TPN & spf.io partner to live caption Databricks’ Data + AI Summit 2024 for more than 50,000 people.
Introduction
TPN, a leading creative and production agency partnered with spf.io to help Databricks, a prominent data and AI company, make its keynotes at the Data + AI Summit (DAIS) 2024 accessible to more than 50,000 people through live captions.
TPN recognized the value of spf.io’s all-in-one translation and accessibility platform to ensure that all attendees, including the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, could fully engage with the event held on June 10-13 in San Francisco. This partnership led to enhanced audience engagement and seamless caption integration into the event’s production, opening up new possibilities for more inclusive corporate events worldwide.
About TPN
TPN specializes in producing large-scale corporate events. With expertise in content capture, media distribution, and live streaming, TPN consistently delivers high-quality services for major organizations like Databricks. By partnering with spf.io, TPN helped Databricks achieve its goals of making DAIS 2024 accessible through real-time captions.
The Challenge of Ensuring Full Accessibility at DAIS 2024
Databricks wanted to make its keynotes at DAIS 2024 accessible to all attendees. Traditionally, captions would be provided in smaller, ADA-compliant areas within a venue. However, Databricks aimed for a more inclusive approach by providing human-reviewed captions displayed on large screens so everyone in the audience could benefit. This required precise caption delivery and seamless integration into the event’s production setup.
Databricks wanted to demonstrate its commitment to inclusivity by offering high-quality captions that were both accurate and timely. “Databricks took accessibility very seriously and wanted to make sure that everybody could view those captions if they wanted to,” said Matt Wilson, Solutions Analyst at TPN. They enlisted TPN to find a scalable solution that could handle the demands of a large corporate event while maintaining flexibility for last-minute changes.
Why TPN Chose spf.io
As Databricks’ event production partner, TPN decided to collaborate with spf.io, having successfully leveraged its capabilities in prior events. During Wilson’s initial search for a company specializing in human captioning for open and closed captions, spf.io’s “AI with a human touch” approach stood out from other solutions. This approach leverages AI captions with a human in the loop to achieve speed and accuracy by allowing real-time corrections and customization based on company-specific terminology.
“If you really want to be sure there are no mistakes, there is nothing even slightly embarrassing that could come up, that’s when you want to have a human in there,” he explained, highlighting the importance of including human expertise.
Wilson also noted spf.io’s all-in-one approach as a key differentiator: “I saw things that spf.io was doing that nobody else was doing and it was all in one house.” With spf.io, TPN had all the tools they needed to deliver a successful, accessible event within a single platform. Everything from in-room captions to integrating with a live stream was possible.
It turns out that captions are not just for those with hearing loss. Wilson referenced a 2022 survey by Preply: “Gen Z, 70% of them use captions [or subtitles] on all content they watch.” The trend extends to millennials as well, with 53% regularly using captions or subtitles.
By prioritizing captioning, companies can better fit the preferences of younger generations and improve comprehension for all attendees.
A 2022 survey by Preply on how many Americans in each generation regularly use captions or subtitles (source).
How spf.io Helped Databricks
Spf.io’s ability to combine AI with a human touch ensured that captions were accurate, contextually relevant, and delivered in real time. This dual approach was crucial for the high-stakes Databricks summit keynotes, where even minor inaccuracies could distract and detract from the audience’s experience.
Spf.io seamlessly integrated into TPN’s existing production workflow with their current technology. This made spf.io a cost-effective solution since Databricks didn’t need to invest in deploying additional equipment. Wilson remarked, “From the client’s perspective, it’s an additional cost savings because now it’s like, well, the equipment is already in the room, the network is already in the room. All these things are already in the room.”
Spf.io worked closely with TPN during event preparation to add specific terminology and names to spf.io’s glossary, ensuring captions would be as accurate as possible. This close collaboration and flexibility made it possible to adapt quickly to any last-minute changes, such as schedule shifts or unexpected technical issues. “There is no rigidity to spf.io. There is flexibility, and that is priceless,” Wilson emphasized.
This adaptability was crucial in delivering a seamless experience for Databricks, ensuring their commitment to accessibility was fully realized.
The Results
#ApacheSpark has always been about the community. Databricks Co-founder & Chief Architect @rxin shares how updates (PySpark, etc) were based directly on feedback from users. #DataAISummit pic.twitter.com/fD3K2zR9CE
— #DataAISummit (@Data_AI_Summit) June 13, 2024
The partnership between TPN and spf.io yielded impressive results for DAIS 2024. English captions were prominently displayed on large monitors on both sides of the stage, ensuring that over 16,000 people on-site could easily read them. The event was also live-streamed from June 12-13 with more than 40,000 people watching worldwide.
Databricks appreciated how the captions enhanced the attendees’ engagement during the keynotes. It not only improved accessibility for everyone, regardless of hearing ability, but also contributed to setting a new standard for inclusivity at Databricks’ events.
Future Plans
Building on the success of DAIS 2024, TPN plans to further integrate spf.io’s technology into its offerings, expanding accessibility features across more events. With platform advancements like audio descriptions for the blind and text-to-speech for translation in over 40 languages, TPN is poised to help more clients make future events more inclusive and accessible.
Looking ahead, Wilson is excited about leveraging spf.io’s audio live-streaming feature for silent or quiet rooms. With this feature, attendees can easily access the audio stream and translation via a QR code or URL on their mobile devices without downloading an app. Overflow audiences or people who need a quieter environment can go to these silent rooms and listen to the real-time audio stream with their own mobile devices and headphones.
“That’s something we are offering to our clients for events and showing them the cost savings that is available and they’re very interested in that,” Wilson shared. This solution not only addresses post-COVID hygiene concerns but also allows attendees to personalize their experience by choosing their preferred language and accessibility options.
Reinforcing this commitment to accessibility, Chris Lim, Co-founder and CEO of spf.io, states, “We’re delighted to partner with TPN to make the promise of ‘access in any language’ a new standard for corporate events.”
References:
Mykhalevych, N. (2022, June 17). Survey: Why America Is Obsessed with Subtitles. Language Learning with Preply Blog. https://preply.com/en/blog/americas-subtitles-use/
Ready to make your next corporate event accessible to everyone, including the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and people who speak different languages?
Schedule a needs assessment call with spf.io today and discover how our real-time captioning and translation solutions can enhance your event experience.