Policy Review TV Satellite Venues

Policy Review TV is the online broadcast partner of Neil Stewart Associates, filming conferences and streaming them live online for a digital audience.

With budgets under pressure across the public sector participating in a conference in the traditional manner with the attendant expense, time and travel involved is no longer an option for some people.

Policy Review TV is an affordable online solution to conference and event participation, communicating content beyond the venue. The offering is centred on an extensive live (and then on-demand) service streamed through the Policy Review TV website, ensuring viewers don’t miss a thing.

Fully utilising the online platform, social media and bespoke technology, Policy Review TV creates real engagement with digital viewers as if they were attending the conference in person.

This new breed of interactivity for policymakers, senior decision makers and key stakeholders is reinvigorating the events industry - offering a modern, affordable and effective way to promote and develop policy.

Satellite hubs are an important part of the Policy Review TV offering. These centres are established in partnership with interested stakeholders spread throughout the country, as far afield as St Helens, Exeter and Leeds, and bring an extra dimension to watching the live conference streaming webcast.

Satellite hubs are fully interactive with participants able to submit questions to speakers and add comments to the debate through the online submission tool. Tailoring the content of the conference to regional audiences is possible, allowing users to get more out of it than if they had taken part in the central debate alone.

Who can host a satellite conference?

Any organisation can become a satellite host. As long as you have a space in which to host the event – a boardroom or lecture theatre would be perfect - can provide on site catering for participants and have sufficient AV capability then you can host a satellite event/

Each request to host an event is subject to a feasibility study however. This is necessary to ensure that your proposed location is accessible enough to a sufficiently large audience to guarantee participation in your event.

What does it cost to become a satellite host?

There is no charge for becoming a satellite host.

What technical requirements do you need to host a satellite conference?

To host a satellite conference you need a room or area with a fixed internet connection, a computer with flash installed and an up to date browser, a screen to display the live conference stream and speakers.

What do you get out of becoming a satellite host?

As a satellite host up to five members of staff from your organisation can participate in the event free of charge (other participants need to pay the standard rate of £195 + VAT). As a satellite host you can provide a facilitator to lead the discussion on the day – focusing the debate on the issues most important to your organisation. There is prestige in hosting a satellite event – your organisation gets the opportunity to present yourself as a progressive thought leader in a specific policy area.

How will people know you are hosting a satellite event?

Once you have been accepted as a Satellite venue Policy Review TV will market your event to potential delegates in your locality on your behalf both online and in print if sufficient time allows. That being said – this is your event and we recommend you actively promote the event to partners, clients and contacts in your region. How will people register for your satellite event?

Delegates for your satellite event will be directed to register their participation through the Policy Review TV website at a cost of £195 + VAT. Prior to the event we will contact you with a full list of participants to allow you sufficient time to prepare the event.

The stages involved in becoming a satellite venue

1. Contact us and let us know you are interested in becoming a satellite host for a specific event
2. We will carry out a feasibility study to ensure there is a sufficient potential audience in your region to make an event worthwhile. We will also carry out a competition check to ensure there is no clash.
3. We will go through the technical requirements necessary in hosting the event with you and carry out a trial run to ensure everything will go smoothly on the day. We will also need full address and contact details of the venue for the event and anything else helpful you can supply such as maps, travel directions etc.
4. If you have someone internally who you wish to facilitate the event we will need their details at this point. The facilitator needs to act as “champion” for the event. Someone senior who provides the event with “social proof” by being an established leader in the field and will help actively promote the event to partners in the region and be able to lead the discussion.
5. We will set up an online registration page and begin marketing the event to potential participants in your region. We will also provide you with materials to promote the event yourself.
6. We will appoint you a production manager who will be your point of contact for any logistical enquiries before and during the event.
7. Prior to the event we will supply you with a full list of attendees and will need the details of the delegates from your own organisation. All participants will be supplied with joining instructions outlining how to get to the venue and the outline for the structure of the day.
8. The event will take place – you will have access to a member of our staff at all times to address any issues you may have or answer any questions.
9. Post event all participants are supplied with a Policy Review TV account where they can access all of the videos and documents from the day to review the event or for use in staff training.

Richard Powell, a Locality Development Officer at Northumberland County Council hosted a satellite hub in Morpeth, Northumberland, with an audience of individuals from across the county interested in the themes of the Community Based Budgeting Conference.

Richard was intrigued by Policy Review TV’s offering, as remote conference viewing was something he had never done or seen before. Motivated to host the satellite event as a way to encourage the involvement of local colleagues, Richard went about organising the setup, including the IT and the preparation, inviting others to join in.

Typically, Richard would spend more than three and a half hours travelling to London for an event of this kind, and around £400 on travel, accommodation and food; Richard felt it both appropriate to try out this technique in terms of money and time-saving. Facing budget and staff cuts, Richard said:

His fellow viewers were keen to get involved in order to obtain knowledge at a lower cost, whilst maintaining the feel of attending a conference. Richard found that the satellite setup was most beneficial when interacting with the speakers.

Richard is keen to establish the satellite events as a formal way of changing the habits of conference-goers.

Richard would like to see a wider roll-out programme, and would be keen to use the service again, in another part of the locale, to attract even more viewers from the county.