Live Event Marketing is Glowing in the Dark

How our Production Crew Turns a Live Event into a Glowing Marketing Extravaganza!

Understanding what events work and which never live up to the hype takes walking a very fine line. Now, more than ever, our live event marketing industry is looking for new, unique and innovative ways to get their clients and brands message across to event attendees. How does a marketing firm create this type of environment? They need help from innovative production companies! It’s important to choose a production company that has experience working with marketing firms. Only the two combined can create strategies that will incorporate the experiential components essential in making a truly successful (and memorable) live event.

A great example of our willingness to work with clients on experiential event trend is our Black Light 5K’s. At In Depth Events, we provide several clients with the live glow events elements necessary to cover crowds of up to 15,000 with high intensity UV in outdoor environments. These events are executed nationwide – offering a unique and memorable experience for all guests from all demographics. Event though my title is Live Event Market Manager, I was recently invited to help our crew build a Black Light 5K in Pomona and have a new found respect for the hardworking technicians that are my co-workers.

Hard at Work with the Black Light Production Crew

It starts with the team setting up the stage and trusses the night before in the center of the race track. It takes about 4 1/2 hours to complete the 20 foot x 20 foot stage and ADA ramp. It’s braced, locked in place and reinforced to provide stability for the DJs. And it’s built level on very un-level grassy ground. While the stage was being built, another crew built trusses at the start and finish lines of the race. This involved setting up pieces that were 20 ft. high with black lights being secured to all sides of the structure to create the glow effect the client required.

The next day the team returned at 8am to continue the build. They had their work cut out for them as they began creating peripheral staging to hold additional speakers to enhance and magnify the ultimate sound experience for the Black Light run participants. They set up 2 mini stages directly behind the main stage to literally pump up the volume. This turned out to be essential as the crowd far exceeded the expectations of the organizer!

Lighting and fog equipment for live glow events has to be secured to additional trusses that were placed on stage to help create the ultimate dance party experience which occurred directly after the run portion of the event. While half the team continued to finish setting up the sound system, lighting, and black lights for the main event area, the other half of the production crew had to set up even more trusses, lighting and audio at four additional locations throughout the run path.

Attendees began arriving at 4 pm and the gates were opened at 5 pm. The first wave crossed under the start line at 6:30 pm, and, after completing the race, went straight to the party area where the DJ’s were pumping music into the crowd. On entry to the party area, each attendee was given packets of UV reactive powder to throw in the air, on their friends or themselves! During the event, nearly 15,000 attendees showed up to Glow the night away under the high intensity, long throw black lights that were set up by our crew. These attendees came from every demographic and included every age group. However, the primary demographic seemed to be young couples with kids, definitely in the middle to upper income range and fitness minded. It was hard to see who was having more fun – the 30-something parents or the 12-17 year old kids at the stage barricades! Everyone was dancing the night away, glowing in UV reactive clothing and covered in UV reactive paint.

How to turn the Black Light Run into a promotional vehicle for my clients’ brands.

Since I was a guest on the production crew, I also was privileged enough to help with load out – and, I gotta tell you, it comes down much faster than it goes up! While I was working with the technicians, my mind turned to how I could use this event experience to promote my clients brands. Would live glow events work for promoting a sports brand? What about a non-profit? Can a glowing logo make a better impression than a print logo? Which of my clients would be interested in having their product presented at such a unique event in front of 15,000 consumers with disposable income?

The answer is, of course – all of them! But how best to utilize my new-found knowledge to help my clients? A sports drink client could certainly do giveaways. A sporting manufacturer could certainly give away UV reactive t-shirts. What if a client was willing to build an entire event to promote their brand? With a dedicated base of customers, a well-planned event could generate significant impressions for any of my clients. As I limped back to my car with the loaded trucks behind me, I was thankful that I do live event marketing for a living, and not production setup! I’ll be reaching out to my clients with my new ideas – and with the crew of In Depth Events in my back pocket, you’ll be sure to see my clients brands glowing soon!

I hope this blog has been informative for our event planner clients! For more information on In Depth Events and our event production capabilities, please Ask Us a Question today. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your event!

Selecting the Best Production Vendor for Your Outdoor Festivals

If you’re throwing outdoor festivals, then choosing the right production vendor is the single biggest decision you’ll make towards the success of your event. Take a look below to see a few tips on finding the right production vendor for staging rental, audio rental, and lighting rental for your outdoor festival!

Step One: Start early and plan ahead when choosing a production company

Whether it’s a college block party, a ‘City Of’, or a State Fair, having the right company for your stage and roof system, audio rental, lighting rental and generator rental can make or break outdoor festivals. Most importantly, you need someone that you can build a relationship with – someone that you trust will do what they say they are going to do.

Building a relationship takes time. Begin looking for your vendors well in advance of your show. Have your details in place when you are interviewing vendors – overhead layouts of your venue, band riders and event dates and times are key to helping your production company provide an accurate quote for your event. In addition, most production companies like to see at least a three month advance contact before the date of your show and never less than one month. Frantically calling production vendors a week before the event date is not a way to build trust!

Interview the production company, get multiple bids and check references

Outdoor festivals are arguably the most difficult type of event there is for a production company. Tight set changes, multiple bands and crowd control issues are compounded by weather, temporary power and permitting requirements. Your production company for your outdoor festival should be part of the solution, not an additional headache that you have to deal with.

Therefore, you need to make sure they companies your are interviewing know what they are talking about! Conduct interviews with sales staff and project leads – a reputable company will be thrilled with the opportunity to meet with you and see the venue. Be prepared to get multiple bids and check them for the gear you need. Your production company should be open to discussion on the bid and the equipment listed in your quote.

Finally, check references! The production company should own the majority of the equipment they are bringing to your show. Avoid ‘show brokers’ – they typically cause more trouble than they are worth and their references will reflect this. Ask about their safety records. Don’t hesitate to ask all companies bidding on your event about the reputations of their competitors. Production is a very small industry, and we’ve all worked together at one time or the other. A company that is reviled across the industry is bad news.

Hopefully this blog has been informative for our event planner clients! For more information on In Depth Events and our event production capabilities, please Ask Us a Question today. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your event!

The Most Trusted Name in Sound, Stage, Lighting and Video Production Vendors

As a marketing or PR firm, the choice of the right live event production vendor for your live event can mean the difference between dizzying success or dismal failure. You need a company that can provide a safe, structurally sound stage and rooftop. A company that can provide the appropriate sound system for the venue. A company with experience in different types of lighting for different types of events. A company that knows how video can motivate an audience. And, hopefully, a company that can truck it all to your activation site, no matter what market your live event is in.

If you are reading this and nodding your head, then you’ve found the right place. Our company, In Depth Events, is made up of experts at all of the above. Of course, anyone can SAY that, but how do you prove it? For us, it’s a simple matter of showing you our experience through the pictures of shows we’ve helped produce, a quick look at our repeat client base and the compliments of our past clients.

Most importantly, however, is not our technical expertise. It’s the way we work with our clients. You’ll find that we speak your language and our friendly sales staff is almost physic when it comes to anticipating your needs. On site, our technical staff is willing to accommodate your client’s needs to an astounding degree. Our entire team is there to make your show look great, which makes you look great in the eyes of your end client.

Does this sound like your dream company? For more information on In Depth Events and live event production vendor capabilities, please Ask Us a Question today. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your event!

Category: Lighting