Encore delivers The University of Sydney ’ s largest wave of graduation ceremonies in 2024
19 days. 56 ceremonies. 9,500 graduands. 18,000+ live stream attendees. 1 mammoth month for Encore.
The Brief
It is one of the most significant days in their lives. This is why The University of Sydney turned to trusted event production specialists, Encore, to deliver a memorable graduation ceremony for more than 9,500 graduands. This was to take place three times a day, over 19 days with full audio visual and production support and a live stream to thousands of attendees worldwide. With the right mix of equipment, skills, experience and people power, Encore was the perfect team for the challenge.
The Solution
The production solution was months in the making. Key elements in Encore’s solution were AV integration, redundancy contingencies, production quality and prioritising crew wellbeing.
Being able to integrate with and control the venue’s in-house AV system was critical to the event’s success. This enabled Encore’s crew to not only manage the in-room audio and vision, but to also successfully capture and feed into the live stream which was hosted on the University’s main website.
With experience comes the knowledge to back up and back up again. This is why Encore’s team allowed for several contingencies to ensure each event over the 30 days would go on no matter what happened. This included facilitating internet connection with a dedicated PEP-Link in place to avoid any disruption to the live stream. With attendees live streaming each ceremony this was a critical piece in the solution.
One of the defining features in Encore’s production solution was the camera craftsmanship. Encore’s goal was to deliver a solution that went beyond simply capturing the day’s events, to anticipating moments that tell the story.
Encore’s Key Account Manager for the event, Dan Armstrong, described how experience can transform the production quality.
“Having a deeper understanding of the script notes and the flow of the graduation lets you know where there will be opportunities to bring a different perspective visually to the in- room attendee. This goes without saying, this becomes even more important for those watching online.
“It’s the layering of camera angles, capturing the right reactions at the right time for the right amount of time, without losing sense of what is still happening live in the room,” said Mr Armstrong.
A final and hugely important part of Encore’s solution was maintaining crew wellbeing. For an event of this magnitude, with back-to-back ceremonies over 30 days, fatigue management plans were critical to the solution. Overlooking this element can have devastating effects and which is why Encore places wellbeing as one of their highest production priorities.
The Result
Each ceremony over the 30 days was delivered seamlessly, both in-room and online. More than 9,500 people tuned in to watch the live stream from more than 10 countries around the world. With talks already underway for the next wave of ceremonies, it’s clear Encore’s production solution was a success.
“Encore has supported The University of Sydney graduation ceremony events since 2021, supporting ~100 ceremonies for ~12,000 graduates annually. Encore currently provides infrastructure, lighting, filming, audio, and a live stream platform for graduation ceremony events. Onsite broadcasting services were also utilised during covid19 restrictions. Since 2021, the Graduations Team have worked with Encore to research and implement options to improve the event delivery and graduate experience.”
– Jerry Wu, Senior Administration Officer, The University of Sydney
Encore had the pleasure of hosting the 67th annual Victoria Training Awards 2021. Due to COVID restrictions prohibiting in-person events, the awards night were held completely virtual from the Encore Studio within Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds. The Victorian Training Awards recognise and honour the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations in the Victorian TAFE and training sector. The prestigious Victorian Training Awards bring together apprentices, trainees, students, teachers, training providers, employers, and industry representatives, sharing in a high-quality training system that meets the needs of all Victorians.
Encore were asked to design a solution where they could stream from a studio for their hosts, and also have somewhere for all viewers to watch the live stream whilst engaging with each other on a virtual platform. Our Melbourne Studio fitted the brief perfectly as well as utilizing our interactive event platform – Chime Live.
The Melbourne Production department started with a blank room. Working from our 2020 Studio design and looking at new technology trends, the team came up with a space that could rival the TV networks. An abundance of Stage and Effect lighting fixtures compliments the giant LED screen which is at the centre of the Studio. Presenters were supported by a range of fold back monitors and screens, while the event is produced on Encore’s high end audio, lighting and vision systems. Encore’s multimedia department also assist in the creation of motion animations and keynote presentations.
Encore delivered an innovative, virtual solution to enable the GO Foundation’s Big Catch Up to continue despite COVID restrictions. The client wanted a live event feel, despite the fact that this was the first time the event had been delivered virtually. Encore delivered on this requirement by branding the Chime Live platform completely with GO Foundation colours. In the venue, the team built three towers of LED as the stage backdrop to create a branded, stylish look for the online audience that also incorporated GO Foundation design elements.
Encore delivered the University of Sydney’s first ever hybrid celebration for the class of 2020’s 18,000 graduands/graduates. It celebrated the achievements of every student graduating that year and was delivered to an impressive 6,000 online guests from 90 countries around the world.
THE PROBLEM
With live events prohibited under COVID 19 restrictions at the time, the graduations team at the University of Sydney approached Encore to deliver the celebration event in a hybrid format.
The client had serious concerns about how the event would look and that the graduating class would get a professional, engaging experience to celebrate their success. In addition, there were concerns about broadcasting to multiple countries concurrently, in particular to China as the event was to be delivered concurrently worldwide.
THE SOLUTION
Encore presented the perfect solution, the intuitive Chime Live platform which features all aspects you would expect from an in-person event, plus live engagement for everyone to be involved via the platform’s ability to integrate Instagram, Facebook and Twitter messages using the hashtag #USydClassof2020.
THE RESULT
The event was streamed live from the Great Hall at the University of Sydney featuring speeches and entertainment for the thousands of online viewers. It was a virtual hit with large numbers of students sharing photos from homes wearing their gowns and celebrating with loved ones.
Our client Cristina Dietmann, Events Manager, University of Sydney was delighted with the result commenting,
“We were all very concerned about changing the event to virtual. Graduations have been delivered in a similar way at the University for 140 years. Graduation is such a special time for our students and we didn’t want to delay it.”
“The Encore team were terrific! They were so knowledgeable about the technology and made me feel totally at ease. The event went without a hitch and we were delighted. Feedback from both Academics and attendees was really positive.”
“Whilst we look forward to being able to do live, in-person graduations in the future, this was a great way to ensure our students could celebrate and not have to wait even longer.”
Despite many events being cancelled due to COVID19 restrictions, this year’s coveted Jean for Genes Gala powered on with Encore Event Technologies taking the fundraiser purely online on Saturday 20th June. The challenge for the Encore team was delivering an event that lived up to its fun and glamorous reputation whilst also facilitating interaction for the purpose of raising funds with hundreds of guests of Children’s Medical Research Institute.
Encore hosted the event from our broadcasting studio in Sydney. The technical teams built a custom stage set with an LED wall, feature lighting and leveraged their green screen to create different set looks to enhance presentations as well as the performances by soloist Ace Avenue and the four-piece band Jellybean Jam. The green screen displayed multimedia themed to the event showing DNA graphics and the event’s signature denim.
The virtual fundraising event was delivered via Encore Connect, a live video conferencing solution, which enabled viewers to watch the various live presentations, speakers and performances. The platform also enabled live streaming of videos from families affected by childhood genetic diseases who are at the heart of the charity’s research and the Jeans for Genes campaign.
Pre-recorded videos highlighting the Institute’s work were also incorporated as well as a fun cocktail-making recipe in the theme of the night. The variety show style event also included live Q&A sessions with the organisation’s families as well as research leaders from the Institute.
Children’s Medical Research Institute’s Acting Head of Fundraising Jane Ruston said the charity’s scientists were known for their ability to adapt and innovate so it was vital that the rest of the team did the same.
“As well as being a fundraising event, the Jeans for Genes Gala is a way for our CMRI community of supporters across Australia to connect with our scientists and hear about their incredible research, as well as an opportunity to meet the families whose children live with genetic disease every day and to understand why their support is so vital.
“We were so grateful that Encore were able to connect all CMRI community so that they could feel safe, comfortable and confident that our work would continue in such challenging times.
“All our supporters commented on what a fantastic night it was and that’s because of the hard work that was done behind-the-scenes by the Encore team.”
Encore’s National Sales Director, Michael Magafa was delighted with the team’s efforts to ensure the important fundraiser could still continue and commented,
“The team did a fantastic job of creating an engaging and entertaining event online. There were many live and recorded elements and they ensured that each element was delivered seamlessly. The LED screen created a live performance feel you’d experience at a live concert.”
The event raised more than $70,000 for children’s medical research.
The Encore team devised an innovative solution for the Department of Defence to move their annual event the D + I Conference to an online format at the National Convention Centre Canberra.
The event was attended in-person by Defence senior leadership, including the Chief of the Defence Force and Secretary of Defence, plus 1,000 online attendees. Pre-recorded speeches from the Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Industry were also part of the proceedings.
Encore won the event due to their ingenious solution to use their live, event streaming platform Chime Live. The technology was specifically designed to create an environment that was as close to the live event as possible, as well as offering many features for the attendees to engage with one another whether they were in the room or attending online.
The brief from Defence was also that due to the stature of the event and the seniority of the speakers from within the Department a highly professional production was required. So the team also designed a realistic ‘TV Studio’ style stage to ensure a professional, high quality appearance for the broadcast.
The flexible, secure and robust virtual platform was rigorously tested both within the Defence network and externally, to ensure it would provide faultless hosting and streaming capabilities for the inaugural VIP event. As the client was concerned about a fully online event, this attention to detail, professionalism and rigorous testing was another reason the event was won.
On entering the room, in-person attendees were met with an impactful stage set comprising a seamless 10 x 3m LED screen backing the stage. The TV Studio sat within the stage set and was completed with beautiful spot and wash lighting, with an LCD vision fold-back for presenters. Three cameras shooting different angles were used for a mixed broadcast and streamed live into the Chime platform. The team also created impactful multimedia content which was displayed on the screen throughout the event.
The team also moderated a live Q&A for each session within Chime so that the in-person and online audiences could all participate together.
Client testimonial – Loz Goodchild
“Stu and the team did an exceptional job with the delivery of the event, far exceeding our expectations. From the initial planning and liaison with the Department’s ICT team to the physical delivery of the event, everything was on point and the exceptional feedback received to date is a reflection of their knowledge, experience and professionalism.”
Stuart Buchanan, Director of Sales ACT commented,
“The entire team and I were delighted with the event. The delivery was professional, the execution was seamless and the result was engaging for attendees and guests whether they were in the room or online.
The client was extremely impressed with our execution of the event. They loved being on the TV style set and felt we exceeded the expectations of the internal stakeholders at the Department by ensuring we delivered flawlessly. They gained the confidence to continue to use this hybrid format again with Defence events during the current restrictions.”