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Hottest Wedding Trends: 2016

It’s summer, which means you probably have a calendar full of weddings to attend this season! The wedding industry is always changing, so we put a list together of the hottest wedding trends in 2016.

Be on the lookout for these trends:

  • Two for one dress: More and more dresses these days are being made convertible. Go from formal to party with one motion!
  • Midnight snack: Weddings go late and what’s more appetizing than a midnight snack?! Mini burgers and dessert bars are becoming increasingly popular as an after hour snack!
  • Metallics: This material is all the rage for weddings! Dress it up or down and use it in almost any piece throughout the wedding, from invitations to dresses to the dining room!
  • Mix up the centerpieces: Gone are the days of the exact same tables. Use this as an advantage and be creative in what you choose for each table.
  • Signature cocktails: The bride and groom show off their personalities by each offering their own personal cocktail concoction. Although a little pricy, this detail shows guests a more intimate connection.
  • Weddings are evolving every year and getting more personalized and detailed. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Let us know what you see at your weddings this year and comment if you are seeing any new trends!

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Throwing an Outdoor Event Inside

Problem: How to throw an outdoor event indoors

Solution: Use video screens to display the environment you want

Planning a festive outdoor event in Iowa (or any Midwest state) can be tricky because the weather is so unpredictable especially during the months of November through February, it is almost impossible. You can throw your event indoors and still make it feel like an outdoor event by strategically placing large video screens around the room and projecting video of outdoor scenes and images. Video screens can transport guests to different places and environments. They can even provide them with a very realistic outdoor experience from the climate-controlled comfort of their indoor seat.

One of our clients recently treated their conference attendees to a fireworks display by projecting large, realistic fireworks on to several large screens. A sound system with bass helped complete the experience so guests felt as if they were really watching them outside!

Utilizing video screens to create different environments to help bring many event themes to life: bring the beach and ocean to the Midwest or transport your guests to the 70’s. Whatever the theme may be, video screens are one solution to help pull your event together.

Things may not always go smooth in the event industry, be resourceful with your solutions. If you do get stuck we have the answer for you! Book an hour with our CEO and President Tracy Fuller and she will use her book of tricks and work through the problem!

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5 Fresh Ideas For Your Next Charity Event

When it comes to charity events are you doing the same old thing as everyone else?

In this day and age, we find that the charities are hitting up the same people over and over to donate to causes. In our midsized community we need to look for something new and refreshing to keep the donors looking to our client organizations year after year.

Here are 5 fresh ideas for your next charity events:

1. Get rid of the Live auction:

Beyond having to beg for those items that are worthy of high dollar bids, your bidders have the opportunity and funds to purchase these items on their own. So why continue with the painful asking, gathers and bidding for a live auction. Change it up! Try a 50/50 auction instead. One chance for one price, pair this with the one of the other items below and your event will be the hit of the town!

2. Choose a common household product to create a fashion show:

Here in our community, one of the best fundraisers in town is the Bubble Ball. A fashion show where the fashion is made of Bubble Wrap. Local artist and celebrities are asked to create their fashions sticking with the theme of the show. Music is set to the parade of unbelievable, unique and outrageous fashions with the main component being Bubble Wrap. Other items that would lend themselves to fashion shows might be duct tape, rubber bands, and recycled plastic.

3. Create a game show fund raiser:

A client came to us to change their yearly gala to something else. After many hours of brainstorming, we changed their event to a game show gala. With a Family Feud atmosphere and the right family members, we have taken this event and quadrupled the money collected. Not only has this event become a great yearly event that raises 4x the amount it used to, but the attendance has risen as well! Everyone is excited to see the ‘families’ play and the show is short and sweet. No long lectures, no long auctions and it is easy for attendees to give.

4. Scavenger hunt – pay to play:

Connect with local artists for the donating of a painting. Offer tickets for clues of where the artwork is hidden in the city. Create small teams or pairs to scour the city, collecting queues and ultimately finding the artwork! Make sure you have a camera set up to capture the expressions of the winners.

5. Race around the City:

In the spirit of The Amazing Race, have teams pair off and run thru the community going into different businesses for an activity. Make money by charging an entrance fee and by gathering pledges that each team gathers (like the old fashion walk-a-thons). Make sure you reward the teams at the end with a party and winner recognition!

Use these ideas to change up your charity event this season. The donors already know it’s a good cause – but it’s up to you to plan the spectacular party!

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5 Lighting Techniques To Set the Mood For Your Event

Lighting is one of the best elements to set the mood for your event. By changing the lighting in the room and taking out the florescent lights, you create the color, mood, and direct the audience’s attention to where you want.

Here are 5 techniques to set the mood with lighting:

1) Use uplighting around the room

Removing the florescent lighting in the room and replacing it with uplights around the wall or on the architectural elements in the room will create a dramatic and more creative look.

Imagine walking into a room washed in blue up-lights with your winter event, or a room glowing with red up-lighting with your Fire and Ice event. What if you changed the up-lighting on the walls depending on the timing of the programing? Say your event is Fire and Ice and you start with red lighting and move it to blue during the evening to signify the change from Fire to Ice. You will want to play with the colors and your theme to see what works best.

2). Use a Gobo for added decor

A gobo is a piece of metal that fits into a lighting instrument that has a negative cut of a logo or names. They also come in color and made of glass for more intricate designs or multicolor logos.

For large walls or lighting on the dance floor these make a wonderful impact and can help your theming or your branding of the event

3). Use a projector for lighting

Projectors are now being used for lighting and at times might be more economical than lighting. This is also a wonderful way to create a look of moving objects or changing looks on a large wall.Imagine covering a large ugly wall with moving snowflakes for a holiday show. This will save the cost of the drapery and labor to put it up.

4). Set the stage with lighting

Use lighting to direct your audiences’ attention to different areas in the room. Say you have a large new product you want to reveal and you have it hidden behind drapery until the big reveal. When the timing is right, the stage goes dark and the lighting all moves to direct everyone’s attention to the new product and the drape drops. This is a jaw dropping moment at events.

You will also want to use lighting on stage to highlight your speakers, especially if you are videotaping.

5). Pin spot lighting for your centerpieces

You’ve spent lots of time and money on those amazing centerpieces and you’ve removed all the overhead lighting and replaced it with up lighting around the room. You don’t want to loss the drama of the centerpieces when people enter the room or when they are at the tables for dinner.

Adding pin lighting, either from the ceiling and lighting each table centerpiece or lighting the centerpiece from below, will certainly add the element of drama you are looking for.

Lighting can drastically change the mood of your event, nothing is worse than a space with fluorescent lighting that flatters no one. Be creative with your light, and change the way the room feels.

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Event Technology: Periscope

Don’t have any local news programs interested in covering your next event? No need for them now, because with the newest event technology, Periscope, you have your own personal TV channel. This is a live streaming app that broadcasts your video directly to your viewers. This app is fast and easy, there is no time spent editing, simply stream your events or exclusive interviews to your viewers and, BAM!, done. This is a new way to connect to your audience in an authentic way; check out some of Periscope’s perks!

Social media

Your next question may be “How will people find me on Periscope since it’s so new?” Twitter is the owner of this new technology phenomenon, so once your broadcast is out a link is sent to your timeline! Hype up your event on social media beforehand, this way your followers have something to look forward to. Much like a live broadcast your followers can ask questions or tell you what they think about your topic/event. This is great since they can be part of the conversation and can engage in your event more than ever!

Account

Make sure your Periscope account is unique and searchable; for event planners let your followers know what you plan post, use key words and be sure they understand it is about event tips or showcasing the end result of your amazing event! The best part is how shareable it is, no need for any hassle.

Behind the scenes content

Events can get crazy (we know!) but use that to your advantage; broadcast behind the scenes shots. Sometimes things go wrong and you need to think of a creative way to fix it; showcase that and viewers can awe in amazement by your super powers! Photos are great, but go to the next level by sharing a 360-degree view of your event space, giving viewers more insight into your event with Periscope.

Lights, camera, action!

Before you start streaming there are a few things to think about ahead of time. Be careful about shaky cameras. Your video is live and you want it to look presentable. Also remember to go over your talking points before the camera is rolling. Most importantly: Be YOU! This is about showcasing your event and having your personality shine. Remember to let those you are interviewing know that they have one take. It may be intimidating for some, but you get more authentic results in the end.

Use Periscope to your advantage, give your audience something they didn’t even think they needed! Still want more information? Check out another great blog, The Social Tables Blog, for more insight on this powerful new technology!

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Trends in Meeting and Event Atmosphere

Recent trends in Audio Visual for meetings and events

With the technology boom that has occurred over the past couple of decades and continues to impress each year, it is important to stay up to date with the newest technologies and trends in audio/visual for your events.

A/V trends:

1. Out with PowerPoint, in with Gesture Media

What if you could command the screen with your hand gestures instead of using a mouse or slide advance? How much more control and how much more exciting could you make your presentations? Hand gesturing is used in the tech world, why not on stage for your presentations? If you choose to use this up-and-coming A/V trend, make sure you do some rehearsals with the equipment before show time.

2. Projection mapping

Projection mapping or video-mapping technologies allows you to project images on any multi-dimensional shape or form. Any object can become a display, leading to visual effects that make events memorable.

See it for yourself!

Building Projection Mapping in Abu Dhabi

Dallas, Texas Joulle Hotel 3D Mapping

We love this highly content driven video and look forward to using it wherever we can. You need to be aware of time frames for building out the content side and the very technical projection side of this amazing format. Allow time for the techs to have the room to make sure everything is working just as it should.

3. Multi-image display presentation software

Plasma Screens and Video walls allow A/V techs to create amazing graphics for your show. Fly in words and photos to make your information really stand out. Screen sizes are changing from the typical standard sizes to super sizes; some screens are running 20 foot tall by 40-60 and even 80 foot wide. This lays the foundation for an incredible presentation and can also replace your stage set.

4. LED lighting

Your A/V team can integrate LED lighting with video systems, allowing them to color-match LED lighting to suit screen content and themes, further branding the meeting and the experience.

LED lighting is much more energy efficient and “Green” for your meetings. LED lighting is also available using batteries for when cords are not ideal and takes a lot less power for those rooms that are older and don’t have the power grid you need for a lot of equipment. We love the under table lighting, battery operated pin and flood lighting to highlight things like a cake or a centerpiece and even lighting that installs using magnets!

5. Touch-screen technology

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