Lessons from the Launch: Embracing the Unexpected

Ah, Jean Luc, such a wise man. Recently you might have noticed we launched the State of the Sector Survey. And we did it online too… well, kinda. Ever get a case of the Gremlins? We did. You may not know, but I spent a couple of decades in theatre – several years as a tech and even a manager of a university theatre. So, I know my stuff, right? I wonder where this is going…

The day before the launch, we set up the hall, putting out the chairs, the lectern, the mic stand, etc., and testing the tech. We had a fantastic response to the online aspects of the launch and even more so for the recent Zui (currently sitting at time of writing at 187 registrations). As a not-for-profit, we scrimp and save like everyone else, which includes a free subscription to Zoom. But wait, that is capped at 100 attendees! And we have over 180!! Argh. But needs must when the devil makes some eggs; we splurged out for a month’s worth of WEBINAR STATUS (imagine strains of holy choirs).

Oh boy, we’re in the big time now. Um… how does this thing work? We did what everyone does – who do we know who can show me how to drive this thing? Up to the plate is a dear old tech friend, Hadley Thompson, who, on a warm Sunday night in the office, calmly gives me a tour of the wonderful world of webinaring.

Like most unknowns, it’s a little terrifying until you have a go, stuff it up, have another go, stuff it up less, and then finally breathe a sigh of relief when it works as you want it to.

So here we are, setting up the laptop, getting the camera angle right, and testing it. Did we need to test it more than once? Yes, I’ll come clean that there was no sound to start with, but boy, the presenters looked amazing. Did my blood pressure rise? Yes, it did. Did Dan solve it? Yes, yes, Dan did solve it.

Cut to the day of the launch – I still remember it like it was today (it was; I’m writing this in the past).

All ready to go! Awake at 5:45 am to get to the hall to set the tech all back up for doors opening at 7 am (we still have to make the coffee, set out the light snacks, and check the light level for the pictures).

And voilà! Nothing. Ummm… for some reason, the password that I have been using since July (always change those every 6 months) does. not. work.

Is it plugged in? Yes. Turn it off, turn it on. Nothing. Reset the password – it won’t let me. It actually locks me out. Can we use someone else’s account? No, the webinar status is on my email; that’s the link that’s been activated, and I can’t touch it to begin the webinar at all. Bugger.

Bugger. Bugger. Bugger. Bugger.

Take a deep breath; can we livestream on FB? Not really; how will people know? You know what, there’s another great saying about attempting all possible solutions and realising it's not going to happen. ‘When the horse is dead – get off!’

And so we did. Were we disappointed? Extremely. Was it beyond frustrating? Very. Had we done all we could to remedy the situation? Yes. Were we unhappy about losing the hundred-plus viewers online? Gutted, mate. That’s when the Captain of the Starship Enterprise (TNG)’s words came to me: “It Is Possible To Make No Mistakes And Still Lose. That Is Not Weakness, That Is Life.”



I still don’t know why Zoom locked me (I’ve since got back in – phew!), but more importantly, the report got launched – and that’s the real point of the story. Zoom or not – CNA launched the 2024 State of the Sector Report – and we’re bloody proud of that.