Earlier this summer, during one of TPi’s virtual team meetings, the topic of Production Futures came up. Like many, we naively assumed that when the UK was plunged into lockdown in March that we’d be out of this mess by autumn, or at the very latest, winter time. However, as the months dragged on it seemed the likelihood of us hosting Production Futures in-person was looking increasingly unlikely.

That being said, and during one of the most trying times within the live events industry, it seemed imperative that our annual event still went ahead to inspire those hoping to break into the live events sector.

Taking a leaf out of the industry’s return to live rulebook, we dived headfirst into the world of virtual events. Our platform of choice, Swapcard, allowed us to create an online forum which saw some of the biggest names in the industry join TPi to share their stories, and more importantly, impart their pearls of wisdom to over 1,200 digital attendees.

Taking the show into the digital realm also allowed us to expand our audience, globally, as we welcomed students from around the world.

In total, Production Futures Online welcomed almost 90 speakers across the whole week covering a range of topics, all with the overall goal of pulling back the curtain of the live events industry. The livestream was handled by FIX8Group, who also provided one of its state-of-the-art studios for the live interviews, while simultaneously ensuring that the event stayed on the air for the five-days straight.

As well as streamed content, several supporters of Production Futures hosted their own digital booths where they were able to interact with attendees and provide resources for people to peruse at their leisure.

The supporters featured a range of leading names from 4Wall UK, Adamson Systems Engineering, Backstage Academy, ChamSys, d&b audiotechnik, DiGiCo, FIX8Group, ISCVE, John Henrys, LIPA, LMG and CoiL, NEXO, Notch, Pearce Hire, Pixl Evolution, Production Park Studios, PSA, Robe, NRG (Next Robe Generation), Sennheiser, Shure, The ALD, UCFB, UK Music and Vectorworks.

In the latest issue, we take a look back at the five days of content, all of which is still available to view online. Due to popular demand and the success of the foray, TPi will present another Production Futures event in the first half of 2021. To register and watch this year’s content on-demand please visit: www.productionfutures.co.uk

This article originally appeared in issue #256 of TPi, which you can read here.