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.
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.
Event Production Reviews & Trends: 48th Annual CMA Awards Wrap-Up
LIVE EVENTS
The 48th annual Country Music Awards went down on November 5th in a flurry of big hair, big hats, and big white smiles. We turned our event production eye to some of the show s breakout moments of fabulousness and folly.
Tribe kills it again
The set was masterful but that s hardly a shocker, considering that the industrial-style exposed-fixture staging was created by the talented folks at Tribe Inc., arguably the best live design team in America. If you re not familiar with Tribe s work, these are the guys behind the 2013 Super Bowl XLVII halftime show (check out this interview with Tribe s Bruce Rodgers for a look into the vastness of that skillset), some DNC and political conventions, stage design at the Olympic Village WINNING!
Dimensional Sets
Really excellent job with the dimensional set designs. This is a high-impact trend we re seeing throughout the industry, one we expect to continue to see, and one that can be executed inexpensively. I m not sure who did the design for the CMAs specifically, but the style was at least reminiscent of the work done by Atomic Design, one of Decibel s set creation partners.
Projection on Fog
When Carrie Underwood took the stage to perform Something in the Water , she was backed by an ethereal waterfall created by projecting abstract swirling rain patterns onto a wall of fog. The effect was isolating (I mean that in the best possible way) and a little unearthly the world collapsed inwards and placed the singer at the center of it. Thumbs up for an appropriate and interesting pairing of song content and visuals.
The Drums. Oh, the Drums.
Just because you can doesn t necessarily mean you should. Little Big Town and Ariana Grande s collaboration on Day Drinking generated some buzz less for the actual content of the show and more for the candy-cane explosion of lighting effects that accompanied the set. Little Big Town began, dressed in LED-piped Tron-inspired outfits, flanked by a stacked wall of drummers playing drums trimmed with that s right LEDs. When Ariana emerges, she s wrapped in (say it with me now) an LED-edged plastic Barbie dress. Eye-popping, yes. And yes, people talked about it. But we re gonna go ahead and say that this could have been executed with a tad more tact.
LED Video Walls
You might have caught a look at the background behind Dierks Bentley while he did Drunk on a Plane see those squares? That s an LED Video wall, and if you look closely, you can see the same effect being used on the floor to create an LED runway that changed to accommodate the song. A little bit of blur on this video and we don t have the best angle on the floor, but you can get a look at the vertical face of the wall good stuff:
Audience Engagement: Chevy Partnership
Three cheers here: the 2014 CMAs took a holistic approach to audience engagement that encompass. Leveraging a sponsorship by Chevy, the CMAs asked Instagram users to post pics in answer the question What does country music mean to you? (hashtag #chevycmasweeps). The best pictures were posted on stage. This worked a whole heckuvalot better than live Twitter integration does in terms of getting your attendees involved.
4 Weird Conferences You ve Never Heard Of
LIVE EVENTS, TRADE SHOW
It takes all kinds to make this wild world, and if you can imagine it, someone has already rented the Las Vegas Convention center to celebrate it. We ve collected a list of some out-of-the-ordinary annual conferences.
VapeMania
Never heard of Vaping? Neither had I until some of my close friends made the decision to quit smoking the ciggies. Vaping is a term used to describe the smoking of products that are inhaled via water vapor rather than via burning and actual smoke: e-cigarettes and e-pipes, basically. As awareness of the dangers of cigarette smoking rises, vaping s popularity continues to increase, and we re seeing a ton of conventions crop up dedicated to bringing vapers together to try new products and inhalant methods: think fancy e-cigarettes, flavored and scented oils and liquids, blah blah blah. Vapemania isn t the only Vapecon on the block, either check out this list of all the vape expos in 2014.
PUA Superconference
You remember that scene in Magnolia where Tom Cruise is up there on stage screaming Respect the C*ck ? Ahem. That is a real thing, and it happens in Vegas every year, except with fewer leather vests and more chest waxing. Pick-Up Artists are students of the ancient mysteries of wooing the laides, and they converge once a year at PUA for several days of, ahem, results-oriented dating help . Heh. Results-oriented .
Enjoy this exciting preview by the Venerable Adam Lyons, the World s #1 Pickup Artist , at the (very similar) 21 Convention. Not even mildly SFW, people:
Florida PirateCon
Though we were sad to see that MerPalooza, a mermaid convention last held in 2013, didn t resurface this year, we re slightly mollified by the scheduled return of Florida s PirateCon in 2015. Weird? Maybe, but c mon, who doesn t secretly really want to go to this dressed in a buccaneer s coat and carrying a brace of pistols, huh?
Oregon Ghost Conference
And you thought ghost hunting was dead (HAR!). Get out your geiger counter and plod on over to the Oregon Ghost Conference, where attendees learn ghoul-tracking techniques, get their fortunes told, explore haunted areas and listen to hair-raising lectures. Oregon not near you? Check out this list of ghost hunting cons.
Hot Event Planning Trends: Interactive Food Experience Inspiration
EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION
When specialevents.com interviewed some of the industry s top catering pros, asking what event catering trends they expected to take off in 2014, our ears perked up. One of the most interesting answers? Buffets are out. Interactive Food Experiences are in.
And what do they mean by interactive food experience , exactly? asked my husband, Like an omelette bar? . Yeah, basically. An omelette bar counts. If I had to explain the term, I d say it means, in essence, that event attendees want a little more say, a little more customization, a little more input into what goes on their plates. They get out a little more than they put in more options, more DIY, more mix-and-match you give your guests the opportunity to make their dinner become more than the sum of its parts.
Try these on for size:
Decorate-Your-Own Cupcake Bar
Kit this table out with a selection of vanilla, chocolate, and other single-flavor cupcakes, no toppings. Next, the frosting don t skimp. And finally, the sprinkles. All kinds of sprinkles. Dragees, rainbow, M&M s and let your guests creativity take over, allowing the food itself to become an active, rather than passive, part of the festivities.
Taco Station
Another nice thing about a build-your-own dinner like this is that not only do you account for varied taste and flavor preferences, you ve got your dietary restrictions covered as well. You cover the vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-intolerant. The only people that won t like this are people that don t like tacos. And since I ve never heard a genuine human being say they don t like tacos, the taco station does double-duty as a weeder-outer of alien sleeper agents. (Shoot first. Ask questions later.)
Sangria Bar
Here s a super cute idea from Pinterest user Goldi Locks. There are as many types of sangria as there are people who love to drink it. White- or red-wine based, cinnamon-spiced, all peached-up, limey, apples, pears, raisins go nuts.
Event Security: How to Deal with Tipsy Guests
TIPS & TRICKS
The Chilean supplier has just flown for 18 hours to be at your conference event. He is a reliable partner, makes the best darn galvanized rubber tires in the Western hemisphere, and always delivers on time. He s made a real effort to be here, one can understand he might want a drink from your conference s open bar. The problem comes 4 hours later when he s three sheets to the wind, clinging precariously to a trade show booth and chanting songs about Salvador Allende.
Avoiding this type of unpleasant scenario by appropriately planning for event security problems is advisable for all professional event managers as unruly guests can put a damper on, or even ruin, and otherwise smooth event.
Keep Your Guests In The Loop
Any pre-event information package should include a detailed list of any security/amenity requirements, including the presence of a security check, rules for alcohol consumption, and credentials. That will make it easier should any evicted guests decide to protest against being unfairly treated.
Meet with Venue Staff
Venues that frequently serve as hosts for conferences have their own contingency plans for removing any troublesome individuals while causing the smallest possible disruption. Event managers should make sure to check in with venue staff on policies and procedures. If the venue doesn t have any, implement your own, and ensure your team knows what to do in case of impending embarrassment.
Stealth
Having uniformed guards at the door to the conference center checking IDs and passes is always a plus, and serves as a gentle reminder to attendees that this isn t the place to let things get out of hand. But mixing this with a more sedate, plain-clothes security team mixing is an excellent add-on measure. As security consultant Steven Gaskin told BizBash:
The clandestine approach is better. People won t interact and do business unless they feel comfortable.
Coordination
It is important to have an action plan, and to communicate that plan to all of the vendors, talent, and staff. It is rare, but occasionally, even a speaker can have too much, and it may be mid-speech that you come to this realization. Coordination and executing your action plan here is a must. We have been faced with this scenario before, and we were able to shut off the lectern mic, switch to the Emcee s lav and get them on the screen and talking before the audience (or the speaker) ever knew what happened. The stage manager was able to grab the speaker and guide them off stage as the Emcee continued the program.
Limits On An Open Bar
Nobody wants their guests to think they re stingy, and it s true that attendees may grumble that a coupon system, time restrictions or the lack of an open bar are money-saving measures. Sure, sometimes that s the case, but there s another benefit: such limitations can save you from having to expel a drunk and disruptive guest. If you re concerned about the ramifications of letting your guests get too rowdy, consider offering tray service that begins late or stops at a reasonable hour.
Get Them Home
A college bar can afford to leave passed-out students slumped on the sidewalk. A professional event organizer must conduct themselves with slightly more decorum. Ensure a cab is called to get an ejected person home, within reason, or if you can spare a member of your staff, send someone with them.
Spring into Spring with a Quick Look at some of the World s Top Event Florists
EVENT DESIGN
Spring has definitely sprung, and with it, stunning spring collections from the world s top florists.
Jane Packer, UK / New York / Asia
The company that rose to fame under the stewardship of the late great Jane Packer, whose arrangements graced the Duke of York s wedding, is now offering their spring line. The international brand, which even includes a florist academy, offers corporate and event bouquets in London, New York, Seoul, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
L Artisan Fleuriste, Paris
About as French as French can be, L ARtisan Fleuriste offers top-notch event design in Paris.
Hollyflora
Based in Los Angeles, Hollyflora is a gorgeous studio that provides arrangements for events of all sizes. Aside from more traditional bouquets, they also do locally-inspired cactus arrangements suitable for a West Coast dessert vibe. Check out their inspiring Instagram feed for more spring arrangements.
Thierry Boutemy, Belgium
Beloved by the wealthy, Thierry Boutemy is responsible for the flower arrangements in Sofia Coppola s 2006 film Marie Antoinette. The above picture isn t of his spring line artists like Thierry need not post such trifles but we love how it underscores his incredible event design skills.
Landet Jarna
Staying in tune with the seasons is of supreme importance at Landet Jarna, where the florists only source wildflowers from the woods around Stockholm. Gardenista.com explains, The Uggla sisters opened the shop in response to the lack of local, seasonal, pesticide-free, and fair trade flowers (and wondered why, when so much attention is paid to these traits in the food industry today).
