AVT Connect takes the State of London Debate Live & Online

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Brighton, 22nd June 2010. For the first time the State of London Debate scheduled this year for 24th June will use a groundbreaking hybrid format to broaden audience reach and enable more live interaction with Mayor Boris Johnson and his top team.

Brighton based hybrid events specialist AVT Connect is putting the finishing touches to an innovative technological design, which will stream live video and facilitate audience participation of the debate at City Hall. This will be accompanied by a simultaneous live broadcast on LBC Radio, a phone in, a live Twitter feed, links to BBC and ITV London News and additional discussion rooms.

AVT Connect has designed a webcast interface that will stream the debate live along with synchronising content from the four separate debate topics: the economy; environment; policing; and transport. The web audience will have the ability to Tweet comments, preview key debate facts, participate in a survey, and ask live questions via a team of moderators.

The Moderators Question Panel will receive live questions in real time and will have the ability to archive, reword, and prioritise questions before marking them for the attention of the Chairperson. A separate real time text stream keyed in by a palantypist will also be broadcast simultaneously.

“The debate is very important for Londoners and, for the first time, this new hybrid format will allow more of them than ever before to become directly involved by logging on or listening, enabling them to not only see and hear what’s happening in real time, but to influence the debate itself by asking questions and getting involved,” said AVT Connect CEO Jon Fox.

Hybrid events are a new concept currently reshaping traditional approaches to conferences and exhibitions. The hybrid event typically combines physical and virtual events, usually running simultaneously and with overlapping content and interactive elements. “The State of London Debate is a great example of how live and digital can work together in this new format to create a sum that is greater then the parts,” said Jon Fox.

Mayor Boris Johnson is using the debate’s opening plenary session as an opportunity to give his Annual Report to Londoners. Whilst the Mayor must statutorily hold a public debate once every financial year, the precise format and procedure is left open to his discretion. City Hall can accommodate a live audience of 600 for the debate, with limited tickets available in advance.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

‘I promised to make City Hall more open and accountable to Londoners and this debate is another opportunity for them to hear what we are doing to improve life in the capital, to question me and my administration and tell us what we are doing well and, more importantly, where we can do better. By hosting the debate across so many platforms; online, on radio and face-to-face, more Londoners than ever before have a chance to get involved in shaping the future of their city’.

The State of London Debate will take place in the Chamber of City Hall between 6.00pm and 8.30 pm on 24th June. The discussion will be chaired by Nick Ferrari from LBC 97.3 and the panel will comprise: Mayor Boris Johnson; Anthony Browne, Mayoral Policy Director for Economic Development, Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Martin Powell, Interim Mayoral Advisor on the Environment and Kulveer Ranger, Mayoral Advisor on Transport.

Those wanting to find out more about the debate should go to the dedicated State of London Debate website at: www.london.gov.uk/sold


ENDS


For further information, please contact:

Steve Affleck, AVT Connect, Tel: +44 (0) 1273 299 001; EM: steve@avtconnect.com

Vyvyan Kinross, silverFox PR & Communications, Tel: +44 (0) 208 580 9785; EM: vkinross@silverfoxtraining.com

For further information, examples and downloadable factsheets about the applications of live video streaming and on-demand webcasting please visit: www.avtconnect.com/webcasting-services

Ref: avt/2010/GLA/GLAnewsreleasebrighton.doc