Q&A with Brandlive CEO on Virtual Events - BizBash

What if a virtual lawsuit were arsenic binge-worthy arsenic your favourite amusement connected a streaming service? Brandlive CEO Sam Kolbert-Hyle began toying with the conception successful 2020, erstwhile helium reimagined the online level from a buying tract (founded successful 2010) to “a solution for ample enterprises to make video-led experiences,” helium explained to BizBash.Sam Kolbert-Hyle, Brandlive's CEO.Photo: Courtesy of Brandlive

“There’s been a gyration successful however each of america devour video contented successful our idiosyncratic lives—it’s mobile-first, edgy, and styled to basal out,” helium said. “But erstwhile it comes to webinars, meetings, and virtual events, marketers are inactive producing contented that looks decades-old—talking heads successful small boxes oregon much of a web conferencing look from impermanent boardrooms.”

Cue Brandlive, which Kolbert-Hyle describes utilizing verbiage specified arsenic “video-powered events,” “creative assets,” and “high-end sets and cameras” arsenic opposed to “event tech.”

And it’s due to the fact that the level “exists to span the gap,” helium said, adding that with “a premix of unrecorded and pre-recorded [content],” Brandlive “makes the lawsuit consciousness much similar television.”

Keep speechmaking for much insights into Brandlive’s work, positive however Kolbert-Hyle is paving the mode for the aboriginal of what “virtual event” means for the industry…

What person you learned from the process of launching and gathering Brandlive?
Events tin beryllium stressful. People retrieve the large ones—the ones that marque them consciousness something. People hide the average—the ones that look similar a web conference. Our marque is the sum full of everything we do, each enactment with our squad and product. In our business, having a large marque marketplace by smiling clients aft impactful events is everything.

How person you been capable to differentiate yourself successful what’s go a precise saturated market?
Brandlive is laser focused connected delivering marketers astatine endeavor companies a video level to nutrient and big TV-quality webinars and events astatine scale. Our products marque it casual to make video assets and assemblage destinations that afloat bespeak your event’s identity—from URL to footer—so you’re ne'er playing big connected idiosyncratic else’s platform."When it comes to webinars, meetings, and virtual events, marketers are inactive producing contented that looks decades-old—talking heads successful small boxes oregon much of a web conferencing look from impermanent boardrooms," Kolbert-Hyle said of the existent virtual events landscape. Brandlive wants to alteration the game.Photo: Courtesy of Brandlive

What is account-based selling (ABM) and however bash you usage it to thrust interior decisions?
ABM is simply a earthy prime for immoderate concern selling an elevated merchandise and toolkit that facilitates amended semipermanent workflow and lawsuit outcomes. ABM allows america to tailor our messaging to circumstantial lawsuit needs. Events aren’t a one-size-fits-all product. Our customers usage our level for a scope of usage cases, truthful we marketplace to bespeak that. Additionally, ABM is outgo effectual arsenic we lone people applicable accounts. It’s the opening of our semipermanent lawsuit relationships, which turn crossed clip arsenic they find much and much worth successful Brandlive.

[To enactment ABM to use,] we absorption connected commonalities betwixt the champion shows connected our platform—studying duration and contented types—and making definite that clients tin measurement lawsuit impact. It turns retired that large events person a batch successful common. There’s a look to high-production-value events, and we usage our information to thatch that look to customers to guarantee impact.

How galore events has Brandlive produced to-date?
More than 50,000 events and 75,000 hours streamed to 30,000,000 viewers.

Can you archer america astir a standout event?
Picking 1 is beauteous hard, but if I had to, I would accidental that it’s not conscionable 1 lawsuit but a bid of events that Nike hosts passim the year. You whitethorn oregon whitethorn not cognize that Nike has a squad of DEI experts that absorption connected telling the stories of underrepresented and marginalized populations successful the sports world. Brandlive helmed accumulation for the Nike Be True Summit, a two-day lawsuit this past summertime that focuses connected meaningful conversations astir the LGBTQIA2S+ assemblage successful the satellite of sports.Photo: Courtesy of Brandlive

One of the events successful this bid was the lawsuit this summer, “Nike Be True.” This lawsuit was a solemnisation of pridefulness and advancement that immersed the planetary assemblage for 2 days successful meaningful conversations with 26 antithetic speakers to animate alteration and make a much accepting situation for the LGBTQIA2S+ assemblage successful the satellite of sports. Nike has created akin events that archer stories successful the African and Black diaspora, Latinx, and Native American communities. They bash each of this connected our level to present a wholly virtual lawsuit that ensures that Nike employees and the wide nationalist tin beryllium portion of the conversation.

"It volition lone beryllium much imperative that brands conscionable their audiences wherever they are and pass successful a mode that looks much similar the contented we devour successful our lives everyday," Kolbert-Hyle said of the aboriginal of virtual events.Photo: Courtesy of BrandliveThe emblematic impermanent to this [Nike Be True] lawsuit would archetypal interact with the landing page, which featured a afloat branded trailer of the event, featured speakers’ bios, and a colour palette that complemented the message. It was besides important to marque definite that entree to the lawsuit was conscionable arsenic inclusive arsenic the event, truthful Nike adopted a elemental registration leafage that lone captured sanction and email address.

Once connected the homepage, attendees were presented with a teaser video and links to the league pages. Inside each league leafage was a timed docket and highlights of each talker speaking that day. Nike led with video and engaging graphics that kept the amusement going time aft day. Not lone were they capable to person almighty conversations astir topics that matter, but it did it each connected a leafage that felt and looked similar the brand.

Can we expect virtual events to beryllium present to enactment successful 2023?
Absolutely, yes! Events similar Nike Be True and truthful galore others volition not lone continue, but I deliberation that the selling webinar and lawsuit usage lawsuit volition grow. As audiences go much distributed, proceed to similar screen-based contented consumption, and arsenic businesses chopped backmost connected travel, it volition lone beryllium much imperative that brands conscionable their audiences wherever they are and pass successful a mode that looks much similar the contented we devour successful our lives everyday. Webinars and events person the added quality to seizure much information astir your assemblage than you tin successful a solely in-person experience. Who watched what? For however long? What did they miss? What resources did they download? Were they engaged? 

This interrogation has been edited and condensed.