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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.

Conference and Awards Ceremony

Our Client, provide some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions with a skilled workforce of 93,100 people in around 40 countries. They chose Beagle Create to produce their annual leadership conference and the first following some exciting restructuring and acquisitions.

There would be multiple days of presentations with detailed slides and bold videos all closed with an awards ceremony. They wanted something impactful that didn’t give their delegates presentation fatigue and brought this yearly event back with a bang.

Held at The Grove Hotel – London’s Country Estate, we were challenged with transforming the event space so that 200 delegates could all see the slides and video content. We designed a solution which not only delivered uncompromised views for every delegate but cut through the abundance of natural light flooding into the amber suite.

A 22-metre (roughly the length of two London busses) high-res super widescreen LED video wall was installed. It included three straight sections of LED, all linked with curved sections cunningly molded behind the pillars.  Everyone could see everything, with ease – mission accomplished.

Since this event was their 1st business anniversary as the new Digital Intelligence brand, they were open to rethinking the format of their awards evening and Beagle Create offered up an experience of how things might flow better for them and deliver a better experience to their guests.

After a long day and a large meal, we wanted to bring the energy levels up, ready for the awards ceremony so we commissioned a 5-piece LED drumming flashmob to perform. They were not only loud, visually stunning and slightly strange to look at, but interacted with the audience and closed their act to a huge round of applause.

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.

Sustainability – We’re Not Perfect but We’re Trying

The global events industry generates around 1.43 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year, this is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of a country like Spain or Canada. The average conference attendee generates 1.89 kg of waste per day, with about 75% of that being non-recyclable. It’s no secret that the events industry poses a large strain on our planet.

As part of that problem, we’ve had to think carefully about what we can do to minimise our contribution. We know that we’re not perfect. We know we can’t tackle this problem by ourselves. But we do care and are taking steps to reduce our impact on the planet.

What we’re doing day-to-day to minimise our impact:

  • As a hire-based service we are, by nature, discouraging over consumption and unnecessary waste.
  • Carrying and reusing stock where possible, so both set and equipment gets used event after event, reducing waste.
  • We only use LED lighting, and our fierce investment program in modern technology ensures we are using the most efficient products possible – the smallest – the lightest!
  • Where bespoke scenic is required and waste generated, choosing the proper processing so that it can be recycled or re-purposed.
  • Operating from a thermal-efficient warehouse, with modern energy-efficient heating and lighting.
  • The use of ULEZ compliant vehicles.
  • Using stage carpet that is recyclable.
  • Investing in suitable storage space so we can keep as many useful products as possible.
  • Choosing to swap out plastic transport wraps for cardboard edging to reduce our use of single-use plastics.
  • Offering clients more sustainable alternatives for printed boards such as recyclable cardboard or digital alternatives.
  • Offering storage to our clients for their bespoke elements, so it can be kept and reused.

We know these are small steps, but we are committed to heading in the right direction towards a more sustainable future for the events industry.

What Are the Uses of Outdoor Screens? Your Outdoor Screen Guide

When it comes to outdoor screens there are two options you are faced with: LED and projection. LED screens are the right option for most commercial outdoor events. It comes down to a few factors:

With an LED screen:

  • The picture is more vivid
  • They are more versatile
  • They work in daylight / varying light conditions

With projection:

  • only suitable for events held at night, in the dark
  • often a much more cost-efficient solution

 

So, what events are LED outdoor screens used for?  

  • Concerts & Festivals – to show what’s going on on-stage to larger audiences
  • Outdoor cinemas – especially if they show during daylight hours where projection wouldn’t work
  • Fundraisers – outdoor screens can be used in a variety of ways at fundraisers, for example, advertising how to donate
  • Activism– outdoor screens offer a way to get a message out to a large number of people at once
  • Drive in conferences – these popped up overnight during covid but have been a positive ongoing benefit for many
  • Digital signage & advertising – often used at the same time, you can welcome and direct your customers whilst selling space to advertisers
  • Outdoor exhibitions  – stand out from the crowd and make your presence known with a vibrant display by your stand

 

What are the benefits of LED outdoor screens?

The benefits of an LED outdoor screen include:

  • High resolution, a clearer, more vivid picture – we stock a 3.9mm pitch outdoor screen which is largely considered great for inside events, let alone outdoors!
  • Versatile sizing – with a choice of modular panel sizes we can build any size you require
  • Wide viewing angle for large, fanned audiences
  • We rig our screens in a variety of ways – it can be built into scenic solutions and we also stock our own self supported rig which allows us to mechanically lower it should weather  become an issue
  • Fast to build up with our stock including 1m and 1/2m panels

 

Looking for an outdoor screen for your event?

Whether you’re looking to host the perfect outdoor cinema or get your message out there to a large audience, get in touch with us regarding your needs and we can find the solution for you. We have a stock of 3.9mm screen available for hire now. Get in touch here.

Eightfold.ai Conference Production

Eightfold.ai are a Californian company leading the way in Artificial Intelligence HR software with their Talent Intelligence Platform. We were tasked with producing a conference for them held at Shangri La in The Shard, London.
As current and potential clients would be attending, they wanted a high-end feel with slick production to emulate their larger events held in the US.

This event was created with the objective of bringing together the best in HR and Recruitment from across Europe. The day would include speeches from industry thought leaders and networking. Eightfold.ai would also use this opportunity to educate about using AI in HR and win new business.

Working in one of the tallest buildings in Europe, especially one with such a distinctive shape and in one of the most expensive cities in Europe, every square foot is used and storage space is incredibly limited.

Being on the 34th floor, we didn’t have the option of returning any cases or materials to our vans. This had to be considered when designing the space and choosing the equipment we would use. With the venue’s booking the night before we couldn’t set up that evening, and an 8am start time left us with no room for error. The space was also booked after the show finished, leaving us just two hours to have all the stage, set and equipment gone before the next guests arrived.

With Eightfold.ai being an internationally based company, we wanted to provide a warm welcome to the UK and a flawless experience. Late night video calls and responses were essential during planning to work with differing time zones.

We also had to ensure there was no ambiguity with setup and equipment due to subtle industry terminology differences.

Company Conference

Our client wanted a widescreen LED video wall that could be seen by all 400 of their conference attendees. Despite the space being tight we delivered an impactful and memorable event for everyone.

Our client approached us to create their annual company conference. The first company wide, in-person conference after Covid restrictions were lifted. This was a large conference about the company’s performance, strategy and direction.

The aim of the event was to communicate directly with all of their team and look forward to their goals and projections for the coming year, before celebrating in the evening with a festival-themed party. This 400-attendee conference involved presentations, panel talks and Q&A sessions. To achieve this, they needed a large (14 metre) LED video wall erected at the venue, Wyboston Lakes in Bedfordshire.

The venue was fantastic but with so many attendees, we were presented with various challenges: fitting everyone in, fitting the equipment in alongside the attendees and, crucially, making sure everyone could see the stage and screen. Put simply, we had a lot we needed to achieve and little space to achieve it in!

To remedy this, we made plenty of site visits prior to the event to scope out the space. Using our visualisation software, we could plan out the spacing of the room to the millimetre. Limited power supply at the venue meant we opted for all-LED stage lights so that we could run the entire set up from local 13amp power sockets. For the fourteen metre LED video wall we used a one-metre-deep ground support that maximised floor space. We also introduced curved edges to the stage to create a walkway for guests to use where there would have otherwise been dead space.

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.