6-Point Strategy for Transitioning Your Live Event Online
NEWS
Well, here we are again. Now that we re all hunkered down in our toilet paper forts, we figured it s time to stop contributing to mass panic with reports of event cancellations. If panic is your thing, feel free to turn on cable news or google Dow Jones Industrial Average at your convenience.
Just to recap, pretty much everything is cancelled (Coachella, Europe, bars, the bull market, bars, my career aspirations, bars, etc.). The White House just updated it to no gatherings of more than 10 people. That is just how quickly the landscape is changing.
So, take a few moments and have a freak-out session. It s well-deserved. We re all stressed. No judgement here. I watched Contagion for the first time over the weekend assuming it d just be a zombie flick so, I get it.
Now, rein it back in and let us guide you into the shining light of online event solutions. This is only a tactical challenge and you still have plenty of options for meeting your events goals this year.
To help you out, we ve come up with a general 6-point attack strategy for transitioning your live event into an online experience. Before you decide to just cancel your current plans, go through this list. It s easier than you think and you leave yourself in a better position for success if you simply transition your event, rather than cancel it and attempt to regain your audience and momentum down the road.
Revise Your Event Goals & Benchmarks for Success
OK, we know that live events are an impossibility until at least the Summer, so let s revisit the core goals behind your live event. That attendance goal you have? It s probably time to set that aside. Your goals about a product launch, increasing brand awareness, or generating a dialogue through a speaker/panel series however, can still be very much in play. Figure out which goals are still attainable.
In the short term, a successful event is well-attended, most of the right people show up, and most everyone leaves with a positive impression. Great. But we re talking about long-term markers of success how much more traffic does your website receive after your event? How much sustained social media buzz is there for you new product? How many more online or in-store sales are you making? You re going to want your events management company, or an in-house events team to derive a revised set of success benchmarks informed by resources like livestream analytics. Plenty of livestreaming companies offer these services, but here s one just to give you an example of how you can leverage an online event into a business boost.
Revise Your Message
When we talk about a message , we re really thinking about a consistent image or concept that communicates your brand s intentions and identity to your audiences. That s still doable, but it has to change to accommodate these new circumstances. Maybe it s time to seriously alter your event s website to make it your central event hub. Maybe it s time to significantly change your approach to social media. Maybe it s time to shift gears on your brand storytelling. Think about a unified online aesthetic and narrative to communicate the message of your branded event to your audiences. Here s some ideas to get you started.
Translate Format & Attendee/Presenter Experience
Know your content and your audience. Think about the live experiences you intended your audience to have in the abstract how were audiences expected to engage aspects of your event? Was this a sitting-quietly-and-listening event or were audiences expected to interact with a person or new product? In light of that, what formats for presentation would they most likely respond to? Are scheduled video drops the way to go? Is a livestream presentation more appropriate? Would your viewers like something more interactive for Q&A like a message board? Should you send out your new product to handful of lucky people to make their own unboxing videos? There are analogous online experiences that can be created for nearly all of the live experiences you had planned.
Evaluate Personnel & Skill Requirements
Obviously, with a change in format you ll also need to think about the requirements and skills necessary to pull off this online event. Does someone need to moderate a forum or livestream? Do you need additional personnel available by phone or live chat to answer questions? Is your current website and social media management sufficient, or do you need additional personnel to forward your revised message and strategy? After revising message and your event format, prepare a list of new remote work and skill requirements needed to manage your event.
Create New Communication Plan
Navigating an online event can be less intuitive than a live event. You can t really put up signs. Announcements are more difficult. You can t just walk over to the next room and speak with someone. Revising your communication plan so that you can actively maintain contact with event stakeholders, presenters, and audiences is crucial to mitigating these challenges and will insure the success of your online event.
Finalize New Schedule
At least for the next 8 weeks, you ll have a pretty good idea of where your audiences will be and when they ll be available. You do not necessarily have to cram a whole event into a three-day weekend since you re not working under constraints like travel or the cost of renting a space. There are options here to draw out what would have been a very short event into a week-long or multi-week affair that offers viewers a small but steady stream of content every day. Think about how your audiences and presenters are now occupying their time and schedule for the best results.
Right now, online events are everyone s jam. Decibel has been tackling this online challenge for years now and plan to continue bringing you helpful content throughout this crisis to keep your organization moving forward. Check out our new podcast series here for more helpful tips, and reach out to get your live event retconned into an effective online experience today.
Decibel and The National Small Business Week Awards
NEWS
Last month Decibel Management produced one of our flagship events in Washington D.C., the National Small Business Week Awards. Since this is the Decade of Decibel, we thought it might be nice to take a deeper look at this event, seeing as our partnership with SCORE and the U.S. Small Business Administration is one of our longest standing events and to show how we help their team bring this influential event to life.
So first, a little history lesson. National Small Business Week, or NSBW for short, started back in 1963 when President Kennedy signed the first proclamation recognizing the contributions that small businesses provide the U.S. economy. Since then every standing president, regardless of political party, has reissued this proclamation in the continuing acknowledgement of American entrepreneurship.
Flashforward nearly 60 years and the tradition is still going strong. Although things really got going in 2009, or so we like to think at least, when Decibel first got involved with NSBW by partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses, to host the National Small Business Week Awards in our nation s capital. The awards aim to recognize and honor achievements by business owners from all over the country, their companies and their employees for all they do in the small business world. Categories range from recognizing business innovations to the Small Business Person Of The Year and include winners from every state in the country.
Every year the event takes on a new form as administrations turnover and different goals and challenges are set. This most recent year, for instance, Decibel tackled the addition of a NSBW bus tour, which included a custom-wrapped bus that stopped in multiple cities to honor small businesses in their hometowns.
As for Decibel s exact role in this week-long celebration, well, you name it. Stage design, event management, execution and let s not forget vendor management. So much vendor management. From food to travel, we covered it all. Planning and logistics are a major part of the legwork leading up to events of this caliber, but it s important we not forget the team on the ground that Decibel sends to put out the inevitable fires to come up with any large event. But by now we ve become expert firefighters.
Of course, our ultimate goal is always to provide a great event for all of the nominees in attendance, whether at the main stage in D.C. or along the bus tour route. Funny thing about awards shows, one of the most challenging aspects of producing them is keeping the winners a secret all the way through the rehearsals and show so that they are genuinely surprised when they win.
After producing this event for much of the past decade, with all the new faces and changes we ve seen, there is one thing we always find to be the same. As a small business ourselves, we consistently walk away from this event feeling inspired and hopeful. Getting to meet so many nominees and winners from all over the country gives us a renewed sense of what small businesses can achieve and how they really are the backbone of commerce and business in America. This is truly one of our favorite events here at Decibel Management and we re honored to be a part of it. Looking forward to many more!
Decibel Podcast
NEWS
Greetings everyone! We re proud to announce that this week we re launching the Decibel podcast. We hope to bring you a series of rich (but brief, we all have stuff to do) round table discussions between Decibel and industry leaders to discuss emergent trends and challenges in the events industry.
Here s what to expect from our debut:
In last week s blog post we offered a run down of the major event cancellations that have occurred due to COVID-19 s effects in the US and Europe. In only a week the situation has escalated faster than any of us could have expected. The entire nation of Italy is on lockdown. A staggering, 8 states have now declared states of emergency and schools across the United States are imposing short-term, and even semester-long closures.
Major events like Facebook s F8 Summit and Google s I/O Summit have been put on hold. Even SXSW, whose organizers held out as long as possible, was canceled last week despite approval from Austin s Public Health Board due to social panic and the loss of major presenters like Netflix. With major Instagram-oriented and occasionally music-oriented events like Indio s Coachella already receiving public pressure to cancel their events in early April (it s been postponed), we expect COVID-19 s influence on the live events industry to echo through at least the Spring and Summer. Remember that even after the virus is successfully contained, it will still take time for public confidence in public events to return.
While we believe social panic is a key influencer in these cancelations, we understand the public s concern for their well-being and are here to offer solutions to companies who still have events goals this year. We are NOT approaching COVID-19 like a crisis, and are instead approaching it as one of many possible technical or tactical challenges that companies should account for in the planning stages of an event.
Your brand can still capture attention. There are still a number of ways you can hold events and get your message out without compromising the safety of your staff or the public. In fact, this is an opportunity for your brand to build up a robust online event strategy as the industry has been slowly moving in that direction for several years anyway.
We are joined in this week s podcast to discuss events solutions for the COVID-19 outbreak by our own David Sonntag and Dan Lamphier, PM for the AV company CMI. Keep a lookout for the recording to drop later this week!
Navigating COVID-19
NEWS
This was inevitable. Here we are again to talk about COVID-19 (the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan in mid-December). While the major city and province-wide quarantines implemented by China bought the world some time to prepare, the virus is now on the loose worldwide, leading to quarantines, school closures and widespread market panic. For those of you keeping score, we re only 2 full months in 2020. We suggest calling this one a wash and fast-fowarding to 2021.
As members of the events industry, it should come as no surprise to all of you that threat of COVID-19 has had a major impact on planned public activities. San Francisco and Los Angeles have declared states of emergency. Seattle, Chicago, and New York are all experiencing widescale outbreaks. As we head into the Spring and Summer months when things in the industry typically start to kick in, we expect demand for public events will dwindle and demand for streaming event services to increase.
This week, we d like to offer all of you a brief rundown on industry reactions to the virus who is postponing their events and who is staying the course? How will the events industry (and Decibel, by extension) change to accommodate this pandemic in the long term?
The tech industry has been the most proactive with regards to shuttering planned events. In just the past week, Facebook canceled both their Global Marketing Summit in San Francisco, as well as their F8 developer conference in San Jose. The massive global tech conference Mobile World Congress was to be held in Barcelona but was similarly canceled due to widescale outbreak in Spain. The game developer conference GDC has been postponed to the summer, and even Google has even canceled their own internal conferences amid fears of a global pandemic.
There do remain several events that are pushing ahead as planned. Even despite an outbreak in Seattle, Emerald City Comic Conwill go on as scheduled. However, as Washington state has just declared a state of emergency, we suspect this is subject to change at any time.
We still don t know what s happening with SXSW which is set to take place from March 13th to the 22nd. While there have been public calls to cancel Austin s annual social tech and entertainment industry extravaganza, organizers have stated they are pushing ahead with the event with support from Austin Public Health and will be implementing public health measures to protect their presenters and attendees.
We know this virus isn t going to disappear any time soon, but life has to go on and companies will need to keep their brands and workforces stable as it runs its course. There are events solutions here, and in light of public health concerns we believe this could be the best time to look towards events companies with live streaming chops. Adobe, for example, has canceled all public events for the Las Vegas Adobe Summit (March 29th April 2nd) and is instead changing the event into a fully livestreamed, online experience. Events companies like Decibel can provide a full suite of online services in digital promotion, live streaming, and broadcasting to make sure events can go on as planned while still protecting the health and safety of their participants. Just reach out.
Whether you re planning or attending an event in spite of the crisis, we d like to offer you some resources to make sure you stay safe. Eventscouncil.org has this fantastic FAQ that is constantly being updated with the latest info on how to stay safe in public and tips on how to handle live events under these circumstances. It s very comprehensive. We suggest you visit that page frequently for updates if you plan to be out and about.
If you re looking for more general information on how to prep for the virus and stay safe, look no further than the CDC. You won t find a lot of doomy spin here, just a comprehensive rundown on current outbreaks and solid information on how to keep yourself healthy. Additionally, we ve put together our own sheet for our event colleagues with some tips to help make your events safer. Practice Safe Stage! Print it out and share it! Also, we d love to updated it with any additional good ideas you would like to add. (Note: We re not medical doctors. Our list is a compilation of ideas we think are good practice.)
Stay safe and get in touch with us if you need an 11th hour solution to move your event online!
Do Ya Dada?
NEWS
In our January newsletter we talked a bit about the fun we re having with all the new material available in the public domain. To recap, January 1st is a non-holiday called Public Domain Day, in which a whole year s worth of content suddenly becomes up for grabs. Because of a series of interventions on our copyright system largely undertaken to keep Mickey Mouse out of public domain, we are currently digging for content all the way back in 1924.
But you know what? There s a lot of cool stuff to work with from 1924, and it seems particularly apropos to spend some time with this content as we enter into our own 20 s. We gave you a few suggestions of 20 s concepts to revive but our favorite was German Dadaism, French surrealism s stern older sibling that had its heyday in the 20th century s late teens and early 20 s.
So, let s talk about the Dadaist movement in a very practical way and how this could be a cool 20 s connection to your next event, or how last century s Dadaism might inspire some ideas for your 21st century event.
What is Dadaism?
Dadaism is an art movement that emerged in the cultural fallout of World War 1. The stresses of the protracted conflict in Europe, combined with interpretations of the cause of the war being rooted in cultural and intellectual conformity inspired this anti-art revolution. If antebellum art and culture was about order and logic, then Dadaism would revel in irrationality and chaos and be absurd by design. At the outset of the 20 s Dadaism was a formidable field of political, visual, musical, and poetic criticism of the cultural status quo.
Visual artists like Marcel Duchamp, produced readymade works by signing everyday objects.
Pioneering photographer and OG punk Hannah Hoch innovated the photomontage and mixed media collage.
On the literary side, Hugo Ball wrote nonsense poems around random sounds. Here s his most famous work, Karawane as performed by Marie Osmond (she s a little bit Dada).
You know how a lot of art in the 20th century is kinda weird? Dadaism can take a lot of the blame for that. There d be no 8-hour Andy Warhol stationary films of the Empire State Building without it.
So, thanks Dadaism.
How to Apply a Dadaist Aesthetic to Your Next Event
People like to use the word experimental with art movements like Dadaism. Experimental as a qualifier often gets applied to things in the art world that are obnoxious-for-arts-sake but the application of the term makes sense for Dadaism. The purpose of a Dadaist piece is to elicit a reaction. Don t get intimidated here, there isn t supposed to be hidden meaning. Through conflating different medias in a collage, defacing a famous portrait with a mustache, or applying an artist signature to a water fountain, you ve created a new artistic reality.
Basically, your goal is to trigger an emotional response from your audience that should hopefully inspire a new way of seeing the world. Whereas some argued that as an anti-art, Dadaism was intended to offend sensibilities, there are of course positive emotional responses that you can glean from your audience using a Dadaist approach.
Meme culture is without question a form of current Dadaism/Surrealism. A central aspect of Dadaism and meme culture is a tacit wit that makes its viewers all suddenly feel part of an in-joke. But be careful here, if you force it like these companies or Mike Bloomberg you re going to have a bad time.
We re just spit balling here find an absolutely bizarre, but harmless and non-alienating way for attendees to sign in to your event, then display it like a priceless art object or smash it on video (or both). Choose distinctive, seemingly clashing visual themes and meld them together for a new style. Broadly, apply a unique alternative system of visual order, or new ways to interact with commonplace objects to make a strong impact. Better yet, just get weird.
A few weeks ago, we shared this photo of Marriott Courtyard s Sleepover promotion for the Superbowl. There s an absurd element to this that could be argued to be Dadaist:
How to Use the Dadaist Mindset to Plan/Brainstorm Your Next Event
Before you sit down and think about your goals or head towards a project management plan, consider writing a short manifesto. Seriously, writing an art manifesto in the 1920 s was basically the equivalent of having a Tumblr for the era. Dadaism was all about manifestos.
Manifestos are typically full of tons of wild unverifiable claims, left-field interpretations of human nature, and insane ambition. But that s the point. They aren t held back by traditional reason and constraints. They re not even always about follow-through. Manifestos are intended to be a starting point, or a brazen call to arms and this is why they re often very exciting, charismatic documents.
If you could have it all, what does your group actually want out of your next event? Go crazy. Don t worry about what s possible clear your mind and rattle off some revolutionary rhetoric about your group s goals in 15-minutes flat. The manifesto exercise is often a great way to bring far reaching ambitions and goals to the fore that can be very useful when it comes down to the actual planning of your event.
Find some inspiration in one of Hugo Ball s Dadaist manifesto from 1916.
Send us your event manifesto and get your Dadaist-inspired event started today!
So NFL, About that COVID Plan
LIVE EVENTS, NEWS
You know what? Let s talk about sports. That s a nice safe topic right? Can we all just be chill and talk about the NFL for a few minutes without anything bad happening? Can we just have that, universe?
We spent the summer watching the various ways different pro-sports leagues tried to push forward despite the circumstances. The MLB had an interesting strategy at the outset: test players constantly, maintain social distancing, keep the stands empty and pipe in crowd noise to the telecasts. That worked really well until a bunch of players got COVID like 5 minutes after the national anthem wrapped up.
The NBA by contrast created their Disney COVID bubble where players would live, hang out and play in a closed system. While this method was quite restrictive, it did actually work. Like it really worked. The NBA just wrapped up their their 2020 season with the Lakers winning their 17th NBA Championship title and (even more impressively) ZERO COVID cases.
We had zero positive tests for as long as we were here, MVP Lebron James said. That s a success for everybody that was involved.
Enter the NFL. This is likely the most challenging sport to pull off during a pandemic since gameplay requires 22 players to be packed into tight spaces where they just breathe on each other and occasionally move the ball 4 yards in either direction.
After putting on an excellent virtual draft back in the Spring, we expected the NFL to be absolutely on top of their game for their kick-off on September 10th. So how did the opening games pan out? What precautions has the league taken to ensure the safety of their players and confidence in their schedule?
Well, the biggest issues with the season plan were theoretically hammered out at the tail end of July. If any of you sports fans recall, the NFL and NFL Player s Association came to a lengthy agreement that included extensive testing, strict training regiments, new salary caps, roster changes, and everything else imaginable and unimaginable.
The NFL/NFLPA agreement is seriously exhaustive. There s pages of requirements detailing things like how air should be circulated in indoor stadiums. There s new rules about who teams can send out to witness the coin toss. There s rules about masks. There s even rules about how loud the piped-in crowd noise is allowed to be across the league so as not to provide an advantage to one franchise over another. Seriously.
And while the NFL teams would not be playing in a bubble like their NBA counterparts, the amount of logistical work that went into new rules for play suggests the NFL was at least as serious about protecting the health of their players as they were in protecting their finances. And really, that s just about the best we can all hope for this year.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) carries the ball against the Houston Texans in the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Another point of departure that the NFL took from other professional sports leagues was in the allowance of some stadiums to seat actual fans. Each franchise has been allowed to apply their own rules to live attendance based on local pandemic conditions, and the complete list of who is selling tickets can be found here. While some franchises like the Denver Broncos will only allow family and friends of the players to view games, the Kansas City Chiefs actually allowed 16,000 fans to spread out across their 70,000 seat stadium. This arrangement can be seen well here, as fans boo the Chiefs and Giants standing in silent unity to call attention to police brutality (btw, have you registered to vote?). The New England Patriots and several other franchises haven t ruled out the possibility of hosting fans until later in the season but did commit to keeping their stadiums empty at least through September.
Now aside from that unpleasantness in Kansas City, the remainder of opening weekend seemed to have gone off rather smoothly, albeit with a slight drop in viewership from past years. So clearly, the NFL seems to have figured this out and the rest of the season should go smoothly and as scheduled. There s no story here.
Oh no, wait. Hang on.
Yeah, nevermind. Actually there s COVID everywhere.
As rough as the NFL s opening weekend was, that seems to have thus far been the high point of the 2020-21 season. But don t just take it from me, I m only capable of informative snark. Here s ESPN s Dan Graziano with a breathless, dramatic rundown of the state of things at Week 5:
Already the most exhausting season in history, the 2020 NFL campaign now peeks its head around the corner into Week 5 amid cacophonous calamity. Every morning brings fresh news of positive COVID-19 tests, schedule delays, amended protocols, questions that spawn more questions. Two games were postponed last week, and two more already have been postponed this week. The Tennessee Titans are under investigation and have been banned from their own facility for 10 days so far. The New England Patriots two best players have tested positive for the coronavirus, and they haven t practiced yet this week after playing on Monday night. Both teams Week 5 opponents wait for final word on whether and when they might play. No one knows where the next COVID-19-related issue will start, only that it will, and bring with it even more questions and complications.
This week has seen some major changes to the regular season schedule to accommodate teams battling COVID. In the short term, the NFL just issued several changes to their management plan in response to the virus moving through the Patriots as quickly and easily as an opposing team breaks through their offensive line. Anyone exposed to COVID and anyone that person has come in contact with are now required to isolate for a minimum of 5 days, even if it means missing a game.
The NFL is now actually reconsidering the NBA s bubble strategy for the post-season and are potentially looking at Dallas and Los Angeles as their bubble sites before the Super Bowl takes place in Tampa Bay as scheduled.
So there you go. It was a nice try, NFL. Here s hoping things get back on track and everyone stays safe and virus-free for the remainder of the season.
What Does This Have to Do with Your Next Event Plan?
Are you planning to pull together your professional sports franchise for the 2021 season? For real, one of these is bound to be perfectly fine. Isn t that how the law of averages works? We re looking at you XFL third time s a charm.
In all seriousness, here at Decibel Events we look at each of these leagues, individual franchises and major events for key takeaways on what to do, but also more importantly what NOT to do going forward.
When it comes to these major sports seasons, it appears that only the bubble has worked so far. Does that mean that you need to do a bubble to successfully host your next conference or corporate meeting? Not necessarily. It s important to evaluate your ultimate goals with each event, and we re great at doing just that. Reach out to us today to see how we can help you plan and put on your next company event both safely AND successfully.
The Roaring 20s Redux: Will the 2020s Mirror the 1920s?
EVENT INDUSTRY, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, NEWS
The similarities between the 2020s and the 1920s are impossible to ignore. So will our version of post-pandemic life be Gatsby-esque? Or will things just go back to normal?
The 1920s.
The Roaring Twenties came on the heels of the end of a war and our last major global pandemic. The timeline was bleak: WW1 was fought from 1914-1918, and the Spanish Flu ravaged the globe from 1918-1920.
Spanish Flu mitigation efforts were eerily similar to the CDC s SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus recommendations, and included hand washing, social distancing, and mask wearing, with one major exception the masks of yesteryear were made of gauze and cheesecloth, which by current standards, sounds more like an entr e presentation at The French Laundry, rather than something that will prevent illness and painful death.
A debate about freedoms and rights regarding mask wearing wasn t a factor back then; citizens faced strict fines and imprisonment if they were caught unmasked.
Post-WW1, and post-pandemic, things started looking up. The 1920s ushered in an era of economic growth and widespread prosperity, credited to deferred wartime spending and frankly, a massive sigh of relief. Mass production efforts for the war turned to consumer needs, and explosive strides and innovation in the automotive, film, radio and chemical industries made everything seem possible.
Cue: Jazz. Gold. Glitz. Glamour. Art deco. Celebrity. Cars. Film. Flappers. It was a new day, a new decade, and the first truly modern era.
People were longing for connection and celebrating life to the fullest. Sounds kinda great, eh?
The 2020s.
So is that what s in store for this century s post-pandemic life? With the rapid dissemination of the COVID-19 vaccine, and fast-dropping morbidity rates, do we dare start imagining a return to glitz and glam? Or at the very least, a weekend without athleisure apparel?
Oh, yes. We dare.
Our version of the 20s is unlikely to be quite as life-changing as that of the last century. After all, average consumers already have refrigerators, washing machines and cars.
However, we anticipate an explosion of creativity, events, and gatherings as soon as the end of 2021, with an explosion of excess and celebration in 2022.
The pandemic has catastrophically impacted many industries including our own but a little silver lining is that the overall economy isn t as bad as we ve previously experienced (looking at you, The Great Recession). We re currently struggling with a depressed demand issue, simply because we cannot safely gather in large groups.
People want to go out. They want to get dressed up, meet friends for dinner, belly up to a bar, and listen to live music. We re collectively craving fantastical experiences and making memories at unforgettable events. We re connected by technology, but nothing duplicates the energy of a crowd, and the simple joy of a hug from a friend. That s depressed demand, and it s miserable.
All that will change soon and we. are. ready.
For the Decibel team, the physical isolation and fatigue of being grounded in one place, unable to fully do what we do best, has been rough. We re so close to the (vaccinated) finish line, and can t wait to get out and create amazing events for our partners and clientele. Bring on the planes, trains and automobiles, this is going to be the Touring Twenties for us!
While these 20s may trade street murals and memes for art deco, and have Tik Tokers and twerkers instead of flappers, if history repeats itself, as it often does, we have a lot to look forward to.
It s our Corona-versary. Yay.
COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, NEWS, VIRTUAL EVENTS
It s been exactly one year since the pandemic shut us down. One whole fucking year.
We aren t speaking figuratively. It s been exactly one year since we literally had to turn the truck around. It was the event management equivalent of this:
but without Padma Lakshmi. Not a great day.
Here s how it went down:
The long version:
We had a big 2020 planned. Elaborate activations, experiential events, so many creative concepts coming to life it was going to be our best year yet.
We had just wrapped an international broadcast event created for a client to announce a billion-dollar merger. We hosted the event in five locations: three in the states, one in Bangalore, India, and one in Brussels, Belgium. The Shanghai activation was cancelled at the last minute due to COVID closures, so the virus was top of mind for us, but not cause for concern outside of Asia. This was before masking was recommended by the CDC, and handwashing and protecting the elderly and immunocompromised was the primary concern.
So we replaced shaking hands with fist bumps, stocked up on Lysol products, and powered on. (We even made a meme about it- check it out here).
March 11, 2020.
The day of the shutdown was brutal. Decibel Events was finalizing a mobile marketing tour launch for a CPG client, for debut at the Boston St. Patty s Day Parade. We had spent months planning the tour, designing a badass mobile oatmeal bar for parade-goers, securing site and health permits, fabricating and wrapping the van, and training the team.
We were ready to roll and super excited.
Our driver was in the tour truck, heading to the event site, when we got the email:
Turn the driver around. Everything is off.
So there it was. March 11, 2020 at 11:54am, and we were cancelled.
That was the same day that the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a global pandemic. Soon thereafter, the NBA announced the cancellation of their season.
That was a turning point. If a billion-dollar machine couldn t make things safe for guests, no corporation wanted to put their attendees at risk. Within hours of the NBA s announcement, 100{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of our live events were cancelled, and the reality of living through a global pandemic set in.
The New Normal.
We re not the only company that experienced a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Across the board, the event industry was among the first hit, and the hardest. Our job as event planners, producers and organizers is to bring crowds together, and all of a sudden, crowds were the enemy.
So you give yourself a day, and then figure it out. Adapt or die.
Enter: Zoom calls. Masks. Hand sanitizer. The proper way to wash your hands (hello, thumbs). A new appreciation for toilet paper. And yes, a daytime Scotch (or two). Staying in became the new normal, and rapidly reshaping our business (while ignoring our abandoned, dust-accumulating luggage) became our only option. We leaned in.
We were fortunate to have some projects remain, from fabrication builds to new tech R&D, and are so grateful that new and existing clients trusted us to lend our virtual event experience to their digital activation.
March 11, 2021.
It s been a year since our plans went up in smoke. We miss our old life. We miss our clients, our partners, and our vendors. We miss handshakes and hugs.
We miss the thrill of turning a temporary space into an unforgettable experience. There just nothing like the rush of a crowd, the sound of applause, and the look on someone s face when they first see a badass experiential activation in person. Hell, we even miss tearing down those same activations, just a few days later.
Good Things to Come.
We re starting to see the sun on the horizon, and it s s l o w l y thawing out the live event industry freeze. Vaccinations are rolling out at warp speed (thank you, science!), and we re elated to report that the outlook for mid-to-late 2021 for both hybrid and in-person events is optimistic, with high hopes for 2022.
It s been a tough year. But we re here, we re open for business, and we re proud of what we have accomplished.
And as soon as it s safe, we can t wait to see you in a crowded room.
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:
- An unmarked Lincoln Town Car with all tinted windows to roll up into my driveway
- A courier wearing a full-on N95 mask bedazzled in semi-precious stones to present me an Oculus Rift on a velvet pillow
- 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!
Elevating the Ambiance: 5 Awesome Ideas for New Year s Eve Events
BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT COLLATERAL, EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVENT PRODUCTION INSPIRATION, EVENT RESOURCES, EXPERIENTIAL, LIVE EVENTS, NEWS, PRODUCTION, TIPS & TRICKS
We don t do boring. Event management requires a high level of creativity. The ability to create inspired, original experiences is the mark of a competent and compelling event management team. At Decibel, we do exactly that. We re not simply talking about big-picture issues here. Consistency and attention to minor details elevate an event from average to exceptional.
Organizing events requires detailed planning and execution, design, marketing, production, stage management, and more. With New Year s Eve around the corner, here are five awesome ideas that can elevate a party s ambiance:
1. Immersive Experiences:
Taking advantage of technological creativity for entertainment purposes allows you to give your event an innovative, immersive aspect. Incorporating interactive displays and all-encompassing experiences will ensure your party is a memorable one. Cater to all five senses, mixed with thematic elements and story driven content. These elements can elevate your event from a typical end-of-year party to an unforgettable experience.
2. Creative Themes and Venues:
Theme and venue are paramount when it comes to event planning. On one hand, you need to make sure your venue aligns with your theme, while, on the other hand, it should check all logistical boxes for your unique event. Get creative, go bold. Try hosting your party in a museum, art gallery, brewery, or a bold architectural space.
3. Phone Charging Stations:
What s worse than an empty phone battery at a party? We ve got you. Include smart charging stations at crowded parties and events to give your guests the opportunity to charge their phones safely. They can pick up a portable battery, charge their phones, and return the battery to any station. These stations are present in many venues, including the Las Vegas Convention Center or MGM Grand Garden Arena.
4. Go Live With 3D Virtual Platforms:
Virtual and hybrid events can be just as entertaining, interactive, and professionally produced as in-person ones. When going live on a 3D platform, virtual guests can create their own holographic avatars that can run, jump, wave, dance, and do other things, making them perfect for participating in any party! Webcams on avatars may be turned on and off, allowing for live presentations or face-to-face chats. Attendees can also keep digital information in a briefcase to view or download directly to their devices.
5. Crowd Control Solutions:
When planning large scale events, there are a few safety measures one should consider. Floor mapping, organizing crowd control solutions, and COVID safety measures are essential for a safe and secure event. After being under lockdown and separated for two years, the intensity of the audience must be considered. Our team at Decibel provides custom plans for our clients in order to maintain safety and ensure a successful event every time. This is something not to forget.
We hope you have a very Happy New Year s Eve and wish you the absolute best for the upcoming year!
Want to learn more about planning and executing a successful NYE party? Reach out to our team of experts and we ll get it handled.
