Event technologies are an excellent way to make your events more engaging. Whether your next event is a large meeting, conference, or gala dinner, below are must-have event technologies that will take your event from good to great. 1. Use a free mobile app customised for your event Get the tech: Cumulus Apps are a great way to get your event information into the hands of your attendees. Use it to publicise your agenda, key meeting information, topics, presentation details and speaker bios. Plus the Cumulus mobile app is FREE for every client using us for their event services and you can customise it to suit your branding. Packed with 10 useful integrations and features it is a must-have app for any event planner wanting to instant and convenient communication with all attendees - who wouldn't want that? 2. Find out what your audience is really thinking Get the Tech: Event Poll Live audience polling is a great way to increase engagement during your meeting or conference. It helps you engage with your audience and get their involvement in your content. You can also use it before the event to make sure your agenda is on track. Or use it to get feedback immediately after your event rather than losing responses with a post event email survey. 3. Touch the future of presentations Get the Tech: Touch Kiosk Touchscreens are perfect for displaying interactive content at your event, information screens or impressive way finding signage. They can also be strategically placed to acknowledge sponsors, for photo booths and even for live quizzes at events to immerse them in your content and enhance their experience. 4. Harness the hype of social media Get the tech: Event Feed Social conversations extend the impact and influence of the event outside the venue walls. Guests capturing and sharing their favourite moments, keynote insights or sporting goal via their social channels, enables your event to engage a world-wide audience. But how are you encouraging or leveraging off this exposure? Event Feed is an online social media platform designed for event planners to encourage and facilitate social conversations. Make your branded event hashtag known and all social posts from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with that hashtag will be pulled onto the platform and after moderation are published on screens around the venue for everyone to see. It's a simple and engaging way to stimulate conversation and gets your brand out there! Get the best practices for integrating social media into your event. DOWNLOAD GUIDE 5. How your event can be everywhere at once Get the tech: Webcasting, Event Streaming and Recording When you want to maximise your event’s impact by reaching a national or global audience, distance and time can be challenging factors. Encore’s webcasting, streaming and recording products have been created with the knowledge that audiences today need the convenience of live access to information as well as on demand catch up. Speak to the event technology experts With so many new technologies on the market and readily available, the hardest part for event planners and marketers is determining which event technology they need! That's where Encore Event Technologies comes in. As a leading event technology company, we have over 30 years experience in matching your event objectives with the right solutions. With the largest range of event services at our disposal you can bet we will have the answer to your brief and provide you with a creative solution that takes your event from good to great. Don't waste another precious minute, get in touch with us today and let's make your event vision a reality! Let's Chat - ... Read More

Planning any event involves juggling a lot of moving parts, but the geographical spread of roadshows means there are even more moving parts to keep track of. Taking on such an event can prove to be very effective for you and your team or business strategy, but it requires quality planning from all angles. Whether you’re looking to launch a new product, educate your delegates, raise funds for a charity, recognise achievements or something else entirely, below are some key considerations to produce a successful roadshow. Below are 5 important production elements to consider when planning a roadshow event. Clearly define your goals for the event roadshow Set clearly defined goals for your event. When your event production partner understands the purpose for the event, they can help you create a solution tailored to your desired outcome and deliver your message effectively. When your goals are clear, each production decision becomes easier to make. Also ensure your goals are measurable. If getting sales leads is important to you, the event can be customised to help you capture relevant details from your attendees. You will be far more satisfied with your efforts if your ROI can be measured. Carefully select the time and locations for your roadshow Who do you want to attend your event, and what seasonal factors or holidays could affect attendance? When planning where and when the road show will happen, you need to ensure it’s suitable for your audience. Additionally, check the region’s weather and climate conditions. If you’re planning to hold your event outdoors, ensure it’s not during the wet seasons. Or, if it’s going to take place during the summer, ensure there will be adequate shade and hydration facilities. Be aware of when school holidays, public holidays and special cultural holidays are occurring. If you’re planning to host during a busy time, you need to consider accessibility and availability of venues, suppliers, services and so on. Team up with an event production partner Your production partner is your single most important ally in organising your event. When choosing a partner, find one that has the right network, experience and capability to deliver a quality event. Avoid switching partners at the last minute, as you will run the risk of offering an inconsistent experience. Additionally, you may end up incurring more costs, and the planning process will be more disjointed. Ideally, you should pick a national company that can travel with you to ensure the event is delivered consistently in each location. Working with one company also makes admin and planning much easier, so you’ll save on costs as well as effort. Once you know where you’ll be hosting your event, you can find an experienced road show producer to help you narrow down your locations and venues. If possible, find a producer with a large network of venues – this can save you a lot of time and the headache of ending up in less-than ideal venues. An experienced road show production company can assist you throughout the entire planning process to ensure a desirable outcome. Take advantage of their skills, products and experience to help you reach your goals. Harness the power of event technology Take advantage of the following event technology to maximise engagement and ROI: Event apps. Apps are convenient for both organisers and attendees and can help relay important details about the event. Social media. Use a dedicated event social media platform to get the word out about your event. You can also use it to drive up engagement, build community and amplify your reach. Polling. Use live audience polling to ask questions, get feedback, encourage discussion or quiz your audience. Live stream. A production partner can live stream your event on a website or via social media to amplify its reach. It's a great way to engage wide spread audiences as your event travels, and if you record the event you can use it later for marketing, sales or improving on the next one! Make it creative, engaging and consistent Creating new, unique and compelling experiences is key to a successful event, and repeating these experiences for each event is the challenge for roadshow organisers. Making the message creative, engaging and consistent is the cornerstone of every successful event, regardless of what kind of event it is. People remember experiences where their senses have been engaged. Research has shown us that the more senses you engage, the more memorable the event is. Lean on your production partner to help you create a memorable experience for your attendees. They will help you find a solution that can be replicated to ensure attendees will receive the same experience regardless of where they attend your event. Partner with roadshow event production experts Encore Event Technologies have delivered countless event roadshows for companies across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Whether you’re looking to host an event interstate, internationally or simultaneously we have the breadth and experience to deliver it consistently and seamlessly. Get in touch with our team of production experts to start discussing your event roadshow needs - call 1800 209 099 or send us an online enquiry and we'll get right back. ... Read More

The Queensland Hotels Association (QHA) held their Awards for Excellence Gala Presentation on 8 October 2018 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, engaging long-term partner, Encore Event Technologies to delight the 1,100 guests. Encore were tasked with creating the atmosphere of a modern summer sun-soaked beer garden, indoors. This was achieved through a total event production solution combining an impressive custom stage set, unique multimedia, engaging digital services and stunning creative styling. Guests were welcomed by lush turf running through a traditional timber arbour dressed in Edison bulb drops and fresh greenery with QHA branding. With the stage being the focal point for the awards, Encore created a unique custom set which included a 5.7m projection circle along with two large rounded projection screens either side. The full projection surface totalled 26.5m wide x 5.7m high, while 6m delay screens positioned in the back half of the room ensured full room coverage. “Having worked on the QHA Awards for many years, the challenge is always how to outdo the previous years’ event. “Our client had a clear vision for this year’s awards and I’m proud to say our team exceeded their expectations,” commented Stacey Buckley, Event Manager – Encore Event Technologies. Two winding, foliage trusses framed either side of the stage while oversized curved circular trusses covered with foliage and beautiful festoon lighting, hung over the stage and dance floor. Continuing the event styling, a stunning ceiling feature complete with oversized hanging foliage and Edison bulb drops caught guests’ eyes and was perfectly positioned above the second awards presentation area. Along with incorporating creative and production services, Encore also provided live digital technology via Event Feed social media integration. The skin design of the social media feed was also designed to complement the overall theme to complete the experience. Encore’s latest piece of audio visual equipment, the Disguise media server, ensured the announcement of the awards ran smoothly, managing 196 cues, live multi-camera switching, audio stings and entertainment tracks. All of this was pre-programmed the week before the event by Encore’s Head of Production Andrew Priddle and Technical Director Tim Stewart. Kelly-Anne Mott, Events and Partnerships Officer from Queensland Hotels Association was thrilled with Encore’s work for the impressive awards dinner production. “We are absolutely delighted with how spectacular the event was. Encore once again delivered, from the custom circular screen and stage set, to the stunning furniture and styling, to the content and digital services. “Another superb event that addressed our brief beautifully: a modern Queensland beer garden,” said Ms Mott. ... Read More

The 2018 NRL Grand Final saw 500 guests invited to an exclusive event at Sydney's ANZ Stadium where they enjoyed a dinner, 2 VIP discussion panel sessions, half time entertainment and post-game wrap up. Taking this year’s match day experience up a knotch, the NRL engaged Encore Event Technologies to devise a crowd engagement solution that was simple to implement yet fun and interactive. Encore delivered the perfect solution – Event Poll – our exclusive live audience polling platform that connected the spectators and encouraged lively discussion. The concept was to use the platform for a competition for ’Who will score the first Try?’ and also capture questions from the audience for the panel of NRL celebrities. The MC Andrew Voss introduced the Q&A and competition which built excitement in the room while guest submitted their questions and predictions for first try. In 10 minutes over 200 guest names and questions were posted to screen. Rebecca Portors from the NRL commented, “Event Poll was a great addition to our game day function, it was so simple to use and provided a new level of engagement with our audience, I was impressed with how many people used their phones to enter the competition and submit a question to the panel without having to run microphones around the room.” Get involved and follow the conversation: #NRLHospitality hospitality@nrl.com.au -- ... Read More

If you saw Australia’s own Dami Im perform at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, or Lady Gaga duet with the late David Bowie at the Grammys, you’ve seen the amazing potential of this technology to astonish audiences. The technique includes a Holographic Mesh Screen - an invisible, metallic coated screen that when hung on your stage becomes a vehicle for 3D content to appear in thin air. It is unique because it doesn’t require any special rigging or reflective floor space to project onto, and can be used in most venues. The Holographic Mesh Screen works by fooling your brain into thinking there’s a three dimensional object hanging in the air in front of you. A high-powered projector is used to beam custom-made video footage onto the screen, using perspective and a black background to simulate three dimensions. Most importantly, the stage, objects, or people behind it are lit without that light touching the screen, giving an illusion of depth. When your brain tries to reconcile what is really a 2D projection and the depth behind it as information it can make sense of, it decides it’s a three-dimensional object. Some people call this effect a ‘hologram’, but technically it’s the latest technological innovation of an illusion called ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ whose origins go all the way back to Victorian times. Encore have been deploying our massive Holographic Mesh Screen to spectacular effect on gala dinners, awards nights, and product launches. For the Australian Hotels Association NSW Awards, attendees were initially intrigued by what looked like a bare stage bounded by black drapes, before the lights went down and the screen came to life with an enormous 3D digital set that interacted with dancers both in front and behind it, ingeniously tracked with motion sensors. Even awards presenter Shane Jacobsen got to have fun with the interactive elements before handing out the gongs. Pictured: Encore uses Holographic Mesh Curtain and motion tracking technology at AHA Awards. For legendary Chinese spirit-maker Moutai, known as ‘the world’s most mysterious spirit’, Encore Event Technologies enhanced the mystery to celebrate 46 years of the 2,000 year-old tipple in Australia. Giant three-dimensional bottles hung in the air, and custom-made video content showcased the brand’s history, highlighting the cultural significance of the occasion to over 500 distinguished guests. The Holographic Mesh Curtain provides an ideal effect for any event that needs a big 'wow' factor. It’s perfect for product launches, and can used to entertain at gala dinners, award nights, in any venue with controllable lighting and some depth on stage. Ask your Encore Event Manager about the potential of using the amazing Holographic Mesh Screen for your next event, and put your imagination to work! Get in touch by calling 1800 209 099 or sending an online enquiry today. ... Read More

Planning an Annual General Meeting (AGM) is an amazingly complicated and detailed task. Whilst you may feel completely organised with your T’s crossed and I’s dotted, on the day all of your hard work could easily come undone by anything from a faulty microphone to a wobbly chair. An AGM with an experienced event services provider is the only way to make sure everything is covered and cared for, especially when the unexpected happens. There are things that only an event services provider experienced in organising AGMs knows to anticipate before you even know you need them. Here are 9 things to consider when holding your AGM that you likely didn’t know you needed: Are your seats comfortable? You may be sitting for hours. The last thing you want is for your shareholders and board members to think back to the AGM with memorable physical discomfort. If your AGM is being webcast, you don’t want it filming your board members continuously wriggling in their seats trying to get comfortable. Plus, an uncomfortable audience is a distracted one. It may seem a relatively simple task, but selecting the right seating for both your board members and audience can be one of the most important decisions you make. For a recent NRMA AGM, which chair to choose divided our event production team. After much consideration in the end we opted for a white arm chair that could swivel - it was functional, comfortable and not out of place on a stage. How will the audience be seated? Once you have selected the perfect chair, something not too comfortable nor too hard, you have to consider how they’ll be positioned. Do you have theatre style seating with your shareholders facing the stage or do you have something different in mind. The choice of seating style can dramatically change the overall vibe and tone of the AGM. Did you know there are 10 seating arrangements for events for you to choose from? How will the board of directors table look? Depending on your AGM’s goals and budget, there are a variety of set design options available from custom designed sets to standard branded tables. A great way to reduce costs is to partner with an event services company who already have an AGM table built with inbuilt speakers and microphones which can be rebranded to your company’s aesthetics. But maybe you don’t want a board table. Some AGM’s have their members seated on a couch. Whichever option you go for you’ll need to consider many things such as how they’ll store their presentation notes, how will the audience hear them, is there a place to put their water glass if they’re thirsty? You need an experienced camera, sound team and event team to cover all the bases. Every year the AGM has to evolve at the same pace as your company advances. With these advances comes new challenges for the event staging partner. From the sound in the venue, to the screens and projectors used in the presentation, to the shareholders watching and listening at home - each year the AGM adapts and evolves, and so does the team with it. An experienced event services partner has been keeping up-to-date with all of the latest advances in audio visual production and event technology to produce a new and improved AGM every year. How will you communicate with your shareholders? Advances in event technology can make your AGM a dynamic experience and give transparency to your shareholders. It is important that lines of communication be open and clear. The whole point of the AGM is to give all the shareholders the best impression of your company and to show that you have an interest in them and them in you. Through mobile phones your company can now have a direct link to your shareholders. An event app can provide instant communication with your shareholders and a single location for you to conveniently upload all the relevant information to. With updates given about the AGM if something unexpected occurs and with live content delivered on the day, it can be the best tool at your disposal to deliver an amazing AGM. We have listed 10 ways event apps are enhancing the AGM experience for both the organiser and the shareholders. Webcast your company AGM so everyone has the chance to attend A great event services partner makes sure to cater to all the needs for those present on the day but also for those who cannot attend in person. Often a company’s shareholders will be widely dispersed around the country and world so one of the hardest elements of organising an AGM is determining how many attendees you’ll need to allow for. A great way to help manage this is webcasting the AGM. This means those shareholders who cannot attend physically can watch the AGM from the comfort of their home, office desk or on the go. Similarly, webcasting the AGM allows the event to live long beyond its end. If you are considering webcasting your AGM ensure your event services provider is experienced in webcasting live events as there is a lot of elements involved from the recording and camera angles to ensuring the webcast skin is branded and the recording is streamed successfully online. Cater to all your audience’s needs – access and appetite It would be incredibly single minded to think of your audience only in terms of how it would be for you to attend. Every different person has very different needs and some have more requirements than others. When organising an AGM your event services partner will need to provide adequate solutions for all shareholders – from the hearing and sight impaired, to those needing wheelchair access. A great event staging partner will have closed captions for both those in attendance and those at home, as well as thorough recordings of the speeches from the day. And don't forget catering! Most AGM's do a buffet style lunch and make sure to stick to the schedule for breaks. It’s an age old saying but no important decisions should be made on an empty stomach. Rehearse! Not everyone is comfortable in front of a microphone. Actually you could say that almost everyone is terrified of public speaking. Almost 75% of the population suffer Glossophobia, or more specifically, a paralysing anxiety from public speaking. Even though your board of directors may be experienced in their roles, public speaking is a skill and needs to be rehearsed. With so many elements during an AGM such as running through all the formalities, speaker presentations, Q&A...your board of directors need to know what’s going on and when. Rehearsing your AGM also allows your event services partner to refine the production such as camera angles, audio adjustments for different speakers, presentation management and the list goes on. Remember the little things. Some things can only be learned from experience. Whether it is knowing to have a registration desk situated in a visible spot so everyone can register on entry, to having a more intuitive seating arrangement to suit your AGM style. Even knowing to pre-open bottles of sparkling water so it won’t cause issues on the stage for the speakers or noticing if one of their microphones has come loose or is not working correctly – it’s the care and attention to detail by your event services partner that differentiates a good one from a great one. The Biggest Tip: Partner with an event company that specialises in delivering company AGMs With all these considerations it is no wonder most companies choose to do AGM’s with an event services partner. It is part of the event services providers' experience and range of AV and event production solutions to give you the very best event experience. From lead up, during and after the event, your event services partner is the expert you need to have a seamless, engaging and informative company Annual General Meeting. Encore Event Technologies has been delivering AGMs since 1986 and is one of the most trusted event services partner with a track record of delivering AGM’s at the highest standard with complete client satisfaction. Start planning your company AGM today! Get in touch with us by sending an online enquiry or calling 1800 209 099. ... Read More

The right technology can take your event from good to great. It can help you create immersive, engaging events that everyone talks about and help you better communicate and connect with your audience. It can wow your audience during a presentation, turn entertainment into a piece of art, enhance stage sets to become amazing visual experiences, or engage your audience by making them active participants. We’ve identified and delivered some of the hottest new event technologies and are launching new innovations all the time. Plus we’re always looking to the future to see what’s coming over the horizon. Here are some of our favourite examples of how Encore is using event technology in events to inspire yours to be the greatest success they can. Gesture control to create dynamic presentations Gesture control enables presenters and performers to control presentations, sounds, lighting, animations and video. It’s a dynamic effect, where the presenter’s movements trigger any kind of content to react via movements, gestures or manipulating objects/props. We’ve implemented gesture control through a few different methods, including special cameras that track movement, kinetic sensors hidden in props, clothing or objects concealed in stage sets. One of our award winning uses of gesture control was for a paint company – during the CEO’s presentation, he ‘painted’ the massive screen behind him to reveal beautiful murals on buildings in Dubai on screen. He then used gesture control again to announce the colour of the year by moving a paint tin around during the presentation to reveal the colour of the year. Holographics to enthral and entertain Encore has amazed event attendees with 3D hologram technology at recent events. It’s a modern take on an old technique which uses an invisible mesh screen and projecting onto it to create a hologram effect. Video content is beamed onto it and the audience’s brains are fooled into believing there’s a three-dimensional object hanging in the air. The trick is in the content and the lighting and the effect is breathtaking! We’ve created custom designed content and used perspective tricks to create the illusion for a really amazing guest experience. Recently we created 3D stage sets and even used motion sensors so that dancers could control and interact with the ‘hologram’. We’ve also conjured product images that materialise out of thin air on a giant scale. Read More: Holographics - How to create mind-bending 3D illusions at your event Kinetic lighting that moves to the beat of your event Kinetic lighting has recently been really popular at events like music concerts. A uses dozens or even hundreds of individual lights often in spherical, of baton shapes hung individually on their own fly-line and mechanical winch. Each light is coordinated by a computer and controlled via the lighting desk and each light can change colours, fade, or strobe on command. A matrix of Kinetic Lights can move in complex patterns, simulating waves or move in time with the music or entertainment. It’s lighting a technique that creates a dynamic sculpture of light and movement. Kinetic lighting can be used to great effect when paired with other media. At Encore, we’ve delivered an installations that move with music, choreograph with aerial artists who performed within the installation and also recently in a theatrical effect to reveal of a presenter on stage. Event technology provides virtually limitless ways to enhance engagement with your attendees. Let's start discussing your event requirements, get in touch with our team today so we can find the right solution to maximise the experience for your guests. Get In Touch Projection mapping from delightful small-scale to large scale and 3D A favourite with our technicians to deliver impactful engagement, projection mapping, has been used in many forms for years, but the trend is to use it in unique and unusual ways. Over the years, Encore have projected custom content onto giant 3D objects, vast sand stone walls, quarries, the facades of stadiums and even created a restored vintage Airstream caravan. Recently we also wowed spectators at the national netball championships with amazing animation projected directly onto the court. What we see trending in projection mapping is more unconventional, intimate applications that put the illusion directly in front of the audience. Encore recently partnered with Pullman Reef Hotel Casino Cairns to bring the viral sensation ‘Le Petit Chef’ to Australia - , a delightful animation of a little chef delivering food straight onto guests’ plate. We also created an unforgettable dining experience for Dom Perignon to celebrate their brand and heritage as well as a ‘coral reef’ on a dining table for an event in Queensland. Read more: How table projection mapping can be used in events for branding, personalisation and story telling Video and 3D rendering to visualise your event One of the most popular technology trends we’re seeing right now isn’t for the live event itself, it’s for planning. Advanced 3D video rendering means it’s now possible to create a complete 3D render of your event, in the actual venue and watch a video ‘flythrough’ of the event and view every element such as the stage set, lighting, styling and other elements. Virtual Reality to experience and engage For bigger events, we’ve taken our video pre-visualisations a step further and created virtual reality experiences to enable clients to wander through their event and see it from any vantage point. They control where they go within the virtual event such as walk onto the stage or wander around the table settings. All aspects of the event can be experienced including the stage set design, lighting, theming and even the presentations and video content can be run live on screen in the simulation. It’s an amazingly powerful tool, and means there are no surprises on the day. It’s also great for getting buy-in and approval by decision makers! Read more: Discover how we're using Virtual Reality technology for event pre-visualisation Augmented Reality to create fun and excitement We’ve been really excited to see the emerging uses for Augmented Reality (AR) in live events. AR is a great addition to the creative toolbox for the event itself. Your guest’s smartphones and tablets can be used for gamification to surprise and delight, uncovering ‘prizes or treasure’ hidden throughout your venue or a table’s centrepiece can come to life with animation. The thing to be aware of with AR is that it does need to be planned many weeks in advance, allowing time for the apps required to be approved in both the Apple and Android app stores. The Encore Crystal Ball When you’re as excited by new technology as we are, anticipating what the ‘next big thing’ will be in events is one of the best parts of our job. We’re always looking to the future to discover the next big thing or new ways to create amazing experiences for our clients. We are privileged to be able to champion new techniques and equipment, and aim to inspire our customers to keep their audiences engaged and enthralled. See you in the future! As award winners and technical leaders in the events field, our team at Encore Event Technologies are constantly pushing the boundaries of what they can achieve with our equipment, and constantly watching emerging technologies to enhance our work. Contact us today so we can work together to uncover a unique solution to make your event the most engaging it can be - Call 1800 209 099 or send us an online enquiry and we'll get back to you! - ... Read More

Virtual Reality (VR) is a hot buzzword in both technology and event circles right now. Like most new technology, it takes some time to understand all the possible applications and determine the best uses for each industry. Virtual Reality refers to a computer generated or 360° video environment (or hybrid of both) that a viewer can explore freely, usually while wearing a VR headset. VR creates a world the viewer can explore as if they were really walking around in it. When a VR experience is created using a filmed environment, it uses numerous 360° videos stitched together to create a seamless environment enabling the viewer to navigate through the VR experience. This is different from a simple 360° video, which is a single panoramic video that gives the viewer a fixed, single position to watch it from. Viewers can look left and right, up and down, but not control where they go. What you see is what you get Encore Event Technologies has used VR to great effect for pre-visualisation of some of our client’s events. When the designs for the stage set, styling, vision, and lighting are completed, we use VR to show our clients a completely realistic and immersive simulation of exactly what their event will look like. Our VR experiences are so advanced, they can even see their video content running on the screen, and watch the lighting effects render exactly as they will during the event. Image of person wearing VR headset viewing with a 3D pre-visualisation of their event. Using VR for buy-in, budget and expectation management As an event planner of a large-scale event, a pre-visualisation of the event using VR is the ultimate peace of mind – you will know exactly how everything will look and feel, and you can wander freely through any vantage point in the venue; on stage as a performer, seated as a guest, and anywhere in between. It’s also an amazing tool to help get buy-in from within your organisation – marketing can sign-off on brand look and usage, the CEO can be shown what to expect when they walk on stage, and most importantly, whoever is approving the budget can be clearly shown what they’re getting for their investment. Image of Virtual Reality used at the 2017 IMEX Conference in Las Vegas showcasing a luxury accommodation brand. For engagement and value-add to marketing, sales and sponsors Virtual Reality technology has been used to great effect by tourism operators to enable trade show visitors to experience key attractions, or visit resorts. Product demonstrations are also becoming popular at events to give attendees an interactive demonstration without needing them there. This is an especially great opportunity to display large, bulky products where it would normally be hard (or impossible!) to get them to the event. Partner with the experts for using Virtual Reality in your event Whether you’re looking to showcase, inform, demonstrate or entertain, Virtual Reality provides event planners with a myriad of solutions and uses in both the pre-planning phase and during the event. Encore Event Technologies are leading the way with pre-visualisation in the event industry, and are excited by the possibilities of bringing VR to life for your event. Contact our team today to discuss incorporating VR into the pre-planning phase of your next event. ... Read More

Theming is fundamental to the conceptualisation and delivery of every successful event – your theme sets the tone for the entire experience and drives all subsequent planning decisions. The theme is the first impression people will have of your event. So how do you choose a conference theme that is fresh, appealing and on brand? A meaningful concept behind your event helps to direct your planning, keeps your messaging on track, drives audience engagement and delivers on your business objectives. Try to formulate your theme in the form of a question, a statement, a challenge or an idea. Select a theme that can be interpreted loosely, is relatively abstract and open to interpretation. A good conference theme can be carried throughout every touch point of the event including visual design elements, topics, and merchandise and can offer a sense of direction for your speakers. It must be aligned with your company or industry and be consistent with your brand image. Here’s some simple steps to help you choose a theme that will bring your next corporate event to life and create a lasting impression. Define the event goals and purpose Establish the intent of your conference or overall message. Determine what the "takeaway" from the conference should be – what do you want your attendees to remember after they leave? A clear message and intent is key to developing an effective theme for your conference. Ensure your theme is relevant to your target audience Identify your target audience – who do you want to attend your event, and why? How old are they? What is their cultural background and customs? For example, a Business Chicks corporate event will have a theme very different to the Petroleum Gas Conference. The reason for this comes down to who are wanting to attract to your event and what message you are communicating. Then the challenge is finding a creative way to tell that message that will resonate with them. Your theme should be intelligent, inclusive and appealing to attract a high audience attendance rate. Consider your budget and the event parameters Where is the conference being held? What is the duration of the event? How many attendees are you expecting? The theme for a local one-day conference can be slightly more specific and targeted as opposed to a longer, three-day international forum. Review the theme's requirements in line with your budget. An elaborate theme that requires lots of touch points to be effectively communicated may not be in your budget scope. Review your theme in relation to your company’s values, branding and purpose Company Values – Understand what your company stands for and choose a conference theme that reflects those values such as honesty, customer centricity or excellence. Branding – Can you draw any concepts or associations from your brands’ logo, colours or general branding creative and shapes? Company Vision or Purpose - An event theme that incorporates your overarching mission is a great way to reinforce your positioning and help build brand advocacy. Look to industry trends, topical news or popular culture Take inspiration from external sources to facilitate brainstorming and to gather ideas. Sport-related themes are popular amongst conferences and corporate events, such as “Batter Up!”, “Teamwork Wins the Race", or "Winning is a Habit; Success is a Choice." Other themes can be inspired by historical events or eras; such as Prohibition or First Man on the Moon; or from pop-culture, such as Harry Potter, Casablanca or Alice in Wonderland. A theme can also come from music or inspirational quotes from the likes of music legends like Elton John, David Bowie or Adele. Ensure your theme complements your industry or company and keep your theme consistent with your image. Keep it simple Remember less is more! A good conference theme should be inherent in every aspect of your conference – from the speakers and their topics, to the event design and AV, the food, breakout sessions and activities, all the way to the final gala dinner. Keeping the theme simple and to-the-point also prevents miscommunication of the overall message of the conference. Think ‘Opportunity Knocks, ‘Commitment to excellence’ or ‘Building for the future’. It could also be relevant to your industry – if you’re a funds management company “It all adds up!” may be the perfect theme for you. Integrate the theme into every touch point - before, during and after your event A simple theme, clearly communicated, aligned with your brand and with the conference's purpose will inform prospective attendees and reinforce your message. A theme unifies objectives and provides focus for the event, as well as setting the tone for presentations, speaker content, activations, etc. Incorporate the theme onto your invitations, programs, brochures and electronic marketing, name tags, signs and conference-related gifts or memorabilia. Your theme should identify the conference and its attendees clearly and specifically. Order giveaway items with the theme and logo on them, such as t-shirts or other memorabilia to really impress and add value for guests. Get ideas from the conference experts Deciding a conference theme can be one of the hardest decisions conference producers face. That’s where we come in. Let us work together to uncover a brilliant theme that perfectly ties your brand and message into an engaging experience. Encore Event Technologies have been executing imaginative conference themes for over 30 years. Whether you’re planning a medical, financial or education conference - we have the experts, tools and props to bring it to life. Contact us today to discuss how we can execute our seven steps to choosing an event theme and then make it a reality. ... Read More