Ask the Right Questions

As Seen in the April 2014 DSA Suppliers Source
www.dsa.org

Ask the Right Questions:

What Event Planners Should Look for in a Production Company

How do we make this year’s sales conference better than last year’s? Increase attendance? Give each guest the experience they want?

Event planners rack their brains every year to build a better event. To make honorees feel like rock stars. To touch the audience in even more meaningful ways. After all, the investment in an annual sales conference is significant; the return should be too.

Choosing the right production company is the key to maximizing that investment, and asking the right questions is the key to making that choice.

Experience: How well do they know direct sales?

Partnership: What do other clients say about working with them?

Research: Will they work hard to get to know your company – or bring out the cookie-cutter?

Social Responsibility: How innovative are they in ‘bringing the green’ to events?

High standards: Is their work ever just ‘good enough?’

Technology: Have they invested in the best technology available?

Community: How important is community involvement?

Responsiveness: Are they responsive to client involvement and suggestions?

Budget: Will they respect your budget and let you know when your blue-sky ideas are too pricey?

Creativity: How will they bring big excitement to your new product intros?

Audience: How thoughtful are they in planning the audience – and honoree – experience?

Team: How will their team work with your team?

What a production company does onstage is important, but knowing how they get there is critical. Take the time to discover who they are and you’ll discover how important your event is to them.

But For Ohio State

But for Ohio State is the comprehensive campaign spearheaded by the Office of Advancement at The Ohio State University, whose goal is to raise 2.5 billion dollars by 2016.

When the campaign kicked off on October 4, 2012, the amount pledged and collected to date was 1.3 billion dollars.

But first, let us return to June of 2012, when Bartha was given the opportunity to produce the campaign kickoff as well as the additional six (6) city tour.

At that time The Ohio State University wanted a 360 degree image that would transport the audience in attendance to any place on campus as well as the rest of the world through the use of still images and video.

Working as a partner with the University’s planning committee, we created the scripting, videos, images, lighting, and sound effects for an evening event that started at the Oval, the central focus of Ohio State's campus, beginning with dawn, moving through mid-day for the dinner portion of the evening, and closing with the Oval at night.

The sights, the sounds, and the student entertainment that embody the Oval every day were all incorporated into a resounding program that covered all the various colleges and departments within the University.

We told stories by many students, faculty and alumni through the use of video or live testimonials in the room that stated “Had it not been for The Ohio State University I would not have had the opportunities that changed my life."

The tour began in Columbus, Ohio on October 4, 2012, and traveled over 7,696 miles during its six city tour to Cincinnati, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Washington DC and ending in New York on November 4, 2013.

We here at Bartha are proud to have been a part of such a successful and historical venture that we shared with everyone at The Ohio State University.

Maximize Your Video Production* Investment

Annual conferences and other events provide a great opportunity to connect with attendees and communicate a message. It seems as though the goal each year is to go beyond the experience of the previous year’s event. A great vehicle to creatively and effectively deliver a message and add excitement or visual interest to the event is through video production. This powerful story-telling tool can excite, motivate, and re-energize your team.

Video Tip 1—Make it memorable

Not sure what to showcase? Think about potential customers that might be able to provide you with a great testimonial. For something inspiring, profiles of high achieving individuals can be used to share insight with the audience. And, of course, there are always those emotional stories of individual and/or corporate success. The possibilities are endless.

Video Tip 2—Look for the video’s “Legs”

A well-produced and polished video can be a cost-effective investment when designed to have “legs” well beyond a particular event. With careful planning, scripting, and post-production, that single investment can yield valuable communication tools through DVD media, web and social media outlets for as long as it is a valid message.

Video Tip 3—Reuse and Recycle

Even a modest video production will create an archive of useful media assets that can easily be re-purposed, re-edited, and crafted into new messaging. You may be able to “lift” certain sections of an event video or simply, extract and re-edit that moving success story, then utilize it to recruit new personnel or attract new customers.

* Did you know that Bartha has a comprehensive video and media production team equipped with the latest HD production gear? To some, that remains something of a well-kept secret. The fact is, Bartha’s team has created some pretty amazing projects: ultra wide screen videos, a kinetic typography and animation piece, multiple award videos and image pieces for a number of high-profile clients.

Bartha is committed to delivering the best media production services in a comfortable, collaborative atmosphere; full HD video acquisition and post-production, 2D and 3D design and animation, onsite video production, presentation graphic design and production, virtually everything required to create a polished, effective message.

No Waste!

When planning your next event, consider how wasteful you might be. Not with water bottles or extra food (although we do think that is important too!) but with your event space. Your set-up doesn’t have to be about just about a couple of screens and a podium.  BE DIFFERENT - use ALL of your space to maximize the visual impact and the opportunity to communicate.

Consider these creative ways to use your space:

• Floor Projection - event logos utilizing lighting instruments or even full motion video or graphic content
• 360 degree projection - surround your audience with high-impact video messaging
• Ceilings
• Pre-function space - free-standing kiosks with plasma displays can deliver video or graphic content as attendees enter or gather for social functions

Bartha can design CADD floor plans of an event space to maximize the space, and offer creative ways to utilize the event space for your next event.

What's It Worth?

Everyone loves stuff. Buy one, get one free. Order now and get 50% off. But what’s it really worth? Are you getting something that matters to you or is it just something discounted and/or free?

For years, Bartha has worked on creating value behind our services. Bartha’s belief is simple: Invest the time and attention and deliver services that support and enhance events. Don’t “nickel and dime.” Don’t count the paper clips. Stick to the budget. 

Some of Bartha’s “stuff” can be measured in dollars and cents. Some is simply priceless.

We believe these services and the way we do business add value to everything we do.

• Access to Bartha staff for creative, consultation, collaboration,
  and brainstorming

• Initial set and stage designs

• Stage and set design revisions and renderings as an event evolves

• Creative consultation for presentation graphics and creative consulting for video
  production

• On-site flexibility and “can do” attitude

• Performance “above and beyond” to make things right

• Dedicated, invested staff

Why do we value these services? It’s a way of fulfilling a commitment to do everything possible to make each event special and successful. 

Live Streaming -- Is It Right For Your Event?

Many meetings now offer live streaming elements to their events. Used successfully, you can share your event experience with the world. Used incorrectly, your event creates a disconnect and your audience will disengage. 

Bartha wants to be sure you stream correctly so here are three tips we think you should consider.

1. Select the right content; don’t just stream everything. Be selective and find the right message you want to share.
2. Know your speed, you don’t want a ticket. You want to ensure that the video can be uploaded at the correct speed on site. With the right equipment this is no problem however, if you aren’t prepared your streaming video can end up with large delays and that means participants will not have a good experience.
3. Use the right ratio when outputting your video. How you export your video from the source will make a huge impact on quality. A bad picture isn’t an option so be sure you know how to format correctly. And be sure you are using the right equipment to capture the sound and picture. Not all cables, cameras and microphones are the same. 

Streaming is an effective tool but not if it means that it could hurt attendance at your event because they can watch online. Consider streaming only certain parts of the general sessions, or just the keynote speaker. Make your audience want to come to the event, but give the online viewer something to view if they cannot attend for some reason.

For more helpful tips on streaming your next event contact John Killacky at 614.252.7455 or johnk@bartha.com.

Be Prepared — Top Considerations for International Events

Bartha just recently returned from Ireland, staging an event for a large corporate client. As we review our experience abroad, we thought it helpful to share some tips regarding the planning and execution of events overseas.

Planning. Allow a minimum of six weeks just to prepare equipment; four weeks for shipping; one week for packing; and a minimum of one week for paperwork and proper documentation. The paperwork necessary to ship equipment and event supplies abroad is very comprehensive; understanding how the process works to ensure everything arrives on time is critical!

Do the math. We have learned that shipping our own mission-critical equipment is often the most cost effective way to stage a show. Much of the high-end technology we use day in and day out in the U.S. comes at a premium price overseas; some, more standard equipment, may be reasonably priced so shipping offers no distinct advantage. Every destination is different. Our job is to do the math, balance shipping costs versus local rentals, and design a final labor and equipment package that is cost-effective while assuring top performance and capability.

Teamwork.  Any time we travel abroad we know that we need to locate quality local professionals to assist us.  We work to create relationships all over the world so that no matter where we go, we know we have a solid team.  It makes all the difference and ensures that each event is worry-free for our clients.

Be dutifully aware of Duties. Every country has different (and sometimes punitive) import/export regulations. Know what they are in your destination country before you pack and ship all that expensive stuff. For example, if you plan to give your top sales people a classy piece of jewelry in recognition of their achievement, you may be liable for import/export duties based on its value. This has been known to lead to sticker shock.

Power. Be sure you understand the needs of your event so that you can be assured you have enough power. Remember the 2013 Super Bowl? Planning for power at any event is critical especially when abroad. 

For information or assistance in planning your next overseas event contact Chris Zervos at 614.252.7455. He can help answer any of your questions.