Insights: Case Studies

The Making of the VR Awards 2018 – On GreenSpark

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Luke Roberge | Digital Content & Campaign Manager | AIXR

31 Jan 2019 | 4 min read

It should be fairly obvious but producing an international awards show is a hell of a lot of work. I’m sure that anyone who has worked in the events space can attest to this, managing events has a well-earned reputation of being stressful, highly pressurised, and generally chaotic but many of us really wouldn’t have it any other way. When everything comes together on the night, it’s a whirlwind of excitement, elation and relief, coupled with an overwhelming sense that in the end, all that hard work and all those extra hours in the office paid off.

In our “making of” the VR Awards series, we’ll cover various aspects of the production process in the run-up to the event, from managing the judging and shortlisting processes to logistical planning and working on marketing strategy. The whole cycle begins again soon, we’re excited to be gearing up for nominations next month, read last Friday’s article on What Makes an Award Winning VR Project for some tips on perfecting your nomination. The VR Awards simply wouldn’t exist if not for the diligent work of our event partners, they are a crucial part of the successful production of the awards.

To kick off our new series, which will include exclusive insights into all of the cogs and moving parts of producing a global award show with an article from AIXR’s very own Daniel Colaianni, we begin with a case study on our always reliable AV partner: GreenSpark.

Why GreenSpark were a Good Fit for the VR Awards

The VR Awards have worked with GreenSpark on both the inaugural VR Awards in 2017 and VRA 2018. We chose to partner with GreenSpark again for 2018 having been incredibly impressed by the team’s dedication to producing high-quality events with complete reliability and professionalism. GreenSpark went above and beyond to ensure that the VR Awards 2017 ran seamlessly. The production process was always collaborative and informative, and GreenSpark continually went out of their way to ensure issues were promptly dealt with, and that any worries we had were alleviated.

Our matching business philosophies made for an ideal partnership – the joint mission being that our awards show must be truly memorable and remain engaging in the days following the ceremony. The live stream that GreenSpark oversaw for this year’s ceremony was the perfect way in which to immortalise the breathtaking moments that happened on stage during the night. This was particularly important considering the fact that the VR Awards is an international award show with nominees and delegates from across the globe.

GreenSpark – AV Technicians 

We chose to make GreenSpark our official AV partners for the VR Awards 2018 based on their expertise in AV production. GreenSpark have an extensive library of cutting edge gear for events, including the latest hi-tech speakers and lights, and were able to provide us with bespoke options shaped around our available budget. The focus was constantly on offering us maximum value and optimising our return on investment.

The GreenSpark production team were knowledgeable and personable; they helped to simplify the production process from the complexities of stage setup to the logistics and planning of the ceremony itself. We met with GreenSpark on multiple occasions throughout our two years of working together. For the VR Awards 2018, their extensive pre-planning was informed by our needs and this culminated in a well-designed event that both incorporated our suggestions and exceeded our expectations.

With the schedule of the VR Awards 2018 bearing so much influence on the engagement of our attendees, we appreciated the incredible attention to detail that the GreenSpark team brought to the scheduling of the VR Awards. This was another example of GreenSpark taking problems off our hands.

GreenSpark’s Videography

Alongside their excellent work in setting up the venue’s electronics, staging, lighting and sound, GreenSpark provided two videographers to capture footage throughout the night, from when guests initially entered the ballroom through until the end of the ceremony. The videographers were of similarly high-quality, filming multiple shots from various angles of guests interacting to capture the lively atmosphere of the VR Awards.

They also provided multiple wide shots of the ballroom over long periods of time to show the guests entering until the ceremony commenced and the ceremony itself in its entirety. This footage was of a high standard and greatly appreciated for the event.

The Adaptable and Dependable GreenSpark team

GreenSpark have a large and diverse team with a variety of skill-sets. With regards to this year’s event, we were particularly impressed with their ability to operate calmly and professionally in stressful situations. At VRA 18, we had some last minute issues with the table lamps obscuring our attendee’s view of the stage, the GreenSpark team reacted quickly by moving the table lamps and slightly altering the staging, resolving this issue.

The team had strict deadlines for rigging up and tearing down; the latter was an extremely quick turn around with our award show finishing in the early hours of the morning, and the entire Ballroom needing to be cleared within just a few hours. Their diligence and professionalism was admirable in the early hours of the morning after a long and pressured shift, completing their tasks by the hard deadline of 3am without any errors or issues.

About the author:

Luke Roberge is the editor of the majority of AIXR's written content including Insights EDU and Insights Case Studies. A first-class honours graduate in English Literature, Luke has been working in the immersive technology space for the past year focusing on the development of the VR Awards and the launch of AIXR. Have ideas for articles? Feel free to pitch them to him at [email protected].