‘Initial coin offering’ prevents Lens’s viral embarrassment

One of us here at the Lens recently hosted his first webinar – his maiden webinar from home, to be precise, as the presenter in question is an experienced pre-lockdown operator of this medium.

The webinar was audio-only so there was no need for a tastefully stacked bookcase serving as a backdrop, nor for a digital background effect achieving the same aim. There was not even a requirement to get dressed (though he did). 

What most concerned the Lens team member and web presenter was the presence in the house of his two children aged 10 and under. Many Lens readers will remember Professor Robert Kelly, the South Korean politics expert who became known as ‘BBC viral dad’ after his toddlers invaded his live TV interview back in 2017.

Although we’ve become accepting of domestic background noise in our work-from-home business meetings, are we quite ready to accept juvenile wailing during live events? The audience might be forgiving. But what about the sponsors?

That was the worry our presenter had.

In the end, the 45-minute event went without hitch. Achieving this in part was a bribe. How would the worrisome offspring like £10 each in their stocks-and-shares ISAs to take advantage of the no-doubt V-shaped recovery?

The youngsters were both receptive. However, in what may point to the future of retirement savings, the currency eventually settled on was not pounds sterling nor shares of any sort, but ‘V-bucks’ – the money used in the Fortnite video game that is so addictive for children and maddening for parents trying to home-school their kids.

“It was a successful ‘initial coin offering’, so to put it,” said our relieved presenter and strained father-of-two after the broadcast. “And I never thought I’d say this – but thank god for Fortnite!”