Mashable s Innovative Mobile Media Marketing Campaigns

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As many of you know, we have been on the road and around the Nation this summer with the DoubleTree by Hilton Cookie CAREavan. While there has been amazing PR along the way, this article was a great treat! Our Mobile Media Road Tour made Mashable s top 5 Innovative Food Truck Social Media Marketing Campaigns. As a bonus we came in at the top spot. As with any tour, it takes a village. Congrats to DoubleTree by Hilton, Ketchum Public Relations and Digital Royalty for the great work! You can check out some awesome tour photos from the road in our gallery!

5 Innovative Food Truck Social Media Marketing Campaigns

Independence Day

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Thank you all those who have served and to their loved ones who shared them with us. We thank you for your sacrifice for our freedom. Our creative partner Blue Pony has created this video in their honor, and we are sharing it with you.

A Tribute To Our Troops By Blue Pony

National Book Festival Load In

COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TIPS & TRICKS

Load in for the 2011 National Book Festival began today. Thankfully the weather held out and we were able to get a great start on the week. Some photos of the build are below

As mentioned above, here are some photos of our Monday progress. Got a number of tents up and began the decor install. Great work by Select Events, Legacy Scenic and Productions and EventEQ, and a big thanks to Fleishman-Hillard and the Library of Congress for the event. We are hoping to post more photos throughout the week as the event shapes up. Check back to check out our progress.

Decibel Management Wrap Up- National Book Festival 2014

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The 2014 Library of Congress National Book Festival is officially in the books, and a success! With a new venue, earlier date, and a compressed timeline for planning, there were certainly challenges. Working with our great clients at The Library of Congress, as well as stellar vendors all around, the team was able to not only meet the expectations for this year, but according to the attendees, authors, and sponsors, exceed all expectations for the transition to the new venue. Thanks to the Library of Congress, EventEQ, GES Global, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Politics And Prose, as well as the team at FleishmanHillard.

Decibel Management Wrap Up- National Book Festival 2014 from Decibel Management on Vimeo.

Event Wrap-Up: The Archdiocese Gala

COMPANY NEWS, UNCATEGORIZED

Catholics the biggest party animals on the planet, amirite? We kid, we kid we kid because we love! In any case, as it so happens, the Archdiocese of Baltimore throws a pretty excellent shindig every fall a black tie gala to raise money for their schools and this year we were proud to be among the organizers.

Held on October 3, this year s gala was staged at Towson University s SECU Arena, which was transformed into an elegant dining hall decked in blues and purples, with gauzy white curtains and exquisite flower arrangements. In addition to a delicious dinner, guests were treated to an evening of student performances and alumni talks. As in past years, this month s event drew around 800 attendees, whose generous donations go to supporting Archdiocesan schools and raising funds for need-based scholarships.

All in all the evening went off without a hitch, and succeeded in raising funds for a good cause. It was our pleasure and pride to be involved in such a fantastic event. Thanks to The Classic Catering People, EventEQ and Select Event Group for their amazing work!

Check out pics from the event below:

Event Production Blog: Gala Organization

Event Production Blog: Planning a Religious Theme Gala

Event Production Blog: Religious event planning

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Making Events Great: Episode 1

BACKSTAGE, PODCAST, UNCATEGORIZED

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During Talk West Episode 1, Ann Marie Taepke, Walk West Director of Digital Media, met with our CEO, Dave Sonntag, to discuss his expertise in the world of event management.

Dave shares his insight on what works best, the importance of preparation, and the key factors that contribute to executing an all-around successful event. He mentions that an essential piece in making an impact on the attendees requires more than simple retention. Instead, it requires planning for moments of engaging physical interaction for the audience that will not only be more enjoyable but ultimately leading to a lasting impression.

Talk West is produced by Raleigh agency, Walk West. We talk with people who are trailblazers in their industry, embodying our company fabric of metaphorically walking west .

dB Blog #318: The Best of Both Worlds: Hybrid Events Offer Unique Benefits

BRAND ACTIVATIONS & MARKETING, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, EXPERIENTIAL, LIVE EVENTS, PRODUCTION, TIPS & TRICKS, UNCATEGORIZED, VIRTUAL EVENTS

It s no secret that producers of  large-scale events have had to quickly rethink almost every aspect of their existence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hybrid and virtual events took off, becoming the new normal for marketers and event organizers, with the majority of major events using updated technologies in their event planning to accommodate new health and safety concerns. 

Hybrid events are not new. They have been around for years now, usually consisting of an in-person event combined with some kind of live streaming technology that allows viewers at home to tune in. That format still exists, but is quickly evolving. The COVID-19 pandemic has added serious fuel to the fire, necessitating events to embrace virtual and hybrid options, which ultimately means new technologies and greater innovation. Here are some awesome benefits hybrid events can provide for audiences and event organizers. 

Let s start with some data. A recent study conducted by LinkedIn, based on interviews with more than 1,800 marketers across 13 countries, gives us insight into the current attitude of the events industry towards virtual and hybrid events. Of those interviewed, 85{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} had held a virtual event in the last year and 28{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} said that between 91-100{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of their events are now fully virtual. The same data revealed that event marketers are predicting  40{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of events will be virtual, 36{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} will be in-person and 24{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} will be hybrid events, combining what could be the best of both worlds, if they are produced well. 

Hybrid and virtual events are changing the capability expectations for marketers and event management companies. Skills nowadays should include producing and directing video content, having technical knowledge of different platforms, being able to moderate online comments and discussions, and understanding how to amplify the event on digital marketing platforms after the fact.

While all of that might seem overwhelming, we think it s all worth it and the events industry is largely in our camp. In that same study we mentioned earlier, LinkedIn also predicts many event organizers will develop a digital twin or create an online component of their event to ensure they are getting the most out of their investments. On top of the potential increase in ROI, the shift in the event industry towards hybrid and virtual events also poses serious benefits for audiences, event management companies, and the environment. 

Let s put this in the context of hybrid events. Hybrid events are actively experiencing a growth spurt. These new grown-up events will be integrated experiences for both virtual and physical attendees. They can be tailored to individuals preferences, allowing for a wider audience and more speakers, and open the door for more extensive discussions and post-event promotions. They harmonize the magic of an in-person event while enjoying the extensive reach of a virtual one. 

For conferences and speaker based events, hybrid events massively widen the scope of the experts from which they can choose. Now, organizers can invite and host speakers from nearly anywhere in the world. With more speakers comes more interested individuals. The virtual side of the event can accommodate many more attendees than an in-person venue ever could. 

Hybrid events create the opportunity for the event to stay connected and relevant long after the in-person experience has ended. Organizations and companies can continue to extend the hype around their events with post-event campaigns and/or repurposing content for blogs and social media. This can help retarget attendees, gaining access to an entirely new audience beyond the one that attends the in-person experience. Hybrid events uniquely allow organizers to engage two types of attendees, measuring success both in-person and through an online community that will continue to grow long after the actual event is over. 

For the environment, hybrid events, and virtual events even more so, pose an interesting solution to some of the more wasteful practices used for large-scale events. Hybrid events have the added value of maintaining the balance between sustainability and the joy of having an in-person experience. Again, the Linkedin research found that 42{04d9822e7d95da125d508d8e1efbcf2edc79acd8aec1f0bbdcbd6a6f684f9bb3} of organizers will continue to produce virtual events in some capacity because they are more environmentally friendly than in-person sessions, reducing the need for transport, and cutting down on disposable items. 

Inclusivity is another awesome perk of virtual and hybrid events. Having a virtual side to an event opens up the experience to more people, especially those who, for a myriad of reasons, might not have been able to access it in-person. Now, anyone can take part in the event from the comfort of their own home, with options for closed captioning, transcription technology, or other health and safety necessities. 

This is all predicated on the fact that you produce a Hybrid event well. We have all seen some real disasters and epic fails over the past two years. We have also seen some very large AV companies claim they can host virtual or hybrid events, only to discover that they really do not have a handle on the platform, basic best practices, or have platform tunnel vision for their specific tech platform. What we know is that there is no platform panacea. They all do something really well, and many try to do lots of things pretty poorly. This also includes true accessibility and 508 compliance. With this in mind, it is important to have a solid vendor with an in depth knowledge of the landscape, that can anticipate needs and hiccups before they become problems and one that you trust. 

As we enter 2022, we can t wait to see how major events start to push the technological and social boundaries of the industry. 

For more information about organizing hybrid events get in touch with the team at Decibel! 

2021 Emmy Awards Reviewed- Hits and Misses

BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT DESIGN, EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, NEWS, TIPS & TRICKS, UNCATEGORIZED

Did you catch the 2021 Emmy awards ceremony this Sunday? We have fairly strong opinions here at Decibel about the production, and curious your own thoughts about the broadcast. Tl;dr tight shot was rubbish but we are encouraged to see live events happen safely.

The Emmy s saw attendees back in person (and in a fancy tent) this year.  If you have ever designed and built out a production in a tent, you know what goes into the process. It is not easy, and a LOT goes into how these types of productions are designed. As you can see below, the event was built outside of the Staples Center. We have some great behind the scenes productions shots so you can see *behind* the facade into what it looks like backstage.

Behind The Scenes

So what worked? I loved what I will call the attendee experience. The in-room experience looked great and I believe that the event guests had a great view and experience in the space. The long runs of LED down the length of the tent were solid as were all the graphics that made it to screen. I also loved the second stage backdrop and look. I am also thrilled to see the event pass COVID-19 protocols to get this many people in one place, all vaxxed and tested for the event. This should be a good model for other large scale events.

2021 Emmy Tent Production View

What fell short? The tight shot was absolute trash. I am actually really surprised this was able to make a national broadcast. It may have worked for those in the room, but any good producer learns early that you produce for your primary audience. This would be the television viewers and what did we get? A large solid color cyc that was wrinkled in the corners and a giant Emmy statue. In the tight shot, we only really got to see the mid section of the statue and the presenter. I would LOVE to know how in the world that made it through approvals.

Tight Shot

In addition, there seemed to be a bit more gack in the different shots. In some instances, this was in the form of staff walking through the live shot, or just undressed hardware. I was also surprised about the audio quality for the broadcast. 


All in all, I was glad to see a live event again and looking forward to the opportunity for more clients to take the leap safely and get back to these in-person events.

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