Tag: eventdesign

dB Talent Spotlight

EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EVENT RESOURCES, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS, VIRTUAL EVENTS

Welcome to Decibel Events Talent Spotlight series where we highlight great keynote speakers, presenters, performers and other talent to enhance your in-person or virtual event.

Bookmark this page and be sure to check back each month as we grow this list. It will be a great resource to you the next time you re planning an event.

Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts

Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts is highly regarded as a leader in a new generation of yogis who are passionate about expanding the visibility of who is commonly seen as Teacher. She is an internationally celebrated scholar and Peloton yoga teacher. 

She has graced the cover of Yoga Journal twice, toured the world as a global yoga ambassador for lululemon, and advocated for local communities as founder of Red Clay Yoga. She is also widely recognized for her work with yoga and teens, and founded Yoga, Literature, and Art Camp at Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. 

She would be a wonderful addition to your next event, and we encourage you to contact her through her website chelsealovesyoga.com.

Michael Brenner

Michael Brenner is a globally-recognized keynote speaker on leadership, culture, and marketing. Author of the bestselling book The Content Formula, Michael s work has been featured by The Economist, The Guardian, and Entrepreneur Magazine. In 2017, Michael was named a Top Business Speaker by The Huffington Post and a Top CMO Influencer by Forbes.

Over the last two decades, Michael has championed a customer-centric approach at organizations large and small. He led sales and marketing for software companies like Nielsen and FullTilt. As an executive at ICR, SAP, and Newscred, Michael s innovative leadership resulted in massive growth. His workshops and keynotes for Fortune 500 brands and tiny startups have inspired profound personal and professional change.

Today, Michael is the CEO of Marketing Insider Group, founded on the belief that strong leaders who champion their teams are the key to unlocking massive growth.

When he s not working with clients, Michael travels the world helping even the most bureaucratic organizations break down silos, create cultures of innovation, and build engaged workforces.

Charlene Li

Need another great keynote speaker for your next virtual or in real life event? Meet Charlene Li.

Charlene Li is an influential thought leader and guide on digital transformation, with a specific focus on customer experience, leadership in the digital era, and the future of work.

For the past two decades, Charlene Li has been helping people see the future. She is an expert on digital transformation, leadership, customer experience and the future of work. Li is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller, Open Leadership and co-author of the critically acclaimed book, Groundswell. Her latest book is the bestseller The Disruption Mindset.

She is the Founder and Senior Fellow at Altimeter, an analyst firm acquired in 2015 by Prophet. Named one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company, Charlene is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

Fee: $25K $40K
Washington Speakers Bureau, direct and other booking sites.

Eric Stuart

This one s for the event peeps among us. Looking for a great speaker? Meet Eric Stuart.

An ex-British RAF officer and Supervisor in the Metropolitan Police for 17 of his 33 years with firearms, helicopter and covert deployments, he is an excellent motivator and lecturer focused on crowd modeling and safety. We know because we ve attended a two-day course with him and it felt like 5 minutes. He s incredibly interesting, and brings a wealth of experience and stories that will make you see your role as an event professional in a whole new light.

Eric is the owner of Gentian Events Limited, established in 2009 to enhance public safety at events of all shapes and sizes, working at and advising those who deliver them.

Contact him directly at GentianEvents.com

Jennifer Golbeck

Looking for a great keynote speaker? Meet Dr. Jennifer Golbeck.

As a world leader in social media research and communication, Dr. Jennifer Golbeck shares with audiences ways to best leverage and the vast array of social data both in their personal and professional lives.

Dr. Jennifer Golbeck began studying social media from the moment it emerged on the web a decade ago and is one of the world s foremost experts in the field. Her research has influenced industry, government, and the military. She is a pioneer in the field of social data analytics, discovering people s hidden attributes from their online behavior, and a leader in creating human-friendly security and privacy systems.

In addition to her work as a professor at the University of Maryland, she writes for top online news organizations, including Slate and The Atlantic, and appears frequently on NPR and commercial talk radio.

Fee: Under $25,000

https://www.wsb.com/videos/1302

Greg McKeown

As events transition online, more than ever, the challenge to create something that captures and keeps attention is paramount. One of the best way to hold an audience s attention is to have an engaging presenter who can deliver thought-provoking content in a riveting way. So if you re looking for someone who can do that, online, or in person, meet Greg McKeown.

Greg McKeown is a business writer, consultant and researcher specializing in leadership and the tools for success with a focus on living and leading as an essentialist.

Greg McKeown is emerging as one of the most refreshing and transformative business thought leaders and speakers on leadership, productivity and business growth. He is the founder and CEO of THIS Inc. a leadership and strategy design agency in Silicon Valley a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and one of the most popular writers for Harvard Business Review and LinkedIn s Influencer Group.

McKeown has taught at hundreds of events across the world including in the U.S., Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, England, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and South Africa. Organizations, teams, and individuals have benefited from McKeown s innovative perspective, which challenges conventional wisdom and defines how to break through to the next level of success and profitability.

Fee: $25K $40K

The Halftime: And Other Badass Stuff from Super Bowl LV

BACKSTAGE, EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, LIVE EVENTS

Super Bowl LV was a monumental event for one reason and one reason only: it happened. 

Sure, Tom Brady s indefatigable right arm was MVP, but to pull off the country s most watched event without compromising production quality mid global pandemic was truly an epic feat. 

The game meh. While the game itself wasn t super memorable, here are some moments we won t soon forget:

The Triple Bomber Flyover  

The Air Force executed the first ever Super Bowl flyover featuring all three of its bombers, including America s oldest bomber, the B-52H, which has been in service longer than the Big Game has been played. 

Extreme precision was required to execute the tight flyover over Raymond James Stadium, timed perfectly to coincide with the final note of the Star-Spangled Banner. It was one of those blink-and-you ll-miss-it moments, and utterly flawless. 

Fun fact: the three bombers aircraft designations add up to 55 (B-1, B-2 & B-52), which is why, despite the pandemic complications, the tribute had to happen this year. 

The Super Bowl Streaker Who Made Bank

With five minutes left on the game clock, a 31-year-old man dressed in a hot pink, atomic-wedgie-style one-piece bared his ass, ran like the wind, and netted $374,000. WHAT? Read on. 

Yuri Andrade had a plan. He had a friend place a $50,000 bet that there would be a streaker at the Super Bowl, and then convinced another buddy to fake a streak of his own, in order to allow Andrade the opportunity to slip past security.

Unburdened by the weight of clothing, and surprisingly nimble, Yuri Andrade juked one security guard out of his shoes before finishing his 100-yard dash with a triple tackle in the end zone. 

Though live footage quickly cut to commercial, Andrade s streak was immortalized on the interwebs and Twitter, providing the proof needed to collect his cash. 

And in true idiot fashion, he bragged about his plan, resulting in serious questions whether he will actually get paid the big bucks for his cheeky stunt, or fade away into obscurity as a naked dude with a big mouth and 15-minutes of fame. 

The Un-Centered Stage

It took place in the center of the game, but not in the center of the stadium. This year s Super Bowl halftime show was the first to NOT be held completely at center field with an impressive 6-minute setup time. 

Due to COVID safety measures, 15-year Super Bowl halftime veteran planner Bruce Rogers and his team at Tribe, Inc., were only allowed to use one tunnel onto the field. So, they decided to build the stage in the stands and make it 3x bigger.

The elaborate stage they designed over the north end-zone concourse still had to have two modes: Game Time and Half Time. Even though only 20{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of the stadium seats were filled with real people (yes, we have to specify that, as a majority of the seats housed cardboard cutouts of fans), those real people still had to use the 3 existing fire aisles for bathroom breaks and concession runs. 

During Game Time, the set was covered with game graphics by Blue Media, had open aisles for guests, had clear sightlines to the field, and embedded an important CBS sideline camera.

In Half Time mode, the aisles were filled with decks, locking in several upstage decks and light carts. Lights and audio were positioned, and rail cams, tower cams and three cable cams came forward for the critical story-telling shots.

The Weeknd s Year Long Story

Storytelling is very important to The Weeknd, and in the year since he released his most recent album, After Hours, he s been showing up to major events bruised, bloodied and bandaged in more and more extreme versions of what he refers to as The Character.  

He explained his year-long antics: 

The significance of the entire head bandage is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated, The Weeknd said. It s all a progression, and we watch The Character s storyline hit heightened levels of danger and absurdity as his tale goes on.

The bandaged face theme did fit flawlessly into the coronavirus safety measures for the many, MANY backup dancers each of them completely masked as they took up the entire football field for the final number. 

Our goal was to find a way to present an exciting show and to not necessarily bow down to the COVID monster, said Bruce Rogers.

All things considered, they nailed it. 

Cues for Hues: 2021 Pantone Color of the Year

EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, NEWS, VIRTUAL EVENTS

While it s easy to get caught up in looking at year-end reviews, we at Decibel Events like to look at prospective trends in content, events staging, and even color schemes for the next year.  One of our favorite annual spectaculars is Pantone s Color of the Year announcement. In a brilliant and shrewd marketing scheme, Pantone has managed to throw a wild bash each year to name a key color from their own exclusive catalogue to define fashion, product design, interior design, UI, and graphic design for the following year.  

What did Pantone choose for its 20th color of the year announcement?  How did the experience translate as an exclusive virtual event (that we attended)?  And even more so, what are their color-industry competitors also choosing to define the aesthetic of 2021? 

Without further ado, here are the colors you should rely on for your events this year.

Pantone

Every year I hope that Pantone finally enters its goth phase and chooses the blackest black as their color of the year.  After the year we had, 2021 was literally my best shot.  We ended up with, kind of the opposite.  Your TWO Pantone colors of the year are:

As people look for ways to fortify themselves with energy, clarity, and hope to overcome the continuing uncertainty, spirited and emboldening shades satisfy our quest for vitality. 

PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power. 

PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray is emblematic of solid and dependable elements which are everlasting and provide a firm foundation. The colors of pebbles on the beach and natural elements whose weathered appearance highlights an ability to stand the test of time, Ultimate Gray quietly assures, encouraging feelings of composure, steadiness and resilience.

2019 s Classic Blue bash was seriously unreal.  Here s how CNN s Kristi Goldynia broke down the exclusive live event:

In collaboration with partners across industries, Pantone created a multi-sensory Classic Blue experience, which it showcased in Manhattan on Wednesday night at its 2020 color reveal.

The fragrance of Classic Blue wafted through the air while Classic Blue sounds resounded. Classic Blue-textured cushions littered the floor and Classic Blue drinks were served. It was, beyond dispute, a Classic Blue sight to behold. But interpreting the color through the other four senses is a far less objective task.

A multi-sensory event about the color blue.  Imagine being the one guy, before the big visual reveal that was all, *sniff sniff* does it smell like Pantone 19-4052 to anyone else in here?

So of course, when I got a ticket to this year s virtual Color Reveal Party, I expected the following:

1. An unmarked Lincoln Town Car with all tinted windows to roll up into my driveway 
2. A courier wearing a full-on N95 mask bedazzled in semi-precious stones to present me an Oculus Rift on a velvet pillow 
3. An out-of-body experience, a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes too rich and complex to have names in any language, replicating that one experience I had at Bonnaroo as a college student many years ago

Nah, it was a powerpoint detailing all the ways you can use Illuminating Yellow and Ultimate Grey in stuff.  As it turns out you can use them pretty much anywhere: Sunglasses, powerpoint backgrounds, cabinets, powerpoint text, etc.

I m left wanting more honestly. 

Sherwin-Williams

Paint supplier Sherwin-Williams took the opposite for approach for their 2021 color of the year.  SW went for something completely boring and devoid of any excitement.  Philosophically, sure, we get where they re coming from.

Meet the Joe Biden of hues: Urbane Bronze, beige s sassier(?) cousin.

The trend for biophilia continues to shape our spaces, proving that nature is never far away. Urbane Bronze might be a color rooted in nature, but it also has a unique ability to ground a room through organic appeal. Whether it s accentuating window trims or accent walls, this warm hue draws from nature for a feeling of relaxation and serenity. It also works well with other biophilic elements including such as light-filled spaces and foliage.

After you reflect on it, it s calming like a Chase Bank or Car Dealership office is calming. Meh?  I m not sure about Urban Bronze, especially because their suggested complementary colors are other mostly forgettable neutral brownish tones, like Messenger Bag. Yes, Messenger Bag.

Messenger Bag.  It s a color.  Wow, that s striking! thought no one ever.

For real, Sherwin-Williams, take a colorful stance!  Now is not the time for neutral tones!

Benjamin-Moore

And not to be outdone, home interior company Benjamin-Moore is throwing their own hat in the ring for a color-of-the-year as well.  Meet Aegean Teal.

Celebrate the simple pleasures think the faded rumple of linen sheets in the morning and perfectly ripened fruits on the windowsill. The twelve hues in the palette radiate warmth and wellbeing. These are colors that make your home feel even more like home. Settle in.

It s kind of neutral but kind of not.  It s kinda blue but also kinda gray?  Like it could go pretty much anywhere but still seem kind of adventurous.  Seriously, it s perfect.  Aegean Teal can pretty much take on any spin you want.  Choose this for literally anything.  I can even see this jiving well with Pantone s Illuminating Yellow.  Why not, right?  Mix it up!

You can check out their full complementary 2021 color palette here!

Crowd Dynamics: How to Prevent Crowd Crush Through Proper Planning

Backstage, event design, event industry, event production inspiration, event production technology, everything else, live events, news, tips & tricks

Typically when you notice an old blog post of yours trending, it s a good thing. In this particular case it s actually just devastating. Back in 2015, our team at Decibel posted a blog titled Crowd Dynamics: How to Prevent (and Survive) a Human Stampede or Crowd Crush. At the time, we were reviewing the New Year s Eve stampede in Shanghai, and the Germany Love Parade disaster of 2010 to learn how best to plan for and avoid these types of tragedies at events. With the recent event disaster at Travis Scott s Astroworld concert, this post gained more traction as people searched to find out how something like this could happen. While the documentary and information on this post is still relevant, we thought it important to revise with current information, regulations and best practices.

As many of you know, Houston is my second home. While Decibel did not have a role in the planning or production of Astroworld, we do want to take the opportunity to present key learnings and provide best practices for our clients as they plan their events. What we will not do here is place blame, accusations, or conclusions for this particular event. There will be a time and place for that, but it is too early in the process to have any comment on this particular event before the investigations are complete. However, we firmly believe that no event should lead to an avoidable death or injury if it is planned correctly. So there will be many lessons learned here, and I am sure there were mis-steps along the way that could have telegraphed this in advance. This is avoidable, full stop.

Safety First Mindset

I will start by stating that at any large scale event, there needs to be a safety-first mindset. At Decibel, we are members of the Event Safety Alliance, and we recommend looking into the safety mindset and track record of all vendors and promoters. For crowd management, there is a industry standard protocol for the planning of large scale events. This is covered in the American National Standards Institute document ANSI ES1.9-2020. You can download a sample here, and the entire document will run $40 from ANSI. We HIGHLY recommend reading and following this protocol on your events.

Plan

When producing large scale events, the plan is key. These scenarios must be anticipated, and a plan of action must be in place, in writing. This needs to be agreed by all principal teams onsite as to when this will be executed. In this scenario, the plan causes the action when certain criteria are met, and the human element is minimized in the heat of the moment.

One great example of this is our High Wind Action Plan that we at Decibel have in place for outdoor events. As the wind increases and hits certain speeds, there is a written plan as to what action is automatically triggered. Once we hit the max speed, a full evacuation is in place. There is no real-time conversation or discussion needed. It is pre-determined based on safety and stage tolerances and is set to execute. This saves time, limits discussions, and ultimately leads to lives saved. This scenario can also be in place for crowds as they get energetic, as crowd crushes begin and as the situation reached a danger level.

For crowd specific planning, this document focuses on the DIME-ICE matrix for analyzing risks and managing crowds. This stands for Design, Information, Management, Expectations, Ingress, Circulation, Egress. This is a great explanation of how to asses and plan for crowds. We highly recommend reading and following this matrix as you plan your events.

Sample DIME-ICE matrix during Normal conditions. For illustration purposes only. Your matrix must be based on the circumstances of your event.

Venue Design

Safe venue design is paramount when developing your layout. Through this safety-first mindset, you can do your best to mitigate crowd crush and provide egress for participants. This is as important for outdoor events as it is for indoor events.

This is certainly one of the elements that will be reviewed in the Astroworld venue layout. One way of separating the crowd is through the configuration or design of a T-shape dividing the crowd to stage left and stage right sections. A few other aspects to consider. It is important to avoid 90 degree interior angles, as turns should be rounded- this avoids compressive corners. Also, the more separate corrals or split viewing areas with ingress and egress will help divide the crowd, as well as allow medical and staff to arrive at emergencies as needed. I am sure CADS and layouts will be released in the investigation and I am curious as to how this was initially set up.

Image of Stage Barrier T Shape Design

Communications

Aside from pre-planing and venue design, I really feel that communications are paramount when it comes to safety. At large scale events, cellular coverage can never be relied upon for any emergency. At Decibel, we bring in large amounts of radios for our events, and add repeaters as necessary.

Radios for Communication on Large Scale Event

Teamwork:

Finally, teamwork is important. You can plan, design and communicate to your hearts content, but if all of the teams are not working the same plan, are not working together, all the rest can fall apart. This is one of our strongest attributes at Decibel- we put team above all else and it shows in our productions.

Other Considerations:

Covid and general attitudes are something we are really keeping our eye on as we emerge from this pandemic. After being in lockdown and distanced for two years, the energy of the crowd needs to be taken into account. This will be something to continue to reassess and review as we receive more data. But in addition to the interest of getting back in person, the energy of being around and excited, there is also a wave of aggressive behavior across the board. We are seeing this in the air and at restaurants, at businesses and at town hall and PTA meetings. Decorum has really taken a back seat with some individuals. I do not have a solution here, but it is important to keep an eye on in the coming months as we get back to events.