A few weeks ago, we turned in the minivan for a hybrid CRV. All has gone well with the new ride, but it reminded my how much “hybrid” is going to keep playing into our person and professional worlds as we transition into a place where face to face and “virtual” will have to find a happy medium.
I had a little bit of a head start on this combination last fall, when I was one of three instructors in our Columbia program who drew the straw to do “Hi Flex” classes on the deserted campus on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We ended up, when all the testing, the weekly attestations, and social distancing were done, with 12 students in the room and another eight online, and it made for a very enjoyable, very engaged balance and learning experience for what lied ahead, both today and into the future. It’s a blended learning experience that we certainly never predicted, but one that worked well because it forced us to adapt to two different “audiences,” one in the room, the other online, and make sure that we had everyone engaged and involved as much as possible. You thought, you spoke, and you presented just a little bit differently, and while it started being a bit mentally exhausting, it provided a great respite from the screen in front of us every day.
We have seen the blended experience continue to be refined in academia on all levels as students return to class and teachers find best practices at adapting, and as areas continue to open up, we are seeing that blend experience start to take shape in sports and entertainment. Awards shows have tried with some fits and starts, but now we are seeing movie junkets, and other special events start to do this combo of live and online more and more as we chart the path to success and engagement going forward.
In sports and live events, the “all virtual world” for access took hold early and has continued to be refined. We looked recently at what the experiences have been like (you can read it here) and have also started to note more and more blended events taking place, particularly around the PGA Tour, boxing and the UFC, as well as with some live press events like the Dallas Cowboys did to announce their mega-deal with Dak Prescott.
Then this past week I had the opportunity to help organize and launch a hybrid event, in Las Vegas, for Triller Fight Club, a combination of media in the room while a global audience streamed in. It was a living, breathing example of how more and more events can and will adapt in the coming months, and how sports and media will find a balance in news coverage from just sitting in front of a screen and participating in storytelling. It is not dissimilar from what we have seen in press briefings done with political figures, and we looked at a good amount of political events to come up with a formula to please all. In the end, it worked, albeit a little unusually, and now having gone through the experience, it helps again chart a pathway for going forward.
First things first. Buy in at the top to go the hybrid route, and budget to provide adequate space, and testing, at least for the short term, needs to be in place. Having media people in the room at any number, and athletes/celebrities and coaches without the right precautions and distancing is a recipe for disaster. While we all want to return to a level of face-to-face interaction, we still need to have the right protocols in place to make sure that things go smoothly and that requires time, space, distancing and professional engagement. It can’t be just checking the box and come on in.
Second, the buy in needs to be there from both sides. Anyone coming into the room needs to take the protocol seriously, and not hope to cut corners. Similarly, there can’t be pressure from those looking to fill a room to sneak people in as a favor. Everyone needs to be treated consistently.
Third, media members and those being spoken to need to understand the balance of getting questions from voices not in the room as well as being able to look directly at people in place who are also asking for content. That may involve an occasional technical glitch with microphones and audio, but with the right emcee at the control…someone adept in monitoring the streaming part who may not even be in the room and working hand in hand with a moderator who is at the table or in the front of the room with the talent…things can work very symbiotically.
So, with those in place, we went about a hybrid press event.
We limited those in the room, with the help of health officials, to 20 pre-approved media members in a massive ballroom that could hold 400, and had requisite staff, tech and production people distanced and working the room as well. We also cordoned off pre-approved and distanced “pods” for friends and family, while keeping talent, eight fighters, distanced in other parts of the convention center so they were safe and spaced as well.
We also used pool photographers, a remote transcript service and a live Zoom recording to make sure all areas and needs were handled, and also took questions in advance from those who RSVP’d on Zoom to make sure we could maintain flow. Where we saw gaps, our “coordinator” who asked the questions live to the speakers (as well as introduced live questions from outside the room) had relevant points and questions available should there be pauses or glitches.
We also timed questions so that the flow from live, distanced media in the room (who went to a central space to ask questions vs passing around a microphone) were able to get back and forth from their designated spots and not miss anything relevant.
The result was a two-hour blended mix of media in the room who followed protocol (arrival 90 minutes early, rapid testing, waiting and then being escorted into a room where they stayed in their position) and over 50 from around the world who joined via Zoom on a live feed, all interacting and getting their questions in and answered in a timely manner. The ability for monitoring Zoom also helped give flow and access to members who could not dominate a session and not let others ask by simply shouting over people. It was moderate control that worked well. The ability to also be in the room with media members gave us the ability to service little “asks” and questions in real time, be it finding an official or getting some additional details that may be hard to do without personal interaction (you can only do so much on chats and text messages, and that little personal touch we have lost remains an invaluable intangible).
The presser then done, we were able to also service one on one’s for the media in the room. We brought athletes to eight pre-determined spots in the massive room and gave media the ability to go from person to person using adequate masking and approved social distancing. Since media members had all tested negative before entering, they were able to move around from station to station while keeping the athletes safe and distanced? Did we get some encroaching? Yes. But media were respectful when asked to move, and certainly appreciated the distanced face time over just being on a screen. It made the interaction both safe and personal and that was welcomed.
Some other aspects of note from the hybrid.
Limiting people in the room still feels a but off until you get used to it. Those looing for the old big crowds with dozens of cameras may scratch their head at the sparse room and determine if it is worth it. The room buzz is certainly a bit lacking, and the frequent look to the sky as the moderator (our was the legendary Al Bernstein who did a great job in balancing the flow) awaited instructions took some getting sued to, but with the right people pushing in questions in que combined with the right host, it is something that we will get used to quickly. The use of pool video and stills also helped with distribution almost in real time, and also kept the numbers in the room down (we did have an overflow room for media who did not RSVP or get approved were able to log on as well, and we kept their questions as priority for the effort).
The surprise factor for breaking news is still palpable when done with people in the room. The Triller Fight Club surprise came in the form of Oscar de la Hoya, entering and joining Snoop Dogg on stage to announce, unscripted, his return to boxing. The audible gasp from media IN the room, along with the ability to help scramble and get them some value add…other officials, fighters etc.…gave the event more of a eat than just the quiet of listening to questions…so those who showed up got more than they bargained for in access. If all are on a stream, that extra access, and that drama, is certainly lost. Also, we had something happen that has been missing from even the bigger live streamed media events…applause. With some socially distanced “entourages” in the back of the room, there was some genuine passionate applause that broke out around some announcements. Being able to carry that in real time gave the event even more of a bounce, as one of the things that continues to hamper streaming only events…be they classes or announcements…is silence when people would normally be reacting. It has hindered everything from Stephen Colbert monologues to the Grammy’s because the need for gaps, and yells, and cheers and boos…being heard live, is what makes the atmosphere of any event. Having those little gasps of surprise certainly helped plot another few steps on the path back.
Now there are many who have said that streaming only pressers have been a blessing…there is more control and efficiency on both sides, it speeds up the process of access and expands the audience for content. That’s all true and a best practice we have picked up. However, the ability to combine that streaming access with having people interacting in the room with the right protocols enhances storytelling, builds trust and relationships and adds to the news worthiness and the relevance of events.
There are going to be more and more lessons learned and best practices established as we get to events like MLB regular season, the NFL Draft, and on and on. There are still many restrictions…several major news outlets still won’t let their media travel both for safety and budget, and remote access has in many ways reshaped coverage by platforms but having that mix of live in person and streaming, be it in classroom or press conference, is really valuable for all aspects of sports and media.
Are there issues with size and scope of people in the room? Yes, but that is evolving. Are their cost issues with testing and masking and distance? Yes, but those too are controllable costs. Do you still run some risk of positive tests through interaction? Yes, but those chances are being diminished every day.
In short, both in the classroom and the ballroom (this week at the Venetian in Las Vegas) it is great to be a bit of a hybrid pioneer and find answers and solutions in problem solving media access. In a world where things sway so far to one side quickly, looking for solutions in the middle is engaging, curious and interesting, and helping chart the path for normalcy has been fun and interesting. We can never stop learning, be it online or in person, and combining both areas has been safe and engaging.
Looking forward to seeing many more in person soon…a good next step from this past week with lessons applied and learned as we keep getting further down the road to normalcy.
