Top User Predictions for 2021

Each year we see new trends in both the Live Production world and in the ways that organizations handle their technology. 2021 is already a year to remember, but how exciting is it to see what could be new or different? This year we see a few trends starting or have thoughts on a few things we think we will see moving forward in our industry.

Live Streaming Will Gain More Focus

Sometimes to see what’s ahead we have to look back. In 2020 many different organizations live-streamed for the first time. Thanks to sudden shutdowns and in-person event closures, these groups didn’t have time to find the right solution for their long term needs, instead, many had to jump into live streaming and make the best of it with their limited resources.

We believe this year those organizations will start to spend the time necessary to figure out exactly how they want their streaming setups to look, and what that may involve in upgrading, replacing, or investing in their equipment (and the human resources to run them!)

While 2020 was the year of rushing into streaming. For these organizations, 2021 will be the year of a renewed focus on their stream and the importance of it in their organization.

Live Streaming Will Lose Focus

“Okay… you just told me that live streaming will gain a much-needed investment….” Yes. Yes, we did. But we can’t forget the organizations that jumped into live streaming but never actually planned to prior to 2020.

Many groups of people were forced into their live stream setups simply because of shut-downs. However, there are still many organizations that don’t want to be live streaming. For these, they never wanted to live stream or saw the need in their local context, other than to fill a temporary void in their in-person events & gatherings.

We can understand that. So as these groups of people return to a more normal in-person experience for whatever their context is, we will begin to see them lose focus on their live stream and potentially stop streaming altogether.

Apple Silicon Will Lead The Way

In 2020 we saw Apple make a switch in their new computers to using their own CPU & GPU (and even RAM) all packaged neatly in the form of the “M1.”

We’ve already seen the M1 become a focus of the conversation in online production communities. Their new processors are undeniably powerful, and to the surprise of many… quite affordable! While there are still limitations to the new hardware… like a total of 2 screen outputs including any built-in screens (as of this blog post), or not all software or hardware developers having support yet, there is huge potential with the current devices and devices that could come in the future!

If you’re not a fan of Apple, that doesn’t mean that the M1 isn’t helpful for you! Advancements in technology just drive the competition to try all the harder.

Large Organizations Will Begin To Meet In-Person Again

In our industry, we saw just about every event or organization stop in-person experiences during 2020. While some smaller groups were able to begin meeting again, most larger ones were still not able to begin meeting in 2020.

This year we’ve already seen a majority of the major technology shows, large events, and even some large churches and non-profits beginning to meet back or announce their events for in-person experiences. As the year progresses we believe we will see large organizations begin to meet in-person again.

Smaller Organizations Will Embrace Creativity

2020 drove just about everyone to go outside their “normal”, and embrace creativity.

One of the things that 2020 also caused was a lot of look-a-like organizations, especially for smaller groups. It was easy, while everyone was going through the same struggles, to do what everyone else was doing. Especially when resources are limited, it’s super helpful to use free resources that other organizations are providing. However, this causes many organizations to look the same & publish the same content online.

This year we see these organizations taking the knowledge they gained in 2020 and using their own home-grown talent to produce uniquely creative experiences.