What style of catering should you have at your event?

Food has a special place at all events; it brings people together in a fun and engaging way, and will give your guests a culinary experience to remember. The catering at an event can make up a large portion of your budget, so you want to make sure you’re choosing the right catering style for your event type. When matched with creative audiovisual elements, your choice of catering can further enhance the wow factor.

Here are some of the most popular catering styles:

Banquet Dinner

A banquet style dinner is a more formal, sit down catering style. It usually includes a set amount of courses, for example; entree, main, and dessert. Everyone at the table gets their food at the same time and you can spread out activities such as speeches, awards, entertainment or dancing in between courses. Banquet dinners are a great opportunity to dazzle your guests with pin-spotlight lighting on their individual tables, which can also be coloured to match your brand or theme.

Cocktail

A cocktail catering style means your guests have the opportunity to mingle and network while finger food gets served around the room. It’s a great way for people to interact and network with each other throughout the event, and an optimal choice for adding music to complement the atmosphere.

Food Stations

More and more we are seeing special food stations set up in event spaces. This could mean a dessert bar, a juice station, or a tapas section. Guests make their own way to each station and choose what they like. Food stations can be set up to go along with a more traditional style of catering such as a banquet, or as stand alone catering. Creative lighting and theming can help enhance food stations, creating further appeal.

Whatever you decide, we’re sure your event will be a treat for the tastebuds! Talk to us for more ideas.

How to promote your event

Promoting your event is one of the most important factors for success. Without getting the promotion of your event right, even the most interesting and well planned events won’t be successful. Promotion is what sells tickets, increases brand and event awareness, and builds excitement.

Ultimately, you want to attract people to your event, and the best way to do so is to spread the word far and wide. These days, technology can play a big part in that, and is an extremely useful marketing tool for event planners.

As with any marketing activity, you’ll want to make sure you have given yourself enough time prior to the event to promote and advertise it. Depending on your event type, you might even start a year in advance!

To help, we’ve put together some ways to promote your event:

Social media

Social media is now a must for any event. There are many ways to promote your event by engaging with your audience and targeting your message to interested parties, through strategic paid and unpaid social media campaigns.  

Online and offline advertising

Online advertising is a great way to promote events as highly targeted ads can achieve a great return on investment. Offline advertising through certain magazines, newspapers, or even mail box leaflet drops is also a good option.

Media and publicity

A media campaign can be a great way to gain coverage for your event, driving further awareness. This approach can work well for trade shows, markets and festivals.

Local signage

Depending on the type of event and location, you may find that signs and banners, even digital signage, placed locally around the event area will spark some interest.

Website

It’s also a great idea to have a designated section of your website for your events or give the event its own website. This will assist anyone looking for more information and will also improve your SEO so people can find you through Google.

The venue

When you’ve chosen and booked the venue for the event, they may be able to start promoting your event on their website and social media channels too, along with promotions within their venue such as posters or flyers. Make sure you cover all bases when researching venues, such as catering options, venue size, and audiovisual capabilities.

At AVPartners we take great pride in hosting events of all types and sizes; using lighting, audio, and visual technology to take events to the next level! Contact us today to chat about your next event.

How to hold an experiential event

All events need an element of interaction to really give them a wow factor. An experiential event is one that offers guests a unique experience that leaves a lasting impression.

This could mean anything from 3D elements to product demonstrations, from physical activities to virtual reality experiences. Instead of just pushing a message out to your audience, an experiential event provides an immersive and interactive experience, enabling people to engage with your brand in person.

Here are our top ideas for planning your next experiential event:

Explore creativity

People come alive when given the opportunity to be creative. It reminds them of a more carefree time. Try something outside of the everyday – such as having a chalk graffiti wall they can draw on, or a photo booth where they can be silly then take home a souvenir.

Get people learning

Giving people an opportunity to learn something new makes a big impact. For example, you could try a cooking demonstration, an origami lesson, or a dance class! Have fun with it and people will be talking about it for months.

Get up close

If your event includes entertainers or dancers, allow them to go outside of the norm and showcase their talent in unconventional areas, such as among the guest’s tables or on the bar. If it’s different, it’s interesting.

Incorporate AV technology

AV technology can create spectacular experiences which resonate with guests. From virtual reality, to creating an immersive look and feel through lighting, AV can make a big difference.

Talk to us about how you can incorporate digital elements, lighting and sound at your event to create a 360 experience.

Is a seminar the type of event your business needs?

Seminars are one of the most common type of events. Educational in nature, seminars bring together like-minded people to learn about a particular subject. A seminar is a more formal event, focused on training or information sharing, offered in an academic instruction-style setting. They differ from more informal events such as conferences where opinions and thoughts are shared more readily and informally.

They are also usually shorter in length than other similar events. Seminars are a great means of building brand awareness and thought leadership for your business.

What do seminars involve?

Seminars usually feature one or more experts on the subject matter who, with the help of visual aids, demonstrations, and interactive equipment, present their information with little participation required from attendees.

A few of the common seminar types you may come across include business, personal development, and academic seminars. Seminars may also be held as part of a conference.

Where are seminars held?

Seminars are usually held in hotel meeting spaces, conference rooms, convention centres or at an academic institution.

What equipment is required?

Like any great event, seminars tend to rely heavily on audiovisual aids, which assist the presenters or trainers in communicating their knowledge to attendees. A great AV provider will offer a combination of visual slides, staging, lighting, styling, microphones and speakers to ensure the seminar message is conveyed successfully.

AVPartners has the knowledge, creativity and technology to make any seminar successful! Contact us today to discuss your seminar needs.

How to effectively communicate your event message

Events can help make your business stand out against competitors. When holding an event, it’s important to ensure that the message you want your guests to walk away with is presented loud and clear. This message could be about increasing brand awareness, letting guests know about your cause for fundraising, or communicating excitement for upcoming product releases and launches.

We’ve put together a few tips on how you can effectively communicate your event message:

Styling and decor

Visual components like decorations and colours are a very valuable part of any event, so it’s important that these make sense for the type of event and guests attending. You might decide to use branded decorations, themed colours, or modern decor to help convey your event message.

Marketing touch points

Every channel or technique you use to communicate your event provides a marketing touch point for your message. Make sure that every touch point is cohesive and consistent. You want the event message to be registering in a guest’s mind from their first interaction with your event, whether that be online, through an invitation, or when entering the room.

Audiovisual components

The production elements at your event can make a huge impact on the way your event message gets seen, heard and absorbed. Great audio can help build emotion and engagement, and effective lighting will set a mood and create a sense of enjoyment and fulfillment.

Remember that all event elements, when brought together, combine to create an atmosphere and experience which helps communicate your message. If you’d like to discuss this further, talk to us today.

5 ways to manage your event staff for a successful event

With the many elements that go into the planning, coordination, and delivery of a successful event, it’s little wonder that success is often down to the staff behind the scenes.  

Your event team will be made up of event coordinators, AV technicians, stylists, chefs, hotel staff, food and beverage staff, servers, coat checkers, drivers, parking attendants, ticket-takers and many more – they are the backbone of any good event. The type and size of your event will determine the number and type of staff required, but big or small, all events rely on their staff to run smoothly.

When working with event teams, it’s important to keep your event outcome in mind and consider what each person can bring to the team.

With that in mind, we’ve got a few tips to help you manage your extended event team and ensure you’re all contributing to a seamless and successful event:

Meet them, brief them and designate tasks

Get to know your extended event team. Make sure they know their role, the event message and desired outcome, and what is expected of them.

Offer and accept feedback

Have an open policy for feedback, for you and them. Encourage them to provide suggestions or alert you to problems quickly, and offer them feedback on their tasks. It’s better to know about potential issues sooner rather than later!

Form processes

Create processes for tasks. This will make it so much easier to train or brief someone in that task, and enable them to complete it again and again successfully.

Encourage them to have fun

Events are fun, and just because they can also be a lot of hard work, doesn’t mean your team can’t enjoy themselves in the process. The higher their energy, the more the event atmosphere will benefit, creating a pleasant experience for event guests.

Enjoy yourself!

It is amazing the improved response you will receive if the event team get along with you and enjoy working with you. They will naturally be more inclined to go the extra mile. Which is a win-win for everyone.

At AVPartners, we know how valuable an experienced and reputable event team is to the success of your event. To find out how we can become a critical part of your extended event team, contact us.

How can social media play a part in your event?

When social media is incorporated into an event, it can be hugely impactful and influential, generating immeasurable event awareness before, during and well beyond the event.

There are a number of different ways to incorporate social media into your event; we’ve put some of our favourites together to help you get the most out of this technology:

Use social media to promote your event

Using social media to promote an event builds a buzz before the event, attracts attendees to your event and increases the level of engagement at the event. But promotion shouldn’t stop once the event has passed; social media can also be used to extend relationships with customers afterwards.

Popular platforms for brands promoting events and building communities include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and many more.

Use smartphones and social media to help with event planning

When planning an event, smartphones and social media can be used in several ways to ease some aspects of the planning process. Event planning apps can keep you on track and there are also several apps you can use to coordinate ticket sales.

Have a social media wall at your event

Another good idea to incorporate social media into your event is to have a social media wall, harnessing the power of social networks such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This gives all attendees the opportunity to participate and be part of the conversation and fun.

Encourage audience involvement during the event

By giving your audience ways to participate and interact such as through social media, it can help keep their focus and attention on the presentation. More and more events are incorporating interactive tools such as event apps, real time polling, surveys and messaging so presenters, sponsors and event organisers can open up the dialogue, share information, and receive and answer questions instantly.

What are your favourite ways to use social media at events? Let us know!

What you need to know when choosing a venue for your event

When planning an event, one of the most important aspects is where the event will be held. The venue that hosts an event can mean the difference between a successful event, and a mediocre one.

Luckily, we have some experience working with awesome venues! Check out our tips below that will help you when it comes to choosing the right venue for your event:

Consider all event aspects

When it comes to choosing a venue, you should consider the location, catering options, technology access, seating options, number of guests, type of event, guest expectations and desired event atmosphere including whether the venue reflects the chosen theme and style of the event.

Opt for a reputable AV and event staging provider

Look at whether the venue has a preferred or in-house AV and event staging provider and assess their quality. Choosing the right AV and event staging provider is critical to ensuring your event is a success. Not only do they take the stress out of event planning, they bring exceptional expertise and creativity to make sure your event stands out.

Here are some things to take into consideration when deciding on an AV and event staging provider for your next event.

See your event ideas come to life

There are so many different event types available these days, and if you have a particular idea in mind, it’s a good idea to speak to venues to confirm whether or not they can help your vision come to life. You might want to hold an eco-friendly event, a team building event, or an immersive event – all of which come with different needs and outcomes.

Speak to us today if you’d like to hold your event at one of our state-of-the-art partner venues.

How to style your event to impress your guests

Styling an event can be the most exciting part of event planning! This is where you get to choose the look and feel of your event. It’s an important part of the event planning process as it lays the foundation for how guests will experience the event.

At AVPartners we’ve helped create nearly every event theme or style you can think of – from the Oscars, to Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, Masquerade and many more. Event styling incorporates furniture, decor, centrepieces and table layouts, props, audiovisual and digital elements. It takes your guests on a journey, showcasing your theme, your branding and your ideas.

We’ve wrapped up some of our best blog posts to help you style and impress your guests at your next event:

Use colour creatively

When deciding on the styling for your event, it’s important to consider the role that colours play in creating atmosphere. The colours you choose, be it for your decor or your lighting, say a lot about your event message, brand, and theme. Colours can leave your guests with an even deeper appreciation of your event.

Wow your guests

What type of centrepieces will wow your guests? Special consideration should go into all visual aspects of your event, big and small. Including customised lighting, such as gobo lighting, to match the theme or style of your event is a simple yet hugely effective way to make a difference to the overall look and feel.

Use a set piece

A set piece is a backdrop added to a stage for a production or event. It can vary from a simple branded backdrop right through to sophisticated projection mapping. The only limit is your imagination! A set piece can also help with a quick room turn around depending on the venue. For example, a band can be pre-set behind a set piece. Set pieces allow for a visual transformation sure to impress event delegates and make for easier and more impactful transitions between event elements.

Let us help style your next event! Contact us today.

Our top tips on lighting for your next event

Often overlooked, lighting is an integral  part of any event. Whether it’s a spotlight on a stage, intelligent pinspot lighting on tables at a gala dinner or your brand’s logo projected onto a feature wall – event lighting is extremely adaptable and impressive.

Not sure how to incorporate lighting into your events? We’ve put together some of our best lighting tips and tricks to help you thrill your event guests!




Lighting can make all the difference at any event

Creative use of the many available lighting technologies can transform the look and feel of an event by enhancing the space, creating a desired ambience in the room and supporting event themes.

There are so many ways in which lighting can be used to make any event feel extraordinary!

 


Colours help to create atmosphere at your event

When deciding on the lighting for your event, it’s important to consider the role that colours play in creating atmosphere.

The colours you choose, be it for your decor or your lighting, say a lot about your event message, brand, and theme.

 

 


Lighting can help you stay within your event budget

Add to the visual appeal of your event by making the most of lighting technology. Clever use of intelligent lighting can completely transform any event space, regardless of size, and make a huge impact.

 

Gobos can make a big difference

Gobos are one of the most striking, versatile yet affordable lighting options. A gobo is essentially a stencil cut out of glass or metal, that is then positioned between a spotlight and the area you want lit, creating a unique projected shape or image. The gobo can be made to project patterns, text, logos, and other special effects, which makes them a great option for promoting brands and products. Check out some of our favourite uses of gobos from our events.

Ready to light up your event? Contact us today!