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How to turn your conference into a gala dinner

Posted on 31 Agosto 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

More and more conferences are concluding with a styled gala dinner.

There are three main reasons driving this trend – an entertaining gala dinner is a great way to reward your attendees after a long information heavy conference; gala dinners encourage networking; the savvy event planner can minimize costs when ‘bundling’ the two events.

When planning two back-to-back events, the key to a successful experience is a smooth transition between the two. With so many elements coming together and you’re racing against the clock, this can seem somewhat overwhelming. Our event experts share some insightful tips to help the savvy event planner knock their event out of the park:

1. Use a second room within the venue

Choosing the right venue is one of the most important decisions in planning your conference. To successfully include a gala dinner as part of your conference, a venue with two rooms is ideal.

Booking two rooms in your venue will allow you to usher your guests to a second location for cocktails and networking. While your guests are enjoying cocktails your secondary team can redress the conference room in preparation for the gala dinner.

The key to a smooth transition is teamwork.

To make sure it goes without a hitch, you’ll need an experienced events team to ensure all the lighting, AV, sound and styling is in place. The room should be unrecognizable when your guests re-enter the room!

2. Offer a different kind of conference setting

Following a long day seated in a conference chair, your guests will welcome a change of scenery. Breaking from the monotony of what is expected at a typical conference will really wow event attendees.

Conferences can be rigid affairs, but a break from tradition and a little bit of flair changes all of that.

The most common seating transition is theatre to banquet round, but again it depends on what space you have to play with. Economical use of the venue space presents a number of possibilities for any enterprising event planner.

3. Add flair to your event with a hefty dose of style

It’s a no brainer. To transition from a conference to gala dinner your, event styling is your trump card.

Styling for a conference tends to be minimal with some simple yet sophisticated table centerpieces, draping and some branded props around the room. On the other hand, gala dinners are the holy grail for event stylists where literally you’re only limited by your imagination.

4. Keep the guests of your event entertained and engaged

Adding entertainment and inviting your guests to participate during your conference and gala dinner are great ways for any event planner to ensure that their’s is a memorable event.

Engage your guests with social media: Event Feed is an online platform which scans all social media platforms for a predetermined hashtag and then displays these posts on a screen so that guests have the chance to be featured during the conference and gala!

After a long, content rich day at the conference, your guests will welcome entertaining performances.

5. Create the right atmosphere and ambiance with AV and lighting effects

The right lighting features add another dimension to your event. Using roving gobos, pin spot lighting and dynamic colour changes are a great way to transition from a conference to a gala dinner.

During a conference, audio visual equipment is typically used to share slides and capture the audience’s attention. As you transition from a conference to a gala dinner, use the same audio visual equipment to create a dramatic impact. Using the projector and screen that were used for conference slides, project stylized images that match the theme of your gala for added effect.

6. Pre-set like a pro for a smooth transition from conference to gala dinner

Transitioning between a conference and a gala dinner doesn’t have to be an ordeal.

A great deal of pre-planning and pre-setting can make for a smooth transition from drab conference to exciting gala dinner. Timing plays a key part in transitioning between conference and gala dinner.

A well scheduled event will be one that goes off without a hitch.

For conference and gala dinners, pre-setting stage looks in two distinct layers is a good idea.

Employing the use of black drapery means that you will be able to hide a secondary stage for a gala dinner and transitioning from conference to gala dinner is as simple as pulling back a drape.

When it comes to planning a successful conference and gala dinner, the key is turnaround time and ensure that you have ample staff on hand to transition from conference to gala dinner in a timely manner.

6 Ways to use GoPro at your events

Posted on 27 Giugno 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

GoPro helmet-mounted cameras have been around since by Nicholas Woodman invented them in 2004. They’ve made him a billionaire. Even though they are a perfect fit for the events industry, they are underutilized by event planners, who can use them to speed up the action to cover more ground or slow it down when it’s time to show details.

Here are 6 ways in which event and meeting planners can use GoPro.

Training and Development

Some processes are very intricate. Learners benefit from seeing the details from the point of view of the individuals carrying out the task. Videos shot using GoPro are an ideal vehicle for capturing minute details and walking learners through tasks step-by-step. Retailer Experticity has created a GoPro channel where associates can log in and learn from custom designed videos.

Capture meetings, conferences, and concerts from the point of view of speakers and facilitators

Instead of just giving lip service to audience engagement, incorporate the audience reactions and the point of view of performers and speakers into video highlights.

Relive Outdoor Adventures

Whether it’s zip-lining, bobsledding, dune bashing, or desert adventures on quad bikes, GoPro is the perfect way for participants to relive their adventures.

Capture the Intensity of Action Sports

For fast-paced action sports like polo, GoPro places viewers in the center of the action. In combination with drones that cover a large territory, GoPro is a great way to convey the full intensity of action sports.
GoPro is in the process of developing a quadcopter drone for release in 2016. Event professionals can look forward to this type of footage.

Provide Tours of Resorts

Site inspections are always the best plan, but, when they are not possible, a professional video with images captured through GoPro can give clients the look and feel of a resort or venue.

Preview Off-the-Beaten-Track Adventures

For adventures in rugged territory, footage from a GoPro camera can give clients the information they require to assess whether or not the experience is a good fit from the group.

Finally, here are some tips for using GoPro for events:

Storyboard what you want the final video to look like to ensure that you get all required shots.
Be sure to obtain the right mounts and other accessories.
Invest in large memory cards and always bring backup as memory cards fill up fast.Carry extra batteries and ensure that all batteries are fully charged.
Make sure that the lenses are clean. Unlike a digital camera, it won’t be possible to check the lenses before or after every shot.
Shoot when lighting is best. Early morning will produce clear and well-lit shots. Late afternoon shots will have shadows and drama.

Event reminders: how many is too many?

Posted on 1 Giugno 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

Our audience is being bombarded by email marketing and email reminders. So how much is too much? And what email campaigns really capture attention? Here are a few tips.

Engaging content

It’s no secret that the key to our audience’s heart is content that engages.

Think about the value that your email marketing brings to them. Not only are you pushing an event, but what can you give to them in addition?

Perhaps a recap of helpful articles from your website that they may have missed, a summary of trends that will be interesting to them, or other ways of providing value so that your audience clicks and engages.

Engaging subject line

You can have great content, but if no one opened your email, you only get so far.

The art of subject lines is more complicated than ever, but definitely an art worth learning.

You can try personalizing the subject line so that your attendees first name is in that prominent location.

Segment

It’s very important to email people who register for your event frequently. The key is segmenting and specializing.

Don’t send the same confirmation email over and over to the same attendee.

Take them through a pipeline – ask them to download your app, highlight some of your speakers, introduce them to other people will be attending. And, segment your list so that the content they receive is customized for them.

Perhaps you have one email confirmation going to speakers, a different one for sponsors, one for longtime supporters, another for people who are coming to your event for the first time.

This, of course, is a lot more work on the writing side, but it allows your emails to be much more personalized and will help your attendees find the value in repeat communications.