To document formal business occasions, I’m hired both indirectly through specialised agencies and directly by dedicated communication teams within the hosting companies. Even after years in the industry, every job is different and each collaborator brings new concepts for making an official gathering more exciting. Concentrating on ideas that can be applied to any formal function, in this article I share some ideas that have worked extremely well in contributing to the success of diverse occasions.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARRIVAL & REGISTRATION
Don’t overlook this crucial event moment, as first impressions are everything. Arriving at the registration table not only introduces your guests to the day itself, but this moment will usually be amongst the first photographs viewed in your published image catalogue. A couple of key tips to ensure it will have the impact it should:
Be Organised
The arrival desk should be both welcoming and organised; if it takes 2 minutes to locate a name badge or find a name, it isn’t very flattering for the attendee…Show the Scale of the Occasion
Hosts and sponsors alike want event photographs and video footage to capture the scale and attendance (and thereby the popularity) of the occasion, and the best way to do this is to show as many guests as possible at the same time. So that guests don’t arrive in dribs and drabs try asking that they arrive within a certain window, rather than for or from a certain time.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
Regardless of the event format (Conference, Seminar, Workshop), networking isn’t only a constant element of business gatherings, but, more often than not, it is the single most important aspect. Some key tips to maximise networking possibilities:
Dedicated Animators
Task 1-2 people who know the guest list well to circle the space and actively introduce any lone guests, to bring larger groups of people together. As a host or organiser, this make you look both much more involved and on top of things. It will also encourage attendees to breakaway from their habitual groups, leading to both a much richer experience on the day and - believe me - far more varied event photographs. Depending on your budget and the style of the event, considering hiring dedicated animators, even if just for the purposes of encouraging group photographs.Make the Best Use of Networking Space
Arrange all potential networking areas so that their layout encourages maximum interaction between attendees. For example, rather than placing catering, branding materials and giveaways in a corner (which is both uninteresting for guests and awkward for those trying providing media coverage), place such things (along with anything else the guests can interact with) on several smaller tables positioned throughout the space. This will create clusters of interactions which will naturally fill the available area.
Communication
Bizarrely, one of the most underlooked aspects. Your branding might be excellently designed, perfectly placed and abundant, but that alone won’t convey the essential practical information about finding one’s way around the hosting venue and understanding the concept behind the occasion itself. Some key tips to improving event communication:
Print a Blown-Up (Giant) Plan of both the Venue Layout and the Event Itinerary
This is not just informative, but provides an opportunity for large-scale branding, which isn’t achievable through A4 printouts and brochures alone.Give Your Technical Staff Some Kind of Uniform, Even if Just Through Matching Colours
Just a simple communication to your hired hands can see, for example, all animators in white and all the tech team in black, making it clearer for everyone to know immediately which team member does what. The appearance of one large united event team - as appose to a collection of individual contractors - is simply so much better.Introduce your Photographers, Videographers and Behind-the-Scenes Team Members
Everyone is there to perform their trade to the best of their ability, with one goal in mind: to make your event as good as it can possibly be. This cannot be achieved without effective collaboration between your media providers and technicians. The external hands you hire to work on an event become part of a team, working towards the same goal, so make them feel that way from the off!
Presentation
This really is everything, so dedicate time to visually arrange everything event-related.
Try to arrange all objects or paraphernalia that will be seen by guests, as if you were arranging the background for a media presentation, because, to a large part, that is precisely what your event is. No matter the relative importance of the objects - whether leaflets, chairs, tables, coffee mugs etc - such attention to detail shows a professionalism that is always recognised.
More than any other aspect of your event planning, in terms of time-to-reward, visual arrangements truly give the best bang for your buck.
Staging, Scenography & Lighting
As an event documenter, I can assure that the following advice will not only get you better coverage of your conference, awards ceremony or keynote presentation, but will also help to maintain engagement throughout:
Balanced Lighting
It is far better to have simple, evenly spread stage lighting than intricate illumination that distracts from the whole. Every host, speaker and panel member should be evenly lit from all angles. When numerous people are onstage with limited and poorly placed light sources, they will cast shadows on each other. Clear headshots and group shots of those on stage are paramount, and without light achieving them is impossible. In post-production, photographers and videographers can raise the global light levels, but there’s very little that can be done to correct unbalanced lighting.Watch the Projector!
We’ve all seen event photographs where a speaker’s head is blown out by the projector’s light beam; the effect is nothing short of awful. Whilst many lighting elements, including the projector, can’t be moved, the people on stage can.Clear the Stage. Less is More.
Is there anything onstage that doesn’t need to be there? Is there anything that could be moved or repositioned (even if just a little) to improve visibility? The focus should be on the people on stage, the projection, and the branding; nothing else.Further tips:
If you have any choice over the speaker panels or tables, consider see-through options - they free things up visually, without having to sacrifice stage layout.
If you have any choice over the on-stage microphones, use stage mics that don’t cover the speaker’s face or lower those you have appropriately.
Light your Branding
I work on a lot of events where simple roll up banners have been brought in to line the audience. Unfortunately, they usually adds nothing as, being unlit, they go totally unnoticed. A fantastic solution to this is to place your large branding posters in portable light boxes; this way, no matter how little light a room has, your branding will always be visible and readable.Create a Great Intro Screen
The guests’ first impressions of the conference hall are important; this is where they are going to spend a good amount (if not the majority) of the event proceedings, so engage them from the start. They’re could be 10-15 minutes between the first audience members taking their seats and the start of the proceedings, so ask yourself: what could you show on stage to prepare the mood for the presentations that will follow? Consider a corporate intro video or even just a simple screensaver either related to the event itself or to the city where it is taking place.Do Some Simple Tests
Once you have a light setup arranged with the lighting technician, don’t just leave it at that. Put a couple of minutes aside to see how the stage looks with people on it, standing, sitting and moving as the speakers and panel members are going to; lighting can look completely different once a stage is filled, so that’s the scenario you have to test. Mark out the safe and the no-go areas onstage, so that speakers will know exactly where to stand in order to be correctly lit.In my experience, only a tiny percentage of lighting errors are due to technical limitations; the majority are completely avoidable with just a little foresight.
The Audience
For the guests the focus may be on the stage, but remember that the audience and their reactions need to be photographed too. Here are some tips to both effectively present and engage your audience:
Seat Guests Together
It can often happen that there are many more seats than attendees. When it does, remember that, in terms of the documentary that will be produced, it is far better to see half the auditorium full than to see the whole auditorium half-empty. Instruct the guests to fill the seats from the front (you’ll have to tell them, as they won’t do it themselves; everyone likes their space!). Asides from allowing your production team to capture angles showing a full auditorium, remember that seating attendees together will also encourage interaction.Leave Event Branding Material on the Seats
Anything is better than guests looking at their smartphones, so give them something relevant to study before and during the event (should their attention ever wander…). Some ideas:A creative A3 1-pager to accompany the conference
An event brochure
Photographs of guests interacting with such things will communicate that the conference was both engaging and well-structured.
Hire Comedians / Animators or Use Q&A Games to Kick-off and Break Up the Conference
There are numerous options here, but, in my experience, nothing beats getting the audience out of their chairs and moving.Don’t Forget to Light the Audience
For the guests, the focus may be on the stage, but remember that the audience and their reactions need to be photographed too, so don’t leave them in the dark!
Never forget that, attendees are not just passive onlookers; they are active participants and are as important as any other element in contributing to the success of a conference. All should be done to present and, essentially, engage them as much as possible; event photographs can be greatly enhanced through retouch, but there are certain things (such as unengaged faces) for which there is no fix.
Catering
Even if what is offered is minimal, food and drink are like any other visual element and should be given equal attention to detail:
Don’t Undervalue the Presentation of Food & Drinks
Throughout the proceedings, everyone will eat or drink something (even if just a cup of coffee). That means whatever you offer in terms of catering, will be seen by all guests. Even coffee and croissants or simple pieces of fruit can add great aesthetic value when laid out with a just a little care (even if guests never touch them).Serve the Catering If Possible
As a guest, being handed a glass of wine as you network is far more flattering and practical than fetching it yourself. Serving like this (even if just the first drink) means the whole social space remains filled and you don’t see a big queue waiting impatiently for something to drink.Avoid Mess & Keep things Simple
Even if your budget allows for something more fancy, try to stick to finger food that you can eat without a plate. When plates and cutlery are used for standing guests, they are inevitably left scattered about the place, which is extremely unsightly, particularly on photographs.
Entertainment
Adding some non-work-related animation or activity adds an extra element that can help your event stand out in the mind of guests, many of whom will likely have attended more than their fair share of corporate gatherings.
Games
Depending on the venue you’ve hired and the nature of your event, team building ideas might already be taken care of. However, if this isn’t the case, consider hiring some gaming equipment, or better, investing in some (to reuse for future events). A couple of well-chosen games can do wonders for your event.Consider an Event-Related Quiz
Introduced at the start during welcome speech or in the program, and concluded at the end in the form of a prize giving, this idea can add another layer of engagement to the occasion and provide a point of discussion and collaboration between guests, whilst reminding everyone of the most important themes of the occasion.Photography Booths
These can take many forms and which you choose will depend on both your entertainment budget and the style of your event. They provide an ever-popular activity for the guests whilst being very advantageous for networking and, in turn, your event promotion.Live Music
Even if it’s just a solo pianist for a short part of the proceedings (e.g. during one specific coffee break), everyone appreciates non-intrusive live music.Hire a Professional Entertainer
The presence of an experienced magician or caricaturist to tour the space and interact with guests is always well-received, and guests’ enjoyment of this is priceless when captured on camera.
