Virtual Events and Creative Risk Taking

A couple of weeks ago, Giggle’s very own Steve Garratt was asked to present his annual lecture on creative risk-taking in live events to Greenwich University’s BA Event Management students. The easiest option would have been joining a Teams call or a Zoom webinar but that’s not the way that we like to do things here at Studio Giggle!

Ever up for the challenge, Steve decided to put his money where his mouth is. He pulled the team together to stream him live from our XR Studio in Bristol into the Microsoft Teams call. It was the perfect opportunity to show these students what they can expect from the event industry in 2021.

So Studio Giggle started designing and planning for the lecture. By now it has created quite the reputation as experts in virtual worlds for XR Studio events, using a mix of Unreal Engine, a gaming engine, and Pixotope. So Ed, one of o talented digital artists, was able to hit the ground running. He began by creating a bespoke Giggle world for the event. Giggle wanted the virtual world to be sleek but high tech, so Ed experimented with designs that included day and night time lighting effects. The result was one set with two unique looks that we could transition between. A third state would show the real world Green Screen studio, allowing Giggle to peek behind the curtains of this exciting new technology.

The lecture had to be a roughly 60-minute presentation with a live Q&A at the end so interactivity was key. To make sure Giggle got this perfect, its technical director, Nick, spent a lot of time setting everything up and testing streams. Giggle had decided to treat the lecture as an R&D opportunity, and took what it had learnt from previous XR studio and streamed events and combined this to be able to embed the stream into a Teams Webinar.

In the lecture, Steve spoke about the importance of virtual events and their significance in the coming year. He also discussed the eventual transition into hybrid events and if Giggle were likely to return to physical events anytime soon. Steve was able to tie all of his talk into the experience that he and the rest of the team have gathered in the last 20 years, with a particular focus on the last 12 months.

By explaining to the students, what the event industry, and specifically Studio Giggle, has been through in the past year, the team hoped that it prepared them for the world that they will be graduating into. This is still an uncertain time for the event industry, but it is also hugely exciting. The combination of TV and Film technology, with the tools of the event industry, allows us to create spectacular work, with increased engagement and interaction for participants.

The lecture was attended by over 40 students and lecturers, from the event and Film departments who were keen to get an insight into what an innovative creative studio is producing. Georgina Kay- Black, a student who attended the lecture, said; ‘ This morning I attended a fabulous lecture by Studio Giggle’s Steve Garratt about their incorporation of XR into events. Hearing their views on the importance of technology in the event industry through immersing us in the virtual experience was incredible. We even got some hints and tips for our own virtual events!’.

You can watch the full lecture below.

If you want to know more about XR studios, click here to find out ‘What is an XR studio’ or give us a call on 0117 972 0081 or email jon@studiogiggle.co.uk . 

If you are interested in hearing more from Steve or want to hire him for a speaking opportunity, please email steve@studiogiggle.co.uk