Facebook Event Page Set-Up

To start, I always set up an event page in such way that the cover photo or video and event title are compatible with phone screens since most people scroll Facebook on a cellular device. At the time of writing this article Facebook's Event Tips Website claims the photo must be "at least 1920 x 1080 pixels (16:9 ratio)". The information popup when creating a new event page contradicts this telling you to make it 1200 x 628 pixels for an aspect ratio of 1.9:1. In reality 1200 x 628 is closer to 1.91:1 if you want to nit pick. To make it more complicated not all devices will display this image or video at the same resolution with some mobile devices displaying it as wide as 1250 pixels. If you want to be really safe I suggest going with the 1.91:1 aspect ratio at a minimum size of 1920 x 1005 pixels and leave room on the edges for what ever random cropping Facebook decides to do. I would avoid using text in your cover photo as it can be hard to read on smaller devices. Also, Facebook will not approve any photo that is more than 20% text.

Pro Tip
When possible use a short video for your cover instead of a photo. This is a great way to grab someone's attention.

Once I have chosen a cover photo/video and title, I set the page with the exact date, time, and address for the event I am promoting. This allows people in the surrounding area to view the event and plan to attend. When choosing the name for a public event, I try to keep it short, to the point, and attention grabbing. Finally, I add a description with exciting details and encourage people to join us at the event.

Pro Tip
When adding the description for your event use hashtags and @mentions. If your event has acts or special attendees planned, add them as Co-Hosts or Relative Groups of the event. This will showcase your event on their pages attracting another group of people.

Facebook allows you to edit your public event up to three times but, changes can greatly affect attendance of people who are interested so I try not to edit events after they are published. I always work on a draft until I am sure it is ready then publish it for Facebook users to see. You want your Event Page to look professional but also be engaging at the same time.

Facebook Event Pages are like flyers who help reach more people than any piece of paper ever could. Designing the page and being able to post videos and continuous content grabs and holds people’s attention. Creating an Event Page allows you to showcase your public event in a unique way.

There is so much excitement in creating a Facebook Event Page. Each event has such great potential to showcase and promote. I would love to help you create a Facebook Event Page that could significantly increase the attendance of your public event.

For more information about how Facebook can be used to promote your public event, feel free to email me at media@indepth.events. I would love to answer any questions you have and discuss how I can help you promote your event.

Look for my next post soon: The Basics of Promoting Public Events Using Facebook

AT&T First Annual Business Summit at the Gaylord Texan!

Big events come to Dallas all the time, but the first annual AT&T Business Summit really pulled out all the stops. A private performance at AT&T Stadium by Aerosmith was only the tip of the iceberg. (And when Aerosmith is the tip of the iceberg, you KNOW it's a big event!) AT&T also rented the entire Gaylord Texan Convention Center and Resort with forward-thinking exhibits in the exhibit halls, and interactive speeches by Randall Lynn Stephenson and GW Bush during the general sessions. Darius Rucker performed at the Gaylord to round out the award-winning talent, and several breakout sessions discussed the future of telecom.

Thanks to our friends at Orbital Motion, the crew of In Depth events was a big part of the general session, providing an exciting main stage for the event. In one of the most innovative uses of our LED stage surfaces, we provided an amazing triangle shaped, LED lighted stage for the main stage of this conference. Months of design work and preparation paid off with a truly stunning stage for this international group of attendees.

However, our LED lighted stage wasn't the only thing we provided for this show. A laundry list of six large audience risers, pipe and drape, stage marley, and thousands of square feet of carpeting were needed for the general session ballroom. The breakout rooms all needed stages, carpeting, and elevated seating as well. Coordinating with the riggers, decor, lighting, video, and audio was no small task during this three day build. However, the staff at In Depth Events banded together to make sure every task that we contracted for was completed to meet or exceed client specifications.

Event Outdoor Signage and Structures for Sporting Events and Festivals – An Event Planners Guide

For large scale events like sporting events, large festivals and Municipal events, signage becomes a serious issue. If your event spans an area over several acres, how to you point people to the main stage, restrooms or the emergency services area? No less critical is the branding of the event and the branding of your vendor areas. At In Depth Events, we are experts at event outdoor signage using a variety of media. Read on for more information!

Live Events – Structure and Banner Solutions from In Depth Events

At In Depth Events, we are experts at event outdoor signage solutions. We’ve used structures with vinyl banners as well as structures with large scale video walls. Our technicians and engineers work hard to make sure these structures are safe, look great and fulfill the needs that put them there in the first place – to inform your attendees about a specific direction, scheduled event or vendor message.

Here are the four types of structures that you can easily use at your next festival, sporting event, or marketing event:

Inverted “U”:

An inverted “U” is a mini-beam truss structure. It’s a great way to display a large banner such as a backdrop for a small stage or a step and repeat banner at a selfie station. These structures are incredibly wind resistant, inexpensive and look great.

Media Towers:

A media tower is either a triangular or square structure designed to hold large format LED Video walls. These structures are usually about 20′ tall and very, very strong. They work well at central locations with lots of foot traffic – like outside the food court area. The screens are used for vendor promotion, calendar/schedules of your event and live tweets. When equipped with loudspeakers, these towers can also be used for announcements of upcoming events as well as emergency messages.

Truss and Ballast:

A Truss and Ballast structure is a proprietary type of signage that only In Depth Events has. In combination with a 20-foot tall vertical piece of 24-inch x 30-inch truss is a 3600 pound ballast made of concrete and steel. These units can be placed anywhere for very tall, very visible banners. We also use them for outdoor light towers and as support for commercial bulb stringers. These unique outdoor signage structures have been engineer certified to withstand well over 70 MPH winds while only using a 4-foot X 4-foot ground area.

Gateways:

A gateway is a mini-beam structure that is engineered to allow people to pass under or through it. They are most often used at the event entry or exit or, when attendees are passing through to a different part of the festival. Gateways are usually lighted with signage towers on both sides. Gateways are typically where the event name and sponsors are located, but it’s also become a great location for a selfie station.

The Bonus Structure Type – Custom Signage Towers:

Do you see something here that inspires you to create a new idea? Do you have an idea that is completely off the beaten path? The experts at In Depth Events can (and have!) provided event outdoor signage using custom structures that don’t look like anything else. From truss vaults to branded outdoor seating lounges and even toboggan slides – our experts can create something completely new for your event. Challenge Accepted!

Choosing the right vendor for live event outdoor signage structures

In Depth Events handles event outdoor signage structures for events all over the nation, so make sure to contact us first. However, our Canadian and international event planners may have a difficult time finding a reputable vendor. Here are a few pointers:

First and foremost – trust your gut. Don’t settle for a company that doesn’t seem right for your needs.

Make sure the company you choose is capable of providing engineer certified drawings.
The company needs to be registered as a certified building contractor in at least their home city.
The company should own their own equipment, especially the trussing, tie-downs and ballasts.
Find a company that has recommendations for a signage or vinyl firm. Having a good relationship with a signage vendor means they know what specification are needed.

Questions? Feel free to Ask a Question of our experts. We hope you enjoyed this blog post and make sure to check out our other Event Planner Guides while you are here.

Truss and Ballast for Outdoor Events – A New Product Showcase

The staff at In Depth Events like to flatter ourselves that we engineer products that improve the production industry as a whole. Occasionally, we’re right! Some of our innovations really have been influential to the industry. The best example is our LED Dance Floors – which was one of the first available in the rental market when we began designing them seven years ago. It’s in this spirit that we are beginning a New Product showcase series. Sign Up Here to receive information on our New Products as we discover them!

“Necessity is the mother of invention”

The Development of the Rental Truss and Ballast

About three years ago, a tour with a 5K run required a more immersive experience for their attendees. This client asked us to design a series of outfield towers that could be placed up to 200 feet from the stage. Each tower would be required to hold a significant amount of lighting as well as holding signage. It would also require certified engineer documentation.

Engineer Drawing of Truss and Ballast Design

A side view from one of the engineered drawings used in the initial product design.

Our engineers got to work. Using trussing from our rooftop department, we began with 20 foot vertical truss towers. This pin-together truss (sometimes called fork truss) is 30 inches x 24 inches and is part of the perimeter truss of our monster 70’x50′ rooftop. Now, we have the vertical space and strength. But how do we anchor it to the ground to keep it from falling over?

Using the concept of a typical truss and base (which uses 70 pound steel plates as ballast) we set to design the mother of all truss and base. Using 3/8″ steel plate, our welders built a box 4 feet x 4feet x 36 inches tall with fork lift receivers. Then, using rebar and a piece of the perimeter truss, we set a die for the fork ends. Finally, our stagehands mixed 3200 pounds of concrete, and poured it into each box.

The end result is a surprisingly good looking product with more than it’s fair share of weight. The steel base is painted black and looks great on site, but it can’t disguise the 3600 pound nature of it’s being. Our final engineering review allows the towers to be used in almost any weather environment with virtually no danger of them falling over. Of course, the trussing looks great – it’s a vertical tower of aluminum that holds several hundred pounds of lighting in the air as well as flat vinyl banners with three times the signage space as mini-beam towers.

The multiple uses of Truss and Ballast in outdoor events

Image of Ballast and base supporting lighting and signage

Ballast and base supporting lighting and signage during a spring 2016 tour stop not too far from the Vegas strip.

When we unveiled the new Truss and Ballast, the client was thrilled. Our engineers had created a product that allowed for the immersive experience their attendees demanded (later, we carried that design to over 150 cities in the United States – but that’s another story). However, as we started using them on other shows, other advantages of our 3600 pound Truss and Ballast started to present themselves. Take a look at the list below:

Lighting Placement:

This should be obvious, since it was one of the main initial specifications. However, the sheer ability of our design to accommodate lighting fixtures became an asset. Rather than just holding a few fixtures, these towers can hold hundreds of pounds of weight – meaning more lighting. Our Truss and Ballast towers have been used with moving lights, conventional 6 bars, lekos and FX lighting – many times all at once. They are a vast upgrade compared to the traditional usage of scaffolding or truss and base for outdoor lighting!

Banner placement:

The banner sizing is where this product really shines. Before, spot signage at festivals had to be either scaffolding towers or towers using 12 inch mini-beam. With our Truss and Ballast, signage is 30 inches wide x 20 feet tall! This allows for readable signage for logo placement or directional signs. Since our bases are stand-alone units, you can erect a square signage tower literally in the center of your main thoroughfare, and it provides a easy to read signpost that has very little effect on traffic patterns or slowdown.

Support for Commercial Bulb Placement:

Commercial bulb stringers are a mainstay for weddings, receptions and corporate outdoor events. However, commercial bulb stringers can be difficult to have in open areas. Our Truss and Ballast make commercial bulb stringers a dream to setup and install. Our towers can support multiple strings – or use as a corner piece without worrying about wire tension.

Gateways and Gantries:

In January of 2017, a good friend and client asked us about building a gateway entry. These are usually built with mini-beam, but in this instance the gateway footprint had to be minimized. We designed two corners and a spanning truss to go with our Truss and Ballast, and in doing so, created a new use for our towers. These new gateway structures boast a limited footprint, while providing exceptionally wind tolerant signage. Multiple sections can also be used to create ticket gantries.

Using experts to help with your next event

Do you have a idea that you don’t know how to make work safely? Contact our experts and let us turn your idea into a reality! Look no further! At In Depth Events, our staff and technicians can help provide staging, audio and lighting, and electrical distribution for your next event. Ask Us a Question to get started on your next event!

Author: Robert Chapman

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