WASHINGTON, DC — December 9 and 10, 2021, were more than just another workday for Mike Wohlitz, Freeman’s senior vice president of design. They were the dates of what he called the most challenging event he’s ever hosted, from a broadcast perspective: 22 time zones, simultaneous translation in seven languages, four studios in Washington, 200 presenters from around the world. And the star of the show was none other than President Joe Biden.
The virtual event, streamed live on state.gov, was known as the “Democracy Summit.” It brought together more than 200 government and private sector leaders from around the world to discuss important initiatives around three main themes: defending against authoritarianism, combating corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.
Related. Trade show executives welcome new infrastructure bill
The goal of the summit was to create multinational partnerships and initiatives over the next year — what they call a “Year of Action” — focusing on global democratic renewal, and then report back a year later at a second summit, which the U.S. government hopes will be held in person, depending on the public health situation.
So what was it like working for the president of the United States? “We can all be a little jaded in our careers,” Wohlitz said. “I’ve been to the Super Bowl and the Olympics. But I’ve never had the chance to be in the White House to see Dr. Jill Biden’s Christmas decorations.”
Related. Trade show industry reacts to Omicron variant
Work on the three-day event, which began with a ministerial summit of heads of state, followed by two days of summitry, began on October 1. Fortunately, he said, almost all of the participants were already experts in videoconferencing. “When you talk about heads of state, they are so used to having virtual conversations from their offices, it was almost as if they already had their own television channels,” he said.
Five days into the competition, they began rehearsals and technical checks. Although they used Zoom, they wanted to make sure it felt like a broadcast — “like they were all sitting in a room across from each other,” he said.
Related. Industry welcomes lifting of international travel ban
Security was a major concern, with pre-production checks on the infrastructure to ensure it couldn’t be hacked. His team worked with multiple teams, not just from the White House and the Biden administration, but also from the State Department and the National Security Council.
Ultimately, while producers controlled every aspect they could, there were some that were beyond their control, such as bandwidth, interconnectivity, or a participant who had been coached not to mute his mic and decided to mute it anyway.
“Ultimately, you’re only as effective as you are as good as Zoom,” Wohlitz said. “In a live event, I can control my cameras in the room, but you can’t control someone else’s computer. Hybrid meetings are a whole new art form.”
Contact Mike Wohlitz at Mike.Wohlitz@freeman.com