Throwback Thursday: Vintage Freight & Logistics Pictures
EVENT INDUSTRY
We re on a freight and logistics roll this month as we take a look at a couple of neat cargo, trucking and train transport pics from bygone days. In this episode of Decibel s #tbt, we learn that the more things change, the more things stay the same. These images from back-of-the-house logistics operations over the last 150 years are full scenes both familiar and alien.
1866: Central Pacific Railroad Company
Holy moly. When this picture of a Central Pacific Railroad Company train was taken, the American Civil War had just ended, and Kodak hadn t yet invented photographic film. This image shows a freight engine hauling goods across the post Gold Rush California landscape.
1943: Sleeping Truckers
This 1943 shot by photographer John Vachon shows drivers getting a little shut-eye in bunks at a Baltimore-based trucking terminal for the Associated Transport Company. Long hours and tiring routes: the rigors of the trucking industry haven t changed much in the last 70 years. Luckily, these days, the Department of Transportation has implemented that govern the number of hours drivers can be asked to stay behind the wheel (and you can checkout our write-up on new 2013 DOT rules here).
1906: Cargo Hold
Taken around the turn of the last century and owned by the Detroit Publishing Company, this shot shows the hold of the freighter S.S. JH Sheadle, empty of cargo.
1942: Train Dispatch
Hard to imagine a pre-computer world where dispatchers had to keep track of hundreds of trains on a chalkboard, but that world did once exist. This mid-World War II shot shows the engine dispatching office in Tulsa, Oklahoma s Frisco rail yard.
1909: Storage Company Truck
Good on ya, Guarantee Storage Company, for fireproofing that warehouse.
Conference Planning for Geeks: Tips for Engaging a Nerdy Audience
TIPS & TRICKS
What flies at run-of-the-mill events doesn t translate to the geek conference sphere. Here are four tips to help you stay away from the most common pitfalls.
Be Egalitarian
If event managers take a lesson from Eric Shmidt, CEO of Novell and a man with a lifetime of experience managing geeks:
Perhaps the least-becoming aspect of the geek community is its institutional arrogance. Remember, just because geeks have underdeveloped social skills doesn t mean that they don t have egos. Tech people are uppity by definition: A lot of them would like to have been astronauts. They enjoy the limelight. In a power relationship with management, they have more in common with pro basketball players than they do with average workers. Think of your techies as free agents in a highly specialized sports draft. And the more specialized they are, the more you need to be concerned about what each of them needs as an individual.
Of course, Mr. Shmidt is talking about corporate management rather than event management, but the principle still applies. Don t treat your geek attendees as cattle to be herded around or pandered to. Approach them instead like the highly-skilled, intellectually-keen individuals they are, and you ll get better results.
Ideas are Everything
Most events offer content that targets the lowest common denominator in order to capture the widest possible audience, but geeks are fascinated with high-quality ideas. While targeting the majority is always good practice, when your audience is full of technically-minded folks, the lowest common denominator isn t very low. Spend time ensuring that your speakers are addressing more specialized topics that are interesting to a niche audience.
Ditch the Dress Code
This a target market that doesn t place a ton of stock in social conventions, and may actually be put off by settings that encourage attendees to suit up. Don t make a big deal about adhering to a dress code, and definitely don t create an environment where geeks will feel out place wearing jeans and t-shirts.
Fakers Won t Make It
Geeks can smell disingenuous gimmicks from a mile away, and being branded a poser is poison for your event brand. If your event content or promo material sounds like it was created by marketing interns pretending to be experts in javascript, your event is looking down the barrel of some bad reviews on social media. The solution for non-geek organizers planning a geek-friendly event? One, be humble and honest about who you are. And two, surround yourself with geeks that can give you feedback on your tone and approach.
It Just Won t Stop: More Killer Projection Mapping Videos
EVENT PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, FACADE MAPPING
So, uh, we can t stop staring at gorgeous light sculpture and projection mapping videos. It s like getting your fortune told and finding out you re gonna get magic powers. Our industry is already pretty fun, but now that this kind of stuff is moving from experimental to mainstream , A/V and production design is about to go spare. Join us while we ogle the future and applaud the architects that are making it happen:
The Skrillex Cell
Yes, hunty, yes! A deep bow to the particle artists over at V Squared Labs, who created this intense live-robot-DJ-booth-thing for the Skrillex Mothership Tour. They say, The Skrillex Cell is a multidisciplinary touring production that mixes 3D projection mapping and real-time motion capture for live performance. Collaborating closely with Production Club, Phil Reyneri, Leviathan, and Blood Company, the V Squared team helped bring the Skrillex Cell to life. V Squared Labs created custom animation for real-time projection mapping and generative, audio-reactive effects using elements of the proprietary V Squared Labs Epic 3D mapping video server.
Student Projects in Creative Media
Tobias Gremmeler, Visiting Associate Professor at the School of Creative Media in Hong Kong and researcher of new media, showcases some incredible student work over on Vimeo and his personal site. He combines light and media installations with what he calls kinetic sculptures , which are actually, we ll let the expert explain:
A Kinetic Sculpture is a physical object that contains moving parts, driven by electronic motors or other forces. Its motion behaviour can be controlled by a software sequencer or input sensors. When using sensors, the objects motion is reacting interactively to its environment. Thus, the movement is triggered by gestures, sounds or other processible impulses and data. Furthermore, a Kinetic Sculpture can produce sound similar to mechanical music or is able to dance a certain choreography.
Real-time Projection Mapping in 3D
ROM is a lab that explores the boundaries between art and technology . In this look behind the curtain, ROM shows off a simple interactive projection mapping technique that we think will form the basis for a throng of new approaches to experience design.
Aquaszenarium Krimml
The Aquaszenarium is the interactive heart of Krimml s Waterfall Center, located at the base of Europe s highest Waterfalls. The installation features a fully interactive 3D projection, immersing the visitors in magically transforming water worlds. Floor as well as walls are multi-touch sensitive, allowing the visitor to dive directly into the scene, interacting with artificial lifeforms and playing with water particles.
mayer+empl
My personal favorite (and naturally, also German), this interactive light sculpture by mayer+empl responds to sound.
Futuristic Fabbing: Booth and Exhibition Designs Inspired by High-Tech
TRADE SHOW
We like us some TRON-inspired goodness. Stumbling across an old Bizbash post about the glowing arrivals carpet at the 2012 premier of Total Recall, we were reminded of some rad spatial design we d seen recently. Take a look at these LED-bedecked exhibits (and remember, we can get anything built for you, so drop us a line if you need something custom):
Yota Devices Pavilion
Man, trade show booths don t usually warrant their own videos, but this one was is a real joy to look at. Created with extreme skill by artists at External Reference Architects, the Yota Devices Pavilion was out and proud on the expo floor at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
INFINITYCONST Europshop
Another future-forward booth design captured on video, the first of these was made by Studio Dega from St. Petersburg for the 2011 World s Fair in Dusseldorf. Three cheers for consistency: Studio Dega followed up in 2014 with a similar, but updated, design.
Cloroflot Booth for Levi Strauss
Creator Ningning Zhang tells us that this exhibit design was inspired by chrysalis. A chrysalis pulsates with emerging life and draws us to look closer and feel its energy, she says.
Something Russian This Way Comes
All we know about this lovely piece is that it was created by Russia s Dimitri Androsov, and that we like it. Dimitri has a killer portfolio of clean, sharp booth concepts, but this is our personal pick of that litter.
Nike Shanghai Exbition
Created by China-based designers Queenie Yehenala and Jay Chi, Nike SH Marathon EXPO Centre was a hub to serve marathon runners premium experience of pre-race gearing, running consultancy and product trailing. The 1200 sqm warehouse space was divided into 3 sections: the House of Tee, Gait Lab and Nike Running Retail.
Decibel Exclusive: early bird access to Super Bowl 50 Bucket List packages
DEALS & OFFERS
You know it and we know it: Super Bowl 50 is gonna be madness. Wall-to-wall, sold-out, jam-packed, tailgate-of-a-lifetime madness. And if you want an amazing ride on the pigskin boat, you ll need to book your experience early. Way early. We got our hands on a couple of lux, customizable package deals for Super Bowl fun, so if you or your clients have insane football party vacation anywhere on your bucket list, now is the time. Here s what you can get:
The Deluxe Package
- Deluxe hotel accommodations for three or four nights in Downtown San Francisco
- An Upper Level Super Bowl game ticket
- Express security entrance into Levi s stadium for the game
- Access to NFL official pre-game hospitality tailgate on-site at stadium: Official NFL hospitality venue adjacent to Levi s Stadium at the Santa Clara Convention Center (3 hours pre-game; premium menu, open premium bar, NFL player and cheerleader appearances, entertainment)
- Deluxe luxury motor coach transportation to and from the Super Bowl
- Your own dedicated event planner to assist with all of your pre-planning needs
- The entire event management team will be on-site to oversee your group
- All taxes, gratuities, and our service fees are included with all of our package prices
The Premium Package
Includes everything in the Deluxe package, plus:
- A premium deluxe gift bag of licensed Super Bowl 50 merchandise
- Full American breakfast each day
- Deluxe luxury motor coach transportation to and from the Super Bowl
- Welcome reception and chalk talk hosted by NFL personalities
Upgrade: More Access
We can upgrade your tickets, or get you and your team on the field for the post-game ceremony!
Upgrade: Michael Mina s
Exclusive in-stadium tailgate and hospitality at Michael Mina s will be the premier hospitality venue for Super Bowl 50. Located in the stadium this event will be attended by celebrity talent. Your group will enjoy a gourmet buffet, premium open bar, live entertainment, and NFL player and cheerleader appearances for 3 hours before the game and a 90 minute post-game party.
Add-on: Access to all the best parties
While supplies last, we can get you and your group tickets to all the hot Super Bowl 50 parties, including the celeb-packed ESPN NEXT Party, the Rolling Stone Super Bowl Party, the Playboy Party, the Maxim Super Bowl Party, DirectTV s Super Saturday Night, and Taste of the NFL.
Add-on: Celebrity Chefs & Private Dinners
- Host your own private celebrity chef dinner with our top chefs in San Francisco. Our vendor will create an amazing brunch, lunch or dinner with the culinary industry s top talent.
- Let us set up your own celebrity chef tailgate anywhere in the Bay Area before heading to the game.
- We can add in some of our CAA represented NFL players and Broadcasters to mingle and sign autographs for your guests.
Add-on: NFL Talent
Current and former NFL players, TV broadcasters, and other celebrities can personally appear at private dinners, golf events, and other corporate functions during Super Bowl week, including Marcellus Wiley, Damien Woody, Michelle Beadle, Rich Eisen, Tony Gonzalez, Lindsay Czarniak, Charles Davis, Adam Schefter, Jenn Brown, Brian Dawkins, Eric Davis, London Fletcher, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Randy Moss, Chris Mortensen, Rachel Nichols, Wendi Nix, Antonio Pierce, Brady Quinn, Tom Rinaldi, Darren Rovell, Tim Tebow and Michael Wilbon.
Sweet, yeah? Give us a ring for details and pricing.
Famous quotes about war that are totally applicable to event planning
EVERYTHING ELSE
These quotes from military geniuses both fictional and real contain disturbingly prescient event production advice.
Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Whether we re talking light shows and stage design, or hordes of undisciplined German tribesman performing flanking maneuvers against 20,000 seasoned legionnaires, surprise is part of the wow-factor. Bring a little extra game that no one saw coming.
In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Man, this Tzu guy is full of good ideas. I think in this case, he s talking about setting the enemy s horses loose so you can pounce while everyone s in disarray or something, but I prefer to read this as being willing to use problems (even disastrous ones) as an opening to lock down your procedures and processes. Did something go wrong? After the immediate fire has been put out, use this chance to survey the key players to hunt down the source of the problem and mercilessly implement preventative procedures. Your future projects will be happier for it.
I need you to be clever, Bean. I need you to think of solutions to problems we haven t seen yet. I want you to try things that no one has ever tried because they re absolutely stupid.
Orson Scott Card, Ender s Game
Surround yourself with a team dedicated to staying scrappy, staying curious, and staying hands-on.
A pint of sweat, saves a gallon of blood.
George S. Patton
Mostly your blood. Which you kinda need. Do your homework and groundwork.
Consider the Kiddos: Three Great Brand Activations for the Youth Market
BRAND ACTIVATIONS & MARKETING
Niche-focused marketing agency Refuel confirms what most of us already suspected: the kids of today consume differently than the kids of yesteryear.
They have money to spend and know exactly what to spend it on. In fact, with total spending at $88B, they have a lot more money than a generation before them. A Parenting Magazine poll found that 46{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of moms involve their children in brand decisions by age 9, and 78{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} do so by age 12. They are also digital natives (88{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of 12-15 year olds own a mobile device and 72{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} have made an online purchase) and consume an array of off-line media as well including TV, radio and print.
Here a few interesting activations that successfully targeted younger markets, undertaken by specialist youth marketing agencies.
Refuel: Dress up Booth
Refuel backs up all those cleverly engaged New York audiences, focusing on 6-12-year-old girls, to promote Spin Master s La Dee Da Dolls. A dress-up station provided fun costumes for girls while a photo booth allowed girls to take pictures while dressed up in their costumes. Raffles were conducted each hour and staff members dressed as La Dee Da dolls engaged with attendees. More than 3,000 people attended the launch party, and the Times Square Toys R Us sold double the amount of dolls expected that day.
Fuse for Mountain Dew
Fuse is one of youth marketing s heaviest hitters, and their team is ultra-excellent at social media integration. Our favorite example? Mountain Dew wanted to capitalize on the success of their largest event series, the Dew Tour, by creating a one-of-a-kind consumer engagement experience. For the 2014 Dew Tour Beach Championships in Ocean City, MD, the Mountain Dew Experience featured four on-site content activations: the DEW Social Store, Instaprint, Instaprint Mosaic and Selfie Selects stations. The Instaprint station aggregated photos posted with #DOTHEDEW on Instagram and printed the images as stickers for fans to take home. The Instaprint Mosaic was then populated with these photos throughout the event creating a large branded image with all user-generated content.
Archival for Redbull
In partnership with Redbull, Archival sent young travelers on a challenging journey with no currency but their own wits and cans of Redbull to trade for food and assitance. The results? The teams traded over 16 thousand cans of Red Bull, uploaded nearly 8000 photos and 2000 videos, and collectively traveled a over 220 thousand kilometers enough to travel the earth 5 times over! The whole world was watching. During the week, the website generated 1.1 million visits, 2.9 million page views, over 448 thousand likes and shares of website content on Facebook and countless media stories.
Think Like an Interior Designer: Five Tips to Make Small Event Space Look Bigger
EVENT DESIGN
Not everyone can afford the event space of their dreams, but with a few simple tricks based in the science of depth and size perception, you can make the most of an undersized room.
Hide the corners
Corners define the boundaries of our space. Place (simple) displays in the corners to trick the eye into glossing past these.
Use Colors to Push and Pull
Use color to deal with an irregularly-shaped space. You ve probably heard that lighter colors make a space look bigger, while darker colors make a space look smaller. It s also true that warmer colors look farther away, while cooler colors draw a plane close to the eye. As David Kent Ballast says in the Interior Design Reference Manual:
These principles can be used to modify the spatial quality of a room. For example, a long, narrow room can be widened by painting the end walls with a bright, warm color and by painting the side walls with a lighter, cooler color.
Less stuff, but bigger stuff
You d think small design accents would make an event space seem large in contrast, but they actually just create clutter. The best thing to do if you don t have a ton of room is to choose a few well-placed larger design elements and furniture. For example, go with six larger tables instead of ten smaller ones, minimizing centerpieces, or a single, striking accent display rather than several.
Draw the eyes upward
Heighten low-ceiling ed rooms by painting or decorating the ceiling with lighter colors or patterns (ever consider wall-papering up there?).
Spread the light around
A single light source in a room creates a single centralizing point, almost like a spotlight, which can make a small space feel even smaller as parts of the room fall into semi-shadow. Instead, use several sources of light spread around the space to pull the center of the room out to its own edges.
Noteworthy stats from 2015 s biggest event marketing study
EVERYTHING ELSE
We re just now getting around to giving the Event Marketing Institute s latest EventTrack study a look-see (shame on us this thing dropped in May), and
For those of you who aren t familiar with EventTrack:
The Event Marketing Institute and experiential marketing agency Mosaic released the fourth-annual EventTrack, the largest research on event marketing ever fielded. This groundbreaking annual study monitors the continual growth and expansion of the event and experiential marketing industry. Unique to EventTrack is its dual-channel format. Two research studies are created and fielded, one to brands across the Fortune 1000 and the other to thousands
of consumers. The result is an incredible pool of data that connects what experiential marketers are doing and why with how consumers react and buy.
Here s what caught our eye:
Good news: the industry is growing
A significant 79{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of the brand respondents say they will execute more event and experiential programs this year compared to last year. There s also this: Companies and brands are increasing their event and experiential marketing budgets by a healthy 6.1{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} in 2015. This is up from an increase of 5.4{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} found in the 2014 EventTrack study.
Event planners really, really need to facilitate social media
It s no surprise that 85{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of brands that they measure event success in total attendance and 58{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} said they measure that success in leads, a whopping 61{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of brands said that event success is measured in Facebook likes and social media posts. That means that regardless of whether or not more social media activity means more sales (we think it does, but hey), clients perceive it that way. The more your attendees post, the happier clients will be.
Young men are more likely to buy during an event
Sixty-five percent of consumers purchase the product or service promoted at the event or visit. This finding is up significantly from the 54{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} found in the 2014 survey. Males are more likely to buy at events and experiences than women, according to the cross-tabulated survey findings. The age range most likely to buy on-site are those between the ages of 25 and 35.
Free samples are king
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know, people like free stuff; in fact, 81{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of consumers said that giveaways are the primary motivator for event participation. But 78{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of also said that trying a product increases their liklihood of buying it. Combine those two statements, and we feel this confirms that freebies are still a powerful tool for driving sales at events.
Thanks EMI and Mosaic, we look forward to next year s write-up.
Event Logistics, Freight and Shipping: Questions to Ask When Choosing a Provider
EVENT INDUSTRY, TIPS & TRICKS
Organizing a large-scale event often means ensuring that bulk amounts of oversize items arrive on location, right on time. Considering that precision is so vital to a successful event, it follows that contracting a sloppy logistics company can quickly turn into a nightmare. Here are a few vital questions you should ask before you sign that contract:
Can I speak to some of your clients?
This one s a no-brainer: reputable logistics companies should have dozens of clients with solid recommendations who are willing to vouch for the company s timeliness and follow-through. Naturally, no one s going to give you names of unhappy customers, so it also makes sense to Google around and check reviews online to make sure there haven t been any major complaints. If you do find bad reviews, don t be shy about having a what happened there? discussion with the company reps.
What technologies are you using?
Tech-forward companies are forward-thinking companies, and logistics providers that have the foresight and care to employ the latest tracking and communications tech are more likely to have a better handle on where your stuff is at any given time. It s a good idea to ask when their back-of-the-house system was built, installed or updated. If the answer is more than five years ago , that should raise some eyebrows. You might also consider asking if they have an in-house IT guy or tech team, and whether or not they have a client-facing tracking portal, as a good provider will be able to keep you informed and relaxed with a system capable of providing to-the-minute updates on the location and condition of your stuff.
Have you shipped to our destination country before?
Did you know you re not allowed to import mineral water to Nigeria? That you can t bring electric fishing equipment into Lithuania without permits? Just because a provider has handled overseas shipping doesn t mean they ve got a handle on shipping to your specific destination. Every country has its own import laws, required documentation and shipping quirks, and if you need to move supplies internationally, you don t want any surprises on the other end. Ideally, your logistics provider will have a history of moving items to the destination country, will know the ins and outs of the local customs bureau, what types of items that country is likely to flag as problematic for cultural or legal reasons, any typical wait times in terms of cargo clearances, taxes and fees, and other place-specific issues.
Where are you going to store my stuff?
At some point during a long trip, it s likely your gear is going to be placed in storage. Tent sailcloth can get awfully moldy sitting in a poorly-cared-for facility, rats can chew on electrical cables, and in some places, warehouse theft is rampant. Get storage policies in writing, and make sure your provider clarifies how much liability they hold if your items are damaged, stolen, lost, or destroyed while sitting in a temporary holding space. And speaking of which
How can I verify your insurance policy?
No one wants to imagine the worst, but it does occasionally happen. Better to ask in advance: Does insurance cover the gear during each leg of the transportation process, or only some? What will happen in case of embargo? What is the process for filing a claim, if one is required?
Check all those boxes, and that ll be one more load off your mind.