Architex produced the 2021 , 2022, 2023 and 2024 CREW DC Awards, taking them from fully virtual mid-Pandemic awards to hybrid simulive broadcasts to in-person galas.
SUMMARY
Architex produced CREW DC’s last four annual award ceremonies, starting in 2021.
Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) is an association for women in the commercial real estate industry. The DC chapter of CREW hosts an annual awards ceremony to recognize individuals and companies who excel in commercial real estate, focusing on people making positive changes on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. They had gone from hosting in-person galas to a completely virtual event in 2020 due to the pandemic. For 2021, they hoped to combine the two formats into a hybrid experience featuring an option to attend an in-person gathering or join networking events and watch the program virtually.
We began partnering with CREW DC to create this vision through a simulated live broadcast streamed to virtual and in-person sponsored watch parties in 2021 and 2022, and worked with them to return to in-person awards presentations in 2023 and 2024.
CONTENT
Content: the award ceremony historically honors seven to eight awardees, features the current President and President Elect, and provides space for sponsorship highlights and special thanks. The producers at CREW DC craft the run of show, drawing on their past events to create both scripted and off the cuff moments.
2021 & 2022
SIMULIVE EVENTS: PRE-RECORDING
For our hybrid events, we took this outline and created a film shoot schedule and graphics overlays, which could be edited together into a fully produced program.
Recording interviews allowed us to edit together chosen soundbites with photos, graphics and music into a polished package for each award. After site visits, we were able to identify the best shooting locations, make a plan for load in, and draft a shoot schedule that maximizes our time with natural light in each space.
From a budget standpoint, the labor cost of a video team for a day of simu-live recording and a video team for a day of live broadcast was roughly equivalent. By choosing a pre-produced film shoot, CrewDC is able to include a la carte services, such a makeup artist and teleprompter operator, within budget.
As part of our technical production management process, we worked closely with the CREWDC team to craft a schedule for the film shoot that accommodated the technical needs of the production by minimizing full location moves for video equipment while working within the talent’s windows of availability and following all local and agreed upon COVID safety measures. The film shoot also created a unique experience for the hosts and awardees, and allowed them to network together and later fully enjoy the ceremony without being stuck ‘backstage.’
After the shoot, our next priority was on video direction and editing, packaging together the raw footage with graphic overlays into the awards show narrative. We planned a three-week editing timeline that allowed for three revisions. The first focused on content, with following iterations adding audio treatments, open captioning, and perfecting each awardee package. Each polished award package was sent to their respective awardee and their companies for approval.
HYBRID EVENTS
In 2022, one large gathering was held, with a gala-like atmosphere, where the attendees watched the awards program on multiple screens. For in-person attendees in 2021, they could choose from three sponsored watch parties in buildings throughout the DC area. CREW DC staff and volunteers arranged for the in-person elements along with sponsors for Ubers, dessert and parting gifts. The Architex team provided technical guidance for video playback, assisting CREW DC staff in testing video, audio and internet streaming capabilities. Because the full program is simulated live, we were also able to provide multiple backups, a major perk of simu-live events.
For the virtual networking component of the event in 2021, we designed an experience that allowed for an hour of networking followed by viewing of the awards ceremony, using SpatialChat, a virtual event platform that provides customizable rooms for video, audio and text chatting. This platform was selected because of its ease of use, rich features, and customizability.
We designed the simu-live awards show in 2021 as a live broadcast as opposed to video playback. This is one of our recommended practices, since it allows for last minute changes, delays and announcements. We also added a layer of accessibility, overlaying open captioning provided by a live stenographer.
Our video team simultaneously broadcast the simu-live awards ceremony to an online platform, IBM Media, for the three watch parties, and to the SpatialChat main stage. Throughout the broadcast, our producers stayed in contact with the CREW DC event producers to respond to any in-person needs and take live feedback.
A RETURN TO IN-PERSON GALAS
By 2023, the world and the CREW DC team was ready to return to in-person event spaces.
In past years, the event has been entirely virtual, including both a pre-record and live stream component with an exclusively virtual audience. In 2023, the event moved into an in-person model, with pre-recorded videos of award winners and an in-person awards presentation. Like in 2022, we worked with an expert film crew to shoot a series of videos to be played at the gala. We visited the film site in advance to identify ideal camera shots, and also took notes of any lighting adjustments or prop needs for shoot day. Over the next month, we worked with CREW DC to provide cuts of the footage packaged with the events branding.
The branding for the event, as in years past, also plays a pivotal role in creating an exciting and unique experience. Adding a thoughtful branding package can take an event from ordinary to extraordinary and give the client a sense of both joy and pride. Our graphic designer used the branding from past CREW DC events as a starting point and collaborated with the client to come up with the elegant and striking graphics seen below.
After getting the videos shot, edited, and delivered and simultaneously putting all of the final touches on the graphics package, we were ready for the in-person awards gala.
One of the guiding principles of Architex is to be able to produce high value events with an attention to cost-consciousness. For this awards gala, we staffed the event conscientiously, with the following personnel:
Technical Director
Show Caller
Video Switcher
Graphics Operator
Audio Engineer
Lighting Operator
Teleprompt Operator
Producing an event with a lean team can lead to challenges that require creative navigation. For example, the only two presenters wearing body mics were the hosts, which eliminated the need for a second audio (A2) position. Any technical difficulties could be addressed by the Technical Director who remained on headset and in constant communication with both the Show Caller and the Audio Engineer. While a lean staff is important to keep costs low, equipment also can quickly drive up estimates. We were able to accomplish the event with a very conscientious lighting design exclusively consisting of front light and strip lights, which highlighted the speakers and the room’s architecture, respectively. We worked with the client to land on aesthetically pleasing looks that learned into the beautiful space rather than to hide it. Would you believe that this event only had 12 lighting fixtures total?
Another cost saving measure comes down to building access. This entire event was loaded in and ready for audience in a mere 4 hour span, which meant that there was no rehearsal time. This shined a light on the relationship between the client and the show caller, which was pivotal to the success of the evening. The presenters did not want to self advance slides and therefore relied on the technical team to execute the vision. One of Architex’ many strengths is having a staff that can wear many hats. In the case of CREW DC 2023, the production manager of the event also served as the show caller. The rapport created throughout pre-production built a trust on site, which led to a comprehensive and coherent pre-event run of show review. Despite having no rehearsal with the talent, the client was thrilled with the end product. While this may sound like a stressful way to operate, Architex boasts a team that is always cool under pressure and thrives in high-stakes environments.
As the audience moved into the reception area, Architex worked with the technical team to strike and return the room to neutral. By the time the guests exited the building, it was like we had been there.
For 2024, we removed the pre-event film shoot, and instead collected only b-roll photos and videos from the awardees, and recorded voice over announcements ahead of time. We kept continuity through the existing graphic identity from 2023’s speakeasy theme, which spoke to the atmosphere at the new awards location, Washington D.C.’s Spy Museum.
We kept elements from the film shoot, like the teleprompter for the president and president elect, and produced film packages for two awards, b-roll videos for all, and revised sponsor and credits slides.
Keeping the event’s accessibility standards in the transition from virtual to in-person was important to the CREW DC team. Since we had provided open captioning virtually, we employed a stenographer for the in-person events and layered the captions onto screens flanking the stage for all attendees.
To support the in-person elements, for each event we brought in additional audio and video gear, along with engineers, a stage manager and a show caller to keep the event running smoothly. We worked in coordination with catering and the venue to ensure smooth load in and load outs, and allow the CREW DC team to focus on their audience and awardees.
CONCLUSION
In the end, we produced four successful events over four years and in eight spaces - six physical, two virtual - with no major hiccups on the days of the events due to successful planning, extensive pre-production work, and true partnership and engagement with event producers and stakeholders throughout the process.
OUR BEST PRACTICES IN HYBRID & IN-PERSON EVENT WORK
Simu-live broadcasting allows for greater flexibility on the event date and robust back up plans
For live filming, create a detailed daily schedule informed by site visits and team consults
Build out a video editing production timeline with a set number of revisions
Plan for the ideal live event while keeping a virtual option available if needed
TESTIMONIALS
"Architex Team, everything went GREAT last night! We used the thumb drive and the Vimeo video and they both played beautifully without delay. We had a lot of compliments as well on the production quality. Thank you all so much!”
“People were RAVING at [Watch Party 1]. Great job everyone.”
“Going to have to kick people out. A great success!”
“It was an absolute pleasure working with you and your team! I’ve heard nothing but good things about the SpatialChat networking feature and the broadcast looked great on my end. Thank you for helping us put on an amazing event!”
“Thank you so much to your entire team for all that you did to make the event such a success. It was an enjoyable experience working with you all, it could have not been a more seamless process.”
“Great event. No issues on our end. Streamed perfectly.”
For more information on CREW DC, see https://crewdc.org/
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