Primary school students taking part in remote learning had the chance to attend a ‘virtual excursion’ this week, with the help of ICC Sydney.

The centre helped facilitate a program called Dirt Detectives, led by Sydney Learning Adventures and an initiative of Place Management NSW.

Live streamed from ICC Sydney’s studios, the ‘virtual excursion’ took students on a historical and archaeological tour of The Rocks.

Three presenters on stage created an educational excursion that was enriching, accessible and followed social distancing practices.

ICC Sydney director of AV services Brian Nash said the in-house team of AV professionals delivered the program from The Studio, purpose-built for the rise in virtual events due to COVID-19.

“This involved a 10-metre-wide LED backdrop for graphics, two audio operators, multiple broadcast cameras and truss mounted PTZ cameras with video switching control, utilizing E2 to seamlessly switch from presenters to a virtual map and archaeological artefacts in a live one-way broadcast,” he said.

The ‘virtual excursion’ is just one of a number of events the centre has delivered online, including a live webinar for the Committee for Sydney and even live-streaming CEO Geoff Donaghy for a media interview.

Nash said demand and bookings for The Studio is growing, with 35 events in the pipeline or confirmed for the next three months.

“With demand for virtual events growing, we have expanded our services with a second studio, offering more live streaming and video conferencing capabilities,” he said.

Nash said he has been amazed at how quickly clients have adapted to this new way of hosting events.

“It is positive that in the current climate, businesses and organisations see huge value in continuing to come together, connect and collaborate,” he said.

“In fact, it is probably more important than ever.

“I am proud that ICC Sydney is able to make this happen.”