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Archive For: Events
How to Avoid Dead Air and Bring Your Performance to Life
Your Delegates Want More (and so they should!)
What is the Most Important Part of Your Online Event (and 2021)?
Is It Safe to Face the New Year Yet?
How to Take Your Awards to the Next Level
Oh my lawks a lordy! What a full on session it was!
Friday I had the delight of hosting and producing an annual awards ceremony for one of Australia’s medium sized banks.
In 1 hr (59 minutes to be exact) we had:
- Almost 200 people on the Zoom session
- A big countdown video
- A welcome video
- The CEO speech
- Almost 30 awards
- 6 acceptance speeches
- 98 slides
- 10 prize draws off the prize wheel
- Board Chair Speech
- Breakout rooms for networking
- Plenty of laughs
- Lots of dancing
- Two outro videos
And it was all run from mission control that you see above.
Look closely and you will see two cameras (good to have a back up), vision mixer, sound input, one laptop for slides, one laptop for video, two screens for running the show, one screen showing what was happening in the vision mixer, multiple computers recording the session and an empty cup of coffee (and that was before we started!)
Award winning conference organiser Sue Ryman-Kiernan from Wise Connections had done all the hard work in getting it organised and then … we were live!
What did the client say? “It was superb!”
The CEO was laughing and celebrating all the way through.
A huge success in anyone’s language.
How we look at events has changed.
Never before has this bank been able to have so many of their staff engaged in an awards ceremony in a way that celebrates who they are all while keeping them safe. It was more than “just another Zoom call” and it has them all excited about the year ahead.
So what do you need to consider for your next online event?
How can you make it stand out, get your entire team engaged and set a new standard for “how things are done around here?”
Get in touch if you need any guidance or support to take your awards to the next level.
How Do You Get Better?
I have to say, I have been pretty busy the last few months.
From producing online events (mini brag here – they have been in Singapore, UK, USA and later this week in Hawaii!) to helping other speakers get their studios sorted for online presentations to working with corporates to making their online meetings engaging and… worthwhile!
Some people have been asking how did I get to know all I do about this online presenting stuff and how they can get better.
I love what the philosopher Kierkegaard said, “Life has to be lived forwards but understood backwards.”
I have been fortunate enough to have some amazing life experiences. Radio DJ, singer, recording music, acting in theatrical productions, improv, stand up, story telling, author, content creator and of course event host and producer. Looking backward, I can understand that each of these elements has taught me something that helps me with my online work.
As you would expect, this puts me in a unique position right now.
I am continuing to learn and get better at what I do. In fact, keep your eye out for something new I have coming soon where I share some of these secrets!!
But for anyone to get better at anything, the key thing is … to do it more!
Wanna be a better singer? Sing more.
Wanna be a better writer? Write more.
Wanna be a better cook? Cook more.
So what do you want to get better at?
The One Thing You Need For Your Online Event To Wow
I was thrilled to host and speaker at a 2 day sales meeting for a client last week. At the end of the event, the delegates, the CEO and the organiser were all going WOW. It was all due to one thing!
Now online meetings and events are almost old fashioned! We have embraced the benefits of online, addressed some of it’s misgivings and the future clearly has online events as part of it.
In fact many of us now how online social events. In the past month I have had drinks sessions, dinner parties, improvised theatre performances, cabaret performances, and some music concerts all from the comfort of my own home. My nieces, nephews and close friends all study online regardless of whether it is secondary, tertiary or post grad.
But there is one thing that takes it from “Meh” to “WOW!”
That one thing is having the right event host! (Naturally I recommend me!)
My clients were thrilled that I lifted their event from the regular sales meeting to something memorable, special and fun.
My nieces and nephews happily tell me of the teachers that really bring the session to life rather than the same old – same old!
The right host is the glue that holds everything together. They build the energy when needed, make sure the technology behaves itself (and when it doesn’t, they deal with it), and ensure that the focus stays on the delegates as the main players in the event.
Whether it is me as the host, the teacher, your managers, you as the team leader, or someone else, what are you doing to make your delegates go “WOW!”
PS Warwick talked about this topic in more detail on the recent episode of the Get Events Online Live Stream. You can see the recording here.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐?
So many eventsย people and speakers are looking for amazing tech setups. Some have amazing looking setups like the ones in this image.
But never forget, you are alone in your room as your audience is alone in theirs. Having their pictures on the screen is meaningless if you are not engaging.
The best setup is a camera and a screen. That’s it. (and the camera can be a webcam, smartphone or even the one in your laptop.)
The difference is what you do with it.
You have to truly connect with the camera. Because the camera represents the people. You need to look at them.
It doesn’t matter your setup if you can’t connect or engage.
To many people try and create an online experience and end up making an Average TV Show. And an Average TV Show is just too easy to turn off.
Let go of the tech. Get better at presenting, engaging, playing, laughing, connecting, inspiring, energising and delighting those on the other side of the camera. That is the best setup you could ask for!
PS Need help with your set up or online engagement skills?
Get in touch.
What are the Holy Trinity of Video and Why Do They Matter?
When it comes to broadcasting – live or via a recording, there are three things you MUST get right.
It this episode of the Get Events Online show, Warwick talks about the consequences of not addressing this “Holy Trinity” and what you can do to make sure your videos shine.
Check out the episode and get in touch if you need some assistance with your next energetic and engaging online event.
How To Be An Influencer
Over the weekend, I made these Cinnamon Scrolls and without meaning to, I became an Influencer!
Now I am not saying there was a rush on cinnamon, but I do know that three other people made cinnamon scrolls and tagged me. That is certainly exerting some influence. Often that is all it takes. Just a nudge to two or three people and you can start something.
(By the way if you want to make these scrolls, the recipe is here.)
On a different front, I exerted even more influence.
Last week, Zoom released 5.2. While it has a few new, fun features, one really powerful feature is to be able to display your video overlaid on top of your presentation slides. When I read about it, I got a little excited (you can do it manually but this is easier).
I shot a short video showing how to do it and a few other fun things and then released it.
To date, that video has been seen on LinkedIn and Facebook about 10,000 times. It has generated some interesting responses, requests for help and a load of new connections.
In both of these examples, all I did was share something interesting, desired and put a funny, authentic twist on it. The key here is “desired”.
People were salivating over the cinnamon rolls and were excited about the new feature, especially in my network.
Could you do something similar?
What do you know of that is interesting, and desired that you can present with a funny, authentic twist?
PS You can watch that video here (now with the unintended joke at the end)
PPS The latest episode of the Get More Success Show is out.
This time I was thrilled to chat with Terry Brock. A technology journalist, speaker, humanitarian and all round nice guy. He is a man who LOVES cars, but doesn’t own one! Check the podcast for more.
How to Put Video in Front of Slides in Zoom
Zoom has released version 5.2
It has some great stuff like adjusting camera lighting and sound filtering. It has some fluffy stuff like filters. But it also has a cracking new feature.
You can now download your presentation and have the video footage of you broadcast over the top of the slides. (See the video for the visual.)
BUT
There are some caveats. Your audience MUST be running 5.2 to be able to see it. Your computer must be powerful enough to run virtual backgrounds.
So if you have an older computer or a low processing power one like a Mac Book Air, then you may struggle. See Zoom support page for their requirements.
So check out this 4 minutes of fun on how you can do it and what it looks like.
Reach out if you have any questions.
Hybrid Events – Panacea or Pandora’s Box?
Are Hybrid events the panacea that they are being made out to be?
How do you get the best from the Hybrid format and avoid the pitfalls?
This is the Get Events Online Live Stream where we talk all about Hybrid Events.
With the world going into lock down, are hybrid events the answer to all of our problems or do they just add more?
Watch and find out more. Skip to the 5 minute mark to miss the intro video and get to the good stuff!
Zoom Fatigue – Fact or Fiction?
As part of my new weekly online stream show about Get Events Online, I talked about the issue of Zoom Fatigue. What is it, is it real, if it is how do you deal with it?
It’s only 11 minutes of goodness and it even harks back to Victorian times as well as talks a bit about socks. I know right!
Let me know how you go dealing with your Zoom Fatigue (spoiler – I think it’s a furphy!)
If you want to see more of my live stream, head to my YouTube Channel and subscribe or join my Facebook page. I would love to connect with you there!
Tell ’em They’re Dreaming!
One of the classic lines from the movie The Castle is whenever one of the sons asked the dad about an object for sale in the paper, he replies with, “How much do they want for it?” No matter the amount, his comment is always, “Tell ’em they’re dreaming!”
With all the talk about face to face events at the moment, I can’t help but feel the same way!
Don’t get me wrong, I long to get together with my friends, delegates, conference organisers and other speakers and exhibitors as we talk about the industry, the topics, the issues and network with each other. As I write this, I am in day one of another six week lock down in Victoria. It is not pretty!
But let’s ignore that. Let us consider where we are at.
The Space
For some places, they are allowed four square metres per person and others two square metres (that is about 40 square feet and 20 square feet respectively). For any event in a seated area, your audience will look like this (this image is a COIVD proof seating plan for Berliner Ensemble):
From a speakers perspective, the energy in the room would be so low and dispersed. The connection would be so distant. No one would leave that presentation feeling like they had been uplifted, inspired or connected. What’s worse, they wouldn’t want to go back for the next session as it would feel empty.
But we haven’t even talked about the biggest danger…
THE PEOPLE!
As evidenced, people won’t do as they are directed. The number of people assembling on closed beaches, panic buying toilet paper, sneaking through borders, and taking part in restricted or unhealthy behaviours during this time has been astounding. We don’t even need COVID to prove this.
How many events have had the vegetarian food eaten by non-vegetarians, emergency doors opened because “I just need to get outside”, phones going off in session, PEOPLE ANSWERING PHONES in session, getting people to sit in a certain area, getting people to leave, getting people to turn up… the list is endless.
I know I have heard senior event people say, “But our events are different. Everyone is registered, we know who they all are, it is not just members of the public coming and going so we should be able to run these events.” Are you willing to risk it?
Are you willing to be the one who hosts and event and people get very unwell or even die because of an asymptomatic carrier who comes to the event?
The Disease
You know what? I am not qualified to talk on this. All I know is that the experts that I have listened to don’t know enough details. COVID19 is having long term impacts we are only just seeing.
What I do know is that the risks are too high. A bit of short term pain to prevent the possibility of spread has to be worth the long term gain doesn’t it?
What’s The Alternative?
Welcome to the world of Virtual or Online events.
OK so there are many aspects that are nowhere as good as face to face, but there are some elements of online events that are far better.
- You get to see the speaker face to face in an online event. On screen you are right up close.
- There is a level of intimacy and privacy of online events unmatched in a crowd
- Pants are optional!
- You can easily get instant feedback from the delegates
- You can swiftly move to breakout rooms without losing time
- You can have far greater reach as geography is no longer an issue (but internet access and speed is)
- It is easy to give supporting resources to delegates
- There are many tools for connection, collaboration and creating ideas together
- It is very cost effective
- Catering and special dietary requirements are no longer an issue!
I am sure the list goes on.
What Now?
Personally, I can’t wait to get back to live events. But I am willing to wait if it makes people safe. So why not focus in getting your event online. At the very least, consider a Hybrid Event so if you have to cancel the face to face at the last minute you already have your online set up.
Like all things, don’t go it alone. Get some expert advice or guidance to make it work. Naturally I am available to help wherever you are in the world and there are many other experts in their field too.
It is time to Stop Dreaming and get your next event online. Head to GetEventsOnline.com if you want a free strategy call on your next steps.
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If you are looking for some help for your next event to go Bigger, Bolder, Better, then Warwick is definitely the right person for the job. He has hosted and produced events around the globe.
Call his office today on 0408 592 158 for more information or head to WarwickMerry.com and book a free strategy session.
Warwick Merry is a Certified Speaking Professional and a twice Certified Virtual Presenter. He also authored “Get More Inspiration”, a book specifically designed not to read, and hosts the Get More Success online show.
Discover more at ๏ปฟWarwickMerry.com, and ๏ปฟGetMoreSuccess.com
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