Mike Fletcher walks the red carpet to discover Vue’s hybrid offer during a special screening of House of Gucci.
Back in May 2021, Vue re-opened its 91 UK cinemas following lockdown and in doing so, gave hybrid event planners access to a portfolio of venues that not only offer Sony high-definition 4K digital projection and Dolby sound as standard, but can also be linked together for a multi-site, big-screen business experience (complete with popcorn and reclining seats).
In November, Vue Conferences and Events showcased its hybrid offer to 280 planners from companies such as L’Oreal, HSBC, Facebook and UKTV, by staging a private ‘red carpet’ screening of House of Gucci in London’s West End and Leeds Light on the Headrow.
The two cinemas were connected over Zoom so that the audience in Leeds could experience a pre-film talk by fashion historian Amber Butchart on the relationship between cinematic costume design and fashion through the ages.
“It was a great way of demonstrating how hybrid works in a cinema environment,” says Rachel Macaulay, head of conferences and events for Vue. “There has been so much talk about what constitutes hybrid, how much it costs and how it should work, we thought we’d show people what was possible. This isn’t new for Vue. It’s just that it now has a different name. We used to call it a multi-site format and we’ve been staging them for more than six years.”
The evening began in London with guests arriving at the Vue Leicester Square and being served Rossini and cucumber martinis in the green and red of Gucci’s brand colours. Guests could also enjoy a festive Baileys over large ice diamonds supplied by Icebox, before heading upstairs for Gucci-inspired canapés such as Patrizia’s queen scallops and pernod syrup or Guccio arancini with Parmigiano crema.
Before heading into the London screening room, the evening’s catering company, The Caterers, tempted guests with sweat treats including Aldo’s crepes al Italiano with Sicilian lemon syrup and sugar shards and Sala Bianca baked cheesecake with blueberry Flora crema.
Waiting for guests in their luxurious reclining cinema seats was a bag of popcorn and a bottle of water. But before they could settle back and enjoy the film, the two audiences in the two different locations were introduced to each other on the big screen via Macaulay in London and Vue’s Wayne Lamb, who was compering and hosting guests in Leeds.
Production company AP Events handled the hybrid elements, streaming Butchart’s fascinating keynote on-stage in London to the big screen in Leeds.
AP Events founder Darren Glossop says: “Hybrid isn’t a new concept for us either but it is different. The technology rapidly accelerated during the pandemic and whereas before, we would have been more reliant on costly satellite connections between cinemas, now Zoom and Microsoft Teams has allowed planners to join-up all the dots in a more budget effective way.
“Since September, 60% of our event briefs have been hybrid so it has been a big change. But so far it has been bullet-proof and the cinema environment is perfect for it. If you needed more audience engagement elements such as Q&A or two-way interactions between sites, you could put cameras on the raised stage in front of the screen pointing back at the tiered seating. I can’t think of any other venue where the hybrid event format works better than a Vue.”
Hayley Nolan from ABN Amro, one of the guests in attendance says: “This is the first time I’ve been to a hybrid event in a cinema and it’s a fantastic experience. This format is very much here to stay so Vue is a great option for us.”
Macaulay’s advice for planners considering Vue for their hybrid events is to carefully consider the objectives so that cost and connectivity can align. It may be more cost effective to stage hybrid conferences in a venue with all the technology already built-in but roadshow formats looking to connect more than one cinema will have to factor in the venue hire.
“We always say, speak to the production experts as early as possible in the planning cycle so that they can advise on more complex goals and audience engagement ambitions. Communication around hybrid is key because it is such an untried and untested format for so many companies. We’re fortunate at Vue that we can roll out the red carpet for guests with such trusted suppliers onboard. Hybrid is definitely here to stay so it’s our role to help planners grow in confidence to run simultaneous events around the UK and Europe and connect them via the silver screen.”
