start the
conversation

Our dedicated team of event specialists are on hand to help you with whatever queries you may have. We are here to help you achieve something amazing. To find out more get in touch with our team

talk to the team
Eclipse Hybrid

In a time where the future of the events industry remains uncertain due to the growing restrictions of the global pandemic, the events industry has had to adapt and change in order to continue providing events across the world, which has seen an increase in the popularity of virtual events. Here at Eclipse, we have always strived to be innovative and creative when working with our clients and in 2021 will continue providing the best in audio/visual support and event management.

Hybrid events are the next stage of virtual eventing, the idea of a hybrid event has always existed as a way to extend the reach of a live event beyond the limitations of space and distance. Since the use of live events has faced such challenging restrictions in the last year we will see a sharp increase in the number of virtual and hybrid events in the future.

Watch Video – Eclipse Hybrid Advert

What is a Hybrid Event?

To put it simply, a hybrid event is a combination of a live and virtual event because they can incorporate virtual, in-person and live streaming elements with ease. A hybrid event will allow your virtual attendees across different locations to participate and engage during the event in order to provide an immersive online experience. For an event that is able to cater to any online audience in a viewer-friendly way, with a hybrid event you will experience a seamless combination of technology between a live and virtual audiences. Hybrid events will allow presenters and audiences to confidently come together in a virtual event regardless of where they are in the world, these events are going to be the foundation that supports the industry’s transition back to live events when restrictions are lifted.

green screen studios

What are the benefits of hosting a Hybrid Event?

Hybrid events do have a significant advantage over the traditional live event because regardless of where your online attendees are in the world, they will be able to experience the event and take part virtually. Think of hybrid events as a way to actually do ‘something’ in a time where people feel like they are not able to do ‘anything’. At least for the near future hybrid events are likely to be integral in enabling as many events as possible to still go ahead as planned. There are many benefits to hosting a hybrid event:

  1. An increase in event reach and attendance. Without geographical restrictions, a hybrid event will allow you to reach more virtual attendees as people will not be required to travel to your event which will see a rise in your audience attendance.
  2. Optimal audience engagement. Hybrid events enable your online audience to interact, engage and contribute to the event in real time, we believe the key to audience engagement is engagement quality and frequency. There are many ways for your attendees to have a interactive experience including live polling, surveys and Q&A’s, here at Eclipse we are always on hand to help you build your hybrid event agenda.
  3. Reduced costs. A hybrid event is an effective and innovative way to bridge the gap between costs and results. The reduction in costs will be benefited not just by you the event organiser but also your prospective virtual attendees.
  4. Lower emissions with a reduced impact on the environment. With an increasing demand for businesses across the world to lower their carbon footprint and reduce emissions dramatically, converting events to virtual and hybrid will facilitate the quest to be greener.
  5. Increased flexibility. Hosting an online event that is hybrid is the prime solution if due to unforeseen circumstances your live in-person event is unable to go ahead.
  6. Enhanced data collection. A key benefit of hosting a hybrid event comes from the insight and data you can easily and efficiently collect. You would have all information including exact audience attendance, session interaction and attendee participation.
virtual studio

How do you run a Hybrid Event?

When hosting a hybrid event, it is important to remember that these events can have various appearances because the event will depend on your choice of format and unique audience. However, at Eclipse, we have a few hybrid event ‘must haves’.

  1. Choose an enticing theme with engaging content. An online audience will mostly rely on the content of your hybrid event so you need to present your content in an enticing and engaging way. Dynamic images, interactive components and entertaining hosts are an example of how you can guarantee a positive audience experience.
  2. Select a suitable virtual event platform. You will need to consider the live and virtual content you want to use and find a platform with the capabilities to optimise your online content. Finding the right online platform can be difficult, which is why Eclipse are always here to help you in any way with your event.
  3. Be creative with audience engagement. The keywords to remember here are vibrant imaging, interesting speakers and interactive programming. Hybrid events can offer a whole host of simple yet effective engagement tools like live streaming to allow your online attendees to be completely immersed in your event experience.
  4. Fast-paced sessions. We suggest you keep your hybrid events on a shorter time scale than you would a live in-person event because you want to keep your audience engrossed and tuned into the online session. Short and sharp sessions should be considered as what might usually work in a live event space may need to be adapted to suit a virtual space.
  5. Effective marketing. A hybrid event can attract audiences from all over the world which can increase the number of attendees who experience your event. This makes your hybrid event marketing even more important because you will want to advertise your event to as many people as possible, using your online tools like email and social media pages are a crucial way to market your event effectively. We suggest you keep a cohesive style and event brand that can thread through both live and virtual spaces.

What is next for the events industry?

After the UK and the rest of the world recovers from this recent pandemic it is likely that due to the easy accessibility of online technologies, that event organisers will continue using hybrid events for years to come. You will have already have invested and diversified your own infrastructure for providing virtual events which means you will always be prepared to make any event hybrid as and when needed. Hybrid events are an innovative, effective and simple way to spread your event’s message on a global scale. here at Eclipse, we are here always available to answer your questions and to give advice on what your hybrid event will need.

Remember that with Eclipse, anything is possible!

Senior designer Nicolas has worked with Eclipse for seven years where he is responsible for overseeing the 3D design of sets, stands and other projects. He tells us more about his role and shares some thoughts about the creative process behind his work.

Tell us about a typical day at Eclipse:
I get in, I’m busy, busy, busy, then I go home.

Where do you find inspiration for your set and stand designs?
Every project is unique and each brand we work with is unique, so that uniqueness will take you to different places to look for inspiration. However, life can be quite a source of inspiration and I can find it anywhere: In architecture, nature or films for example.

What set design have you been most proud of?
Instead of highlighting a particular set, I would say that clients can make a whole job or design a lot more fun when they allow us to approach it creatively. S&P Global Platts, Bauer Media and are usually fun clients to work with, hence great stuff comes out for them.

What kind of client briefs are your favourite?
The ones with a good budget and who give us the freedom to create something spectacular for them.

Did you always want to be a designer?
I’ve always been interested in creating and designing, so I studied industrial design at university. The industry opened its doors to me more than 14 years ago and I’ve been here ever since.

What design trends should we all be paying attention to?
Eco-friendly. The world is moving into a more conscious way of creating and producing everything, so the industry will probably follow. I foresee that we will have more reusable structures that incorporate new technology in the future.
I also believe that 3D printing will start to be used more frequently in design as the technology becomes more advanced.

What makes you smile most at work?
A good result, a happy client and a nice cup of coffee.

Rob Mansfield and Toffee

The 2018 Chinese New Year began on Friday, February 16 with celebrations expected to take place over the next two weeks.

This year we celebrate The Year of the Dog, with those born in 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2018 known as Dogs.

According to the Chinese horoscope, the Year of the Earth Dog 2018 is a good time for lifestyle changes and for the start of new business ventures.

To celebrate the start of the Year of the Dog Eclipse asked staff to tell us about their beloved pet dogs and outline what they are looking forward to happening in the year ahead.

Rob Mansfield and Toffee

Rob Mansfield, account manager at Eclipse is proud of his four-legged friend Toffee, a Yorkshire Terrier and Jack Russell cross.

The pair, who were born in the Year of the Rooster and the Rat respectively, like going out for long walks with Toffee’s funny nature her most endearing feature according to Rob.

If Toffee were to get a job at Eclipse, Rob believe she’d be suited to a career in design because ‘she’s always making a mess’.

This year’s resolution is to ‘go on more walks and for Toffee to be nicer to the cat’.

Danielle Horseman and Pickles

Pickles, a Staff and Jack Russell cross turns 12 this May, which, as owner Danielle Horseman, points out makes her a Dog in the Chinese zodiac as well as in real life.

Danielle, finance director at Eclipse and a Rat in the Chinese zodiac, tells us her cute canine enjoys chasing squirrels in the garden and having her belly rubbed.

Due to her highly excitable nature, Danielle believes Pickles could be a killer sales executive at Eclipse where a positive attitude can go a long way.

And what do they both wish for this year?

“Pickles is wishing for more good weather so she can go out more as she hates the rain.  I would wish for continued good health for my family and prosperity for Eclipse,” says Danielle.

Eclipse’s full range of organisational and creative skills truly came into play at the Mother & Baby Awards last week.

The event production company was hired by Mother & Baby publisher Bauer Media to handle the prestigious awards event for the very first time and it didn’t disappoint.

As well as providing the set, staging, lighting and AV, Eclipse organised the scheduling and entertainment for the awards night at Westminster Park Plaza in London on Tuesday 28th November.

Around 550 people attended the glittering awards ceremony, sponsored by Asda, where 37 awards were given out to the best products, stores and brands tested by an army of mums.

Comedian Lee Nelson was the event’s host with magician The Trickster and singer Lemar providing entertainment on the night.

A talented team of 24 people created the event which used 20 lights, 15 speakers and required careful scheduling to ensure all went smoothly.

Andrea Witt, Account Manager at Eclipse, said: “We were honoured to be able to be involved in all aspects of the Mother & Baby Awards 2018, from managing top entertainers, to creating the set, choosing props and ensuring AV and lighting were perfectly pitched. Our team pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember for all those who attended and most-importantly for our client.”

Mother & Baby’s Charlotte Walsh said: “It was a pleasure to work with Eclipse on the Mother & Baby Awards 2018. The company helped make it the best awards ever and we were so happy with the result.” 

Event production company Eclipse is celebrating a roaring success after making the Natural History Museum‘s preferred suppliers list.

Joining the venue’s preferred suppliers list means Eclipse will work closely with the iconic London venue over the next three years to help it deliver creative and innovative events to its clients.

As well as being a popular attraction, the Natural History Museum holds about 150 private and corporate events and 30 internal events every year in its three main event spaces – Earth Hall, Hintze Hall and Darwin Centre.

Functions held at the Natural History Museum vary from cocktail parties for anywhere between 50 to 2,000 people and dinner for up to 700 people, with the average number of people attending for dinner usually between 400 and 450.

To become a preferred supplier, Eclipse was put through a rigorous, three-stage accreditation process by the Natural History Museum’s events team. The venue will only accredit suppliers with an established reputation for good service, an eye for detail and the ability to help it meet its goal of delivering dynamic and creative events in a safe and ethical way.

Commenting on the news, Eclipse Director of Sales & Marketing Jamie Castle, said: “We are very proud to have been selected to work with the Natural History Museum as one of its new business partners. It is both a prestigious and unique venue space and we’re excited to be working with the venue team to deliver exceptional events.”

Nigel Mullins, Senior Operations Manager at the Natural History Museum, said: “During the process of looking for new partners we recognise the need to find suppliers who will help enhance the client’s experience at the Natural History Museum. We were also looking for production companies who could offer our clients a one-stop-shop for all production services to simplify the process. Eclipse stood out as a company who could offer this at a high quality. Eclipse has the experience and expertise that our clients are looking for and the personnel to work with them.’’

Eclipse has almost 30 years’ experience in providing production services at a number of prestigious venues, including One Whitehall Place, The Guildhall, The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspapers, Honourable Artillery Company, Plaisterers Hall, Gibson Hall, Royal Hospital Chelsea, Wembley Stadium and Searcys at The Gherkin.

The company also manages a number of high profile events, such as the Cartier Racing Awards at The Dorchester, ARMA Awards at Tobacco Dock and the Queen Charlotte Ball at the Horseguard’s Hotel.

The Meetings Industry Association (MIA), one of the fastest growing bodies in our sector, has recently elected Eclipse’s Robin Purslow as a member of the Executive Board.

The MIA have provide the meetings and events industry with an opportunity to excel in operational excellence, customer service and employee engagement.

The council at the MIA is comprised of industry experts and leaders who meet on a regular basis to maintain best industry practices and unearth opportunities for MIA members.

As the only member now on the board from the Audio Visual industry Robin will be able to impart his knowledge on how the MIA can better support the creative technical production industry.

When asked on what this recognition meant to him Robin had this to say “To be nominated and elected as a member of the executive board of such a prestigious association is a real privilege. Working alongside the other members of the board I look forward to developing what is already an excellent strategy for the growth of our association and the industry”.