The Next Normal – A New Way to Produce Events

Andy - May 2020

Last week, I talked about what the experiential events industry might look like as lockdown restrictions ease, what Scene2 is calling – the “Next Normal”. Whilst I’m confident that our industry will be resilient and bounce back, the new reality is going to pose some operational problems to overcome. We will need to think about the less glamorous, practical, back-end processes of our industry – how do we actually produce these events in a world where we have to wash our hands regularly, wear PPE and remain 2m apart from our colleagues and collaborators. Scene2 has been giving a lot of thought to how we will design, build and install for our clients while maintaining the necessary social distancing and hygiene measures: EVENTS CAN HAPPEN There’s no need to panic, the experiential events industry will recover. We all know that there’s some large scale, live events such as music festivals & exhibitions that won’t be feasible in their current format. But, smaller activations, PR installations and audience and time-controlled immersive experiences that are deliverable. SHIFT WORKING How can we continue to build amazing sets and installations while maintaining social distance in the workplace? Shift working is one of Scene2’s solutions. We have been mapping out how our workshop teams can work on rotation throughout a 24-hr day allowing us to keep staff safe and avoid the need to extend lead times for our clients. TIMELINES & SCHEDULES Robust schedules and creatives will need to be 100% agreed, prior to build to avoid any delays in the schedule. If production companies are working round the clock, they need to be confident that creative decisions have been signed off in advance so work can continue in the middle of the night, and not be stalled while waiting for a decision. DESIGN TWEAKS In the “Next Normal” we will all need to make a concerted effort to keep last-minute changes to an absolute minimum. Similarly, if design changes happen late in the day, production companies will be forced to activate an ‘all hands on deck’ approach in order to finish on time. ‘All hands on deck’ working is never ideal but it’s simply not practical or possible with social distancing. COST IMPLICATIONS While Scene2 will always strive to offer our clients a competitive price, there’s bound to be some budget implications of 24hr working and compliance with social distancing measures. Rest assured, we will work with all parties to minimise this as much as possible. WHAT’S NEXT? Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday 10th May, it seems that social distancing is here to stay, potentially for many months to come, which means it’s very important that we all pull together as an industry to agree new ways of working so that we can make a strong come-back. I hope, like me, you feel confident that we can continue to produce exciting, thought-provoking, engaging and shareable events in the “Next Normal”. Yes, it’s going to feel odd and yes, not all the practical realities are easy to digest and/or easy to implement but, if we work together and make sure we always “follow the scientific advice” to keep our staff, colleagues and collaborators safe, Scene2 are confident that our industry and our work will thrive again.

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