Want to take your company or association’s message beyond the walls of your meeting space and out into the world? Social media tools like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn are a highly effective way to increase your company’s visibility, engage with stakeholders, and gain new followers. Chances are, attendees at your conference are posting actively about their experience, and If you aren’t a part of the conversation, you’re missing out on a big opportunity!

Technisch Creative employs a highly experienced staff of professional social media managers who can provide live coverage of your event. We will handle all the details of your online engagement so you can focus on producing an amazing live event. Here’s a snapshot of what we can do for you.

Event Preparation

Work alongside your team to develop a social media strategy

Create a Twitter list before the event that includes speaker, influencer, and attendee Twitter names

Create custom event social media profile banners to place on each profile leading up to the event.

Create a strategically chosen event hashtag and use it in teaser posts in the weeks prior to the event.

Work alongside your team to come up with for giveaways, hashtag campaigns, and contests.

Event Broadcasting

Create in-the-moment posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn about your event keynotes, sessions, speaker panels and networking events.

Capture and post videos and photos and videos of speaker sessions, tradeshow booth interactions, awards shows, networking, speaker sessions and more.

Monitor your event hashtag on social media channels to engage with others using the hashtag.

Use a hashtag board that provides a customized projection of photos and posts that people publish about your event, to increase attendee engagement.

Increase traffic to target events and areas by managing contests, giveaways, audience challenges, book signings, etc.

Event Reporting

Report all results, including social media platform growth across all channels, hashtag use, and mentions by attendees, press, and influencers.

Our social media live team has successfully executed campaigns for events from 5 to 15,000 attendees. We’ve seen enhanced press coverage, increased buzz and awareness for our clients. Your event is a perfect opportunity to build new influencer relationships and increase your fans and followers and engagement levels in your social media communities. Want to amplify your message and really make waves online? Contact us now: heidi@technischcreative.com.

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Since I’m always up to learn new things, I was thrilled when Heidi said I could listen in on comm at an awards dinner Technisch was producing with their partner, Zoom.7. I got there early to meet all the players so I could put a face with a voice at showtime. Keith was manning the audio backstage and showed me the Voice of God mic that the announcer uses to let everyone know what’s coming next. He had all the lavalier mics lined up and numbered so he’d be ready to get people mic’d up at the right time before they hit the stage.

Jim was in his usual position at the main sound board, playing peppy tunes to get everyone pumped up while the team put finishing touches on the setup. He explained how he mixes in the microphone audio with music to keep the show flowing. Under the direction of producer, Scott Thompson of Zoom.7, the team got to know the players pretty well, and matched music to fit their personalities.

Nancy Hart from Zoom.7 was calling the show on this night, which means she’s the big boss. All of the tech crew have headsets on, and she leads them through the show using a run of show document, which details every moment of the plan. This role takes lots of precision and calm, and intimate knowledge of each part of the process.

I watched as the team set up lights, cameras, microphones, and the row of sparkling trophies for the awards. Once everything in the room was in perfect order, Jim cued up the party music and the hotel team drew back the curtains to welcome the excited crowd, all decked in their finest and ready to celebrate. For the first hour, the tech crew’s job was just to keep the music playing and watch the progress of dinner, to determine if the timing would coincide with the awards ceremony plan. Nancy kept everyone apprised of the plan over comm, so the team was ready to go when the show began!

Nancy smoothly orchestrated each element of the awards. Even a relatively simple show like this required so many little details and instructions, and everyone had to be on point. Nancy told Keith when to have the announcer begin speaking, when to mic people up, and when to send people out onto the stage.

The video team got their cues to keep the slides moving, and they had to stay on the ball to make sure the right names came up on the screen for each award. Jim and Nancy worked together like a well-oiled machine, having rehearsed the show several times. Jim kept the music going, switching it up when he felt the room needed a bit more energy, and fading it out when people were talking.

My biggest takeaway from my first time on comm was how many details, technical elements and instructions go into what seems like a simple awards show. It was so evident that this team enjoyed working together, and the conversation on comm was friendly, fun and professional, but always focused on getting the job done right. Usually at an awards show, I’m only thinking about what people are wearing and who wins what award, and only give thought to the tech team when something goes wrong. Now that I know more about the extraordinarily complex dance that goes on behind the scenes, I’ll never watch the Gala Awards in the same way again!

Written by Sunshine Woodyard

The post A Newbie Behind the Scenes: My First Time on Headset! appeared first on Technisch Creative.

How did you get started in the industry?

I’ve been playing music my whole life, since I was a little kid. At 17 I taught myself the guitar and started writing songs. It was a natural progression to move into production when I decided to attend Full Sail to become a producer. While in my recording arts degree I met Gregg Mandigo. He took me under his wing in live sound reinforcement and I caught a bug for live events. I’d spend Friday and Saturday nights downtown on Wall Street with him, and Sunday mornings at a church where he was the audio director. My first professionally paid gig while still in college was as a stagehand for Beyoncé with Black Onyx Event Services. Now I specialize in both audio and video disciplines as I’ve expanded my career and knowledge base.

What has been your biggest challenge as a woman in production?

The obvious stigmas. I’ll still get the “hey honey can I help you lift that?” Mostly it’s a factor of men not taking me seriously. I also look pretty young so people assume I don’t know what I’m doing, but I usually win them over by asking the right questions. Eventually I get the respect I deserve for my experience level. I don’t let those stigmas affect me. When I was starting out, I messaged Sylvia Massey, a well-known audio engineer and asked her advice. She said “Just ignore the stigma and do your job and show that you know what you’re doing.”

How do you think women have an advantage in the technical world?

The fact that we don’t have that typical male bravado. We don’t come in there straight out with an ego like a lot of men do. As women we help each other a lot. We counteract our physical weaknesses in comparison to men by sticking together and working as a team. We see more details than men do sometimes, that comes from a woman’s psyche in general. We tend to clean up those little details, the minute things that most people seem to overlook. We’re more able to talk to clients and convey what they’re trying to do through our technical skills.

What is your favorite tech tool?

For video, measuring tapes, laser distance measuring tools, and a multi-tool are my ultimate go-to’s.  I also rely on vector scopes and waveform monitors. We don’t always get chroma charts on show site, but it’s a treat when we do. And for audio, I like to use Tweaker, Q-box, adapters, and headphones.

What advice can you give to young women who would like to begin a career in production?

Ignore the stigmas, put your pants on one leg at a time like everyone else and do your job to the best of your ability. Know what you’re worth. Ask questions when you’re unsure of something you’re doing. Work safely. Walk with purpose, and hustle! Don’t try to lift anything more than you’re capable of just to prove something to the men around you, and always lift with your legs!

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For meeting and event planners new to working with audiovisual services, it’s often hard to know what you need. You have a good idea in your head of what you’d like the event to look like, the material you want to share, and how the speakers should be presented.  But translating that into a service order can be nerve-wracking- you don’t want to forget anything vital!

First of all, you’ll want to provide your company background, the purpose for the meeting, venue details, and equipment requirements for each location and segment of your meeting. But going beyond this, you also want to make sure that the A/V company or event production company you choose has the equipment and expertise to handle your request. That’s why we’ve come up with this checklist- we hope it will be helpful when you’re putting out an RFP for your next event!

Want to make this checklist your own? Email heidi@technischcreative.com for an editable version that you can use to make all of your future RFPs more comprehensive, so you’ll get better bids!

The post RFP Checklist: How to Develop an A/V Services RFP for your event appeared first on Technisch Creative.

It’s a little known secret in the meetings and conventions industry: meeting planners don’t have to use the hotel’s in-house provider for their audiovisual needs when holding an event. Major convention hotels have in-house providers, outside companies who keep equipment at the hotel for use during meetings, and many think these companies have a monopoly on A/V for hotel events. But that’s just not true. As a meeting planner, you have the choice of your own A/V provider and can select one of your own for equipment rental, A/V production, and stage management. When you work with Technisch Creative, we help you determine your requirements so you can decide whether the in house A/V or an outside company is the best option for you.

Reason 1: Modern Technology.

Many in-house systems are dated and well-worn, with uncertain reliability. Just because a microphone and PA or projector is convenient for the A/V company to set up, doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for your event. Often times the maintenance schedule of the in house equipment is not as current as an outside company with quality control processes in place. At Technisch Creative, we invest in the latest technology for our clients, so we can bring in the best equipment to execute the job with the highest standards.

Reason 2: Service. 

Generally speaking, in house A/V companies exist for the meeting planner’s convenience. Their model is to provide easy access to the most commonly used pieces of equipment. The model of an outside A/V company is to provide the equipment you need to do the job right. At Technisch Creative, we take the time to understand the goals and objectives of the event and we plan accordingly. We become part of your team. When something glitches, we’ve got your back!

Reason 3: Value.

It’s hard to make a decision on numbers alone. Often times, the in house company has a higher retail price of the equipment rentals, but can offer added benefits like free wifi or rigging fees. An outside A/V company can offer added benefits, as well, that may not appear as a line item. Include services can vary from creative design work, stage management, and directing the show. When you are evaluating supplier contracts, consider the value of piece of mind and working with a team you trust.

The post 3 reasons to bring your own A/V team for a hotel event appeared first on Technisch Creative.

Heidi Brumbach, CMP, CEO of Technisch Creative, has served five times as an Event Chair for the conference. She continued this role in 2018, as well as serving as the technical producer for the general sessions, bringing a crew of 20 Technisch Creative team members.

The presentation featured 3 large screens to span over 100′ and scenic pieces provided by Atomic Design, Inc., which became projection surfaces for 3D video mapping. We worked with content producers from Innovative Entertainment at the Opening General Session and Animatic Media for the Gala Awards (both pictured below) . We combined rear projection utilizing stacked Epson laser projectors for the main screens, and 20k Barco projectors on the front projection for the mapped content. The result was a bright, vibrant and sharp picture.

Our amazing video crew, lead by Robert Carson, integrated a 9th projector and 7 additional media sources for showcases during Michael Cerbelli’s: The Hot List, an annual feature that introduces top entertainment acts and products for events.

Overall, the sessions showcased the expertise of seasoned professionals from more than 40 sponsors under the direction of Technisch Creative. Over 2000 meeting and event industry professionals attended with a critical eye, collecting ideas for their own events. We were thrilled with the outcome and look forward to next year in San Diego!

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We’ve all managed to stick our finger into an electrical outlet as a kid, and most of us still remember that experience. While we weren’t seriously injured, the shock we felt left a lasting impression on our brains for the rest of our lives. It’s time to stop demonizing power and put it into terms and a perspective that most industry professionals can easily understand. This may get a bit technical, but will make sense in the end.

Let’s start with power in the broadest sense. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, power is defined as the product of the effective values of the voltage and current with the cosine of the phase angle between current and voltage in an alternating-current circuit. Huh? Let’s make up our own definition and say power is the electricity we use to make our electronic stuff work.

There are two forms of electricity, alternating current and direct current, or AC and DC. Direct current is used primarily for electronic circuits and battery powered devices, which we will assume don’t apply to our discussion. We are left working with alternating current.

Anyone who has ever plugged an appliance into an outlet is accustomed to working with 110 outlets, but how many of us know how those little plugs get electricity, or what 110 even means?

In any electrical system, there is a minimum of three separate conductors. There’s a “hot”, a neutral, and a ground. The hot is the positive electric charge, for our purposes 110 volts. The neutral is just that, neutral, meaning it has a net electric charge of zero. See also Switzerland. The ground is a point of zero potential. This is often times the literal ground outside your building, sometimes referred to as the earth ground. If you hear someone refer to a single-phase service, this is what they mean.

When talking about a three-phase system, we have three hot conductors, a neutral, and a ground. In our business, the three-phase system is preferable, for reasons we will later explore.

When working with three-phase systems, there will be some sort of distribution box, or “distro”, which breaks out into the individual circuits. The distro will have breakers and various plugs for each circuit. Each conductor will have a distinct color, and in the United States, hot conductors are black, red, and blue. The neutral is always white, and the ground always green. The Europeans do things differently, so make sure whoever is working with the distro is familiar with current European standards.

Now that we’ve established some basics, we can get into more technical matters. Don’t fret, though. The practical stuff is coming right after the theory. Keep thinking of your happy place and this will be a breeze.

In 1827, Georg Simon Ohm (1789-1854) published his book, Die galvanische Kette, mathematisch bearbeitet, which spells out Ohm’s complete theory of electricity. Today, Ohm’s Law is one of the most important fundamental equations in electrical physics. By examining the basics of Ohm’s Law and related equations, we can more easily understand why plugging those extra lights into that one circuit pops the breakers.

Ohm’s Law focuses on current, voltage, and resistance. Current is the flow of an electric charge, measured in amperes, or amps (I or A). Think of current as the amount of water flowing through a hose. Voltage is electrical potential, or potential difference, measured in volts (V). Voltage would be the water pressure in our theoretical hose. Resistance is the opposition of a body or substance to current passing through it, resulting in a change of electrical energy into heat or another form of energy, measured in ohms (R). This would be the size or diameter of said hose.

Ohm’s Law is the relationship among voltage, resistance, and current in a circuit. The actual equation is I = E ÷ R. That’s great, but you’re wondering how this applies to figuring out the size and number of circuits to make sure the extra bar you ordered will work properly. In reality, it doesn’t apply.

The equation for power, though not actually part of Ohm’s Law, is related, and is defined as W = V x A (Think: West Virginia). “Hold on a minute,” you say. “Where’d that W come from in the new equation, and what does it mean?”

The W in the equation for power represents, wait for it, Power. Power is the energy used to do the work when an electrical current is made to flow through a load resistance, and is measured in watts (W). The load is whatever we happen to be plugging in at the time, nothing more. This is how fast the water is running through that same hose we were talking about earlier.

Okay, take a deep breath and relax. You’ve just learned more about power in a few minutes time than most people will learn in a lifetime. We hope you’ve enjoyed this introduction to Power, and if you’d like to find out about the practical side of Power for event planners, please check out Power Play Part 2!

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The Free Dictionary says to Make Waves means to shock or upset people with something new or different and to change an existing situation in a way which causes problems or upsets people. At Technisch Creative, we think to Make Waves means to keep changing the way you do events so your audience stays engaged and also, to give your event’s mission a voice outside of the parameters of time. Like a ripple. Like a sound wave. A wave of emotion. We encourage you to be brave…Make Waves.

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