In an exclusive virtual concert Olly Murs performed his top tracks to company employees worldwide.

Corporate entertainment has always been a vital morale boost in large corporations, especially around the festive season. Unfortunately, the current Covid-19 restrictions have made it difficult to host live events. 

However, one large London corporation wasn’t going to let Covid-19 get in the way of showing their staff how valued they are. Instead of the usual in-person event, the company decided to host an exclusive Olly Murs virtual concert at their office in central London.

The Production People were brought in to provide the lighting, rigging and power distribution for the virtual concert. In addition, we supplied a low-rise stage and black backdrop to complete the concert’s set and lighting package.

Although we can facilitate the video production for all virtual events, on this occasion, the company used its own video production equipment and software, which they operate for regular online meetings.

The Olly Murs Virtual Concert

The virtual concert was broadcast online to employees worldwide, who have been working from home throughout the pandemic. 

During the hour-long virtual concert, Murs performed his top tracks, including Dear Darlin, Troublemaker, You Don’t Know Love and Heart Skips a Beat. In true festive spirit, a Christmas classic was also thrown in for good measure. 

After the concert a brief interview with Murs made the event even more exclusive. Sat on stage with a company representative, Murs answered questions from the audience, who were watching live online. 

Event Lighting, Rigging and Stage

The technical production for the virtual concert was relatively small to a traditional live gig. There was no need for a large stage, lighting, video wall and multiple screens for the audience to see. Instead, the audience would have a clear view of the full concert, while watching from the comfort of their own home. 

Although the virtual concert was a much smaller affair, the lighting was paramount to creating the right ambience. 

Having installed a low-rise stage and black backdrop, we used lighting to set the scene. 

To create the look of the virtual concert we rigged a range of lighting fixtures, including:

• Martin Profiles 
• Chauvet Professional Rogue washes 
• Chauvet Professional ColorBand Pix LED battens 
• LED Up-lighters

At the back of the stage, we used varying heights of truss to support the LED colour battens and colour washes. This added the necessary backdrop to Olly Murs’ vibrant performance.

Lighting Design

The virtual concert required a short turn around. We had one day to set up and leave the premises. 

With minimal time to rehearse before the concert, it was not possible to programme the lighting design for each song. We needed a lighting desk that would be proficient and responsive throughout the show. 

The Avolite Tiger Touch desk was the obvious choice. This desk is quick to programme and capable of controlling LED and moving lights for a whole range of events – large and small.  

How Virtual Concert Production Enhances Audience Engagement

Watching a concert at home will never beat the live event. However, a virtual concert can work, provided the technical production is creatively and professionally produced.

Crucially, the concert needs to look and sound great on all devices, as well as stream consistently and securely. 

While the technical production demands are very different to a live event, they are equally, if not more fundamental. Professional video production, audio and lighting design are key to achieving the right look and sound.

A well-produced concert will get the audience up, off of their seats singing and dancing along. 

Thinking of Hosting a Virtual Event?

The TPP team are always happy to provide advice on producing and streaming virtual concerts and events that will engage an online audience.

If you would like to speak to one of the team, please contact us on 01264 889 934.

Virtual Event Production

You can read more about our virtual event services on our hybrid event production and virtual event studio pages. Alternatively, explore our technical event production page for the full package.

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