The Department of Defence last month hosted its debut VIP Defence & Industry Gala Awards Night for over 700 VIP industry, employee and political guests. Held ion the Exhibition Hall at the National Convention Centre, Canberra, the evening included speeches by key political members Christopher Pyne and Marise Payne, assisted by dual MC’s Vince Sorrenti and Erin Molan. Encore Event Technologies (then Staging Connections) was entrusted with the essential gala styling, AV and multimedia for the inaugural event, all to meet the brief ‘Hollywood Oscars’. The team designed a unique entrance for guests, who were ushered upstairs for photos in front of the media wall, which was simultaneously live-streamed via remote UHF backed camera for other attendees to view. A French drape feature dramatically revealed the main space, and guests were seated to a memorable Welcome to Country, complemented by a full widescreen video presentation. Encore arranged for four 16k projectors and an impressive 26.5 metre curved widescreen to be flown in specifically for the event, which acted as the backdrop to the stage, displaying awards graphics and video during the evening. The entertainment for the evening was provided by the extraordinary Defence band, who stood out amongst the elegant black drapery and soft table lighting. Grand MA lighting with over 50 LED fixtures and moving lights kept the attention focused on the awards recipients and inspiring speeches. Feedback from the client and attendees was hugely positive, and no doubt the event will become a highlight on the Department’s events calendar every year. -- See more recent event work Discover more event ideas, trends and best practices on our Event Blog ... Read More

After a partnership of over 15 years with Destination SA and the Adelaide Convention Bureau, Staging Connections were given the task of designing and producing the significant Destination SA showcase dinner for 120 guests held this year at Sprout Cooking School and Health Studio. Staging Connections’ brief was to design an exciting and engaging event for guests, highlighting Sprout as a function venue, while providing a great platform for dining and networking amongst the stunning natural surrounds. The theme of the evening was ‘organic modern with a burst of colour’, furniture, centrepieces and lighting needed to enhance the existing space and cooking school, Staging Connections’ Adelaide team proved their styling expertise and met the brief by contrasting key industrial, colourful pieces with organic textures and natural greenery. Long, wide timber tables provided ample space for the delicious food and exquisite Penfolds Estate wines, while marble planters filled with foliage and centrepieces of local herbs tied in the unique Cooking School venue, adding a sensory element to the experience. Coloured metal industrial chairs gave a modern edge, and strategically-placed mirrors and scattered tea lights added a warm ambience to the space. The Staging Connections lighting and AV set-up was a real highlight – Sprout chefs prepared the three-course meal exhibiting SA’s local produce as a live cooking demonstration, made possible by large television screens around the room switching seamlessly between supplier logos, stunning SA landscape shots and the live footage from multiple pan/tilt roof mounted cameras. The audience were informed, engaged and thoroughly entertained the entire evening. Destination SA is vital for South Australia’s events industry, marketing the best of SA’s venues, suppliers and producers with a range of dinners, cocktail events, hotel tours, local tourism and featured event spaces. Helen Hobbins, Adelaide Convention Bureau’s Events and Sponsorship Manager, commented, “It really did look amazing! So many comments this morning from clients and all really positive! Please pass on my thanks to the whole team – great job!! Hope to work with you again in the future.” -- See more recent event work Get in touch to start planning your event ... Read More

Graduation Ceremonies are a highlight of the University year and a proud day in the life of those who are graduating. In 2017 Encore Event Technologies (formerly Staging Connections) for the first time collaborated with Flinders University to deliver an event befitting the importance of the occasion. The Encore Adelaide team was engaged to transform the look and atmosphere of the Alan Mitchell Sports Centre, normally home to the University’s sporting clubs, to a graduation venue imbued with prestige and ceremonial ambiance for the 1000+ graduands and guests. Fulfilling the event brief, Encore provided a comprehensive event staging solution, including installation of black draping around the perimeter of the room, stage construction, mounting of digital screens, lighting and audio visual support, and provision of camera operators for live streaming at the venue and across the university precinct including the central Plaza super screen. The ceremonies were also webcast via the Flinders University website, enabling family and friends unable attend in person the opportunity to share in the excitement of their loved ones being presented with their testamurs, via a rich virtual experience. “Encore Event Technologies (formerly Staging Connections) were very professional and great to work with. Dan, Tim and the team were friendly, approachable and knowledgeable. They engaged in a collaborative approach with us throughout the event planning, implementation and debrief; and provided great suggestions and ideas for improvement for the event moving forward.” Kirsten Diercks, Manager Examinations and Graduations Office of Student Administration, Flinders University -- See more recent event work Discover more event ideas, trends and best practices on our Event Blog ... Read More

We have so many events happening everyday that we rarely get time to share the end result! In this monthly blog post we round up some of the events we have worked on in the last month to help inspire and amplify your event know how! We have so many events happening everyday that we rarely get time to share the end result! In this monthly blog post we round up some of the events we have worked on in the last month to help inspire and amplify your event know how! We kick off this post with 'The Hunger Project Fundraiser’ in Sydney for our client - the lovely Emma Isaacs, CEO of Business Chicks. We turned an old run down garage in Sydney (that incidentally was formally owned and used by Frank Lowy to store his classic car collection) into a beautiful dinner venue. Recently our mantra seems to be ‘any event space can be your event space’ and this event just goes to prove what can be achieved with a little imagination (and a lot of lighting!) Next up is some child like fun from a Carnival inspired cocktail dinner. This event was hosted in the Barossa Novotel Resort after a two day corporate conference in the Barossa Valley. We couldn't think of a better way to end a conference than with all these lollies and popcorn! Our talented event stylist Alana turned this amazing look around in just under 2 hours flat which is incredible or maybe it was simply down to the sugar rush! Now if you are looking for some colour theme ideas for your next event then check out this fabulous purple styling. Held at the Crown Plaza Adelaide this cocktail party was themed using purple as the main accent colour for the floral and lighting which was complimented with crystals to create this opulent look. Next we jump to Perth for some poolside action at the newly redeveloped Crown Perth! Together with DG Global, we staged the welcome party for ISPS HANDA Perth International Golf event. It was a challenging brief as we had to be incredibly careful not to damage the newly renovated pool area whilst securing the Perspex stage in place. We also had to be absolutely sure it was a safe platform for the band to perform on. We take safety extremely seriously and this event took a lot of pre planning, all worth it in the end as the area looked incredible with that Perspex stage reflecting lighting and creating the wow factor! We have said it once and will say it again; it just shows that any space can be your event space! In October we were also proud AV sponsors of the Black Horse Foundation dinner held at Australian Technology Park. It’s a great event space which has a fantastic industrial feel, great for large scale events! The evening was a huge success with over $80,000 raised for a range of charities including Redkite, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Fareshare and the Beacon Foundation. Check out the boys in black hard at work behind the tech control desk! #weloveourcrew Viva Las Vegas was this year’s theme for the annual United Convenience Buyers Conference held at Jupiter's Gold Coast Hotel. To create this effect we had huge blow out projections directly onto white drapes on the sides of stage and on a cyc backing the stage. Each section was 6 meters high and 20m wide across the entire stage wall of the room. We had to re-edit all of the video content to fit the ratio of the projection area which took a little time but was worth it to create an awesome effect that transported guests right to the Vegas Strip! And finally we teamed up with our venue partner Hyatt Hotel Canberra for an exciting Wedding Experience Day held in the Federation Ballroom at the Hyatt in Canberra. Local brides had the chance to visualise their day with tables and room styling by our talented team from Canberra. They also watched a bridal runway and were treated to some delicious food from the Hyatt’s wonderful chef! Check out the images below, we love the summer centrepieces featuring blossom, willow & roses! October was a great month with some amazing events staged by our teams around Australia. We look forward to a busy November and to share the results with you come December! ... Read More

Each week we aim to demystify the world of AV equipment and event services lingo and reveal exactly what those techs are talking about. In this weeks Techie Tuesday we look at the product launch favourite, the 'Kabuki Drop'. Audio Visual Discipline: Staging Audio Visual Event Category: AV Effect AV Jargon: Kabuki, Reveal What is a Kabuki Drop? A Kabuki Drop describes a swift and sudden reveal, using drapes or curtains that drop to the floor, exposing hidden elements for the audience to see on stage. What events are Kabuki Drop used on? Events such as product launches and live performances commonly use a kabuki drop to provide the audience with mystery, surprise, excitement and a focus. The drop is set up by suspending drapes/curtains on hooks or magnetic clamps that can be released via a remote control positioned off stage. The kabuki can hide any element of an event such as a new product, a live band or even a celebrity presenter. When other elements are combined such as a evocative sound, moving lights, video projection (2D or 3D), and smoke effects, they build to a dramatic finish resulting in the dropping of the kabuki. Check out this video which features a kabuki drop in action at the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar launch. For this event, the car was positioned on a stage, hidden behind a white circular kabuki, which was also used as the canvas for a projected video presentation. The kabuki played a major role in creating focus and generating audience excitement around the product. What is needed to create a Kabuki drop? A few specific items are required for an effective kabuki drop: Rigging: overhead rigging is required above stage to attach the kabuki hardware. Hardware: remote controlled hardware is required to release the kabuki on cue. Kabuki: a material, cloth, drape, or curtain is required to provide a barrier that can drop. Up next week... Next week we shine a light on gobo’s and how they can shape your next event. In the meantime if you have any AV terms or words you would like our AV experts to tackle leave a comment on the blog post below or join in the conversation on Twitter @EncoreAPAC #TechieTuesday. Image source: Gerriets | Kabuki G2 Drop System Related Event Blog Post Optimise your event communication with design and production Love learning the latest lighting and AV techniques? Download our range of free White Papers today. ... Read More

Each week we aim to demystify the world of AV equipment and event services lingo and reveal exactly what those techs are talking about. In this weeks #TechieTuesday we look at the Ballyhoo, or 'Bally' and find out what it is, where it's best used and what equipment you need if you want a Ballyhoo on your next event. Each week we aim to demystify the world of AV equipment and event services lingo and reveal exactly what those techs are talking about. In this weeks #TechieTuesday we look at the Ballyhoo, or 'Bally' and find out what it is, where it's best used and what equipment you need if you want a Ballyhoo on your next event. AV Discipline: Lighting AV Category: AV Effects AV Jargon: Bally Ballyhoo Description A Ballyhoo is an event lighting effect that involves fast movements, intensity changes and a variety of colours, which all help to build excitement and celebration during an event. Used in collaboration with smoke or haze, shafts of light will appear to punch through to all corners of the function space. Event Types Ballyhoo’s are typically used on events such as award ceremonies and product launches where the desired effect is to energise and excite the audience. It’s a communication element that is totally driven by technology. To enhance the ballyhoo, event audio and vision elements can be introduced, giving the audience a heightened experience. Equipment Required So what is needed to create an effective Ballyhoo? - Lighting Fixtures; intelligent lights such as moving heads or moving mirrors are popular due to their controllable features such as intensity, colour, beam, and movement. - Lighting Console; a lighting controller that is able to trigger cues for multiple fixtures is required so as the fixtures know what to do and when to do it. - Lighting Technician; a creative and competent operator is critical to interpreting an event brief and designing a series of ballyhoo’s that enhance the audience experience. As Seen on Screen Next time you are watching the Oscars, Grammy’s Bafta’s or even our home grown Logies, check out the lighting effects when they return from a commercial break, transition into a new segment or an award winner is called up onto stage, you will see a Ballyhoo in action entertaining the audience on a global scale. Source: Encore Event Technologies Up Next Week Next week we will examine sub speakers, and discover the difference between woofers and tweeters! In the meantime if you have any AV terms or words you would like our AV experts to tackle leave a comment on the blog post below. Related Blog Staging an Awards Night to Remember ... Read More

This week we launch our new blog series Techie Tuesday. Each week we will aim to demystify the world of AV equipment and event services lingo and reveal exactly what those techs are talking about. Up first on the grill is the 'Bio Box'. You may of heard technicians on site when setting up refer to the Bio Box in passing and felt bemused as to its meaning or use. Here we delve in to the history of the Bio Box and how it is used in events today. This week we launch our new blog series Techie Tuesday. Each week we aim to demystify the world of AV equipment and event services lingo and reveal exactly what those techs are talking about. Up first on the grill is the 'Bio Box'. You may of heard technicians on site when setting up for an event refer to the Bio Box in passing and felt bemused as to its meaning or use. Here we delve in to the history of the Bio Box and how it is used in events today. AV Discipline: Audio, Vision and Lighting AV Category: Equipment, Cabling and Storage AV Jargon: The Bio and/or The Control Room Description: The Bio Box is a dedicated area or room in an event space, which is traditionally used by Technicians to operate and control audio visual equipment for an event. The name originates from the “Biograph” film projector, which was one of the first film projectors to be produced. As there were no purpose built cinemas at the time, public halls & theatres were converted through the removal of seats and the building of enclosures or boxes to house the noisy film projectors - thus the name Bio Box. As films became more popular, purpose built cinemas were erected, with hidden projection booths. This left the converted halls and theatres with an unused enclosure or box at the rear of the room. With the evolution of sound, vision and lighting technologies, this disused space was utilised by Technicians for operating audio visual equipment, due to its isolation and centre position to stage. In today’s event market, the Bio Box is more often used for the patching of AV signals and equipment storage, due to their cramped spaces, restricted sight lines, and obscure access. Technicians typically prefer to control the AV elements from an area of the venue where they can experience the event from an audience’s point of view, delivering better outcomes for all stakeholders. In next weeks Techie Tuesday blog we talk Graphic Equalisers and why exactly you need one for your event. In the meantime if you have any words, terms or lingo you would like our AV expert to demystify for you please send your suggestions through to our contact form. Written by Andrew Thorne, ANZPAC Trainer & Assessor, Encore Event Technologies. Andrew Thorne is ANZPAC Trainer & Assessor and drives our training programs at Encore Event Technologies, including our Certificate III in Live Production and Services Program for our new trainees. ... Read More

The venue you choose for your event sets the mood and tone before your audience even steps inside. Its geographical location and reputation convey meaning to your invited guests before they RSVP. The process of getting there is shaping your attendee’s experience before they’ve experienced your message. Then there’s the myriad of practical considerations such as seating capacity, economic factors like equipment inclusions, and intangibles such as quality of service from its administration. With so much to take into account, where do you start? Your event venue location The first is location, where are your audience and what is going to work best for them? Bear in mind that closer isn’t always better – you might want to take them far from their usual places of work or residence to set your experience apart. Remote locations Remote locations such as holiday resorts are great if you have the budget and would like everyone’s attention completely to yourself for a few days, but these kind of events are only practical with large budgets, and are generally used to reward loyal customers or excellent sales staff. Metropolitan areas Back in the metropolitan areas, there’s a huge variety of traditional and non-traditional spaces to consider. For meetings, conferencing and staff training, the hotel function rooms and other dedicated event spaces have a solid offering that you’re probably already familiar with. Packages are standard, they understand the corporate market and they’ll provide a reliable service. Space Is The Place Will the venue you’re considering accommodate the number of guests you expect? Seated or standing, attentively listening or actively networking, you need to realistically assess if your audience will be too tightly packed, look lost in a cavernous space, or fit comfortably. If you're unsure about how you would set up the room then check our article on "how choosing the best seating style for our audience?" Think of their physical comfort as well Is the venue adequately heated or cooled, depending on season? And what’s their physical experience of accessing the venue going to be like? Are there any likely bottlenecks in parking, pedestrian access, doors or lifts? Is there a disabled access? Your event venue should match your message Each venue, whether convention centre meeting room or abandoned warehouse, has its own character and meaning inherent in its architecture and utilisation. The meaning and purpose of your event are best known to you, so choose a venue that can enhance that. Are you trying to get a workforce or group of consumers excited about something new? Then take them somewhere new. This can also work if you’re trying to get them to reappraise an existing product or idea; put it in a new context. If you are going to present material or processes that could be difficult, like how the company is about to be restructured, a familiar and conservative environment is advisable. A proximity thing When considering events with a large amount of attendees, like a major industry conference or exhibition, centrality, access and a well-serviced locale are essential. The venue must be reasonable to commute to from the nearest airport, accessible by multiple modes of public transport and close to multiple hospitality options, including bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels. This enables both exhibitors, sponsors and attendees alike to get the most from their investment of time and money. There are also downsides to well-serviced central venues. They can attract attendees who are there for curiosity only, diluting the value to serious participants. Their proximity to many of your audience’s places of work can also make it more likely for them to either be called away on urgent business or not make it at all due to last-minute time pressures. Create a checklist for your event Comparing your options with location, capacity and character being equal, it’s time to look at what each venue can do for you in terms of included in-house equipment and service. This can be a very long list of little things that can add up to a lot of time and effort of they’re not already on-site; tables, chairs, screens, projectors, lights, sound, whiteboards, flipcharts, paper, pens, urns, plates, cups, cutlery – the list is almost endless. Make a checklist of everything you expect or anticipate your guests will need to do while at your event and go through it with the venue to ensure that everything you need is either included, or quoted as an extra. It’s all in the budgeting Catering staff and costs are fairly easy to anticipate and understand. With a given number of people to serve and a set menu, any quote should be straightforward. Make sure you are aware, though, for the staffing aspects of the event that might not be so clear. Do you need dedicated AV, staging and lighting staff? Don’t assume that a technical aspect of your event is ‘set and forget’ and won’t require labour outside of set-up and pack-down. Talk to the in-house or your external technical provider to be absolutely clear about what and who is necessary for a good show. If you want more information about audio visual equipment you could check our blog post about our 8 audio visual tips to create a successful event. Get clear on venue access If your event includes a stage , set, lecterns, projection screens, flat-panel displays, props or other physical elements, find out how much of it the venue can provide and if their stock is adequate. For anything custom-built or hired for the event, check that it can physically fit in the venue. This doesn’t just mean whether its dimensions can be accommodated in the room you’re using, but also if the venue’s rigging points can handle the weight and that it can fit through the door or in the lift in the first place. It seems ridiculous, but some venues on floors above ground level are serviced only by very small lifts, severely restricting the size and type of equipment that can be (easily) bought into the space. Weighty Issues It’s factors like these that can have an unexpected impact on the cost of your event. Difficulties in the physical access to the venue mean longer call times for any staff employed to load in or out. On large events with a lot of crew, an extra hour or two of time equates to many thousands of dollars in costs. If your event requires a truck’s worth or more of external equipment to be delivered to the venue, find out what the loading dock access and process to get to your specific space is like. House staff and any contractor that has serviced the venue will be able to give you a fair assessment and adjust their quotes accordingly. Understand the rigging capacity Another area to make sure that you have received expert advice is the rigging capacity of the venue. In-house equipment such as lights, sound and screens will already be safely hung, but if you’re bringing in extra gear, make sure that its weight isn’t going to exceed safe capacity once added. Similarly, if you’re coming into a ‘bare walls’ venue, ensure that it not only has the capacity to hold the weight of your equipment, but also has the basic infrastructure to rig from in the first place.Clear your sight-line Related to the issue of rigging is sight-lines – anything you hang has the capacity to interrupt your audience’s view. Where you hang could well be determined by what is practical and safe, and not by what is convenient for your audience. All of these issues are best discussed with in-house staff and your external provider well before committing to a contract. Don’t overlook the power A final and often overlooked element is the amount of electrical power available in the venue. This is most often an issue in older buildings, but it can arise as a problem if you’re bringing in a lot of lighting, audio and video equipment to a venue that doesn’t usually host events of that type. Power requirements are something that can only be determined and checked by specialists. The in-house staff and any external equipment provider will need to put their heads together in order to ensure that everything that needs to run, can. Particularly heavy users of power include large LED screens, lots of large moving lights and PA systems designed to cover 1000 or more people. Add to this a requirement for extra heating and you may have to look at hiring in generators in order for the event to function. Get a head start At Encore Event Technologies we acknowledge that there is a lot to consider when finding the perfect venue for your event. To help get you started, we have developed Venue Locator, a clean, easy-to-use web tool. Simply choose your location, event type and amount of guests, and Venue Locator will return results tailored to your requirements! Want to stay up to date with industry trends? Browse our range of downloadable Event Insights papers ... Read More

We're excited to announce our beloved Event Tweet, has had an upgrade with a fancy new name to suit - introducing Event Feed. The new name comes as we rebrand the social media platform to more accurately represent the enhanced functionality of the platform. 1. Event Feed pulls in Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Posts Now Event Feed (previously known as Event Tweet) captures not just in-room and virtual event audiences’ (aka via webcast) tweets, but also Facebook and Instagram posts through a dedicated hashtag. Posts are moderated and sent live to screens, on a choice of animated templates. This means no matter where your audience is posting you can harness all the social hype and pull it into one centralised location to display instantly on screen at your event. It's a great way to encourage engagement with your attendees and get them interacting with your brand. Plus, the act of them posting your branded hashtag means your brand is being exposed to all of their social followers. 2. Event Feed allows for a closed social media feed for private functions In an Australian first, Event Feed will now offer companies the option to create their own private social media feeds, ensuring content shared via a private web link is not available to the public. Pictured left is the private Event Feed Staging Connections Group and Freeman used to allow for inter-company engagement to support the acquisition announcement to employees. As Tim Chapman, General Manager of Digital Event Services at Encore (formerly Staging Connections) commented, this feature is set to revolutionise large-scale engagement, whilst ensuring privacy and security for those companies that need it. “With privacy a key concern for businesses, the ability of these exclusive Event Feeds is that only those at the event can view the interaction on the internal event screens. “Building a community through engagement and interaction is the goal of every event. Event Feed boosts conversation if you want to go viral, and now also has the option to keep that conversation exclusive and in the room. “Social media is so heavily engrained as a key method of our daily communication, so it’s fitting that events integrate it as a key method of engagement. People enjoy using social media, and contributing ideas, questions and solutions via this platform at a conference, product launch or sales incentive is informal and unpretentious. Our clients continue to see a wider range of conversations happening, generating bolder and more daring ideas – which are often some of the best! “With recent research showing Generation Y and millennials place higher priority on technology at events, these enhancements to our social media integration platform has been part of the investment we have been putting into event technologies,” Mr Chapman concluded. Event Feed information and pricing Header Image: Event Feed used at this year's Adelaide Football Club's 25th Annual Club Gala Dinner and was used to drive bids and promote the silent auction. Related Articles 25 Reasons You'll Love Event Poll How to get your event trending on Twitter 5 clever ways to use Twitter at your event Bring Your Own Device To Events ... Read More