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How to make every event unique

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For event planners, it’s important to make each of your events unique in order to encourage re-attendance, make your events memorable and promote your event messaging. Here are a few ways you can make every event unique.

Use lighting strategically

Lighting can be used to set your colour scheme, create a certain mood, revitalise guests, bring your theme to life and draw attention to areas within your event space. When used strategically, lighting can breathe life into your event agenda and can impress your guests. To make your event unique through strategic lighting, it’s important to use state-of-the-art technology and work with a team of lighting experts.

Theme your event

Theming your events is one of the most obvious ways to create a unique experience for guests. A theme is an idea or concept behind your event which can be brought to life through your visual elements, invitations, agenda, marketing, dress code, food and entertainment. By promoting your theme through all aspects of your event, you can make each event experience feel unique for guests.

Prioritise your styling

Styling creates the look and feel of your event. Event styling incorporates furniture, decor, table layouts, props, audiovisual and digital elements. It is one of the most effective ways to set the atmosphere of your event. How would you like your guests to feel at your event? Your styling will help you facilitate a certain event experience to make the day unique.

Hire entertainment

Impressive entertainment can really set your event apart from the rest. By choosing entertainment based on your theme, you can make each event unique. Entertainment doesn’t need to be limited to a musical act. You might consider hiring comedians, puppeteers, magicians, dancers, trapeze artists, balloon artists or DJs.

Incorporate augmented or virtual reality

Augmented reality involves computer-generated interactive elements appearing in the real world, usually viewed through a smartphone, tablet or headset. Virtual reality is a computer-generated experience, most commonly created through the use of a headset, that makes the user feel like they are in a different world. Using technology to create an augmented or virtual reality experience can provide an opportunity to promote your event messaging and branding and can create an exciting and unique experience for your guests.

Work with AVPartners

Through unique styling and exceptional lighting, the AVPartners team can help you put on an event that will wow your guests. Unlike most audiovisual teams who work with different event spaces for each of their events, AVPartners are AV experts in their own venues. The team is able to utilise every aspect and capability of the event space and technology to bring your event to life.

If you would like help making your next event unique through styling and audiovisual production, contact AVPartners today.

To theme or not to theme? That is the event planning question!

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Planning an event? You might be considering whether or not to have a theme.

A theme is the idea or concept behind your event that can give the event structure. Having a theme can benefit an event in many ways, but it does come with a few drawbacks. So should your event be themed or themeless?

Benefits of having a theme

It can make your event memorable. A theme can make your event distinctive and memorable for guests. By selecting a theme that is unique and fully committing to it, you can wow your attendees and drive your event message home.

It can help steer your event planning. Having a theme in place can help dictate your event planning decisions. A theme can provide a rough guideline for your event so that you can streamline your planning process.

It can engage your guests. A theme creates a point of difference that will be compelling for your guests. Themed audiovisual elements or a themed dress code will help your guests be fully committed to your event and immersed in the event experience.

It can reinforce your event message. If chosen well, a theme can elevate your event message, help with your branding and make an impact on your guests. In order to enhance your event message, your theme should be chosen with your event objective in mind and at the forefront of your planning process.

The drawbacks of having a theme

It’s not always practical. Events like roundtables and seminars aren’t as well-suited to having a theme as Christmas parties and gala dinners. Information-focused events like these will have focus topics already, so having a theme could distract from the discussion topic at hand.

It can limit your choices. After selecting a theme, your event decisions will be driven by it. While this isn’t alway a problem (it can give you focus and clarity in the planning process), having a theme can make your event decisions more limited.

It might distract from your messaging. If executed well, a theme can help reinforce your event message and key takeaways, but if your theme doesn’t meld with your event objective, it can do the complete opposite. You’ll want your guests to remember your event for its message, not just the theme. So if you think a theme might distract from your message and branding, it’s better to go without.

If you choose to have a themeless event, you can still make an impact through unique styling and a branded colour scheme. Creative lighting and decorations can help deliver your branding and boost your event message.

If you choose to have a theme, you can promote it through your audiovisual elements, dress code, invitations, programs, marketing, decor, entertainment, food and music.  

Stuck for ideas? Here are a few themes that we have coordinated in the past: wild west, roaring 20s, the 80s, the 90s, pop star, masquerade, acrobatic and circus theme, chocolate fantasy, black and gold, global cuisine, the Olympics, and a jungle theme. While a theme should have a strong presence and be consistent across your event, it can be as flexible as you’d like it to be! If you would like help with your next event, contact us today.

You’re engaged! Now what?

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Getting engaged is an exciting moment! It’s a time filled with joy, love and celebrations. But once the celebrations subside and the dust settles, it’s time to get into serious planning mode. So how can you plan your dream wedding and keep the process as stress-free as possible? The team at Novotel Twin Waters Resort share their tips.

Establish a timeline

The first and most important thing you’ll want to put in place is a timeline for planning your wedding. Your timeline will establish the different stages of planning. It will dictate when you organise different components of the day so that it doesn’t come to the month before the wedding and you still have a tonne of things to plan. Here’s a rough timeline that can help you get started with your wedding prep.

10 – 12 months to go

In the initial stages of planning, you’ll want to establish your budget, pick a date, develop your guest list and lock in your venue. Once you have a venue and guest list in place, send your save the dates.

6 – 8 months to go

Now’s the time to think of a theme for your wedding. Think of the decor, lighting, colours and floral arrangements that you want for the big day. Once you have decided on the style you would like for your wedding, find your vendors and communicate any necessary information they might need for the day. Find a caterer, book your photographer and select the right audiovisual team to create the perfect style for your wedding.

4 – 6 months to go

At the 4 month mark, you’ll want to have your transportation organised. Pick your celebrant and figure out arrangements with them. Book your music and entertainment, appoint an MC, start organising your invitations and choose your attire for the day.

2 – 4 months to go

Send your invitations, decide on the decorations you would like and prepare the logistics of your ceremony.

1 -2 months to go

Organise your marriage license, confirm your final guest count, prepare speeches and toasts. If it’s a sit down dinner, consider organising a seating plan. Don’t forget to try on your wedding garment to make sure it fits!

1 week to go

Finalise all your transport, guest list and seating plan. Confirm the speaking arrangements with your MC and celebrant and finalise arrangements with your vendors. You should have everything organised by this stage, so it’ll be a matter of finalising all your arrangements and making sure everything is ready for the day.

On the day

Put a friend, family member or wedding planner in charge of keeping the day running smoothly so that you and your partner can spend it enjoying yourselves.

Looking for a stunning location to hold your wedding, with all your planning and styling taken care of? Check out Novotel Twin Waters Weddings & Events.

If you’re looking for an audiovisual team that can create the perfect experience for your wedding day, contact AVPartners today.

What to do after your event to ensure its ongoing success

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The success of an event doesn’t need to be dictated by what happens on the day alone. Yes, everything should run smoothly on the day, your guests should be engaged and you’ll want to make sure you meet your event objectives. However, an event’s success can extend well beyond the actual day.

Even a successful day can be tainted by a lack of post-event follow up and evaluation. So here’s what you can do to ensure the success of your event after the event itself.

Follow up

Following up with your guests after your event is an important way to let them know that you care about them. A follow up can be as simple as thanking them for attending on your event’s Facebook page or sending an eDM that reinforces your event objectives and says thank you.

Post-event evaluation

Undergoing a post-event evaluation is the best way to analyse what went well and what you can improve on next time. It can help you identify areas where you might be able to tighten up your budget and things you missed that you might like to include in your event next time around.

Feedback surveys

What a post-event evaluation might miss, feedback surveys can make up for. Who better to analyse your event than the event guests themselves? Asking your guests to answer questions about the different aspects of your event can help you to view your event from the perspective of your guests. This type of analysis can really help with improving the event experience at your next event.

Showcasing your event on social media

Social media is one of the best ways to communicate information effectively and efficiently to a wide audience. It is also a great way to show-off your event, boost brand awareness and build anticipation for any upcoming events. Showcasing your event on social media might include sharing footage from the event, developing and sharing an event video that showcases the event’s highlights, or creating and sharing a photo album from the day.

Provide a next-step

Whether it’s on social media or via email marketing, providing a next step for your guests is a great way to keep them engaged with your brand and event. It can also increase the likelihood of guests attending your future events. Provide one simple call-to-action in your communications with guests, for example “Visit our events page to find out what’s coming up” or “Sign up to our mailing list to stay in the loop”.

If you would like to maximise the experience at your next event, contact AVPartners today.

Using colour to help deliver and enhance your event message

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Professionals in neuroscience, interior design and advertising know very well the impact colours can have on our mood and how we experience things. Colours can excite, provoke action and can even encourage concentration. So how can event planners make the most of colour at their events?

While there isn’t one magic colour to use in events that will evoke a positive response from event attendees and make your event memorable, studies have shown that different colours can ignite different emotions in people. So depending on your event objectives, you might want to consider using certain colours to drive home your messaging.

Using colour in your event decor and lighting can influence the way your guests engage with your event and can create a memorable experience. Here’s how colour can make an impact on your event delegates:

Cool colours

Cool colours including blue, green and violet generally have a calming effect on people. Blue is a cool colour that is often used at corporate events. This is no coincidence. The colour blue relaxes people and studies have shown that it can help with focus and concentration. It can stimulate clear thought and put people at ease. Consider using the colour blue in your event decorations to create a calm atmosphere. You can also use blue lighting during event activities to improve guests’ attention spans and encourage concentration. The colour green can have a similar effect on our emotions. It is reminiscent of nature, and can therefore have a soothing effect on people.

Warm colours

Warm colours like red, orange and yellow create feelings of warmth and positivity. These colours remind us of warm weather and carry an energetic feeling with them. Red in particular has been proven to stimulate the mind and enhance our heart rates. It is a colour that can influence us to act. Consider using the colour red to communicate your event messaging throughout your event. It can be used in your event banners, in your decorations or on your screens.

Incorporating colour

Colour can be incorporated into your decorations, stage set and lighting. While the colours used in your design and decorations will be fixed throughout the duration of your event, you can use different coloured lighting throughout your event to enhance and complement any event styling. This helps to create different moods and experiences for your guests. Utilising different colours throughout your event can keep your guests engaged and entertained.

If you would like advice on incorporating colours into your next event, contact AVPartners today.

How to transition from day to night events

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Day events, such as conferences and seminars, can be intense for guests. They’re often packed full of presentations and activities, requiring a lot of concentration. After a day of listening to speeches, participating in workshops and engaging in rich discussions, a gala dinner is the perfect way to cap off an information-intensive day.

So you want to transform your daytime event into a nighttime event? Here’s how to make the transition as seamless as possible.

Choose the right venue

You’ll need a venue that can accommodate both your daytime and nighttime needs. You won’t necessarily need two entirely separate event spaces, however, you will need enough room, and preferably two areas within the venue to move people between. To make the transition as seamless as possible, usher your guests into a standing room and provide canapes while the conference room is transformed into a gala dinner space. It’s important to consider accessibility between the spaces. Is there a ramp or elevator that can accommodate guests with mobility difficulties?

Change the setting

The best way to wow your guests from day to night is to make the setting new and vibrant. By changing your event setting with a new floor plan, lighting and decorations, you can bring new energy into the room. Impress your guests with attractive table centrepieces and bold decorations.

Consider your seating arrangement

While your daytime event space might have involved a simple layout, for instance rows of chairs facing a stage, your nighttime event can (and should) have an entirely new seating arrangement. As the name implies, a gala dinner usually involves a sit-down dinner for your guests. So consider a layout with round tables to evenly distribute your guests throughout the room, ensuring each guest will have a clear view of the stage. Remember the position at which each guest is seated will dictate the way they experience your event.

Prioritise sound quality

Just as important as it is to prioritise your table settings and seating plans, you’ll want to hire the right professionals to ensure the sound is perfect for both events. A team of experts like the team at AVPartners will make sure that sound is fine-tuned for each event according to each of their specific requirements.

Engage your guests visually

After a long day of listening to presentations and speeches and taking in lots of information, your guests might feel a little fatigued. The best way to re-engage them during your gala dinner is to excite the senses with colourful lighting and a visual presentation. After the sun sets, you have a great opportunity to bring bright lights and colour into your event space.

If you need help transitioning your event from daytime to nighttime, speak to the AVPartners team today.

How to decide on the theme of your event

When planning an event, one of the first things you need to decide on is the event theme. A theme is the overarching idea or concept behind your event, that not only gives the event structure, but can inspire guests and reinforce your event message and key takeaways.

Stuck for theme ideas? Some event themes we have coordinated include: a wild west theme, roaring 20s, the 80s, the 90s, pop star, masquerade, acrobatic and circus theme, Spanish, French, chocolate fantasy, black and gold, global cuisine, the Olympics, and a jungle theme.

Whatever event theme you choose – make sure you fully commit! This means being consistent with the theme throughout all event touch points, such as the invitations, programs, marketing, decor, dress code, food, entertainment, and music.

While you don’t have to have a theme at your event, we find it aids in creating a seamless event experience for both planners and guests. Also, once it’s decided on, it helps to steer all of your planning decisions. But never fear, an event theme can be as detailed or bare as you like; sometimes simply utilising a lighting colour combination to evoke the right emotion is enough to make your mark on guests.

Here are our tips when it comes to deciding on your event theme:

Know your event objective

Make sure you’re clear on why you’re holding this event, and why people will attend. What message do you want to impart on your guests? What will be the key ‘takeaway’ from your event, will they learn something, support something, be rewarded for something or simply have a great time?

A clear event outcome and intention is crucial for an effective theme to be developed.

Know the nature of your event

A gala dinner aimed at fundraising will require a different theme to a Christmas party. The nature of your event and how it fits in with your business or brand will help determine the direction to go in with your theme. That’s not to say you can’t have fun with your theme if it’s a formal event! Just that you need to be aware of it and tweak ideas where necessary.

Know your audience

It sounds obvious, but just like determining the nature of your event, you need to figure out who will be in attendance and what they might want or expect from this event, and plan accordingly. If it’s an event where children will be in attendance then you can steer clear of the more risqué themes, or if the event is attempting to showcase your professionalism to potential clients you can cancel the clowns. It’s all about what is appropriate to your audience, while still being on point for your event message.

Know your venue

If you can align your theme with your venue, your event will have that extra special aspect of being seamless. You can do this by either having a theme in mind and choosing a venue which can accommodate it, or you can choose your venue and then your theme to suit it.

Know your audiovisual provider

Many venues, such as the ones AVPartners is partnered with, can offer you the expertise of in-house audiovisual (AV) technicians to bring your theme to life. Hiring an in-house AV team can be a great benefit, as in-house teams know their venues well, can offer you a wealth of knowledge and experience, and tailor audio, lighting and vision options to suit your event and theme.

Know your event colours

Whether you incorporate colour into your overall theme or the colour IS your theme, you’ll want to ensure that you’re choosing the right colours for your event objective, feel and message. To find out more about colours, read our post on how colours can create atmosphere at your event.

Contact us today to discuss your event theme ideas further!

New 12m LED screen gives Four Seasons Hotel Sydney a competitive edge, thanks to AVPartners

A new state-of-the-art 12-metre-wide by 3.5-metre-high (40 x 11.5 foot) LED screen now sits proudly in the recently renovated Grand Ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, thanks to AVPartners.

Taking centre stage in the ballroom, the screen is four times larger than a traditional projector screen – and runs impressively sharp 4K video and high resolution imagery with spectacular sound to match. It provides endless, cost effective visual, theming and transformative opportunities for events in the new Grand Ballroom.

The addition demonstrates AVPartners’ commitment to adding value through cutting edge AV technology which enhances events and increases revenue for partner venues.

The screen gives the prestigious events venue a major competitive advantage, with the ability to now offer a ‘window to the world’ to guests, showing them spectacular views from anywhere in the world. The possibilities really are endless, and the feedback has been outstanding!

To complement the technology, the ballroom and pre-function foyer have been transformed with elegant interiors by award-winning Australian architects Bates Smart, featuring Art Deco-inspired chandeliers, fluted glass, polished stone and brass, and cream tones.

A grand and timeless space hosting unforgettable events in Sydney for more than 30 years, the Grand Ballroom at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney is the first choice venue for celebrations, social gatherings, gala dinner, conferences and corporate events. It seats up to 520 guests banquet-style, and may be divided into two smaller ballrooms. The screen can also be divided into different sections and dimensions, perfect for those requiring a smaller venue space.

Want to find out how we can create a competitive edge at your venue? Contact us to set up a meeting.

AVPartners event planning wrap up

We love sharing our tips and ideas when it comes to event planning, and we realised we have a lot of great blog posts that can help.

Take a look at some of our favourite topics that will help you plan your next event:

Choosing a venue

One of the most important aspects when planning an event is where the event will be held. The venue for an event can mean the difference between a successful event, and a mediocre one. Luckily, we have some experience working with awesome venues! Here are our tips for choosing the right venue for your event.

Event styling

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.

Event styling incorporates furniture, decor, colour, centrepieces and table layouts, props, audiovisual and digital elements. It takes your guests on a journey, showcasing your theme, your branding and your ideas.

Budgeting

To effectively plan an event within your budget, consider the benefits of technology. Technology has an important role to play in event planning, and can be used in a variety of ways to help plan, organise, and execute an event while remaining within your event budget.

Social media

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; such as using social media to promote your event and having a social media wall at your event to drive engagement.

Catering

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. Stuck on what type of catering is right for your event style and budget? Check out these popular catering types.

The event message

There’s no point holding an event that gives out the wrong or unintended message to guests. Make sure you can effectively communicate your event message loud and clear.

Interested in finding out more about any of these topics or want to get started planning your next event with us? Contact us today!

How to impress with a business dinner

Business dinners are a great way to combine relaxed fun and entertainment with professionalism and networking. They offer guests a chance to mingle, catch up, and learn more about each other in a more casual environment than the office or board meeting scene.  

A business dinner might be planned to celebrate milestones; to thank and recognise clients, customers or staff; to introduce new products, services, or ideas; or simply to continue with long-standing traditions. They offer guests a chance to let their hair down while also cementing your brand identity in their minds.

Some things to keep in mind when planning a business dinner to impress include:

Venue

First things first – a great venue will delight your guests as soon as they arrive. Perhaps the venue is in a gorgeous location, is modern, sleek or awe-inspiring. Ensure your guests enter your business dinner with a smile on their face.

Entertainment

For a business dinner, an engaging or classy choice of entertainment is best, such as a presentation by a motivational speaker, or a smooth and slow band to set the mood.

Catering

Impressive food doesn’t need to be oysters or caviar. Your chosen venue may offer dining specialties that can give your dinner a point of difference. Often, the most impressive options involve presenting tried and true favourites in new ways.

AV and styling

Advances in audiovisual technology mean there are endless ways to inspire guests at a business dinner. From lighting up the tables in your brand colours, to projecting your logo onto the walls – there are no shortage of ways to thrill. Add this to themed styling and decor, and your guests will be talking about this dinner for weeks to come!

Contact us today to start planning your next business dinner!