Well, the 2024 IOM World Championships have been sailed and won. However, it's becoming evident that the real winners were those who managed to tune in to the incredibly professional Live Streaming of every race on YouTube. (something you can still go and do, by the way, HERE) The RC community's comments were high praise, as everyone was glued to their screens at different times of the day and night worldwide.
We asked Grant Cooper, who chaired the World Working Group, was Executive Director of the broadcast and owner of Cooper McKenzie Marketing, the company charged with bringing the vision to computers and Smart TVs around the globe, a couple of questions about how it was put together.
Grant, when did you decide to livestream the 2024 IOM World Championships?
It's an interesting question because I was first approached by Sean Wallis, President of the ARYA, in February 2023, asking if I'd be interested in live streaming the IOM World Championships, as Sean was aware of our work, producing and broadcasting the start of the iconic Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race for the last eight years. He also knew I was an experienced IOM sailor of 20+ years. It was from this initial conversation that Gladstone decided to put a bid submission in to run the event, so it was only when IOMICA approved the Gladstone bid that we decided it was going to be live-streamed
Are there any obvious differences between live-streaming a big boat race from Morton Bay and a championship from a wharf in Gladstone?
Absolutely. We knew logistically it would be easier as we didn't have to put cameras on boats bouncing around Moreton Bay in all types of weather, trying to keep up with racing yachts doing 15-20kts - we could shoot this event using fixed cameras and drone technology as all the yachts would be contained in a course space. The real challenge was that the Brisbane to Gladstone broadcast was two hours, while the IOM World Championships broadcast was eight hours every day for six days - it would be a significant and costly undertaking.
Can you give us an idea of the set-up and the team you assembled to produce this event?
Over the years, we've become really mobile and have been able to keep our production crew compact and, thus, a little more affordable. We had a crew of five at this event (not counting the commentators). All the cameras from the wharf were connected by cable, a few locked off on rounding marks, start and finish lines, and other maned cameras following the action of the course. You would also know that we had a drone pilot beaming video directly back to our production van, where our producer and graphics coordinator were locked away in a darkened room for six days, pulling it together and beaming it out online, live.
On top of that, we had to find commentators to bring it to life, knowledgeable in all forms of yacht racing and willing to expose the intricacies of Radio-Controlled Yachting. The team we assembled were nothing short of incredible. Jordan Spencer, champion dingy sailor, yachting coach, and one-third of Bar Karate - The Sailing Podcast; David Turton, navigator on the 100ft WildThing and RC Yachting veteran; Saskia Groenintwoud, lifelong sailor and experienced offshore racer, and little ol me, were able to add our comments, colour, and observations—which we hope the viewers enjoyed.
I think everyone was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining and professional it was. However, I don't suppose you were….
Look, it was a sizable investment for the ARYA, and there may have been a few people who were a little sceptical of what they were getting for that investment, but we always knew it would be a professional broadcast. The World Working Group worked hard to secure sponsorship from a generous Gladstone community that wanted the event to succeed. The Gladstone Regional Council’s financial commitment underpinned the livestream, and every other generous sponsor improved the event. Did you have any goals, and did you achieve them? We had a few KPIs that we wanted to achieve with the broadcast.
We wanted to highlight the beautiful Gladstone Region, its incredible, generous community, how industry and the environment can work together, and how it is a great place to live and grow.
We wanted to hold a world-class racing event, with everything laid on for competitors from every corner of the globe to go back and tell their friends what a fantastic event it was.
We wanted to highlight the sport in Gladstone to encourage new membership and grow the local club.
But our main objective with the broadcast was, without a doubt, to legitimise radio-controlled sailing within wider sailing circles and specifically promote IOM Sailing as an affordable, inclusive, and low-impact sailing alternative.
Our approach involved showcasing the broad and diverse range of individuals with experience in yacht racing from different sailing backgrounds, including seasoned Volvo around the world sailors, various World Champions in dingies and bigger boats, participants in the latest Americas Cup who get home and pick up the controls, and newcomers who have recently discovered their passion for RC sailing. We highlighted the complexity and technical aspects of yacht racing that contribute to their speed, while emphasizing the enjoyment and thrill they bring.
To me, after all is said and done with these World Championships......
IOM sailing is the big winner.
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