• Toby Lewis , CEO at Live Group


• 24.02.2022 09:40 am

1. Tell us about Live Group

Live Group delivers events across a variety of sectors, from government departments and professional services to medical associations, member organisations and charities. We are a family business with over 45 years of experience in events. Today, we specialise in data-driven virtual and hybrid events, redefining how they are designed and delivered, using data and audience preferences, to shape the format and delivery.

Core to what we do is our focus on creating positive change. We strive to make events more inclusive and environmentally friendly. Virtual and hybrid events help achieve this through their greatly reduced carbon footprint and improved accessibility.

Further, as experts in event technology, we use tech to inform our strategy, enhance engagement and boost insights for post-event analysis.

Our wealth of experience makes us experts in content creation and creative design. With our proprietary virtual event hosting platform, 24/7 advice and support and industry leading technology, our clients can rely on us to deliver engaging, smart and seamless events that bridge the gap between company and audience.  

2. When did Live Group start investing heavily in technological development, and what did these innovations involve?

Our journey to become leaders in event tech solutions started around 15 years ago when we adapted ‘palmlets’, an old-school handheld voting device, into an audience participation tool which enabled delegates to engage with content in real-time. Since then, we have developed and implemented emergent tech in the event space to improve the experiences of delegates, whether they are attending virtually or in-person.

Live Group has been at the vanguard of sustainable event technology before it became mainstream. Our system, ‘Greengage’, marked our first attempt to measure the environmental impact of an event. Since then, this has developed into an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) tool. The EIA is used when planning any Live Group event and can predict the amount of carbon that the proposed event would produce, then measures can be taken to reduce this. Live Group is also part of the Joint Meeting Industry Council which made a Net Zero Carbon Events pledge at COP26 in 2021.

Live Group also maintains a relationship with isla, an independent industry body which supports the events sector to transition to a sustainable future. As an isla member, we have a commitment towards zero waste, being 100% renewable and reducing carbon emission. We set short- and long-term targets in these areas then track, measure and report findings to drive constant improvement. isla provides training, working groups and measurement software to aid progress towards Net Zero.

In joining isla, Live Group remains educated on industry best practice, carbon neutrality of events and informed on key learnings, such as what can be garnered from the COP26 Carbon Management Report.

One of the greatest benefits of using technological in events is the opportunity for greater, more in-depth data capture than ever before. The data strategy at Live Group is what sets us apart – we are always looking for the best way to improve data capture and use analytics in our event planning.

Our data strategy is comprised of three broad phases: pre-event, reactive and post-event. In this way, it is cohesive and robust. Pre-event, we take audience insights generated from our existing database to build a predictive index of how the audience will interact with the event and the most valuable outcomes to them, of course keeping in mind both in-person and virtual attendees. Reactively, we ensure we are able to create a complete map of physical engagements and interactions within the venue spaces we use, in addition to our virtual platform. This means we can react live to changes in delegate behaviour. Finally, post-event we provide clients with a data insight report to analyse the events’ success, inform follow up activity and help us improve future events for those clients.

With Live Group, delegates can make use of Bluetooth beacons to help them navigate an in-person event. This also doubles as an effective networking tool, facilitating easy location of other attendees and linking to the virtual platform for conversations to continue post-event.

Heatmaps produced by these Bluetooth beacons are also useful for improving the experience for sponsors and exhibitors, in turn driving results. These maps can show footfall hotspots and identify the most popular exhibits. This not only helps with developing event floorplans but allows event organisers to identify and market premium advertising space for sponsors, keeping them coming back for more.

We are also testing the use of facial detection and recognition technology to collect engagement data at events. This tech can be used for sentiment tracking through analysis of delegate expressions and reactions. This allows Live Group to identify well-received and less well-received content and adjust the itinerary in real-time based on audience perceptions. This data also aids post-event analysis, with deeper insights helping to shape future events.

For in-person events, facial recognition is invaluable in streamlining the registration and check-in processes. With delegates sporting QR codes on badges, the software can recognise these from nearby, removing the need for extra staff at entrance ways and corridors. Further, the data points collected through the deployment of facial recognition allows event managers to remotely track attendance of sessions or exhibits – an extremely useful metric for their clients.

Most importantly, facial detection technology does not involve photographic images, therefore all data is anonymous. This is vital as it alleviates any privacy concerns.

Within our virtual platform, Hive, we have complete control of the data environment and can track any key metrics we assign. We can even integrate with our other data-gathering systems to create a single, unified data resource. In matching this tracking with the in-person conferences, we can achieve full data equality between both the virtual and in-person delegate types.

3. How has Live Group and its technology evolved during the pandemic?

As with most industries, the events industry needed to quickly adapt to virtual and hybrid formats. Luckily, at Live Group, we have always been exploring the vast potential of virtual events.

Before the pandemic, 35% of our briefs had a hybrid or virtual element. Unsurprisingly, this has increased exponentially. We have witnessed a 200% increase in clients wanting a long-term strategic partner in the virtual and hybrid events industry to help them navigate the ‘new normal’.

We have continued to develop the efficacy of Hive, our virtual platform, which provides tailored virtual and hybrid events to our clients and acts as a data hub for each series of events we host. Hive includes live streaming of content, one-to-one communication and video chat, quizzes, polls and other activities to keep audiences fully engaged.

Crucially, our platform allows the engagement with our clients’ events to last far longer than traditional, solely in-person events. Our virtual platform, Hive, allows engagement both before and after the main event, regardless of format. Pre-pandemic, this was largely in-person, but it now supports all formats and encourages longevity of engagement in the event. In this way, rather than engagement sharply peaking and falling over the days of the in-person exhibition, hybrid or virtual events utilising Hive can facilitate engagement with event content and networking between delegates both prior to and in the days and weeks following the event – a far more valuable proposition.

The shift towards virtual and hybrid events has many benefits. Events can now be accessed from anywhere in the world, without the need for extensive planning and travel, and delegates can access events from wherever they are most comfortable, encouraging and increase in audience sizes and driving delegate diversity.

4. What can we hope to see from Live Group in the future, and what is the outlook for tech in the wider events industry?

During the pandemic, less than 5% of our event briefs have been for in-person only events. However, since then the landscape has become much more fragmented, with some businesses still wanting solely in-person events and others choosing virtual and hybrid, finding these formats more effective and efficient. At Live Group, we strive to help our clients navigate this new landscape and choose the right model for them. What’s most important is ensuring that companies do not default to in-person events which are better suited to virtual formats. In offering a helping hand to these businesses, they too can benefit from events that are far more accessible, inclusive and engaging.

We are dedicated to continuing our technological developments to deliver the most engaging events for our clients. To achieve this, we are constantly horizon scanning, led by our Digital Initiatives Group, to ensure that we are delivering the best today while remaining prepared for the future. This is a core part of our management structure and our desire to keep ahead of the curve is embedded into every employee through annual targets, one of which must be focused on the development and understanding of emergent technologies or practices.

Indeed, recently we have recently opened our own in-house hybrid events studio – Studio 9.  Here, clients can be intimately involved in and view first-hand the production process behind their hybrid or virtual event in real-time, with exclusive access to our filming studios and dynamic production rooms. With the industry becoming ever more digitised, ensuring clients still feel excited and included in the planning of their events is a crucial element for operators to uphold.