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Nine Ways to Punch Up Your Conference

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Nine Ways to Punch Up Your Conference

When it comes to conferences, especially recurring ones, it can be difficult to find ways to excite your attendees and inspire enthusiasm time and time again. Perhaps you've even fallen into the trap of repeating every element of an event from year to year, simply because it worked the last time. If you're searching for ways to bring your next event up a level, here are nine tactics you can use to punch up your conference!

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For starters, you'll want to make sure that the person hosting your event is lively and engaging. Try to choose someone with a natural stage presence who feels comfortable speaking to your audience as a friend or mentor. 

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Audience participation can mean polling your audience or requesting questions for Q&A's, but it can also mean fun activities like games and raffles! We frequently use UMU for audience participation - it is easy for attendees to interact with on mobile devices, comes with lots of templates for fun interactions, and provides you with a great interface to show onscreen! 

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One way to get your attendees excited is with dynamic, concert-like lighting & atmospherics! Use it to open your day, or to give emphasis to key moments or entrances. (And as a plus, it'll make your speakers feel like rock stars!)

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Pair an LED video wall with some exciting video content, and you've got yourself one impressed audience! Click here to learn more about our video walls, or check out last month's blog post to see some of the other benefits of using an LED wall for your event (Seven Ways to Make the Most of Your Video Wall).

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Nothing brings a drifting audience back like an exercise break. Especially effective in the mid-afternoon, exercise breaks can help to alleviate fatigue and get attendees re-engaged, whether it's with a few jumping jacks or a whole five-minute dance party. (Bonus points if you bring in an expert to teach a new exercise technique!)

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High production value can make the difference between a "blah" conference and a "so when's the next one?!" conference. Details like discreet wireless microphones, assigning backstage runners to attend to speakers, and having content managers to handle on-screen transitions allows your event to run seamlessly, like a show. Producing your event in this way can provide your attendees with an elevated experience that makes them feel valued and excited for what comes next.

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As much as we love the flexibility that digital screens give us, there's no denying the impact of a visually interesting physical set piece. Whether it's simple or detailed, big or small(ish), a physical set can be impactful in a unique way that is hard to replicate with digital media.

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Bringing back those concert-like vibes! Image magnification, or IMAG, means having a close-up view of your presenters shown on screen. This increases visibility for attendees who are farther away, and helps them to stay engaged.

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Big finishes are often underrated! Use the last moments of your event to make a splash (this may be where that dance party comes in!), and keep attendees talking about your conference even after they've left!

 

Thinking about using any of these ideas for your next event, but not sure where to start? 

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Five Ways to Maximize Your Event Branding

Five Ways to Maximize Your Event Branding

With all of the time that you spend creating a strong brand for your company or organization, you don't want to miss an opportunity to leverage your brand identity and spread your message. Events often provide the perfect platform for driving that message home both verbally and visually! Here are a few ways that you can infuse your team's mission statement into your next event.

#1: Custom Panel Decor
Custom Designed Komatex Panels

One way to bring your logo to life is with our custom laser-cut modular panels. Available in multiple sizes, these panels take light beautifully and can be combined with our translucent acrylic panels to create a sleek backdrop for your event!

#2: Custom Gobos
Custom Gobo Virginia Film Festival

Another way to show off your logo is with custom gobos! Gobos allow us to blast your logo onto virtually any surface, making them a fun addition to a party-type atmosphere. (Photo by Amanda Maglione)

#3: Projection
Virginia Film Festival Projection Mapping
Projection Mapping Darden

Projection allows us to transform surfaces to your benefit, making your branding feel less like a set piece and more like an integral part of the space! Whether projecting onto the walls of the Jefferson Theater or on a spandex tent divider, this is an elegant way to incorporate your brand identity into an environment. (Top photo by Tom Daly)

#4: Marquee Letters
Custom Marquee Letters Paris Graphics
Custom Marquee Letters Paris

One fun and trendy way of branding your event is with marquee letters! We know you've seen them in smaller sizes, but our 9-foot tall custom marquee letters add impact and charm to any event decor scheme.

#5: Unique Screen Configurations
Absen LED Video Wall Panels
LED Video Screen Panels for Virginia Film Festival

Our new 2-foot Absen LED panels can be configured into different sizes and shapes of screens, giving you the flexibility to design new and interesting layouts for digital signage! Our LED panels are always a stunning addition to any event, providing the highest quality image and allowing you to add visual interest to the layout of your branding graphics.

One Element That Can Give Your Event a Boost

One Element That Can Give Your Event a Boost

When planning a conference or meeting, it's easy to focus on screen sizes, uplighting, fabric colors, and table decor. But there may be an element you're overlooking that can make a huge aesthetic impact: event graphics.

As a rule of thumb, even during downtime between presentations, it is best to have ambient graphics to populate all screens. Blank screens leave a set looking incomplete, and graphics provide a great opportunity to wow your attendees from the moment they enter the event space!

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Strong graphics allow the screens to become an active part of your set. The graphics can be used to tie into & strengthen other elements of the event, maximize your branding, drive home your message, and sometimes even entertain your audience!

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As seen in the examples below, sometimes graphics can even provide a full backdrop for your speakers! Using projected graphics instead of physical signage gives you the flexibility to change up your look throughout the event, or add motion graphics to make the set more dynamic.

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If you need assistance in creating graphics for your event, we would be happy to help!

Head on over to our contact page and give us a shout to get started!