PTZ cameras help Finnish live events company switch to hybrid

AV production company SVV are used to producing huge events, from international summits to large-scale trade exhibitions. Find out how Canon CR-N500 PTZ cameras have helped reinvent their business offering in a new hybrid form.
Studio setup

Adjusting to the new normal

“We cannot organise any indoor events in the summer here in Finland,” declares Mika Vakkilainen, CEO of Suomen Videoviestintä (SVV). “No one would come! Because the Finnish people would be enjoying their summer homes, after the long winter.”

In normal times, his company SVV would provide AV solutions for around 100 events a year, often based in their home Messukeskus Helsinki, Finland’s largest Expo and Convention Centre. They specialise in everything from video and sound to projections, lighting, and stage rigging. Spanning more than eight football pitches, Messukeskus itself attracts more than a million visitors a year.

However, the Finns have been hibernating at home for a different reason other than the weather. Disruption due to the global pandemic has inevitably led to a rethink of not only SVV’s business model and service offering, but also the event industry as a whole.

Client - Suomen Videoviestintä (SVV)
Location - Helsinki, Finland.

THE CHALLENGE

In 2021, only two of their live events were given the green light, resulting in a loss of around €10 million. Going back to the initial outbreak in 2020, that amount rises to about €30 million, with nearly half the staff laid off. Whereas live-event production was the business’s bread and butter work before, now Mika and his team had to pivot quickly. They’ve since expanded into streaming hybrid events. This shift to online broadcasting has in turn led to an increased demand for remote camera systems with excellent image quality.

THE SOLUTION

Canon provided two sets of new CR-N500 PTZ cameras alongside RC-IP100 remote controllers that together provided the optimum price point versus tech spec for the client.

“ Can clients see the difference in picture quality? With the 4K CR-N500 the improvement is clear ”