Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Virtual Event Production HPE Discover
(Above: Extended Reality content for HPE Discover comes to life in Studio One)
EVI is a leader in Virtual Event Production.
With global concerns about travel and gathering, virtual technologies have moved front and center in many productions. EVI’s recent Virtual Event Production project with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is a prime example.
Background
HPE Discover is one of the world’s preeminent technology events that welcomes a significant global audience and is home to the latest innovations and thought leadership unveiled by HPE each year. But, only eight weeks before opening day of Discover 2020, the worldwide Covid-19 lockdown forced a dramatic turn of strategy. What had traditionally been a face-to-face gathering, now had to be completely reimagined as a virtual event production.
(Above: EVI floor director conducts walk-through during XR technical rehearsal)
Having pivoted to a virtual event production model, HPE CMO Jim Jackson brought EVI on given their experience in producing virtual events and to support the creation and production of extended reality keynotes for the experience. The goal was to support HPE’s narrative with virtual execution capabilities as compelling as the company’s story and bring a breakthrough experience to attendees that stood apart from the onslaught of other virtual events. With HPE agencies i4D and No-Filter Creative driving creative for Studio One, the EVI Virtual Event Production team collaborated on technical and production solutions including virtual set design, augmented reality moments, and broadcast quality post-production. Studio One was one of several studios required to integrate the massive volume of HPE-generated content.
Extended Reality to the Fore
The situation presented the perfect opportunity for EVI to showcase its capabilities in the world of virtual event production. Looking for a more focused and bespoke approach than a more traditional green screen environment, the team chose to produce the content with the latest extended reality technology. XR is the state-of-the-art technique used on major motion pictures and acclaimed projects like the recent Star Wars series “The Mandalorian”.
Built on a large sound stage, the foundation of the physical set was a three-sided cube of high-resolution LED. EVI filled the cube with custom content, transforming it into an immersive three-dimensional world through which presenters explored and interacted. Without the constraints of a physical location, the creative team was able to design a wide variety of environments to support the messaging…limited only by the imagination.
On-set, multiple cameras were rigged to track speakers with the on-screen content as they moved inside an immersive, hyper-realistic world. The technique allows creation of dynamic content on the level of primetime network television productions.
This is much more than a case of technology for technology’s sake. The reality is that the experiential industry is being redefined, and new technologies like XR are able to engage audiences at a much higher level than traditional videoconference platforms or green screen environments…driving critical brand mindshare, multiple business goals and optimum return on the experiential investment.
Unfortunately, the day before production, extenuating circumstances relating to the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the team from fully utilizing the XR production set-up. The case study and production stills demonstrate the solutions created and the readiness of the team to execute.
We greatly appreciate the close collaboration on this Virtual Event Production with HPE and its talented agencies and hope that our collective efforts will inspire you to discover with us what is possible in the world of virtual XR experiences.
Read more about our Virtual Event Production services our page Virtual Event Production.