A few years ago Visit Scotland and ILEA (International Live Events Association)gave me and some incredible colleagues an unbelievable experience that made me fall in love with Scotland—and feel like Braveheart!
It was a “bonnie” good time, from lunch at St. Andrews to a closing dinner on Her Majesty’s Yacht (the HMY Britannia) to be fitted for a kilt—I was sworn to secrecy what we wear under our tartan! And the best part of the whole trip? HAGGIS!
I knew I had to get back there one day, and now through an immersive virtual experience, I can. My Scottish friend Ricky Crawford introduced me to his newest creation with his dear friends, The Dram Good Laddies!
The Dram Good Laddies (DGL) virtual tour of Scotland is packed with castles, kilts, lochs, laughs, mountains and malts! It’s the ultimate virtual experience that combines customized broadcast production and live interaction to provide a great time for all.
Ricky, Nicky and Aly are three hilarious, kilted Scots who have been promoting Scotch whisky and Scotland for decades, and their story telling, jokes and energy makes you feel like you’re being whisked around Scotland by the best tour guides imaginable.
An Interactive, Sponsorship-Friendly Platform
Hosted on a platform that is ideal for sponsorship and client/customer recognition, The Laddies even have an interactive “after show lounge” that is perfect for clients and companies looking to engage directly with the cast. Not only educational and informative, The Spirit of Scotland Tour is the best way to see the greatest wee country in the world and is guaranteed to shift any virtual or hybrid event to “instantaneously unforgettable” status.
Ricky, Nicky and Aly are three Scotsmen who have known each other for years. All have worked in the Scotch whisky industry and are recognized as the best storytellers of their beautiful homeland of Scotland. Ricky has a TV show called Leave no Trace on Amazon Prime and National Geographic in Asia. Nicky has run his own consultancy for the last decade and is a contributor on CNBC for whisky as an alternative investment. Aly was the National Educator for Scotch whisky for the world’s largest spirits company, and has been recognized as one of Scotland’s most prolific advocates and ambassadors.
At the onset of the pandemic, all three friends recognized quickly that their world was going to change, especially the way they brought Scotland to life through in-person events. They immediately started to work together on a solution to the problem: How can you bring people to Scotland when you physically can’t?
Their answer? Let them dream now and travel later. Their single mission was to make people feel connected, laugh and have a great time. From this, The Dram Good Laddies came to life, or as Aly put it with his tongue-in-cheek banter, “The Laddies arose like a phoenix from the Covid-19 flames!”
A Broadcast-Quality Stream
As Zoom became the new norm, DGL recognized they wanted to elevate the experience beyond a grid of faces on a screen. With Ricky’s contacts in television, DGL started to produce a customizable broadcast-quality show that would transport their guests to see all the natural beauty of their homeland and feel they were together in person.
DGL wrote script after script and rehearsed tirelessly with producer Ben Alcott in Sydney, Australia, in order to create something that is truly magical. Alcott has worked with Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Maria Carey and 50 Cent. Under Alcott’s guidance, DGL are quickly being recognized as innovative leaders in this new era of virtual entertainment.
From the moment you see these three kilted Scotsmen working in separate locations, you quickly find yourself transported to the other side of the world to visit Scotland. You have to remind yourself that this is the magic of production on occasion as you see them coming together to travel to the castles of Scotland, visit movie set locations and join in at the Military Tattoo during the Edinburgh Festival, as well as even pulling a whisky sample right from a barrel within a warehouse.
You’ll be constantly asking yourself, “How did they do that!?” It’s truly a magnificent 35-minute escape. All of this is customized to each client, even bringing logos, shout-outs and jokes specific to the audience. It’s like watching a TV show with the hosts talking directly to you!
Using a customized platform that allows them to not only broadcast-stream their show, but offers the opportunity for each client to be a part of the show, The Lounge is an interactive area that immediately follows the stream broadcast. Here, guests can join in and speak directly with the three Scotsmen and a panel of hosts/clients, which is a feature that completes the personal connection already established in the show.
The Best Way to Travel Now
DGL’s virtual tour of Scotland is educational and informative. The Spirit of Scotland Tour is the best way to see the greatest wee country in the world and is guaranteed to shift any virtual or hybrid event to instantaneously unforgettable status.
If you’ve never been to Scotland or want to get back there like I do, this is one of the best ways to travel there in these challenging times I raise a glass to you all. "Slàinte mhath," which means "good health" in Gaelic. This unique virtual tour is definitely #MCApproved!
Look for more Cerbelli: Hot Virtual Event Ideas in the upcoming weeks, and most of all stay healthy, stay safe, stay home and stay #EventStrong!
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Contact:
Cerbelli Creative
Sara Meletis or Meagan Shipley, CMP: 212.256.1518
info@cerbellicreative.com
