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How to hold an outdoor event

The warmer weather is upon us and that means one thing – outdoor events! Outdoor events provide a unique backdrop and freshness for your event. You can get really creative when leveraging the character of the outdoors and you usually have a lot more space to work with than when planning an indoor event.

However, while exciting, the outdoors does present a new set of challenges when it comes to planning and executing a successful event. Here are some of our tips so you can get the most out of the open-air event experience:

Make sure your event is suitable for the outdoors – not every event will work outside, such as a lengthy seminar, so don’t just hold it outside for the sake of it. Is vision required for the dinner, some outdoor venues may be difficult to use a projector and screen due to wind, consider LCD screens or an LED wall.

Choose a venue or location – consider if the venue or location is already equipped for events. Consider whether there are amenities, access to power or any undercover areas, and also how easy it will be to get in and out of the area for loading in and out. Also, if needed, make sure you get permits and check for noise restrictions.

Ensure the comfort of guests – consider where guests will sit, how easy it will be to access drinks, food and any amenities, and if it is likely to be a hot summer’s day, what shade will you provide? If it is a cooler night event, can the venue provide gas heaters?

Organise the lighting and sound – just because an event is outdoors, doesn’t mean you have to miss out on any of the lighting and sound effects available to indoor events. Not only should you have lights for safety, to mark pathways or exits, but you can also get creative with event lighting and sound. Often, lighting can be complement or replace decorations.  Sound sets an ambience that guests will be talking about for weeks to come! The important thing is to work with an AV provider with experience working on outdoor events. They will understand how to mix sound in an outdoor space, what technology to use and which lighting effects to choose. For night events it is also important to consider general area wash, will there be enough light for people to see? How will it be evenly distributed over the venue and will it set the ambiance you desire?

Check for pests – it’s always a good idea to make sure you know what pests could be around the area, and if needed, organise a pest exterminator prior to the event.

Watch the weather – have a backup plan in case the weather turns on the day of the event, and also keep an eye on the wind, making sure to secure anything loose. It is likely the wet weather call will need to be made early in the day. It may be sunny at the time but with a forecast for storms. With enough time an experienced event team will likely be able to transform an indoor venue to a similar style. If you leave the call until mid afternoon there is only so much they have the time to do.

Outdoor events are a fantastic option and present guests with a change of scenery from what they are used to.

Need help with the AV at your outdoor event? Contact us.

Will video conferencing replace face-to-face meetings?

New technologies are making it easier than ever before to stay connected with your colleagues or clients in different offices, states or countries. Video conferencing connects people in real time, through audio and video communication on laptops, TV screens, computers, smartphones and tablets.

Video conferencing has become the norm for meetings; saving travel, time, and money, and increasing productivity. It’s an effective way of communicating, especially if your organisation has a broad geographical spread.

But are we really getting the same benefits as in-person interactions?  Will video conferencing replace face-to-face meetings?

We took a look at some of the pros and cons of video conferencing.

Pros

Time and cost effective

The time and money saved when meeting virtually as opposed to investing in air travel and hotel stays can be a huge benefit to businesses. It can be faster to arrange these types of meetings because people only have to travel as far as their meeting room or even just reach for their smartphone to connect.

Meeting in real time with anyone across the globe

The convenience of discussing ideas in real time and not having to wait for email chain responses is an advantage when it comes to video conferencing.

Shared data

Depending on the software being used, people can be simultaneously working on the same document while on a video call on opposite sides of the world and easily share documents too. This ease of collaboration can greatly increase productivity.

Cons

Physicality

You can have the most high tech equipment available, but it is hard to replace the value of physically being in the same room as each other. There is so much communicating that is done through non-verbal gestures and cues such as handshakes and body language that is hard to replicate with someone through a screen.

Technology

In a video conference everyone is at the mercy of the technology. If the system stops working, or if there is a lack of knowledge about how to use it, it can throw a spanner in the works. This is why having an AV rep to assist makes sense.

Cost

While video conferencing is cheaper than flying people across the country for meetings, decent quality video conferencing software and services aren’t cheap, and other costs need to be considered as well such as high speed internet connections and perhaps a cost-per-user.

Although video conferencing offers an efficient way to stay connected, face-to-face interactions will always be the most effective form of communication, offering vibrancy and engagement within the meeting that you just can’t emulate via a screen.

How to hold an ‘immersive’ event

Immersive events are those which ‘immerse’ event attendees as deep into the event as possible, creating an atmosphere so far away from everyday life that they forget all else around them and are fully present in your event, moment to moment.

Here are our top ideas for achieving an immersive event:

Leverage technology

There are some great technological advances available these days that really give the wow factor. Speak to your AV specialist about how you can incorporate digital elements, lighting and sound to create a 360 experience.

Take advantage of social media

Most social networks have the capacity for ‘live’ coverage. You can invite attendees to use certain hashtags for the event and have a projection screen broadcasting tweets, posts or updates from people at the event. This gets people involved – sharing on social media and creating a bit of a buzz – ensuring your event is noticed before, during and after its debut.

Ask the audience

Surveying your attendees while at your event is a great way to drive involvement and feedback while they are immersed in the experience and can express their feelings in real time.

Include hybrid elements

Hybrid elements at your event combine virtual and live components, reaching people not only live at your event but online as well.

Change up the scenery

Holding the event at a ‘never before held’ location or venue or using audiovisual elements to create a whole new look and feel will definitely wow your attendees and hold their attention.

Surprise your attendees

Step outside of the ordinary and shake things up a little to give your event a unique feel. For example, you could consider incorporating photo booths, circus entertainers, or themed cocktails.

Ultimately, people want to be involved rather than be just a spectator at your event, and these options will give them a chance to do so. Immersive events are a great way to engage and excite all participants and can really make your events stand out.

Apps for event planning

Planning an event is a huge and complex undertaking, with countless tasks to keep track of, tight deadlines and multiple stakeholder demands.

Thankfully, with the use of digital technology, the enormity of event planning becomes a whole lot easier.

And with most solutions now offered through apps, you gain the added convenience of accessing them on your smartphone or device, while on the go.

Here are our favourite apps for event planning:

Eventbrite – a ticketing website and app that allows you to go paperless through online event registration and ticketing. The app allows attendees to show their tickets on their phone, and for hosts to quickly scan at the door, with the attendee list updated in real time.

QuickCal – an intuitive calendar app that lets you create events using natural language, for example, ‘event starts @5’. It gives you reminders, shows you multiple calendars and provides views of upcoming events.

Scanner Pro – go paperless with your documents and receipts by scanning them into the Scanner Pro app. It scans documents with a snapshot and converts them to PDF, ready to email or save.

Super Planner – don’t stress about running out of drinks or overcrowding anymore, Super Planner calculates venue capacities, staffing, and catering to avoid these kinds of issues.

Asana – a task management app, Asana let’s your team collaborate seamlessly together. It allows for project teams to allocate, organise and manage tasks or communicate directly using chat functions.

What apps can’t you do without when planning events?

Tips for hosting a gala dinner

Gala dinners can be one of the best ways to gain support for your organisation and cause. They usually include dinner, entertainment, dancing, raffles, and silent and live auctions. While they require a huge amount of planning, they are so effective in raising awareness, fundraising and presenting your organisation and cause in a professional light.

Here are some of our tips for hosting a successful gala dinner.

Define the Event’s Purpose

Outlining the purpose of the event and what you hope to achieve will give everyone involved a clear picture of what’s ahead and keep people focused on the desired outcomes.

Set your Budget

You should determine a budget before the planning begins. Include all possible financial considerations, such as venue costs, food and beverage, entertainment, audio visual equipment and support, advertising, and prizes and items to be auctioned. Hopefully some of these things can be donated or discounted, but it’s good to budget in for some contingencies.

Identify your Fundraising Methods

Selling tickets to the gala dinner is a great way to raise money for your cause, but that usually won’t give you the most profit, so finding other ways to fundraise is necessary.

Some of these other options could include holding a raffle, a live or silent auction, selling advertising opportunities, and selling sponsorships or corporate tables. Depending on the event you could even have games that require a ‘pay to play’.

Decide on the Venue and Theme

The environment and atmosphere of your event should be welcoming and allow people to socialise or network freely. Choose a venue which will be inviting and impressive for guests.

By selecting a theme for the event, for example ‘striving for excellence’, you can set out your vision or goal for the event. This will bring all activities together cohesively and set the tone.  A theme will also inform your decorating styling choices, entertainment, lighting and audiovisual elements, menu selection and activities. It’s important that everything flows together to create a visually stunning environment, after all, you want this to be a night to remember!

Get the right AV Technical Support

Work with a reliable, creative and experienced AV provider.  You want access to quality equipment and dedicated people to help you deliver a spectacular event. Your AV provider can provide audiovisual, innovative design and styling, support to create that magical atmosphere for your guests.

Activities and Entertainment

A successful gala dinner includes suitable and on theme entertainment and activities designed to raise money. It’s good to make sure guests have time and space to mingle, but you should also consider how you will maintain the energy of the atmosphere and the interest of guests throughout the night. A dance floor and games with small prizes are great for involvement.

Marketing and Advertising

It’s so important to put the word out about your event throughout the community. Reach out to the local newspaper, TV stations and radio stations for pre-event coverage, and use social media where appropriate. You may even be able to use these avenues for seeking sponsorships and donations.

Interested to hear more about how AVPartners can help wow your gala dinner guests? Talk to us today.

Take your event to the next level with event styling

Event styling is one of the most impactful and cost-effective ways to add that wow factor to your 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 layout, props, audiovisual and digital elements. It takes your guests on a journey, showcasing your theme, your branding and your ideas.

You want to make sure that your event is hitting the mark and delivering your desired event message to your guests. How can you be sure that your event will do this successfully?

Begin by confirming the reason for the event, and why you are gathering together. This is the message you want to get across. Think about the power of your message and how you can convey this to your guests.

Next you will want to look at what new, fresh ideas are available for your event, to impress, inspire and connect your guests. These days, event styling and theming draws heavily on technical production with content displayed on digital screens, unique lighting and other audiovisual elements creating a dynamic, immersive experience.

By combining traditional styling with bespoke ideas, themes and modern, digital options your event can really make an impact.

This article originally appeared at Business Events News.

Presentation tips 101

The nature of the world we live in today means that whilst the basics are still fundamentally important, when giving a presentation, it’s all about what will take it to the next level to leave your audiences truly inspired.

1. Delivery

We have various technology-based solutions readily available to us to help engage audiences in a relevant way and encourage interaction. It is, however also very easy to congest content with excessive information and various technologies.

Superfluous wording in PowerPoint slides, too many videos and even too many combined technologies, can lead to loss of audience attention and failure in delivering the content effectively.

Simplicity is always best, so being concise and maintaining fluidity is essential for a productive and impactful presentation:
• Use bullet points to minimise wording
• Reduce transitional and animation effects
• Spread video content throughout your presentation, rather than just in one section.

2. Creating conversation

It sounds like an oxymoron to create conversation when presenting involves delivering a one-way piece of communication. However, a great presentation engages the audience and naturally encourages conversation.

Thanks to social media, you can in fact facilitate conversation at the same time as delivering a message. Providing access to excellent content, not only in your presentation, but also online, enables audiences (both physically present and virtually), to share relevant points and materials.

A qualified AV technician can help guide you on what technology you should consider integrating into your presentation. They can even make helpful adjustments to ensure your presentation is concise and technically sound.

A well prepared presentation that incorporates effective uses of technology can lift your presentation to leave a longer-lasting and more impactful impression.

This article originally appeared at Business Events News.