Interviews

* The following applies only for sponsors that have an interview listed in their contract *

Trellis Studio Interviews

Trellis Studio interviews are pre-recorded interviews between a company executive and a Trellis moderator that will be released on the Trellis YouTube channel about two weeks after the event. Each Trellis Studio recording will be conducted virtually in the 3-4 weeks before the event. These recording sessions will be held for 30 minutes — 3-4 minutes of filming, plus time beforehand to conduct mic checks and agree upon the interview questions in advance of filming, as well as allow for a potential outtake or two. Trellis Studio interviews are NOT played during the event. Watch past Trellis Studio interviews here.

IMPORTANT

🔄 Trellis Studio Interviews vs Executive Interviews: Please note that Trellis Studio Interviews are different from Executive Interviews. The main difference is that Trellis Studio Interviews are only uploaded to our YouTube channel, whereas Executive Interviews are uploaded to both our YouTube channel and Trellis.net. Executive interviews also include a prep-call with our Trellis Studio Content team to develop the interview questions in advance of the interview. 

How to schedule

Your customer success manager will reach out to schedule your Trellis Studio interview in mid-July. In the meantime, please start thinking about which executive will be participating in this interview and complete the interview prep tasks listed below. If you have any questions, please contact your customer success manager.


Interview prep-tasks

Please have your executive complete the following tasks in advance of the interview to ensure quality production.


⁉️ Questions: If there are any questions that you’d like to answer or avoid, please let your customer success manager know. Otherwise, your Trellis moderator will craft their own questions based on your submitted topic idea. Please note we will not be sharing questions in advance as we encourage more natural, less scripted conversations. 


💻 Software: We will be using Riverside.fm to record the interview. Riverside.fm works best with Google Chrome on a laptop or desktop so please make sure you have access to a laptop or desktop and have downloaded the most updated version of Google Chrome. You should also turn off your VPN if applicable or use a personal laptop/desktop as VPNs are sometimes incompatible with this platform. You can test your connection to Riverside.fm at this link. Please follow these directions when logging into Riverside.fm at the time of the interview.


📶 Internet: Ensure you have a strong internet connection capable of handling video. Test your internet speed in advance. We strongly encourage you to connect to the internet via an ethernet (or other hardwired) connection instead of relying on wifi. If your upload speed is less than 7 Mbps, please let your customer success manager know so we can help troubleshoot a solution.

🔊 Audio - Find a quiet spot that will remain quiet during the filming. Turn off ringers and other audible notifications on your computer, your phone and other electronics. Check that your microphone or headset is working and that your audio is clear. Avoid your computer’s mic, as it can come across as muffled and can create an echo sound. If you’re using a wireless headset, make sure it’s fully charged. The best bet is a wired microphone. We recommend this Pro Audio Lav mic.

📷 Camera - Ensure the camera is at eye level. If you are using a laptop, place it on a stand or a stack of books. 

💡 Lighting - Use a ring light or lamp with warm light behind or near your camera, so that your face is well lit. Avoid having a window behind you that would impact your lighting. It is important to have the lighting in front of you, not behind you.

👕 Outfit - Avoid wearing clothes with a pattern that could be distracting or that creates lighting illusions. Avoid bright red or white, as well as garments that could rub against your microphone. Neutral, soft blues and brown colors are best. Avoid jewelry that jingles or makes sounds.

Sidebar Interviews

Sidebar interviews are 5-6 minute live interviews between a company executive and a Trellis moderator, which are broadcasted live to our livestream audience (1 million total views expected) during a mainstage program break. Sidebar interviews will also be released on the Trellis YouTube channel about two weeks after the event. We ask that interviewees arrive at the VERGE 24 Livestream Hub (to the left of the keynote stage in Hall 3) 20 minutes in advance so that we may get them mic'd up. They should also be available up to 20 minutes after their scheduled interview time in case the livestream is delayed. No-show appointments may not be able to get rescheduled. Watch past Sidebar interviews here.

How to schedule

Your customer success manager will begin outreach to schedule your sidebar interview in late July. In the meantime, please start thinking about which executive will be participating in this interview and complete the interview prep tasks listed below. If you have any questions, please contact your customer success manager.


Interview prep-tasks

Please have your executive complete the following tasks in advance of the interview to ensure quality production.


⁉️ Questions: If there are any questions/topics that you’d like to answer or avoid, please let your customer success manager know. Otherwise, your Trellis moderator will craft their own questions based on your latest corporate sustainability news. Please note we will not be sharing questions in advance as we encourage more natural, less scripted conversations. 


⏰ Arrival Time: Please note that all Sidebar interviewees must arrive at the Sidebar table at least 20 minutes in advance of the interview as we need time to get you mic’d up and ready for the interview. If you are running late or show up at the exact time of your interview, we will not be able to conduct your interview.


📞 Phone Number: Please make sure you send your customer success manager your cell phone number so that we can contact you onsite if you need help finding the Livestream Hub. 


👕 Outfit: Avoid wearing clothes with a pattern that could be distracting or that creates lighting illusions. Avoid bright red or white, as well as garments that could rub against your microphone. Neutral, soft blues and brown colors are best. Avoid jewelry that jingles or makes sounds.


👀 Eye Contact: During the interview, we encourage interviewees to look at both the moderator and the camera. Please avoid only looking at the moderator. 

FAQs

If both interview types are included in my contract, can the same executive do both interviews?

Yes. The same executive is welcome to do both interviews.

Will you send a calendar invite to our executive with the details on this page?

Yes for both types of interviews. Once your executive and Trellis moderator are confirmed, your customer success manager will send a calendar invite to you and your executive with details on the interview.

Will you provide the interview questions in advance?

No for both types of interviews as we encourage more natural, less-scripted conversations. If there are any questions/topics that you’d like to answer or avoid, however, please let your customer success manager know and they will pass them onto your moderator. Otherwise, your Trellis moderator will craft their own questions based on your submitted topic idea or latest corporate sustainability news. For Trellis studio interviews, there will also be plenty of time to connect and agree upon the questions during the interview recording call in advance of any filming. 


Common prompts for both types of interviews include:

Can other team members join the Trellis studio interview recording call?

Yes. They should use the Guest link provided in the calendar invite to join. We recommend having at least one PR/Marketing team member attend to provide live feedback and edit requests.

Will you be sending the interview recording to our team for review before it's published?

No for both types of interviews. For Trellis studio interviews, your team will have the opportunity to provide feedback and conduct re-takes during the interview recording call itself. All outtakes will be removed from the recording and what's left will be what's published. Sidebar interviews will include all footage taken during the live interview.

Will you be promoting the interview once it's published?

Yes for both types of interviews. Both interviews will be uploaded to our YouTube channel and promoted through a post-event mailer sent to all attendees two weeks after the event. Trellis Studio interviews will also be promoted on our social media channels (X, Facebook, and LinkedIn). We encourage sponsors to share the interviews with their networks as well.