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The MashUp Studio at Convening Leaders 2020 in San Francisco will give virtual attendees bonus interviews with the experts, just like at CL19 in Pittsburgh (above). (Every Angle Photography)
Learning is serious business, but Leslie Bailey, education manager at PCMA, is aiming to infuse a note of informality in the livestream program of Convening Leaders 2020. Bailey will step into the role of the host of the MashUp Studio in San Francisco, a television-style broadcast environment that gives virtual attendees bonus interviews with the experts who will be presenting at the Moscone Center. “There is so much content that it can overwhelm the audience,” said Bailey, who has worked behind the scenes at the studio for the past three years. “We’ll continue to deliver that kind of in-depth material this year, but we also want to offer some brain breaks.”
Part of those breaks will come from the fact that the at-home audience will not have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to asking questions. An open concept for the studio will invite face-to-face participants to visit and ask questions during the broadcast.
“We’re using ‘The Today Show’ plaza as a model,” Bailey said, “with a roving camera that can help bring the two audiences together and show remote viewers some of what they’re missing.”
Leslie Bailey
In addition to seeing familiar faces in the crowd, viewers will recognize some of the individuals who will join Bailey at the broadcast desk. While she will handle the majority of interview duties, she plans to welcome a few guest hosts from the PCMA community. “It’s another fun way to elevate our members,” Bailey said, “and create a richer conversation with more perspectives on the issues and trends that our viewers are learning about during the live-streamed sessions.”
The environment itself is part of the education. “The unexpected can happen during the livestream,” Bailey said. “It’s one of the most valuable elements of this livestream for our viewers because it serves as a reminder of the need to have a just-roll-with-it attitude when it comes to digital engagement. It’s all live, and it’s all true to the experience that is happening on site.”
There is still time to be part of that experience. Visit conveningleaders.org to register and join the business events community in San Francisco.
The livestream is made possible by support from Meetings + Conventions Calgary, and the MashUp Studio is made possible by the New Orleans & Company and the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
