More Facade Projection and Mapping
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
Another Lyon Festival of Lights (F te des lumi res) has concluded. I am a big fan of the festival as well as the fa ade projection and fa ade mapping that has become ubiquitous with the celebration. Each December, I look forward to seeing the displays and designs that are produced for the 4 day event.
This year, it was an experience, rather than breakthrough content that we were most excited about. The installation and design was from a French company called CT Light Concept. In the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon a square called Place des C lestins is home to the theater in the video below. (Quick aside, the square is located on lands once owned by the Knights Templar). Instead of simply having festivalgoers watch a presentation, CT Light Concept took fa ade projection and fa ade mapping to an interactive level, a pinball game that users can control. The only piece that would have been great to see added was a high-score list on the fa ade, but I am sure that folks had a blast nonetheless.
I thought this was a very unique and interesting installation. You can view the video by following the link here.
Flash Mob
EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
I love to highlight events that just work. A simple, yet focused idea that is met with seamless execution can have great results. These don t have to be expensive, or overly planned. I also like to give recognition to my hometown when I can.
The Winston-Salem Symphony pulled off a great promotional event a few days ago by performing a piece in the Belk s Department store. While this was not your traditional flash mob, it still holds as a great example. I am sure they worked with the mall and Belk s prior to the flash-mobbing as it would be quite hard to sneak in a piano AND a timpani. Even though they tipped their hand to the location, it was on message for their group (to promote their upcoming performance of Handel s Messiah) and brought attention into the store itself. This is a great example of using a flash-mob event to reinforce your brands message.
Political Debate Production
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS
Recently, we were invited to assist a campaign with advance work for the CNBC debate in Michigan. We spend a lovely week in Detroit advancing the debate at Oakland University, as well as various smaller events throughout the week. We love debate production and what goes on behind the scenes. This one was particularly well produced and we have some great shots of setup. The first few are of the hall itself, as well as backstage. The final shot is from the filing center and spin alley.
TEDx Amsterdam and Mobile Event Apps of the Future
EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
Although first appearing on the scene only recently, event apps are quickly becoming a staple of large event management today. Given how cavernous some conference centers can seem, or the immense scale that industry events can take on, having a helping hand on a smartphone can help attendees integrate with the event and interact with each other in a more meaningful (and creative!) way.
Recent and super awesome example of this? The TEDx Amsterdam application designed by Frog Digital (kudos!). If you re planning on having an application developed for your event, we ve got a few ideas for you:
Keep it Simple!
All good apps are clean easy-to-use and don t overdo the features. Figure out the five most useful features your attendees may need, then hone that list down to three and build that.
Choose the Right Developer
You ve got an event to plan, and not a lot of extra time to devote to app production oversight and debugging. Getting an experienced application developer will set you on the right track from the get-go. (No idea where to start? Check out theymakeapps.com or call us.)
Provide Instructions
If you re going to make a mobile event application available, be sure to provide instructions on how it s intended to be used. You might do this via seminar or info packet.
Ideas: Personal Touches
Especially at larger events, the goals and agendas of each attendee will be vastly different. You might consider adding a scheduling function to your event app design to allow customized itineraries.
GPS Function
If your event is multi-locational or big, consider make your app GPS compatible as an alternative to you are here paper mapping. People will get lost in a closet, if you let them. So don t let them. GPS will only work in a big space, though as of today s technology, it s accurate to about 500 feet, so if you re working within a small space it won t do you much good. In that case, a get directions function could substitute.
Daily Alerts
Dedicated apps may be a nice alternative to SMS updates for attendees. Personally, we think SMS can get a bit annoying, as it s hard for the receiver to filter incoming messages by relevance. Business and political executives are already bombarded by texts and emails, they don t need an additional communications backlog. But if you build a messaging system into your app, event data can be accessed and processed in context, turning an annoying interruption into a relevant reminder.
Sesame Street Event
COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS
Just finished a great event for CL Productions and Sesame Street in Washington DC. Follow the link for some fun photos. We were thrilled to help out Chris and the entire CL Production team onsite for the load in and show. Decibel was onsite to help facilitate the computer and iPad demos, as well as call the show. Thanks to Abby Cadabby and Gordon for the photos!
Glass Packaging Institute 2013 Spring Meeting
COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS
We just wrapped up the Glass Packaging Institute s (GPI) Spring Meeting in Washington, DC.
The meetings last week were held at the Law Offices of Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius. Not only do they have fantastic conference and meeting facilities, but also one of the best views of Washington, DC. They are located on Pennsylvania Avenue just blocks from some of the most famous Washington DC landmarks.
At registration Tuesday morning the members and guests received their name badges as well as a custom Moleskine notebook as the take home gift for this meeting. Registration for the members, guests, and staff are one of our roles for the GPI meetings.
Meeting topics this week ranged from Government Affairs to Member meetings as well as Congressional Office Visits on Capitol Hill for some of the GPI Members. Branded handouts and printed packets as well as the organization of agendas and other meeting documents were also handled by the Decibel team.
The members experienced the beautiful view on the 13th floor Rooftop Terrace at the Member s Reception on Wednesday night. The members were able to enjoy hors d oeuvres while they took in everything Washington DC had to offer.
Decibel Management executed many other aspects of this meeting including hotel accommodations at the St. Regis for the members and visiting guests, online and onsite registration, and all banquet and catering needs for the various meetings and reception.
Decibel Online Event Registration
COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
Over the past few months, we have been hard at work on our new custom online registration system, and wanted to share a quick behind the scenes photo of our IA process flow. For the past few years, we have been using our current online registration system for a number of clients and it has absolutely served us well on some very unique and intense registration scenarios. As we began to build a new site for one of our clients, we decided it was time to also build a more functional and user friendly system. We decided for the new version it was time to start from the ground up. This involved intensive planning with our design and development team, as well as heavy IA work and prototyping.
IA (Information Architecture) has been a major focus for the new registration system. Our goal is to make a very intricate and complex system as user friendly and simple as possible. The more time we spend planning and developing the IA, the easier it will be to navigate an intensely complex registration function. We have also included a very unique and inventive process for buying a companion ticket to the process. This may just be the best feature that we are including.
Once we complete the development and testing and it is ready for launch, we will post additional information with more in-depth details. We are looking forward to using this for our upcoming events in 2012. Stay tuned for more info!
NFC Integration for Mobile Tours and Event Environments
EVENT INDUSTRY, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
One of the best parts of the event production and management world is getting to see cutting edge and new, emerging technologies. This is especially true when companies get together and produce a field ready unit that can be rolled into our current event mix.
As it happens, we had a great afternoon with the team from GEMATouch and Telepathic Graphics show us what they are working on in the NFC world. GEMATouch has developed a NFC circuit enclosed in a fully brandable and printable card.
This has great potential for our mobile tour clients and brands as they are looking to find new ways of engaging their audience. It also has multiple applications for meetings, conferences and events. The programming and usage also tracks real time analytics.
Function:
Once we determine what we want the end product to be, the system is programmed, and the card printed. This can be a coupon strategy, content delivery, gaming, or any other mobile activation that the client requires. The card is branded with multiple touch points and placed in the activation area. From here, the attendee activation is simple,
1. A guest places their NFC enabled phone near the interactive print
2. Then they touch the desired areas of the print
3. Content is delivered instantly to the phone (no apps, cameras, QR readers or texting needed)
Example:
One of the great and simple examples of execution is deploying these readers for a cocktail function or gala setting. In these types of events, we usually see long lines at the bar throughout the evening. We can reduce and potentially eliminate these lines by utilizing this solution.
To begin, we program the chip to select up to 5 different beverages (e.g. White Wine, Red Wine, 2 Beer selections and the specialty cocktail). At each cocktail table or low round, we place a NFC enabled phone and printed reader. As guests finish their drinks, they can use the system to order additional beverages. An iPad or other computer is set up to receive the order and the server assembles the drink order and takes it directly to their table.
There are a host of other uses, but this one easily demonstrates the idea. For a quick look at the interaction, check out the video below.
National Book Festival Team
COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS
We just want to share a few photos of the great team we had onsite for the National Book Festival. We couldn t pull off an event of this size without a stellar team.
2013 The Special Event Chicago, IL
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS, TRADE SHOW
Do you remember that feeling when you were a kid and your parents let you walk through the toy section of a store? The pure joy and excitment of the latest and greatest thing? That is exactly how it felt to walk through The Special Event in Chicago a few weeks ago.
The Special Event is one of the largest trade shows and conferences for event professionals. Vendors bring their A-Game to show the industry what they are capable of. Thousands from around the country and world come together to see the best of the best in our industry.
The trade show floor had a little bit of everything. Different types of lighting to cater to any event, linens of every fabric, software for anything from layouts to registration, and much more in between.
We found quite a few potential vendors within the trade show and look forward to working with them in the future. Here are a few pictures from the tradeshow floor.
The conference portion was both interesting and informative. We learned a lot about the trends and issues in the event industry and are excited to bring the knowledge back to our clients.
We were also able to attend one of the extra events during the show. The ballroom was setup by some of the best vendors in the industry to resemble an upscale reception. Some of the best aspects included the ice DJ Booth by Nadeau s Ice Sculptures, the live music from the Becca Kaufman Orchestra, and modern furniture from Cort Event Furnishings and AFR Event Furnishings.
The Special Event was a great experience that every event professional should have at some point in their career. We learned a ton and met a lot of great people. Cannot wait until 2014 when the conference will be held in Nashville, TN at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center.
