Entries Tagged 'Events: useful & new stuff' ↓

86% of marketers agree - brands need to talk less and do more

Promotional roadshow In January, Jack Morton released the results of a global survey of almost 300 marketers:

  • 75% affirm they will increase spending on experiential marketing in 2008
  • 5-10% of these plan more than in previous years
  • 12% will increase spend by 11-25%
  • 10% say their experiential budget will rise by more than 25%
  • 70% say that experiential marketing is extremely or very important to their organizations
  • 71% report that experiential marketing will become increasingly important in the year to come
  • 93% agreed that experiential marketing generates advocacy and word-of-mouth recommendations
  • 92% agreed that experiential marketing both builds brand awareness and brand relationships
  • 77% stated that it generates sales and leads
  • 98% of respondents agreed that “brand experiences that deliver on brand promises are central to building commitment and loyalty”
  • 99% concur that “what a brand does is as important as what a brand says”

Read full story 

http://journalistfiles.blogspot.com/2008/01/jack-mortons-new-year-cheer.html

Big message - BIG projection

WParagon - large format image projectionse like large format projection. 

Tommy’s the Baby Charity asked Paragon to come up with an event to launch their Stop Premature Birth Campaign earlier this year.  The result was a press conference in the luscious private theatre of the Soho Hotel followed by large format projections onto buildings directly outside both Waterloo and Charing Cross mainline stations at peak commuter time.

“Awake a world of dreams…”

Call Paragon for entertainmentWe should say, before you read on, that we consider very carefully every one of the many emails or mailers sent to us by potential suppliers.

The information is always passed to the team, always read and websites visited before deciding a) to file, or…sadly… b) not to.

Once in a while, an email will leap out at us and cause a stir amongst the team, for whatever reason, sometimes good, sometimes..well… not so!

This is one of the good ones and we want to share it with you.

If there’s a lesson to be learnt, one of several to be fair, I guess it’s that some automatic language translation software packages are just not up to the job.

“Dear Val,

Today please let me introduce you about an additional act of my original repertoire, which state new highlights and accents of events any kinds.

“The LIGHTING CUBE show” is a special ground act creation for stages any kinds and size, without any needed hanging points, how like known by my other performances!

Illusions and the gravity in interplay of MUSIC – LIGHT – MOVEMENT - JUGGLING awake a world of dreams by moving silhouettes in sympathy of projections. Additionally that modern, powerful and elegant cube act is perfect suitable for the individual presentation of single firms and companies by the elementariness of the equipment, for example as live object or just as simple decoration.

Ideas for your own plus your client’s presentation as well as a particular description and details about the technical requirements you find out under: www.cubeact.com

At attachment I sent you the first pics.”

The Artiste, by the way, is an accomplished International ariel and ground acrobat.  Worth a look. Click here for You Tube clip.

Conference games add energy & enjoyment

Interactive methods and techniques are an integral mix for an effective conference and in the right situation, introducing intelligently designed and delivered games will energise your audience and get them involved, motivated and… remembering your message. 

Here are 7 reasons why:

Breaks Ice
Gives everyone the opportunity to break out of their traditional roles and express themselves more freely

Draws out people
New or quiet participants quickly become valued members of the group

Draws out hidden issues
Every day hidden issues can be brought to the surface through a well-designed game and then expertly processed to help participants recognize implications.

Reveals hidden talents
Game conditions can set people loose to invent, create, design, negotiate, set targets, take bold actions and succeed

Generates energy & enjoyment
A game can deliver key learning points with involvement, excitement and entertainment. A great way to launch your program, or to end the event

Highlights a specific message/theme
Whatever your focus – motivation, innovation, teamwork, sales, an intelligently designed game can bring that focus to the forefront of participants minds and maintain it through and beyond the event

Gathers new ideas & solutions
By introducing new perspectives, new ideas grow and lessons are learnt that can continue to be used long after your event

Establishes a reference point & lasting metaphor
People refer to effective conference games for years. Let the activity and insights from your conference become an anchor for group understanding

We’ll be featuring some of the games and activities we like in future posts.

Let us know what’s been successful for you in the past.

Rich Mix - a stimulating new venue in E1

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketRich Mix is a dynamic new cross-cultural arts and media centre in the heart of the East End.

This vast former garment factory now houses a three screen cinema larges seating 200, exhibition spaces, cafe and a broadcasting centre for BBC London. In short, it’s 62,000 square feet of activity and innovation, designed to bridge cultures and disciplines to create an entirely new kind of arts centre – and a unique new venue for a range of events especially those needing a (funky) auditoria. 

Climate Care - funding sustainable energy projects vs planting trees

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketWhen carbon offsets began, tree planting was the main way that people offset emissions. These days, best practise in carbon offsetting is generally considered to be investing in sustainable energy projects that cut emissions in the first place –such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.                                                     

By paying for the carbon saved by technologies like efficient lightbulbs and wind energy etc, carbon offsetting helps to green the global economy.

The money from carbon offsets is starting to drive the promotion of clean technology around the world, with especially exciting work being done to promote ‘appropriate technologies’ such as efficient cooking stoves, long recognised as crucial for improving quality of life and now finally, through the carbon market, starting to access the significant capital needed to make them available to millions.

Newly launched standards such as the Gold Standard (VERs) are ensuring that funding goes to real, verified carbon savings.

Climate Care was the first carbon offset organisation in the UK to focus on sustainable energy projects rather than forestry. Currently 80% of our carbon reductions in our online portfolio are made in sustainable energy projects. We still make 20% of our CO2 reductions through a forest restoration project. This is because globally, around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions are through deforestation or forest fires.

It is crucial to find a way to fund the protection of the worlds forests, but there is still a lot of debate around the right mechanisms to do this.

Thanks to Bettina Koller of Climate Care for the above.
Visit: www.climatecare.org

Paragon recommend carbon offsetting for events as part of a sustainable event management process and work closely with Climate Care.
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Get into the Garden - take your event back to roots

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketAmongst the emails we receive from potential suppliers we were interested to hear from Toby Buckland, gardening writer and broadcaster with a sideline in giving bespoke demos, tours, talks and team-building.  Toby also appears in the TV series Weed it And Reap on UKTV and is known for his light-hearted, hand-on approach - backed by a first class degree in landscape management. 

So if you want to take your people back to the roots, then some time with Toby would be an excellent idea.

Heliosphere - an aerial ballet

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketIt’s not new, but it’s stunning, and you might not have seen it yet.  A breathtaking aerial ballet, featuring an aerialist suspended beneath a helium balloon as it floats through your crowd. Illuminated and set to music, a Heliosphere performance is truly unforgettable. 

Click here for Cool YouTube video

Green Tomato Cars - London eco-friendly taxis

Great service - give them a callWe came across Green Tomato Cars earlier this year.  The Hammersmith based company’s fleet comprise Toyota Prius saloons that have an engine that runs partly on electric battery and partly on fuel.  This means their carbon emission is only half that of a traditional black cab and the company offsets the unavoidable emissions.

The company operates 24/7 across London.  You can either call and book or set up an account and book online.  Give them a call!  020 8568 0022

7 tips for ‘greening’ your event

1.Our first tip is - call us!  But if you are going it alone, here are a few other tips:

2. Use LEDs
Lighting is one of the most obvious ways an event consumes energy and a growing number of technologies offer more earth-friendly solutions.

LED lights win raves for their convenience and low energy usage. An LED fixture of comparable brightness uses up to 80 percent less energy than its conventional counterpart. Another perk of LED lights is that the lights themselves come in all colours, so there’s no need to set up huge labour-intensive rigs for colour films.

Hassle Factor: None. Using them for an event is a simple request for most lighting companies.

Cost: LEDs are more expensive to produce, so hiring costs more. On the other hand, setup is much quicker and easier, so you could recoup most or all of the hire cost.

2. Rethink Your Cars
While hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius are the best-known, there are a variety of alternative-fuel vehicles on the road, and a few forward-thinking car services are offering these vehicles. Green Tomato has a fleet of Priuses for customers traveling around London and beyond. Other companies such as Chauffeur-First offer their fleet of executive Lexus hybrid vehicles. London’s 20,000 black taxi fleet will also be expected to meet strict emissions standards by mid 2008, under the Mayor’s Taxi Emissions Strategy.

Hassle Factor: Outside of major cities, finding a green/er car service is tough. For smaller events, you might be better off renting a hybrid and hiring a driver, or be creative with local and appropriate options where earth-friendly transportation is a priority. But for guests or execs who have their hearts set on a stretch Hummer or a similarly gas-guzzling ride, there might not be much you can do.

Cost: These services are generally within the same price range as other services that provide more typical town cars.
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