Digital progress creates new scope for action
The larger the company, the more people need to be kept up to date through various levels and channels. To clarify issues, reassure employees, and of course motivate them and look forward together in turbulent times.
Our customer from the financial sector with over 45,000 employees did everything right and acted immediately. A solution had to be found that could be implemented quickly in order to inform everyone equally about the further course of action in this particular situation and thus clearly position the messages of the company's management board.
Ideal format is a conference, preferably live.
That is exactly what we have done. Heeded the requirements and responded to the challenges.
So much in advance - the effort was worth it. The transmission to more than 2000 selected executives was ensured, the speakers were integrated at different locations - plus a professional camera team, of course.
And all that within only 5 days - including the weekend. It's all about combining strengths, being creative and flexible, and taking advantage of digital progress.
"The greatest danger in turbulent times is not turbulence, but acting with yesterday's logic."
Peter Drucker
Challenge Accepted
The weekend is all about preparations. Key words: technology, engineering and teamwork.
Friday
Selection of the appropriate technology.
Microsoft Teams is already being used successfully in the customer's office. Teams offers a format that promises live broadcasting to up to 10,000 participants, so it's ideal for this purpose.
Saturday
Structure of the technical environment.
Together with DataVision, a Microsoft 365 environment is set up for demo and test, including failover.
Sunday
Evaluation of the demo environment.
The entire team is involved in the technical evaluation of the demo environment.
Requirements become challenges
Even behind the scenes of a digital event, there is technical background and thus a lot to do. With big tasks, the requirements grow. A second live broadcast location is added. Means:
The cabling for audio and video at both transmission locations, in the north and center of Germany. In the course of this, the installation of a Microsoft 365 account in Hamburg, in order to make the live broadcast with image and sound possible.
The required hardware includes 3 video mixing consoles, 2 sound mixing consoles, 5 notebooks and, of course, professional lighting and sound technology.
The signal and sound problems were also solved along the way. The full program.
Monday
/ two professional camera teams including sound and lighting equipment at both locations.
/ various team meetings for alignment with film team via the connection option from the camera control room is possible.
Technology (HDMI2USB Grabber) for feeding audio / video to notebook identified, but nowhere available.
22 o'clock - spontaneously Black Magic ATEM Mini and additionally a second device (HDMI2USB Grabber) as backup from the Datavision branch Neu-Isenburg organized.
For location Hamburg also a HDMI2USB Grabber organized and available on demand.
Tuesday
Coordination and alignment of the requirement with all service providers
/ Datavision
/ KOM4TEC
/ film team: director, 3 cameramen, 1 sound technician + photographer and lighting
/ media technology
Next Level of Live Video Streaming - Teams Live Event
The solution, or rather the ideal tool for the planned live conference, is obvious and not unknown. Microsoft Teams - already rolled out in the customer's office, it is hard to imagine everyday work here in times of home office without it.
Integrated into this collaboration tool is the Live Event format and thus also part of the Microsoft 365 suite. Easy.
Advantages of MS Teams Live Events
/ Central control and moderation
/ Video on demand - automatic recording of the presentation
/ Captions - insertion of the subtitle possible
/ Q&A area - allows moderated questions
Let the Show begin
10am
Arrival - The team is ready and we are ready to go.
The technology is ready.
Live switching to Hamburg is simulated, including quality test.
11:30 a.m.
Several test runs are performed.
Signal paths are defined.
Test run of control monitors and technology.
Microphone and sound check.
13:30
Shortly before the dress rehearsal.
The Q&A section will be tested.
Test video and sound + feed from Hamburg
Extension of the number of participants to > 2000
Link to conference will be sent by mail.
You succeed together, or you don't succeed at all.
The message from the Board of Directors in this particular situation in which we all currently find ourselves is clear:
Microsoft Teams forms the basis of the ongoing workflow for the company and guarantees ongoing collaboration by means of location-independent communication.
The exemplary crisis management is supported, among other things, by a SharePoint Online site in conjunction with Microsoft Forms, thus ensuring the flow of information across all departments.
In particular, the customer's project management team, in cooperation with the internal IT department, did the best preparatory work to be able to execute this live conference. The handling and use of digital technologies in recent weeks and months is exemplary, and our customer from the financial sector can see itself as a real pioneer in terms of New Work in times of COVID-19. With this attitude, preventive action can be taken, health can be kept in focus, and collaboration can be strengthened at the same time.
In the end, everyone agrees:
In a very short period of time, great things were achieved through collaboration, and the joint implementation of this conference as a Teams Live event demonstrated the diverse possibilities of the digital working world.
And the after-work beer was more than deserved.
