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Services Categories: Virtual Events

What Is a Comfort Monitor and Why You Might Need One

What is a Comfort Monitor?

A Comfort Monitor, sometimes referred to as a confidence monitor, is a single or multiple display that sits within view of the presenter but not the audience, allowing the presenter to keep track of where they are in the presentation without breaking eye contact with the audience. Some presenters like multiple screens with the same or different content on – the next slide is a popular option along with notes. Countdown timers are also a good choice so they can clearly see how long they have left…or have run over!

The purpose of these aids is to give the presenter the tools to deliver a great presentation – we want them focused on their delivery, not concentrating on remembering their slide and whats coming next. They’re a great convenience for people onstage especially presenters who might not be used to presenting or are nervous. When you don’t get ahead of yourself and can link seamlessly to your next slide you deliver a cohesive presentation, one which the audience can follow easily.

 

Why do you need a Comfort Monitor?

Used at events with where presenters have visual content, such as a conferences or award ceremonies, speakers are given comfort and confidence, helping them to look polished. Seeing the next slide allows the presenter to give a seamless flowing presentation. The speaker is able to maintain a connection with the audience through eye contact and body language without breaking the flow of their presentation to check a larger screen behind them for the next cue.

What does a Comfort Monitor look like?

The comfort monitor is private to the speaker and is unseen by the audience due to its neatly finished angled hides and being dressed and finished in the same colours as the stage. Alternatively they can be placed at eye level behind or above the audience. All cables needed are discreetly hidden and risk free.

What other things does Beagle Create offer for presenter comfort?

We offer extensive presenter packages that can include:

  • Professional clickers
  • Auto cues
  • Programmable clocks and countdown timers
  • Lecterns
  • Drinks and hospitality packages

Read about how we delivered an impactful conference for an international finance company in the iconic venue The Shard or if you’re planning a conference or an awards ceremony yourself, contact us today.

Sustainability – We’re Not Perfect but We’re Trying

The global events industry generates around 1.43 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year, this is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of a country like Spain or Canada. The average conference attendee generates 1.89 kg of waste per day, with about 75% of that being non-recyclable. It’s no secret that the events industry poses a large strain on our planet.

As part of that problem, we’ve had to think carefully about what we can do to minimise our contribution. We know that we’re not perfect. We know we can’t tackle this problem by ourselves. But we do care and are taking steps to reduce our impact on the planet.

What we’re doing day-to-day to minimise our impact:

  • As a hire-based service we are, by nature, discouraging over consumption and unnecessary waste.
  • Carrying and reusing stock where possible, so both set and equipment gets used event after event, reducing waste.
  • We only use LED lighting, and our fierce investment program in modern technology ensures we are using the most efficient products possible – the smallest – the lightest!
  • Where bespoke scenic is required and waste generated, choosing the proper processing so that it can be recycled or re-purposed.
  • Operating from a thermal-efficient warehouse, with modern energy-efficient heating and lighting.
  • The use of ULEZ compliant vehicles.
  • Using stage carpet that is recyclable.
  • Investing in suitable storage space so we can keep as many useful products as possible.
  • Choosing to swap out plastic transport wraps for cardboard edging to reduce our use of single-use plastics.
  • Offering clients more sustainable alternatives for printed boards such as recyclable cardboard or digital alternatives.
  • Offering storage to our clients for their bespoke elements, so it can be kept and reused.

We know these are small steps, but we are committed to heading in the right direction towards a more sustainable future for the events industry.

Should You Still Host a Virtual Event Post-Pandemic?

Virtual events were the only kind available to us for a long time. They became a normal part of life when gathering online was the only option. From virtual festivals to family quizzes on Zoom, most people experienced some kind of virtual event over the past two years.

Now, we have found a new appreciation for going out and being together. Restrictions have been lifted. We get to experience all the things we had taken for granted before. It’s an amazing time with families being reunited and whole industries rising from the ashes.

So, is it worth hosting a virtual event now you don’t need to?

It’s a big question many businesses are now being faced with. Will people be desperate to get together again, or will they have found they prefer the safety of their own home? The last thing you want is to invest in an event that no one shows up to.

To determine whether a virtual event is worth your time, let’s have a look at some market statistics and see where people sit on this:

The Numbers

72% of people expect to attend more or the same number of online events even after in-person events return in full.

The virtual events industry is expected to grow from $78 billion to $774 billion – about ten-fold – over the coming decade (Grand View Research).

64% of participants agree that the quality of speakers and relevance of content, respectively encourage them to sign up for events (Vimeo).

59% or over half of survey participants say they’re likely to leave a live event due to technical issues. (Vimeo)

67% of online events attendees agree that it’s essential for presenters to be engaging and passionate about the subject they’re talking about (RedBack Connect)

What The Stats Tell Us

It’s clear that virtual events aren’t going anywhere, but we can see there are some common issues here.

What we can conclude is that it is worth hosting virtual events post-pandemic, but they need to be done right. They need to be engaging. They need to be informative. And most of all they need to run smoothly.

As people aren’t together in person it’s much harder to create an atmosphere. So, what your event lacks in atmosphere, it must make up for in interesting, relevant, and well-presented content. Invest in the best speakers. Host Q&A sessions. Offer break-out rooms for networking. Make it engaging.

Technical issues are another common theme. When your event is virtual you are relying completely on technology. This can be overwhelming especially when there are hundreds of software companies telling you their platform is the best.

This is where we come in. We’ve hosted hundreds of live events for our clients. We’re trusted to deliver seamless experiences for big brands. We know our stuff.

You don’t have to worry about which platform might be best, how to set up or how to keep your audience from switching off. That’s our job. It’s what we do and it’s what we’re passionate about.

If you’re considering hosting a virtual event, get in touch with us and we can walk you through what you might need.

Renault Arkarna Car Launch

Ignition – Renault’s training partner – needed a covid-safe product launch that would live up to the innovative Arkana. Despite not having any in-person attendees and having limited studio space we delivered with an engaging and impactful virtual event. Read how below.

Ignition are a multi-award-winning specialist automotive agency, counting Renault UK as one of their client partners. They asked us to work with us to produce the UKJ product launch of Renault’s all new Arkana, voted UK’s Best Hybrid Car (when/by whom).

The event took place during covid restrictions which meant we were challenged with how to create an engaging product launch without having any in-person attendees.

To achieve a covid-safe product launch we worked closely with the Ignition team to create an interactive virtual event. It would be streamed live to the Renault dealer network so viewers could ask questions from home and have them answered in real-time – as if they were there in person.

During the event the car would be presented via a live stream to a virtual audience. Part of our remit was to design the studio this would take place in. It needed to be attractive for the viewers at home and deliver a dynamic look and feel; matching up to the innovative product Ignition were presenting.

We needed to come up with a solution which would deliver for the viewers and logistically work in Ignition’s chosen location of the Concept Building at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. Taking into account social distancing for our team, presenters and clients, we needed to plan to the millimeter. We did this prior to the event using our CAD software and from this produced photographic-like visuals for our client to truly see what we can achieve for them.

The livestream took place three times a day over three days – and simply nothing could go wrong once we were live. But some careful planning, a few site visits, a team effort from us, our client Ignition and the venue and we were there.

The result was an impressive virtual event that showcased Renault’s all new product to the public, despite restrictions, in an interactive and engaging way.