Four Moments of Zen All Event Production Pros Have Experienced
EVENT INDUSTRY
There s more than one kind of zen, grasshopper. And in an industry with such a strong penchant for tossing up curve balls and all-nighters, where there are such extreme alternating periods of high-energy intensity and then low-energy, we glimpse those moments of nirvana perhaps more often than most.
Psychedelic Exhaustion
You haven t slept in 39 hours. Something fell through at the last minute and you had to pull an all-nighter. You re on your sixth double espresso (you think) with at least seven more hours to go before you can crash. Your vision is swimming in a yellow-y, blasted out haze and you feel like you re having an out-of-body experience. Looking back later, you re not sure how you continued to function, but you did, and you got er done.
The Calm Before the Storm
The sun s coming up, the name cards are going on the tables and the final A/V checks are running smoothly. The attendees are about to arrive, but before the doors open and the day gets rolling, there s a moment of quiet where you stop, sip your cuppa, and appreciate the culmination of several months of preparation.
It s Out of my Hands
You ve ticked every box, but sometimes, the unpredictable happens. The weather channel announces an incoming blizzard, or someone central to the project falls ill. These times remind us that in some things, all we can do is offer up our best response to circumstances that are ultimately out of our control.
The Productive Groove
You ve hit your stride, Neo. Your hands are moving faster and more fluidly than spacetime would seem to allow and you re not even trying. You glance at to-do items and they fall off your list. Obstacles melt before you, solutions to the impossible spring into being effortlessly. The Dao De Jing calls this wuwei, or Non-Action , the state of perfect energy expenditure, where your lightest touches have the most profound effects. These are the moments you remember why you ve found your calling.
Music Festival Month: the Deadmau5 Dome at New York Governor s Ball
LIVE EVENTS
Hey hey, it s Music Festival Month on the Backstage Pass blog, and today we take a look at the biggest stage-design goss from the 2015 Governers Ball, namely, the debut of Deadmau5 s new Thunder Dome . Canadian electronic producer Deadmau5 is well known for his audio-visual gymnastics, and the Thunderdome s first live set was highly anticipated, so it was a bit of a disappointment when technical difficulties dogged the first few. Deadmau5 tweeted,
Rehearse all you want, you re still at the mercy at the fuckup who doesn t know how 3 phase power works. Lol. Amazing recovery tho!
But all good things to those who wait: when the dome did get rolling, it was all the LED insanity you might expect from a collaboration of greats. The dome was created by killer lighting designer Leroy Bennett, a twenty-year veteran of the industry who s worked with everyone from Lady Gaga to Prince.
After the technical issue was resolved, the geodesic dome split open horizontally, and the smaller dome that contained Deadmau5 opened vertically, like a hatch. This allowed Deadmau5 to lord over the proceedings, but before these Russian nesting dolls of neon geometry unpacked themselves, the structure s effect was almost eerie. Because Deadmau5 was hard to discern within it and especially because it continued to light up after the audio cut out the setup seemed to have a life of its own, existing autonomously as a pulsating electronic organism that had more agency over what was transpiring onstage than Deadmau5 himself.
Hot diggety, that s some description. Brace for sonic assault:
More, please!
Inspiration: Gorgeous Spatial and Exhibition Design
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
Designing a good explanatory or exhibitory space is actually a multi-disciplinary pursuit. The spatial design should match and support the content of the exhibition; it has to be created with an eye on usability so that signage is clear and readable; and a bit of wayfinding, allowing people to smoothly navigate the space. We ve collected five example of our beautiful exhibition design from around the web.
Sustainability Treehouse by Volumes
The main challenge was to create an experience that would engage Boy Scouts eager to find the next adventure activity zip lines, climbing areas, a skate park and leave them with a new perspective on sustainability. The design avoids outdated and formulaic exhibit solutions and, instead, delivers information in surprising and unexpected ways, down to the humorous and irreverent tone of the exhibit text. Nature s natural processes inform the exhibit program which then translates these principles to everyday life.
iFace Sticky Notes
Creators Dela Rostami and Naz Mojab created a sketch > pixel art > sticky notes wall as a promotional and engagement method for an upcoming museum launch. Stunning low-budget creativity. They say:
As part of a land grant university with an extensive population of minority majority ethnic groups, the Shrem Museum of Art (currently under construction, opening early 2017) will provide an opportunity for its intended audience to engage culturally and intellectually both inside and outside the museum.
For this I ve created a series of mockups and primarly prototypes(low-tech)in public spaces around UCDavis campus. My goal is to attract a broad cross-section of UC Davis students, adults, families, experts etc. to the Shrem Museum of Art.
JAZZ
A display of photos from the National Library of Norwayforms this exhibition about the history of Norwegian jazz music from 1930 to 1990. With stories, photos and other archival material this exhibition gives you a unique glance at the true history of jazz in Norway.
Wired Store
Exhibition design for the Wired magazine pop up store in SOHO, NY. Created by Mother New York / Mother Design, with creative direction by Mark Aver and design by Candice Ralph, Jules Tardy and Yoshie Hozumi.
de:block Exhibition
De:block is an nomadic exhibition that celebrates local designs that had made a mark in Singapore s design history, showcasing posters, publications, fonts and products by numerous design studios that have emerged since the 60s. Good design is much closer to home than we think and as a result, this trip takes us to Tampines, one of the most populated estates[s] in Singapore.
The 10 Best #eventtech Tweets from July 2015
EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
The #eventtech trend is anything but over, with event professionals turning increasing attention to integrating apps, wearables, and other hot-button technology into their event experiences. Most notably, this month saw the launch of the Paper.li #EventTech Daily site, cataloging the best #eventtech news from Twitter and around the web, and the venue and shortlist announced for the third annual Event Technology Awards. Check out our highlights from Twitter this month:
Woohoo! It s Music Festival Month on the Decibel Blog.
LIVE EVENTS
It s June, and that means the world s gearing up for a solid month of muddy mosh pits, body paint and sonic experiences. So naturally, we re doing the same. This month on the Decibel blog, we ll spend four weeks taking a look at the event production, brand marketing and just plain cool highlights from music festivals around the globe.
We can t cover everything that s going on, but we sure can try. Here s what you can expect to see us commenting on in our June lineup:
The New York Governor s Ball
Photo credit: Governor s Ball
The NY Governor s Ball is a three-day, multi-stage festival that s heavy on the indie rock. Among this year s yes, please bands are Ratatat, My Morning Jacket, Death From Above 1979, and hilare Weird Al.
Sunburn Festival, Goa India
Sunburn is India s premier electronic music brand hosting Asia s largest 3-day Electronic Music Festival in Goa, encompassing various smaller festivals across the city, arena gigs and club tours. This is your straight-out-of-the-box electro-party vibe.
Bonnaroo
If you re not familiar with Bonnaroo, I can t help ya, son. And the 2015 lineup is so long and so varied, there s no single way to sum this one up. We expect to see some killer stage and lighting design, and world-class activations.
Gottwood Festival
The mystical little party hidden in the middle of the woods. Gottwood is a critically acclaimed, independent, boutique, and intimate underground electronic music festival. A tip of the hat to the logistics team responsible for getting all that infrastructure set up in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
Firefly Festival
From Tycho to Snoop Dog, the Firefly Festival (produced by Red Frog Events), is a four-day feast for the ears in the woodlands of Dover, Delaware. Attendees are welcome to camp at the festival site, meaning organizers are faced with planning round-the-clock facilities for partying, eating, sleeping and bathing. Damn.
Newport Folk Festival
From our friends over at Wikipedia, an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival. The festival features performances by folk, blues, country, bluegrass and folk rock musicians, and since the 1990s has featured performers from related contemporary genres, such as alternative country, indie folk and folk punk.
Warped Tour
Created in 1995, the Vans Warped Tour is the biggest travelling music festival in the US. We ll check in with the tour about halfway through the tour dates and inspect the goods.
Looking forward!
Throwback Thursday: Retro Audio / Visual Equipment
EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Here s one for the A/V nerds we dug through some of the web s best collections of historic photographs and found five awesome vintage A/V images. Enjoy!
Hang the DJ
Early DJs? The fabulous historical photo archives on Shorpy.com features this 1931 picture taken in Washington DC of Man with portable radio receiver and phonograph. The caption goes on to remark that he seems to be using the amplifier to play a record into a microphone. Note handy Radio Spectrum chart. Credit: Harris & Ewing glass negative.
Vintage Microphones
Wow, here s one for the history books: this photo shows Emile Berliner, one of the inventors of the microphone, in 1929, before receiving the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia s highest award, the Franklin Gold Medal.
PA System
One from the more recent past: The left hand speaker assemblage at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music 1970 This P.A. System was supplied by Watkins Electic Music (WEM) and also shows their red parabolic reflector tweeter atop the supporting framework. Behind are rows of slave amps. It was at that date, the highest wattage used at any British venue. The projection screen can be seen behind it and to the left.
Edison loudspeakers
Large loudspeaker horns and crated Edison radios from 1929 are stored in a side room on the third floor. Thomas A. Edison Laboratories, Building No. 5, West Orange, Essex County, NJ
Making Loudspeaker Bells
In this 1925 photo, a laborer operates a shaping machine for loudspeaker bells.
[Heads up] UK s Event Organizers Summit is Coming Sept 7 & 8
EVENT INDUSTRY
The UK isn t our typical stomping grounds, but the upcoming Event Organizer s Summit, produced by Forum Events and scheduled to be held at the Hilton London Wembley, caught our eye. What s different about about this industry pow-wow? No-BS decision-making, that s what.
The Event Organisers Summit brings together reputable suppliers and Corporate Event Organisers who want to find inspirational and innovative ideas for their future events. The Summit is the ultimate hassle-free, no-time wasting platform for executives, managers, directors and buyers who are directly responsible for the purchase of their organisation s event organizing products and services to create new business relationships with key suppliers for the event industry.
A get- er-done get-together where attendees are screened for their ability to sign that contract? Yes, please.
Hey, we love multi-day, everyone s-invited, three-speaker-tracks event industry conferences, we do. It s a nice way to get energized and keep a toe in the wider stream. But a high-impact, business-focused environment where every minute is maximized is a very welcome counterpoint if you re short on time (aren t we all?) and looking to expand your supplier list.
Plus, tickets are free for delegates. If you re in the UK, do follow these guys on Twitter and reserve your place.
Best Event Branding & Collateral: a June Roundup
EVENT COLLATERAL
First impressions are kind of a big deal, and event branding counts as a first impression. The beauty and usefulness of programs, maps, badges all the pieces of detritus that attendees are handed the minute they walk in the door constitute a collective statement of purpose and intention by the organizers. We love ogling killer examples of event branding, because we know we re not just looking at pretty artwork, we re looking at a dedication to detail. Here s a tip of the hat to four events and designers that really nailed it.
Now Happenings Festival
Designed by Rocio Fernandez, the Argentinian NOW Happenings festival collateral tacks down the tone of the event instantly: avant and highly artistic, an event for creatives and thinkers.
Launch Tradeshow
The Launch Tradeshow collateral set by San Diego s Wedge and Lever, say Organizers of an all-new, California-based lifestyle apparel Trade show contracted us to create a complete identity that would give the Launch Trade show a refined look and feel for its debut. And that they did, with a fresh, beachy theme.
Yay Festival
The Yay Festival is all about the thrum of raw creativity, an energy reflected in the primordial riot of jungle colors and driving brush strokes of their palette and font. Created by Snask from Stockholm, Sweden.
British Independent Film Festival
From the creator, Sam Lane: the idea was to create something innovative that would grab attention and connect with the British Public instantly in order to promote the Festival and Independent Film in Great Britain. This was achieved through the use of a bold colour scheme along with a copy-led campaign that has a very tounge-in-cheek British approach to it.
Heads Up and a Quick Review: Show Themes Specializes in Event Themes for WordPress
EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
On what s turned into an essentially endless quest to catalog good event themes for WordPress, we stumbled across Showthemes.com, a WordPress theme development provider whose work is targeted at the event industry.
Before we dive into the detalis, perhaps a peek at their promo video:
Thank freakin goodness and hats off to Show Themes it s about time a development shop sat down to tackle this, and a good event industry theme catalog is very needed. Show Themes currently offers a catalog of 5 theme options, some of which are geared towards conferences, some toward expos, some towards managing multiple events. The basic features are all there: speaker management, Eventbrite / Etouches integration, schedule listing, countdown clocks, ticketing levels, and tiered sponsor management good stuff.
Now, a small critique: I know that Show Themes is just really kicking off and is bound to evolve quickly, so take this with a grain of salt, but I m not 100{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} sold on the front-end and I think the themes still seem a tad clunky on the visual design side. Tyler Theme, for example, could benefit from some work on the typography (Vertoh Theme fares better in this regard).
Where Show Themes really shines in terms of evaluation is that they provide access to the WordPress back end prior to purchase many theme developers don t offer the same courtesy. A look at the Vertoh administration panel:
The back end is off to a good start, utilizing WordPress custom post types features to create event-specific input categories in WordPress upon theme install, but benefit from some tweaking and extras. For example, it would be nice if we could see each session s time and location on the session listing page, then drag-and-drop to reorder sessions, as opposed to having to enter each event and manually re-set the time and date in case the event schedule changes (which of course, it will).
Speakers & Exhibitors
Nice one: session administration pages list all speakers present in the system, and allow event managers to associate speakers with sessions. This is crucial, because it means that you can easily edit session content in a couple of clicks without a ton of fiddling around with code.
At the moment, speakers and exhibitors must be entered manually by the site administrator, meaning that application submissions must happen via a different system. It d be nice if future themes offered a custom registration that automatically created an unpublished draft speaker / exhibitor entry in the system for the administrator to review.
The verdict
While in its infancy, Show Themes should be on your must-watch list. We very much hope they continue to develop the concept and their list of theme offerings this is a much needed niche that we re excited to see filled.
Three Ways to Leave Conference Speaker Selection in the Hands of your Audience
EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
In the age of social-everything, there s no need to take the close-your-eyes-and-pray method to choosing conference speakers.
Survey Last Year s Attendees
Your attendees from last year are one of your best resources for constructive feedback. It s best if you can collate feedback collected right after last year s event was over, but if you don t have access to that data (it was never collected, or maybe the organizer from last year s conference is unavailable), jump onto last year s mailing list and send out a survey. Whose speech did attendees most enjoy? What do they best remember about the previous year? What topics would they be most interested in hearing about this year? Anyone they d particularly like to hear from?
Use Klout
Professional event speakers are typically very active on social media, and they should have a significant following. The more followers and the more reach their posts get, the more support they have from the community, and the more likely they are to put on a good show. Klout is a free web app that measures the impact of experts by topic, using their social media oomph as a measurement. Search for any topic, and Klout will return a series of experts in that field, ranked by their social impact.
Use Speakerrate
Speakerrate, a sandbox project by the innovation lab at Viget, is a cool social startup that benefits event organizers, speakers and attendees, allowing planners to find the perfect speakers for your event based on real audience ratings and recommendations. You can view past talks, and see how attendees rated these speakers in the past.