Q - Naturally, a lot has changed in the events industry in the last year, but what are the main differences you’ve seen as a Voice of God?

There really is nothing like soaking up the atmosphere of a live event. Whilst it certainly is possible to pre-record a lot of what I do, being in the room allows for a level of interaction between the announcer and the guests.

The best example of this is announcing those nominees that have been shortlisted for an award. As I announce a name, there’s a good chance that the nominee’s colleagues will be there in the room with them, hence there will be a small cheer as guests take pride, not only in their colleagues, but in their company as well.

But the opposite is also true. If the first name gets a cheer, then I’ll leave a moment for that cheer to die down, but if the next name gets no reaction – perhaps because they’re not actually there, then it’s important to move swiftly on before things get awkward!

Now in a virtual world, that’s simply not possible. All of the guests are on mute and are not in a group setting, so it’s unlikely that they will cheer, hence it’s important for me to keep the pace level and to bring an equal amount of enthusiasm to every person whose name I read out loud.

Q – How else does that lack of atmosphere affect things for you?

At many award ceremonies, the organisers like to use what we call citations. Those are the little speeches that I make as the winners make their way to the stage, pointing out just what impressed the judges, what the winners have been doing, and so on.

These citations are not always used. In many ceremonies, as soon as the winner is announced, the music will start playing as the rest of the crew frantically look around the room to see if the winner is actually there and has risen from their chair and started walking toward the stage (plus if they’re at the back, worrying if the music will actually last long enough!)

Of course, now there is no ‘room’ and no stage for the winners to approach, but perhaps the even more obvious void here is the round of applause that the winners will hear once they’ve received the glorious news that they have won. People are not going to take themselves off mute in order to clap and this means that there is a major lull, which is where the Voice of God can be so useful. Reading a citation with a little bit of music in the background gives the whole event a sense of flow. Acknowledging a winner’s achievements over and above simply telling them that they’ve won will go a long way toward helping them feel that well deserved sense of pride. More virtual award organisers are seeing the value of this now, and it shows that they’re embracing these virtual ceremonies, rather than seeing them as a compromise from the norm.

Q – You talk about the atmosphere, but how can you ‘read the room’ if you’re not there?

Well the simple answer is that you can’t! I’ll have a list of all of the people in attendance and if I see lots of people from the same company, then that information can be useful. However, it’s worth mentioning that it’s really down to the host or MC to be reading the room. Whilst there is a degree of back and forth between myself and the presenter, it’s important that I never attempt to upstage the host – my job is to support them and have the energy of the event stay at the right level.

The MC will read the room, but that doesn’t mean that I can let my guard down. They may well speak with me about a winner’s reaction or something funny that happened at a particular table, and it’s important that I can react as if I were there. As the Voice of God in the physical world, people think of me as being everywhere – I see all! There’s no difference when it comes to doing things virtually. Of course, the host has no idea on what I might have missed, and so I may well receive a note in the private chat from them, advising me that he or she is going to come to me for some back and forth about a particular group at the event – so I need to be ready.

Q – How do you hold the room together?

That’s a great question! I suppose the simple answer is that it’s down to the whole crew to put on an engaging and entertaining show – just as we would in the real world. If anything, it’s actually slightly easier because one of the biggest problems at awards ceremonies is chatter.

Guests are drinking and enjoying themselves with their colleagues and they love to chat. It would be wonderful if everyone remained completely quiet as each and every award is announced, but some ceremonies have over two dozen awards to give out, and that’s a long time for anyone to sit still and quiet.

Now, of course, that chatter is not there, but if people start switching off their cameras then the atmosphere will dip, so keeping people engaged is vital. As I said before, it’s really more up to the host to pick out individuals from the crowd and engage them, but a little bit of banter from the Voice of God is not unheard of!

Q – What has working virtually done for your pricing structure?

There are two ways I like to look at things. First, if you compare the amount of work that goes into working virtually to working at a physical event, the fact is that there is more work involved now than there was before.

When working live, I don’t need to rely on any of my own equipment – it’s all provided by the production company. I have a show runner giving me every cue as it happens and any technical glitches are handled by the crew.

All that has now changed. I am using my own studio and relying on my own internet connection. I have a decent and fast connection, but I am at the mercy of an internet service provider who has no personal connection to the work that I am doing.

I also have to constantly scan the room and read private messages, all whilst trying to keep my primary focus on the event in hand – it’s a serious juggling act, and although I’ll freely admit that I love the adrenaline, it would be foolish to suggest that it is not a demanding role!

Now reading that, you’d be forgiven for thinking that I now charge more, but actually the opposite is true. The events industry has taken a major beating in this pandemic, and I applaud any industry that has worked tirelessly to find ways to keep going in the face of insurmountable odds. That’s why I have actually lowered my prices – because I am part of a chain of suppliers who continue to support me and I wish to pay that forward.

Also, there are a number of event organisers who are still ‘on the fence’ when it comes to using a Voice of God at their virtual event. I’d like to think that if price is one of those obstacles, then I’ve gone some small way toward removing that.

Q – And finally, what do you think will happen to virtual events once live events return?

I think we’re going to see more of a synergy between the two. Many delegates are unable to make it to an event because of distance, cost, or a clash in schedules. The technological advances made in hosting virtual events means that these barriers have been removed. I see no reason why, in the future, a live event cannot still incorporate a strong virtual presence too.

Imagine being able to receive an award at a ceremony on the other side of the world? Just recently I worked on an event where one ticket price meant that the meal was delivered directly to the guests’ homes, hence adding another dimension to the virtual experience. Just because they couldn’t eat together, didn’t mean that they couldn’t eat together – it was brilliant!

We need to stop thinking of virtual events as some sort of life support system – ready to be switched off just as soon as we are allowed to gather once more in the physical world. Virtual meetings have opened up new possibilities for us all; working with people and places we would never have met and visited in the physical world. I believe that the same is true of the virtual event space. New, innovative ideas are being brought forward every day, and I’m excited to be a part of them. This is not compromise – it’s evolution.

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