Client

Municipality of Rotterdam

A hybrid breakfast show at the Timmerhuis

For this edition of Politiek Café, the Municipality of Rotterdam chose a breakfast session in the Timmerhuis canteen. With participants at the table and an audience in the room, alongside colleagues watching the livestream via Microsoft Teams Townhall, the gathering took the form of a hybrid talk show.

At this fifth Politiek Café, held as part of the transition to a new city administration, employees met the new municipal executive. The conversations covered the members’ first weeks in office and the ambitions set out in the coalition agreement: housing, a strong and green economy, growing up in Rotterdam and collaboration within the city administration.

Table discussion with an audience, cameras and large screens during Politiek Café at the Timmerhuis
Politiek Café with an audience in the Timmerhuis canteen.

Music, video and remote guests

The format went beyond broadcasting a conversation. Music, video and a changing line-up of guests came together in a multimedia show. Guests could also join remotely to take part in the discussion, so participation did not depend on being at the Timmerhuis.

For the production, this meant bringing live camera feeds, videos, music and contributions from remote guests together in a single broadcast. At the same time, the show needed to remain easy to follow for the audience in the canteen.

Questions from the room and via Teams

The hybrid format gave colleagues in both settings the opportunity to participate. In the room, they could raise a hand and ask a question through a roving reporter. Online participants could submit their questions through the Q&A feature.

The host received online questions live through her earpiece and brought them into the conversation at the table. This involved colleagues watching on screen in the same discussion as the audience in the room.

Our approach

Valo provided the technical production on location. Multiple cameras captured the guests and the setting. Sound, lighting and large screens supported the gathering in the canteen, while the livestream brought the programme to online participants.

The production control area was in the room, with a direct view of the table and monitors showing the camera feeds. From this position, the Valo team brought together the different elements of the show: the conversations, music, video and the option for guests to join remotely.

Valo team operating the video and audio production during Politiek Café at the Timmerhuis
The Valo team handles live video and audio production.

What Valo delivered

  • technical production of a hybrid breakfast show on location

  • multiple cameras and live video production

  • livestream via Microsoft Teams Townhall

  • sound, lighting and screens for the room

  • integration of music and video into the broadcast

  • technical setup for guests joining remotely

The result

A breakfast session combining the atmosphere of an in-person gathering with the possibilities of a live broadcast. Colleagues could get to know the municipal executive, follow the conversation and ask questions, both from the canteen and via Teams. Music, video and the option to bring in virtual guests made it a multimedia talk show.

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