been stranded at sea beyond their contracts due to travel restrictions.听听

Turner predicts training will progressively go down the live stream route. 鈥淚 did a presentation in India in February and told the shipping companies not to build any听more classrooms because it was a complete waste of money.听In five years,听I believe live streaming will be the norm,鈥� he says.听 鈥淭he days of sending people around the world for classroom training are gone. COVID gave people the confidence to live stream and that鈥檚 only going to increase now.鈥�听

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鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to use virtual teaching post-COVID”听

Universities across the UK have听had听to take traditional teaching online during the pandemic. The University of Bath says it already had key technologies in place to hold virtual classes, including virtual learning environment Moodle and Microsoft Office 365, including Teams, but has invested in extra training to prepare staff to use the tech for blending learning.听听听听

The university has also purchased Zoom听accounts听to expand its webinar capacity and functionality, as well as a new digital assessment platform to enable students to take remote exams using their own devices, with extra investment going into webcams and microphones and specialist software to enable staff to make recordings.听听听

Students who returned after the summer holidays were due to learn via a combination of live online interactive lessons, independent learning and up to four hours of in-person teaching.听For students unable to attend in person, the university has planned live two-way online activities such as听online debates, presentations and discussions to encourage engagement, making use of virtual breakout rooms and polling to ensure attention is maintained.听

鈥淓nsuring students retain a sense of community 鈥� be that those who are on campus or those receiving an equivalent educational experience at a distance 鈥� is an essential component of Bath鈥檚 approach to blended teaching, as is a commitment to inclusive and accessible teaching that supports the needs of all students,鈥� says Dr Christopher Bonfield, technology enhanced learning manager (TEL) in the university鈥檚 Centre for Learning and Teaching.听听

He adds: 鈥�The University of Bath is committed to taking the best aspects of the blended teaching it will offer this academic year forward into a longer-term and sustainable approach, post COVID-19.鈥�听听

Entertainment听

鈥�Our festival will be听the听most interactive yet鈥�听

Organisers of the BFI London Film Festival had to rethink the two-week October event due to restrictions on gatherings. The 64th听edition听announced a 鈥渞eimagined鈥� offering in July, with 50 virtual premieres to be enjoyed by viewers at home.听

Over 12 days,听it听has been billed听as听its most accessible听event to date, with work from more than 40 countries presented with an intro or Q&A from filmmakers and programmers, as well as online talks from filmmakers and actors and online salons to give audiences an opportunity to delve into听themes.听

Audiences were made the official jury for the festival awards through online voting, with winners announced in a live online ceremony.听It heralds a new era of听bringing together filmmakers and film lovers, according to the BFI.听

鈥淭his has been such a period of uncertainty and change across the industry.听When we embarked on a radical new plan for 2020, we stepped into unknown territory,鈥� says festival director Tricia Tuttle.

鈥�We鈥檝e been so encouraged by the adventurousness of filmmakers and rights holders, the unwavering support of our collaborators and the spirit of unity and experimentation. I feel like we have accelerated so many of our longer–term plans in just a few months 鈥� especially our desire to offer audiences across the UK greater access to the LFF.听

鈥淲e all want to be back in cinemas, seeing films on the big screen, together, immersed. But we also want to keep seeing new cinematic storytelling from all parts of the world, hearing different voices and perspectives.鈥�听听

The tech听

鈥溊暇牌凡鑕s could quickly accommodate need鈥�听

As the EMEA director of field development for Equinix 鈥� the world鈥檚 largest data centre company, headquartered in California 鈥� Matt George works to provide the digital infrastructure for some of the world鈥檚 biggest digital content providers on earth.听听

鈥淲hen lockdown hit, all of a sudden home entertainment became incredibly important,鈥� he says. 鈥淣ot only did we see increased requests for bandwidth, but we saw demand from companies that needed collaboration tools to support remote workforces.听听

鈥�We saw a significant demand for call centre staff to be able to work from home 鈥� thousands of people, which is something that never would have been thought of.听听

鈥淯sing our centres meant these companies could expand very quickly to accommodate need because they weren鈥檛 relying on physical architecture in their own locations, which isn鈥檛 agile enough. This is a game changer for certain industries.鈥�听

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