7 Tips on Keeping Valuable Visuals
From a Business Event
Attending or participating in a business event can significantly improve brand awareness and sales revenues. The traditional approach to measure success relies on sales-relevant figures. An event is successful if it brings new contacts who will then be nurtured into leads and customers. However, there is more to business conferences and trade shows than sales figures.
Indeed, attendance at events can support brand reputation and marketing. The company can mention the event as part of a PR campaign or in the business newsletter. It can also enable the team to expand its reach by connecting to a broad audience interested in the event but doesn’t directly attend.
Finally, for the team, event attendance can also become a badge of pride. Not every employee is allowed to meet potential clients and become the face of the brand for the duration of an event.
So for all these reasons, a business needs to talk about joining conferences, seminars, or other events. According to the principle, a picture is worth a thousand words; it becomes essential for companies to consider securing visuals for all events and conferencing activities. Yet, where do you find the best visuals for your participation?
#1. You hire a professional photographer
Business conferences and seminars tend to happen in a large auditorium or meeting room. Most interactions occur between the audience and the speakers in the form of questions. As a result, these events don’t involve a constantly moving crowd. They are best recorded with the help of a professional photographer who can capture participants and the audience without interrupting the event. Photos can serve multiple purposes, such as capturing the atmosphere in the room with photos of the audience and the overall venue. But the photographer can also take quality shots of the different speakers. Speaking at an event is a testimony of your expertise. Therefore, you want visual records to support your brand reputation.
#2. You do it yourself
Everyone carries a high quality camera in their pocket. Smartphone cameras let you take professional quality pictures on the go. Participants at large trade shows or business meeting events can use their personal devices to record the experience. It can be a great way of recording the brand’s presence at the event or even taking spontaneous photos of face-to-face interactions with other members of the team. For use in business communication, you might want to add the brand’s logo to the photo or adjust the lighting/contrast of some pictures. So, you’ll need to transfer the smartphone photos to a computer for the branding and marketing team. Not sure how to proceed? There are plenty of helpful tutorials on how to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac or from Samsung to any computer. The process will enable the team to select and prepare the image for public display on the website or in the newsletter.
#3. You ask the organizer
Most trade show organizers share photos of their events as part of their branding and marketing campaigns. So, it might be worth getting in touch with the organizer ahead of the event to find out what they are planning. You can request photos of your team and business presence to be shared with you. It’s essential to establish a trust relationship with the team responsible for the photos. Indeed, more often than not, organizers arrange for photographers’ presence at the event and will only use the best shot for their marketing communication. In other words, organizers don’t filter photos in terms of who is in them. They look for shots that best capture the event size and activities. So, establishing a trust baseline from the start will ensure people on their team are familiar with your brand and can help identify the relevant photos.
#4. You rely on social media content
As mentioned earlier, everyone has a smartphone. A lot of attendants and visitors are likely to take pictures and share their experiences online. The best way to find relevant photos of the event is to search by hashtag. Trade shows typically have a unique hashtag that’s long been defined by the organizer. If you are organizing an event yourself, here are some helpful tips on how to create a hashtag that builds engagement. The perfect hashtag must be unique, short, related, and memorable. Make sure to obtain the photographer’s permission before using their photo.
#5. You have it filmed
Similar to a professional photographer for conference or seminar events, you can reach out to a professional film making team to arrange for a video recording of your presence. This can be highly effective in recording your speech or presentation at a specific event, for example. You can then use the video to create new content for the website or even as part of a lead generation campaign.
#6. You turn it into a vlog
Vlogging, or video blogging, is becoming highly popular. A vlog enables the business to share their experience of the trade show by selecting and editing the most meaningful moments. As an occasional vlogger, your content will only be used to share a special experience and add information to your participation. Typically, business vlogs can also include interviews with the team who planned the event or the CEO and a relatable commentary for viewers. These short vlogs do not need to exceed a few minutes, but they can be a great boost for brand awareness. Vlogs are highly shareable, making them the perfect social media content to go viral.
#7. You make it a live streaming event
Streaming the event can be a game-changer for seminars or conferences in a small venue. A live stream event enables viewers all around the world to attend your event. Life streaming will require a streaming platform and professional settings to record the stage. More and more B2C companies turn to social media functions such as Facebook and Instagram for live streaming. As a B2B company, you will need to use a professional video platform and share the invitation link on your website, social media, and newsletter.
In conclusion, there is more than one way to record visual material from a business event. Whether you are attending, speaking, or organizing, your options will vary greatly. However, regardless of your choices, photos or videos from events can ensure long-term benefits for the brand reputation. A successful event is an event that keeps on bringing new audience groups to your business long after it’s finished.
