In 2021, the largest classical musical competition in Ireland decided to do something unprecedented in its 125 year history: it would host the festival entirely online.
The two week event usually takes place in the RDS in Dublin, where thousands of young musicians enter over 200 competitions. And so the challenge in 2021 was to engage the existing Feis community, and reach a new audience, through only digital channels, while also recreating some of the exciting atmosphere of the live event.
Before the event I undertook an audit of Feis Ceoil’s current digital platforms, and developed a strategy based on the unique goals of the virtual Feis, and the limitations of hosting the event during a pandemic. I mapped out the user journey for audiences, considering how – and what content – would take them to the website where all competition entries were available to view.
Included in the digital strategy was an outline of the video content that would best engage audiences and that would be feasible to produce during Covid restrictions. I produced five videos for the Feis Ceoil in all: a launch video, three interview videos during the festival, and a final thank you to all involved.