How to get an Audience Response System for your Next Event
TIPS & TRICKS
Audience Response Systems (ARS) have been around for a very long time, but it s only recently that I ve started seeing them treated as must-haves by event industry writers. In this post, we introduce you to a few companies that can get ARS set up at your event.
What is an ARS, exactly?
Audience Response Systems allow you to gather live data from your audience, such as opinion polling during a speech or class lecture, for example. The benefits are obvious: increase audience engagement while collecting information, and help your audience feel more connected to the data that they present. Here are a couple of ARS Providers:
Poll Everywhere
Introducing Poll Everywhere from Poll Everywhere on Vimeo.
Some ARS systems actually involve equipment, but Poll Anywhere allows attendees to use Twitter or their mobile devices to respond to presenter questions. The results can be seen live online, or they can be piped directly into a powerpoint presentation. The cool thing about Poll Everywhere is that they allow for open-ended questions. You can ask the audience, for example, What are you doing this afternoon? and the text-messaged answers get posted to an answer board that either just the presenter can see, or everyone can see. Great stuff!
Keepad
Keepad also offers app-based ARS systems that send data to Powerpoint, but they also rent out dedicated hardware keypads for voting, and a little gadget for receiving votes as well. If you re not confident in the wifi or technology available at your venue, or otherwise aren t confident that your audience will have the capacity to vote, getting dedicated equipment may be the way to go.
Unique Event Formats: Silent Disco
LIVE EVENTS
Heard of this trend? Silent Storm, a dedicated provider of silent disco sound equipment, describes the format as a unique way of experiencing live music whether it be a DJ or even a live band. Guests wear wireless headphones and a silent atmosphere instantly transforms in to a high energy musical performance.
If you wanna get thoughtful about it, the idea is fascinating in that you re essentially creating a kind of duality: two wholly separate experiences in the same space. To guests wearing the headphones, they feel like they re participating in the real party , that their voices and words are masked by the volume of the sound. To guests with headphones off, it s almost as if they re looking beneath the veil created by chest-thumping noise. The result of combining these two parallel experiences in the same space is fascinating to watch, but you don t have to be a social scientist to throw one of these shindigs.
Check out a couple of these videos to get a sense of the look-and-feel.
Uh, why?
Lots of reasons:
1) Amped-up bass carries a lot further than the buzz of human voices. Particularly in densely-packed urban areas, you very well may have the perfect space that can handle the noise created by guests speaking to each other, but isn t soundproofed for powered audio.
2) You may be able to get your hands on a crate of headphones more easily than on projective sound equipment, or your space may not be rigged up to handle amplification.
3) Even the guys in the back can hear the music perfectly.
4) The format opens the door to creative variations, like different performances happening in adjacent rooms at the same time, with a different broadcast channel for each.
5) Guests can get out of the noise without going outside. Anyone who wants to speak to each other at normal volumes can just take off the headphones without being separated from their
6) The real reason, though? It s something different. It s a new experience, and people like new experiences. People flock to these things for the same reasons they love launch parties and restaurant openings: doing something new means something to talk about on Monday.
It Just Ain t That Hard: Social Media is not Black Magic Rocket Science
TIPS & TRICKS
A few months ago, Julius Solaris at Event Manager Blog pushed out a great post centered around his Slideshare presentation on avoiding the most common event management social media mistakes.
We laughed. We cried. We blew kisses at the screen. So true. So, so true. Check it out:
Julius mentions that his original post received a lively response, and I m not surprised. I kind of wish I was surprised. Social media isn t a new-baby business tool anymore, but it s alarming how often event managers still need these tutorials, crave them, lust after them. It means we re behind. It means it still feels new and optional to know everything there is to know about social media. It s not optional anymore, but that s ok, because you wanna know a secret about becoming a social media expert?
It s just not that hard.
Time consuming? Absolutely. Even scary at times. But it s just not that hard.
Julius has a lot of specific, and spot-on, pointers. But if you look at the cohesive root of his message, Julius is just saying one thing: there are real people on the other side of those keyboards. Those are real people that might be willing to help you promote your event, or to attend it, if you re nice to them. Real people like to be treated courteously. They like being treated like cherished friends and treasured customers. They like feeling unique, irreplaceable, interesting and smart. Just because there s a computer between you doesn t morph other human beings into Enigma Machines.
Real people like it when their messages are replied to, directly, by a real person. Real people don t like getting form letters, or talking to an automated answering machine which is what it feels like to them when your social media software sends an automated response to their direct message.
Real people feel cool when someone re-tweets or otherwise re-publishes their posts. If we re gonna get all cynical and Psych 101 about it, we might even say that it fills a very human need for external validation. Re-tweeting is a form of flattery. People like flattery. And when it s genuine, it costs very little to give.
Julius says: Don t Beg. And he s right. Why? Because real people don t like to be forced into awkward charity situations. Even our best friends, who presumably owe us at least a little loyalty, don t enjoy that. Why is it then OK to ask strangers, with whom we have no emotional capital, for favors?
There are real people sitting behind those keyboards. Your event s social media strategy will thrive if you remember that.
Seating Arrangement Ideas: 7 Floor Layouts Guaranteed to Keep Them in Their Seats
EVENT INDUSTRY, TIPS & TRICKS
Apart from the conference venue itself and the d cor, the lay-out of a meeting room will be the first impression attendees get. It will help to color their judgment of quality event management, their thoughts on originality and comfort as well as set their mood. Below, we have picked a few innovative set-ups for event seating arrangements which can lend the right blend of work and whimsy to your conferences.
Boardroom Style
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Based on crowd size and space available, getting in some walnut wood meeting tables and some comfortable swivel chairs will get everyone in the perfect mood to get business done.
Low Cocktail Rounds Style
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There is a real tendency among conference organizers to try and bring a touch of glitz to their events. This event seating arrangement plays right into their hands. Round tables and high-backed chairs provide an intimate and secretive feeling, perfect for a round of executive networking.
Cabaret Style Seating
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For any conference organizer looking to maximize space for an audience to move around during a performance or entertainment of any kind, the cabaret style seating offers room to breathe while being an instant classic.
Eyebrow Pattern
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The ideal formation for people to view a video presentation or corporate film while still remaining able to engage with each other without having to move around.
Lounge Seating
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Another low-key setting tailored to award ceremonies or any events where audience participation is required.
Pod Seating
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Best-suited to team-building exercises or group networking sessions, the pod seating creates a sense of conviviality among guests while also allowing for space to communicate between tables.
Classroom Style
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Sometimes dismissed as too uptight, the classroom style triggers a Pavlovian response deep in the occipital, making attendees to any corporate training docile and ready to learn.
Inspiration: Great Rentals & Purchases for your St. Patrick s Day Event
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
Irish Dancers
Get a little Riverdance up that joint. The Seattle Irish Dance Company is available to perform at events of any size a great addition to a St. Patrick s Day community gathering lineup. Not in Seattle? No worries, Gigmasters.com has an entire section of its site devoted to regional Irish dancers-for-hire.
Big Parade-watchin Screens
Showing the St. Patty s Parade to a few thousand attendees? You ll be needing a jumbotron, like this one from Mobile Technology Graphics. You get pick up one of these bad boys on its own for outdoor and indoor use, or mounted on a truck with a foldout stage for outdoor viewing. Screens this big will make sure the guys all the way in the back can see every leprechaun on every single float.
Custom Pot o Gold Coins
Chocolate Impressions and plenty of other swag providers does bulk personalized coins made from quality chocolate. Customize the front and back of the foil with your event s logo or your own art / message, throw everything into some gold mini-buckets, and you ve got a sweet, easy, over-the-rainbow giveaway.
Green Beer
All ya gotta do to turn your beer green is add a couple drops of food coloring to each glass, but if you want your beer to stay fresh and frothy, this might be difficult to do in large quantities in advance. One way to spare your bartender the hassle of adding the drops to each pour: you can purchase powdered dyes and add a tiny amount to the bottom of each beer glass in advance. This doesn t work in high-humidity areas in that case, you ll have to go drop-by-drop.
Throwback Thursday: Vintage Parade Photos from the early 1900 s
EVERYTHING ELSE
In the midst of a busy New Year season, we caught a few minutes of the annual Pasadena Rose Parade broadcast, and naturally, we marvel at both the floats and the logistics: can you imagine? Even as a member of the industry, it s hard to wrap your head around the amount of work it takes to put together an event that size.
The official parade website gives us a taste: An event as large as the Tournament of Roses requires about 80,000 hours of combined manpower each year. That manpower is supplied by 935 members of the non-profit Tournament of Roses Association, a volunteer organization dedicated to presenting an internationally-recognized New Year s celebration. Each volunteer is assigned to one of 31 committees, with responsibilities ranging from selecting parade participants to directing visitors on New Year s Day, to hosting the press headquarters for media coverage of the Rose Bowl Game, to giving presentations about the Tournament to community groups.
80,000 man hours. That means it would take one person working full-time for 38 years to organize a single Rose Parade. Dude.
So, in tribute to both Throwback Thursday and the prowess of the Rose Parade team, we ve collected a series of parades and floats from yesteryear, archived by the Library of Congress. These photos are largely compiled from George Grantham Bain Collection, which represents the photographic files of one of America s earliest news picture agencies. The collection richly documents sports events, theater, celebrities, crime, strikes, disasters, political activities including the woman suffrage campaign, conventions and public celebrations. The photographs Bain produced and gathered for distribution through his news service were worldwide in their coverage, but there was a special emphasis on life in New York City. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1900s to the mid-1920s, but scattered images can be found as early as the 1860s and as late as the 1930s.
Columbia s alumni float, class of 1909, marches in a 1913 parade.
Also from 1913, this Suffrage Parade float, themed Women of the Bible Lands . The parade was held on March 3 in Washington, DC.
Miss Rochester float from the Rochester, New York 1912 Centennial parade.
Here s one you won t see again in a hurry: the 1916 Cloak Maker s Parade in New York, near Madison Square.
Not a ton of info on this 1912 Naval Parade float, but look at the Victorian garland explosion on that thing.
May 30, 1913 parade on 59th St. Photo shows parade before the unveiling ceremonies for the memorial to the battleship Maine, which had exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War of 1898. In 1913, the monument was placed at the Columbus Circle and 59th Street entrance to Central Park in New York City.
Unique Event Formats: BarCamp, the Unconference
LIVE EVENTS
Let s get the basic Wikipedia introduction bit out of the way: BarCamp is an international network of user-generated conferences primarily focused around technology and the web. They are open, participatory workshop-events, the content of which is provided by participants.
But BarCamp is not for pansies that just want to show up and soak it all in. Oh, no. BarCamp has rules. Fight Club rules:
The Rules of BarCamp
1st Rule: You do talk about BarCamp.
2nd Rule: You do blog about BarCamp.
3rd Rule: If you want to present, you must write your topic and name in a presentation slot.
4th Rule: Only three word intros.
5th Rule: As many presentations at a time as facilities allow for.
6th Rule: No pre-scheduled presentations, no tourists.
7th Rule: Presentations will go on as long as they have to or until they run into another presentation slot.
8th Rule: If this is your first time at BarCamp, you HAVE to present.
As you can see, the primary goal of BarCamp is to increase participation in a democratic event environment. The 8th rule is flexible: not everyone has to present, exactly, but everyone has to be engaged. That might mean volunteering as part of a presentation, or even helping out with event logistics. As with most democracies, this is a blessing and a curse for organizers. In many ways, BarCamps can move themselves along with less oversight by managers once they re rolling. In other ways, well, that s a lot of cooks in the kitchen, so some problems can arise there. But typically, BarCamps are just good fun.
Another perk of the BarCamp format is that attendees can be the keepers of their own event experience. There are no set tracks , no pre-set scheduling, and no one feels looked down on if they re just there to hang out and have beers in the hallway.
Plugging into an Existing Conference Brand
BarCamp already has a pretty solid name for itself within the tech community, so not only does the name BarCamp need little introduction to techies, there is already a Google Group for worldwide BarCamp organizers that will provide you with the support network you need to get your first BarCamp going.
Thing is, you don t have to be doing a tech conference to use the BarCamp format. As organizer, the topic is really up to you. Though BarCamps are often tech-related, they can really be about anything. Don t expect to capitalize on tickets for this one, though: BarCamps are free to attend.
Yes, but also this: More Best Practices for Building an Event Website
EVENT INDUSTRY
The good folks over at Planningpod.com recently posted a nifty infographic detailing 10 best practices for building event websites. We couldn t agree more with their assessment (no, seriously: put the name and date of the event on every page, people), and we felt inspired to add a couple of additional event website must-dos from our own experience.
Post a Schedule
Attendees should never be left wondering what a day at your event will look like, and for day-long events in particular, it s not only polite to post a schedule, it s vital. And you can t just toss any schedule up there in any format, either.
You know when you go to a restaurant website, and the only thing you want to see is a menu, a location, opening hours and maybe a picture of the place, but instead you get a downloadable PDF menu that won t open in your browser? And you wonder why the owners of the restaurant hate you so much? Approach event schedules on your website the same way you wish those restaurant owners approached their online menus. Schedules should always be fully listed on the site without having to download a document, with a PDF version offered as an optional downloadable backup. PDFs open very unreliably, and if you toss this meatless bone out there, you re asking for trouble and a shorter guest list.
Who else is going?
Part of the allure of doing anything socially-constructed is the chance to hang out with people you like and the opportunity to rub elbows with people you admire. Potential attendees want to know two things: are any of their friends going? And: are any celebrities or industry luminaries going?
In terms of tackling the first one, we suggest leveraging social media. There are a few ways to skin this cat:
1) Add a hashtag-based feed to your event site allowing Twitter users to trumpet their attendance plans.
2) Pull in a list of I m going responses from Facebook, which will allow fence-sitters to get a sense of the guest list and see if any of their pals are going.
3) Add a tweet / post function as the last step of your registration process, prompting people to tell their friends and followers about their plans.
In terms of hot shot attendees, the solution is even easier: humble-brag about it on your site.
Check color contrast and Accessibility
When you re planning an event, you re typically catering to a wide array of people, and provisions need to be made for everyone. It s old news that the venue itself should be accessible to older attendees and the differently-abled, but what about your website? Check that the color contrast between the website background color and the text color meets at least WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) AA compatibility standards (AAA being the highest). That way, people with poor eyesight will have an easier time navigating your online event informatoin.
If your firm doesn t have a tech on hand, you can check WCAG contrast yourself with this handy add-on for Firefox.
Govevents.com Reports on Event Spending
EVENT INDUSTRY
You ve probably noticed that when data is reported from studies any data most of the statistics you see cited are 3-10 years old, and you can imagine all the ho-hum reasons why: it takes researchers a while to gather info, collate it, make conclusions about it, publish it, and for it to end up on a linkbait infographic colorful enough to wrest attention away from the royal drool stains (And what was Selena Gomez thinking? These questions haunt us all.).
But not so for data published by political event industry blog Govevents.com, who have recently and generously shared some super-right-now-current stats that they ve gathered while tracking government event spending.
A particularly interesting highlight:
17{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} The amount travel spending is down in 2014 (so far). Travel spending in fiscal 2014 through March is about $2.8 billion, compared to almost $3.4 billion through March of fiscal 2013.
30{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} The amount agencies are mandated to reduce their travel spending (as compared to 2010 numbers). That level is to be maintained through 2016.
Hats off for that info, as that gives us a good idea of what we can predict in terms of the coming year. Don t miss the full post on govevents.com.
9 Weird Themed Venues for Events Big and Small
VENUES
It isn t all staid business hotels and conference centers in the event management scene. Check out this list of fun, unique and downright odd event venues.
@SolWaveHouse, Mallorca
Image Source Huffpost No other venue would have been fit to head up this list. The living dream of any tech-savvy event organizer, the world s first Twitter-themed hotel offers a range of social media activities, with its own community and crowd-sourced parties while also being in prime position along the beach at Magaluf.
Noah s Ark, Dordrecht, the Netherlands
Image Source: bizbash This gigantic wooden boat faced a tough time at first, with some dismissing it as a poor modern art job. Founder Johan Huibers vision had now been vindicated, though, as the conference center is regularly filled and 3,000 visitors a day crowd into its bilges.
Alcatraz E.R., Tokyo
Image Source: bizbash Japan had to make it to this list somehow. The Alcatraz E.R., styled after a prison hospital, oddly stood out as one of the least disturbing alternatives. The restaurant may serve dishes themed on the human anatomy but has proven popular with Japanese businessmen. Who doesn t want their CEO knock back a brain buster cocktail from a mannequin head?
Yellow Submarine Hotel, Liverpool
Image Source: bizbash It may likely be cramped inside, but come on, organizing an event around this hotel would be an experience to remember for any child of the 60s. Just hope it doesn t sink, we wouldn t recommend a swim in Liverpool waterways.
Big Brother House, London
Image Source: corporateevenuesuk.com Most contestants who enter the Big Brother House do their best not to leave it. This bodes well for any long events or conferences requiring patience of their attendees.
Ninja Restaurant, New York
Image source 4.bp.blogspot.com For some reason, whenever we write something about this mysterious NYC nightspot, the words vanish off the page. The staff member who did the research for Ninja Restaurant said he loved the Oriental atmosphere but then suddenly disappeared mid-sentence. We have no idea what happ .
Ganja Gourmet, Denver
Image source: darkroom.baltimoresun.com Far from us to pick sides in the marijuana legalization debate. But Colorado s first marijuana restaurant has long based its reputation on its medicinal marijuana. And from the reviews, the food is pretty good.
Universal Studios, Hollywood, USA
Image source universalhollywoodevents.com Nobody said themed event venues had to be obscure to make it on this list. More than just a theme park, the Universal Studios park offers a full range of event services, conference locations, stages and other unique offerings ideal for large groups.
Dinner in the Sky, Worldwide
Image source luxurylifedesign.blogspot.com Able to be organized anywhere in the world and at varying heights for varying levels of bravery, this will definitely leave a select guest list with their heads in the clouds.