SHIFT welcomes new Head of Production

In April, we got fresh brainpower to our team, as Hanna Suominen started her work as Head of Production.

“Building an international hybrid business event is an exciting production full of possibilities”, says the newly signed Head of Production. “We can build an interactive, engaging event for people to attend from anywhere, without thinking about travel budget and the climate cost of long flights. It’s pretty damn exciting to be an event producer in 2021.”

“Building an international hybrid business event is an exciting production full of possibilities.”

Despite her relatively young age, the 24 years-old production professional has over five years of experience in virtual and on-site event production and holds a degree in Event Management at Humak University of Applied Science. Choosing the theme for her thesis couldn’t have been more topical: “Interactive streaming on event production“ was approved in April 2020 – only months after the pandemic had turned the whole event industry upside down.

The code word for SHIFT 2021 is hybrid. Two venues (virtual and on-site), one audience, one shared hybrid experience. The virtual platform enables you to follow the stage & art program, set video meetings with other attendees, and wander the virtual showrooms of SHIFT partners. The same virtual platform acts as a matchmaking tool for all the ticket holders, creating a bridge between the on-site and virtual attendees.

Two venues, one audience, one shared hybrid experience.

“Entering the virtual premises, following the stage program, and networking should be as simple and low-threshold as walking to the physical venue. In addition to the speakers and partners, our attendees themselves are the main act of the festival. We have planned the production to make it as smooth as possible for you to meet each other and enjoy each other’s company”, says Hanna about the focus points of the production.

The past year with not-so-traditional event productions has shown that preparations for the event are actually quite similar, regardless of wether the event is on-site, online, or hybrid: “Keep your mind open for new encounters, and have a well-planned schedule at hand but be ready to ditch it if you bump into something more inspiring. Charger and a water bottle will be needed too, no matter what’s your planned way of participation”, sums Hanna her experience with events.

Read more about SHIFT 2021 here. | Tickets available now.