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Industries Categories: Charity

What’s the Purpose of an Awards Ceremony?

How to Get the Most Out of Your Awards Ceremony

Awards ceremonies are a great way of gathering like-minded people into one area and creating a community to celebrate and acknowledge people in your industry. But how do you ensure that your event is a success?

The secret is memorability. You want your guests to leave exhilarated and elated having experienced an event like no other. This is where our experienced team come in. From impressive stage design to jaw-dropping entertainment, we will work with you to create an unforgettable experience for you and your attendees.

Content is Key

Once the bubbly is flowing and the awards are in full swing, the last thing you want is your guests clock watching or starting their own independent conversations. Using emotive video content alongside the speeches will keep your guests’ attention whilst creating an interesting talking point for the host, not to mention the branding opportunity that the screens would allow for.

Whilst on the subject of branding opportunities…

Whether you are hosting an awards dinner, lunch or even a breakfast, there are a myriad of ways to add your branding throughout. From bespoke lighting projection to a step and repeat press walls; your Production Manager will work with you to ensure you’re making the most of the branding opportunities available.

Location, Location, Location

Selecting the right venue for your awards ceremony is vital. Not only do you need to consider capacity and accessibility, but you’ll need to bear in mind the suppliers associated with the venue. Some venues may work exclusively with some suppliers and others may simply recommend their preferred suppliers.

Get in touch with the Beagle Team!

If you’re wanting to host the perfect, memorable awards ceremony that’s guaranteed to ‘wow’ the attendees, then get in touch with the Beagle team or read about how we crafted the perfect award ceremony for a finance company looking for a night to remember here.

What Is a Comfort Monitor and Why You Might Need One

What is a Comfort Monitor?

A Comfort Monitor, sometimes referred to as a confidence monitor, is a single or multiple display that sits within view of the presenter but not the audience, allowing the presenter to keep track of where they are in the presentation without breaking eye contact with the audience. Some presenters like multiple screens with the same or different content on – the next slide is a popular option along with notes. Countdown timers are also a good choice so they can clearly see how long they have left…or have run over!

The purpose of these aids is to give the presenter the tools to deliver a great presentation – we want them focused on their delivery, not concentrating on remembering their slide and whats coming next. They’re a great convenience for people onstage especially presenters who might not be used to presenting or are nervous. When you don’t get ahead of yourself and can link seamlessly to your next slide you deliver a cohesive presentation, one which the audience can follow easily.

 

Why do you need a Comfort Monitor?

Used at events with where presenters have visual content, such as a conferences or award ceremonies, speakers are given comfort and confidence, helping them to look polished. Seeing the next slide allows the presenter to give a seamless flowing presentation. The speaker is able to maintain a connection with the audience through eye contact and body language without breaking the flow of their presentation to check a larger screen behind them for the next cue.

What does a Comfort Monitor look like?

The comfort monitor is private to the speaker and is unseen by the audience due to its neatly finished angled hides and being dressed and finished in the same colours as the stage. Alternatively they can be placed at eye level behind or above the audience. All cables needed are discreetly hidden and risk free.

What other things does Beagle Create offer for presenter comfort?

We offer extensive presenter packages that can include:

  • Professional clickers
  • Auto cues
  • Programmable clocks and countdown timers
  • Lecterns
  • Drinks and hospitality packages

Read about how we delivered an impactful conference for an international finance company in the iconic venue The Shard or if you’re planning a conference or an awards ceremony yourself, contact us today.

Should You Still Host a Virtual Event Post-Pandemic?

Virtual events were the only kind available to us for a long time. They became a normal part of life when gathering online was the only option. From virtual festivals to family quizzes on Zoom, most people experienced some kind of virtual event over the past two years.

Now, we have found a new appreciation for going out and being together. Restrictions have been lifted. We get to experience all the things we had taken for granted before. It’s an amazing time with families being reunited and whole industries rising from the ashes.

So, is it worth hosting a virtual event now you don’t need to?

It’s a big question many businesses are now being faced with. Will people be desperate to get together again, or will they have found they prefer the safety of their own home? The last thing you want is to invest in an event that no one shows up to.

To determine whether a virtual event is worth your time, let’s have a look at some market statistics and see where people sit on this:

The Numbers

72% of people expect to attend more or the same number of online events even after in-person events return in full.

The virtual events industry is expected to grow from $78 billion to $774 billion – about ten-fold – over the coming decade (Grand View Research).

64% of participants agree that the quality of speakers and relevance of content, respectively encourage them to sign up for events (Vimeo).

59% or over half of survey participants say they’re likely to leave a live event due to technical issues. (Vimeo)

67% of online events attendees agree that it’s essential for presenters to be engaging and passionate about the subject they’re talking about (RedBack Connect)

What The Stats Tell Us

It’s clear that virtual events aren’t going anywhere, but we can see there are some common issues here.

What we can conclude is that it is worth hosting virtual events post-pandemic, but they need to be done right. They need to be engaging. They need to be informative. And most of all they need to run smoothly.

As people aren’t together in person it’s much harder to create an atmosphere. So, what your event lacks in atmosphere, it must make up for in interesting, relevant, and well-presented content. Invest in the best speakers. Host Q&A sessions. Offer break-out rooms for networking. Make it engaging.

Technical issues are another common theme. When your event is virtual you are relying completely on technology. This can be overwhelming especially when there are hundreds of software companies telling you their platform is the best.

This is where we come in. We’ve hosted hundreds of live events for our clients. We’re trusted to deliver seamless experiences for big brands. We know our stuff.

You don’t have to worry about which platform might be best, how to set up or how to keep your audience from switching off. That’s our job. It’s what we do and it’s what we’re passionate about.

If you’re considering hosting a virtual event, get in touch with us and we can walk you through what you might need.

5 Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Activation

You may have heard this term thrown around in recent years, but like other intangible marketing concepts, it can be hard to pin down. Let’s unpack Brand Activation with the top FAQs answered.

Wait! What actually is Brand Activation?

Brand activation comes across as a bit of a buzz word. It may even have you rolling your eyes. But let’s actually pin down the meaning. Brand activation is an experience designed to increase brand awareness or – in other words – get more people to know about your brand.

Think of it like this: if your brand is the paper and logs sitting in the firepit, the brand activation is the match that turns it into a roaring fire.

How on earth do you ‘activate’ a brand?

There are different ways to activate your brand, but the best way is to offer people an experience of it. This can be through experiential marketing, which is what it sounds like – marketing that you can actually experience. Or you can develop a brand activation event – an event that allows people to physically interact with your brand.

Do I need Brand Activation?

You may think brand activation is just for a new company. However, it’s often used after a rebrand, or after something that happens in a company that effects the brand. For example, a product launch that lays slightly outside of a brand’s usual remit is a great opportunity to ‘activate’ your brand in its most updated form.

Does Brand Activation work?

This is a good question – so, how does Brand Activation actually work? Brand Activation is designed to evoke a reaction in your audience, this creates an emotional association with your brand in their mind.

Creating an experience for people that triggers emotions really is the secret to getting your brand known. Once people have an emotional connection to your brand they will remember it. That’s the power of Brand Activation.

How do you create a Brand Activation?

There are many strategies to Brand Activation but the most common is to hold a brand activation event. Here’s a quick guide to creating your Brand Activation:

• Pinpoint your brand’s values including which ones you want to highlight with this event.

• Decide who you are targeting the event towards

• Set some clear goals

• Start planning out the details such as activities, venue, and guest list. For this we recommend involving a professional event production company to really give your brand activation impact

Hopefully this list of questions has demystified brand activation for you. If you think Brand Activation might be something your business needs, or even if you’re not sure, get in touch with us and we can talk through your goals.

Why Host a Hybrid Event? Seven Things You Should Know

Firstly, what is a hybrid event? Put simply, a hybrid event is an event that can have attendees both in-person and online. Although they’ve been possible for a long time, they became more common during the pandemic as things started opening up with restrictions on numbers for large events.

So, now restrictions are lifted and you can have as many attendees as you like, why bother hosting a hybrid event?

There are more benefits to this than you might think – keep reading to find out.

Unlimited Attendees

And in turn – unlimited ticket sales! This can have a huge impact on the revenue and profit of your event. Although it will cost you to ‘hybridise’ your event, after that initial cost you can continue selling tickets to online attendees without having to pay for extra venue space or catering.

In short – online attendees are ‘limitless’ AND they cost less!

In addition, online ticket sales can remain open until seconds before the event start time, unlike in-person tickets where you may need to leave a period between ticket sales ending and the event. Depending on your format, with a hybrid event you may even be able to keep selling tickets during the event for last minute revenue.

Going Global

Another huge reason to make your event ‘hybrid’ is removing limits on location. If you’re looking to reach a wider audience, what better way than to have them be able to attend your event anywhere in the world. When you can offer online tickets, you can open up your event to the whole world.

Content is King

Don’t let your event burn bright and fast – with a hybrid event you will have digital assets that you can keep using. This means you can really get the most out of your conference, product launch or activation. In a digital world, businesses need to be constantly producing content to keep up. Clips from your event can be used as marketing content.

Events that Keep Giving

Not only can hybrid, live streamed events become great content, but you can also continue making sales from them. Even long after they’ve happened. If your event becomes a recording, you can repurpose as a webinar or podcast and sell access to that recording for as long after the event as you like. This means you keep making money long after the event is over.

Data for Days

Hybrid events generate audience and attendee data. You can use this for future marketing, research and to improve your future events. Depending on what software you use, you can collect different insights into how your audience interacts with event content.

Planet Earth Friendly

Reduce the carbon footprint of your event by going hybrid. ‘Hybridising’ your event is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment. With less people travelling to attend, the carbon emissions produced by your event can be kept to a minimum. This benefits the environment without compromising your revenue.

Inclusivity is Cool

Having a hybrid event can make space for inclusivity. Where you can reduce the cost of online tickets, people who may not otherwise have been able to attend now can. Even if you the cost of the ticket isn’t reduced – sometimes travel expenses are the difference between someone being able to afford to attend or not.
Another way your event will be made more inclusive if to those with disabilities who may not have been able to attend in person. A hybrid event is a more inclusive event.

In conclusion, a hybrid event can offer some fantastic benefits that will improve revenue, improve return on investment and create a more environmentally friendly and inclusive event.
If you’re curious about creating your own hybrid event, get in touch with us and we can talk through your options.