Awards night and gala dinners aren't typically the types of events that need an event app. However, when you think about the purpose of an event app, helping you share information about your event with attendees instantly and conveniently, you can see how one could make your life and the event planning and management process much easier. That's why we've launched Event Briefcase - an easy-to-use, easy-to-navigate event app which puts all event information at your attendees’ fingertips such as the agenda, sponsorship information, location information and so much more. Our app is a must-have feature for any gala dinner or awards night and all of our AV service clients can use our app for their event at no charge when they use Staging Connections exclusively for their AV services. Here are 10 ways Event Briefcase will make your gala dinner or awards night experience even better. 1. Upload the seating charts and floor plans Feature: Download Documents With our free event app, you can upload the floor plan and seating chart for your gala dinner or awards night so that your guests know where they will be seated ahead of the event and who they will be seated with. As your guests arrive, you’ll be able to get them seated quickly and you’ll be able to get your event started on schedule. 2. Upload your gala dinner or awards night agenda Feature: Agenda Upload the agenda or schedule for your awards night or gala dinner so all your guests know the plan for the evening. For awards nights, this piece of information is helpful in making sure they don't miss the award presentations or speakers they're most looking forward to. Aside from communicating the schedule for the evening, it is also a great way of saving on printing costs, and it also gives you the luxury to update and change it if needed! If you do end up changing it, you can take advantage of the Bulletin feature and blast out a message to all attendees there has been a change to the schedule. 3. Save printing costs by uploading award categories, finalist lists, judging guidelines and more Feature: Downloads With every event, there are leaflets and other handouts that cost a lot of money to produce, are wasteful and hard on the environment and usually get lost or discarded by the attendees of your event. With our event planning app, you can share any important information that you’d usually share via hardcopy handout. For your gala dinner or awards night, you might think to include a list of nominees and finalists, information about each category of awards, how the winner of each award will be chosen, a list of silent auction items and anything else you might think pertinent to your event. 4. Include important information on your MC, presenters, and performers Feature: Speaker Information Using our event app is a good way to share with your attendees the key figures of your event. You can let your guests know who will be MC at your gala dinner or award show. You can also let your guests know who will be on hand to deliver speeches and present awards. This is a great way to share bios and introduce the key people of your event. 5. Showcase your sponsors and partnership information Feature: Sponsors Our event planning app offers a multidimensional way of highlighting your event sponsors and partners. You can share information about your sponsors and partners by creating a dedicated recognition area. Our app also allows you to share rich text content and include sponsorship messaging and internet hyperlinks that take you to your sponsor’s website or content. With Event Briefcase, there are many different sponsorship levels available for you to highlight your event sponsors and the partners of your gala dinner and awards night. 6. Links to silent auctions, brand information and other Useful Information Feature: Links With Event Briefcase, you can include external links to rich content that will be useful and interesting to your event’s attendees. If you have prizes or are running a silent auction, you can include external links to information about what products are up for grabs. You can also include links to promotional videos and the like. 7. Upload information on your charity, company or awards Feature: Links / Videos / Downloads Depending on the type of content you have there are several features in Event Briefcase which can let you distribute information about your brand, charity, awards and more. If your gala dinner is in support of a charity, our event planning app allows you to share links to the charity’s page as well as links to videos about the charity that your event is supporting. It also allows you to upload any relevant video content such as season highlight reels, company showreels, tributes or charity awareness videos. 8. Keep your audience engaged with live polling Feature: Links With Event Briefcase, you can engage your audience and add an additional element of fun to your gala dinner and awards night by including a link to Event Poll - Staging Connections exclusive live audience polling platform. For your awards night, you can ask your guests to predict who will be the evening’s big winners. For a gala dinner, you could include a poll on who is best dressed, or other fun questions to keep the guests entertained and engaged. Event Poll is an excellent chance to garner attendee engagement. 9. Get your audience posting on social media Feature: Links Awards nights and gala dinners are gold mine for social media buzz. Staging Connections offers a specialised event social media platform - Event Feed - that captures all social posts containing the event's hashtag and displays them live on screens around the venue for all guests to see. Event Feed is a great way to encourage your guests to get posting, and your brand or event can capitalise on the added exposure the social channels bring. If your awards night or gala dinner is private, Event Feed also offers a private feed. You can include the link to your private Event Feed in the Links feature so only posts and content uploaded to that feed will display, rather than the guests posting to their own social channels. The benefit of a private feed is you can still encourage audience engagement whilst containing the content to within the venue walls. 10. Promote venue deals and offers Feature: Links / Downloads With Event Briefcase you are able to highlight any venue promotions that go along with your gala dinner or awards night, such as an accommodation discount for your next stay and so on. It's also a great way to strengthen your relationship with the venue by providing them with promotional opportunities with your audience. Watch this short video on Event Briefcase to find out more about our free corporate event app Event Briefcase by Staging Connections - a free corporate event app. Our free event app, Event Briefcase, is just one of the ways that Staging Connections can help you plan and flawlessly execute a truly spectacular gala dinner or awards night. With over 30 years experience planning events, we've got everything covered from the latest audio vision, lighting effects, stage set designs and multimedia right down to audience engagement with social media services and live polling. In addition to our AV Services we can provide you with a professional event production team that will help you plan and execute a gala dinner and awards night that will leave your guests breathless. To find out how Event Briefcase can enhance your event, speak with one of our Staging Connections representatives today by calling 1800 209 099 or by sending an online enquiry. -- ... Read More

A free event app - the new way to plan and manage an Incentive event from the palm of your hand. To help you ensure that the incentive event that you are planning is a delight to all those who in attendance, we’ve created Event Briefcase, our event planning application that opens up new and exciting ways for you to engage with your event attendees. If you are planning a destination conference or awards night as a way of saying “thank-you” to an organisation hardest working team members, Event Briefcase is an absolute must-have to ensure a successful and exciting event. What are Incentive events? Many companies and organizations seek to incentivise success among their team members and employees by offering fun destination conferences or awards nights. These events are typically meant as a big thank-you to an organisation’s highest performing employees and is a heartfelt event meant to convey appreciation. With this in mind, as the event planner for an incentive event, it is important to plan an event that is an absolute treat for the attendees of the event. Here are 10 ways that our free event planning app, Event Briefcase, can help you manage an incredible incentive event: 1. A Schedule of Events Feature: Agenda / Download Documents Incentive events by nature are action-packed. They usually comprise a combination of both conference / educational workshops interlaced with leisure and recreational events. At the end, guests are treated to a spectacular gala dinner where high performing staff are awarded. With such a full schedule and so many people to organise, uploading your event's agenda or schedule to Event Briefcase is the easiest and most efficient way to ensure everyone is where they are meant to be at all times. 2. Information on Speakers & Presenters Feature: Speaker Information There will likely be a number of key people who are on-hand at your event to give speeches or seminars, as well as presenters, entertainers and company C-level executives. With our event app, you can upload bios and introductions to all of the key people who will be speaking and performing at your event. This is a great way to get your guests excited about the presentations, and find out more about these key people. 3. Important Venue and Destination Information Feature: Facility Overview / Download Documents / Links Event Briefcase offers a multitude of features to provide your attendees with essential and interesting information on your venues and the destination itself, in the case of a destination incentive. Over the course of the incentive event there is likely to be several seminars, workshop events, gala dinners, networking lunches and team building activities taking place in various locations. Uploading information about the location and venue will arm your attendees with all the information they need to help them find their way and be on time. This is a great way to minimise potential questions about where the venue is, what time to arrive and what people can do there. With Event Briefcase, you can make it easy for your event’s attendees to navigate all of these venues. If your event includes shuttle or transport service to and from the various venues, you can also share this information via our app under the Transport feature. 4. Facilitate Networking Feature: Attendees Corporate events have the delightful by-product of providing attendees with a plethora of networking opportunities. With our application, you can put networking right at your guests’ fingertips by uploading a list of attendees and their e-mail addresses. With Event Briefcase, your guests can tap a person’s e-mail address and our app will open up their device’s e-mail client so they can type out their message. 5. Go paperless for important event documents Feature: Links / Download Documents At most events there are countless handouts and leaflets given to each attendee. While these papers hold important information, it can be difficult to stay organized and keep track of these important documents. With Event Briefcase, you can upload all of the important documents that are relevant to your event’s attendees. You can include destination information, emergency contacts, emergency telephone numbers, team building exercise information and so much more. 6. Highlight Event Sponsors or partners Feature: Sponsors Our event planning application allows you a unique way to say thank-you to your event sponsors by highlighting their brand in a special sponsorship area of the application. In the sponsor area, you can share hyperlinks to your sponsors’ content and information on their brand. 7. Live Event Polling Feature: Links With our event app, you can include a link to our live audience polling platform - Event Poll. Event Poll is a fun and engaging way to interact with your attendees by asking them questions, seeing their answers displayed on screens and discussing the results. There are over 11 types of question templates you can use giving you a wide range of questions to ask. With Event Poll, you can conduct fun surveys, organize exciting competitions, manage Q&A sessions, brainstorm ideas, test understanding and much more. 8. Keep Guests Up-to-Date Feature: Bulletins With our event planning application, it is easy to keep your attendees up-to-date with any changes, news or other information they need to know. Providing news updates and bulletins is as simple as uploading relevant news. With our app you are able to share content with your event’s attendees all at once, making it the most convenient way to manage changes and updates. 9. Engage With Videos Feature: Videos Videos are a great way to share content and engage your audience. Our event planning application is capable of displaying and playing videos. If you have any video content to share with the attendees of your event, such as a welcome message or introductory information, our application makes it extremely easy and seamless. 10. In Venue Promotion Feature: Download Documents / Links / Sponsors For destination events, it is likely that the venue you choose will offer promotional deals such as tourism offers, meal deals, spa packages, jet ski hire deals and much more. With Event Briefcase, you can pass these deals along to the attendees of your destination event. Watch this short video on Event Briefcase to find out more about our free corporate event app Event Briefcase by Staging Connections - a free corporate event app. These are just a few of the ways our free corporate event app, Event Briefcase, can help you plan and pull off a seamless and flawless incentive event. When you choose Staging Connections for all of your event’s AV needs, our application is included free of charge. In addition to our event planning app, we are able to offer you event planning and event production services backed by more than 30 years of experience. To find out how Event Briefcase can enhance your event, speak with one of our Staging Connections representatives today by calling 1800 209 099 or by sending an online enquiry. -- ... Read More

An event planning app for Annual General Meetings (AGMs). There is a lot that goes into the planning and execution of an Annual General Meeting. To help make it easier for event planners to communicate with attendees, we’ve created Event Briefcase, our event planning app. With Event Briefcase, event planners and organisers are able to upload information such as maps, venue locations, event schedules and so much more so that guests of the AGM are able to access relevant information from their smart phone or mobile device. With Event Briefcase, you can easily communicate with all of the attendees of your event simultaneously. When planning an annual general meeting, our event planning application is a must-have tool. Here are 10 ways that our event app can help you with the panning and management of your Annual General Meeting: 1. Schedule & Agenda Feature: Agenda Once you have confirmed the schedule and agenda for the annual general meeting you are organising, Event Briefcase allows you to upload the schedule so that the attendees of the meeting are able to view it ahead of the meeting. This is a great way to help the attendees of the AGM stay organized and on schedule which will add to the flawlessness of the event you have planned. 2. Upload venue information Feature: Facility Overview Venue Overview: Our event planning app allows you to share with your guests an overview of the venue where the general meeting will be held. If you are hosting the meeting at a large conference centre, for example, you can let your attendees know which conference room the meeting will be held in. You can also upload a map of the venue so that the conference room, where the meeting is held, will be easy to find. 3. Getting to and from the AGM Feature: Transit With Event Briefcase, you can make it easy for attendees to find the venue where the general meeting is taking place by including a map to the venue. If there are any out of town guests who will be attending the general meeting, it is also easy to include shuttle and transportation information to and from the venue where the meeting will be held. 4. Upload important information on speakers, Board Members and New Appointments Feature: Speaker Information With our event planning app, you can share the bio of the board members who are attending the annual general meeting. It is also a good idea to include profiles on any speakers that are scheduled for the meeting and to include bios on recent additions and appointments to the board. 5. Distribute important company and shareholder documents Feature: Downloads Our event planning application makes sharing information and reports with your attendees extremely simple. You can upload annual reports, motions, previous minutes, yearly figures and so much more so that the meeting’s attendees can access the information from their smart phone or portable device. This is a great way to help guests stay organized while providing them with all of the necessary information they will need throughout the meeting. 6. Provide Proxy Voting Information Feature: Links With our event planning app, you can share relevant proxy voting information with the attendees of your annual general meeting. 7. Keep your attendees up-to-date Feature: Bulletins Event Briefcase makes it easy to share pertinent information and news updates about your annual general meeting. Once you upload a news bulletin, your attendees will be able to access and read that information from their mobile device. 8. Live Audience Polling Feature: Links A new method of shareholder voting is facilitated by our live audience polling platform, Event Poll. You can include a link to your AGMs Event Poll and have your attendees respond to questions and cast their votes in the room. This method of anonymous voting is currently only legal in New Zealand so please speak to your Staging Connections representative to see if it's right for your AGM. 9. Venue Promotional Information Feature: Downloads / Links Depending upon where the annual general meeting is being held, your venue might have promotional information for you to share with your audience. Our event planning app allows you to easily share in venue promotional material with those in attendance of your annual general meeting. 10. Showcase important company video content Feature: Video Event Briefcase also comes with the ability to share rich and engaging content such as videos with your guests. With our event planning app, you can include videos about the company that is holding the annual general meeting, a company show reel, a video that pays tribute to all that happened the previous year and so much more. Watch this short video on Event Briefcase to find out more about our free corporate event app Event Briefcase by Staging Connections - a free corporate event app. When you enlist Staging Connections’ AV services for your Annual General Meeting or shareholders meeting, Our corporate event app, Event Briefcase, is included at no extra charge. Additionally, Staging Connections can offer you 30 years of experience when it comes to event planning. We can put our experience to work for you and our professional event production team can help you plan and execute a stand-out AGM. To find out how Event Briefcase can enhance your event, speak with one of our Staging Connections representatives today by calling 1800 209 099 or by sending an online enquiry. ... Read More

Event apps - The new way to manage and plan a successful product launch event. To help event planners organise a successful product launch event, Staging Connections has recently released Event Briefcase, an event planning app that allows you to upload important information about your product launch and simultaneously share it with all event attendees. And best of all - it's free when you use our event services exclusively for your product launch. With Event Briefcase, you can provide attendees with important information such as a list of speakers, a list of event attendees, live event polling, a social media and so much more. Our app is a great way to add value to your event for those who will be attending and to increase engagement with your guests. If you are planning a product launch and you want to give your attendees a great experience, our event planning app can help you do just that. Here are 10 ways that Event Briefcase can help you plan a flawless product launch. 1. Share an Agenda Feature: Agenda With Event Briefcase, you are able to upload the agenda and schedule for your event so that your guests can view it from their smartphone or mobile device. 2. Upload Speakers’ and presenter bios Feature: Speaker Information With our event app, it is possible to share a list of the people who will be on hand to speak at your event. Our app also goes a step further and allows you to upload bios and important information on all of the key people who will play a part in the product launch you are planning. If you have special presenters at your product launch, this is a useful feature to help communicate and explain to your guests who they are and provide some context as to why they're speaking. 3. Share Venue Information Feature: Facility Overview It is likely that not everyone who attends the product launch will be familiar with the location of the venue you have selected for the event. With our event planning application, you can share a map complete with helpful directions to the venue. With the map, you can include any relevant shuttle or transportation information as well via the Transit feature. 4. Attendee list and networking Feature: Attendees With Event Briefcase, you can upload a list of your event’s attendees complete with their email address so that they can network and communicate with one another. If you upload email addresses, your attendees can even contact one another simply by tapping on the email address which will instantly open up their email client with the email address automatically in the recipient field. 5. Provide Paperless Handouts Feature: Downloads With our event planning app, we can help save you money and time by making it possible to upload handouts, floor plans, and other relevant information that is traditionally printed out and handed to event attendees. Not only is going “paperless” more cost effective, it also helps to save paper and creates less waste. 6. Quiz your audience, manage Q&A and get them talking about your product! Feature: Links With a product launch there are a number of reasons why you’d want to incorporate live audience polling into the event. A live event poll is a quick and easy way to conduct a Q & A session about the new products that are being featured at the product launch. You can also use a live poll as a means of testing the organisations employees on information retention about the new products, obtain feedback, conduct a survery and brainstorming sessions. Event Poll is Staging Connections exclusive audience polling platform which offers event planners a choice of 11 question templates, giving you the flexibility to choose the best format and brand the questionnaire. 7. Give your product launch social media exposure Feature: Links Utilising social media as a part of your product launch is a great way to garner engagement from attendees. Product launches tend to be private events made exclusive for VIPs, bloggers, employees and the like with the content embargoed. If your content is sensitive but you still want to engage your guests, we have a specialised event social media platform that enables a private social feed. Our event planning application allows you to provide everyone at your launch with a link to Event Feed - so guests can freely post without the content leaking to the public. 8. Keep Everyone Up-to-Date Feature: Bulletins Our event app makes it easy to share news and important bulletins in relation to your product launch with your audience. 9. Share Great Content Feature: Videos Videos are a fun and easy way to share content and information with your audience. For a product launch, you can upload videos packed with information about the new product being launched so that attendees of your event can experience the new products in video form. 10. Additional Promotion Feature: Downloads / Links When you choose to host a product launch party at a venue, often that venue will offer your guests various promotions. Our app makes it easy for you to share these promotions with your event’s attendees. Event Briefcase by Staging Connections - a free corporate event app. Our free corporate event app, Event Briefcase, is just one of the ways that Staging Connections can help you plan and flawlessly execute a stand-out product launch event. We also offer you the skills and expertise of more than 30 years of experience and we can provide you with a professional and organised event production team who will assist you in the production of a product launch that will blow your attendees away. To find out how Event Briefcase can enhance your event, speak with one of our Staging Connections representatives today by calling 1800 209 099 or by sending an online enquiry. ... Read More

Event Apps - the new way to manage and plan road show events from the palm of your hand. For an event planner, road shows present their own unique set of challenges. Planning and executing an event in multiple venues at multiple times requires a great deal of organization and planning. In some instances, a road show may be scheduled to take place in multiple locations at the same time making the execution of the event all the more difficult. To help you manage and successfully execute your road show event, we’ve created Event Briefcase, our event planning app that allows you to upload important information about your event, such as location, schedule, speaker information and sponsorship information, and then share this information with all of the attendees of your event simultaneously. The beauty of our event planning app is its simplicity. It is extremely user friendly and easy to navigate meaning even the least tech-savvy attendees of your event will be able to use our app. Our event planning application is a great tool for planning and executing any road show, allowing you to instantly communicate to your attendees, wherever they may be, instantly. Here are 10 ways that Event Briefcase will help you manage and plan road show events: 1. Event Agenda Feature: Agenda With our event planning app, you can upload the agenda for your road show so that you can simultaneously share it with all of the attendees of your event. This will help your guests organise their time and ensure they are able to take in the events at your road show that they are most interested in. 2. Upload information on your key people; speakers, presenters, performers and so on. Feature: Speaker Information Our event app will give you the opportunity to introduce the speakers that are part of your road show to your audience. There is a dedicated area where you can share your speakers’ bios and profiles so that your attendees have a bit of a background on each of the key people who are part of your road show. 3. Provide important venue information Feature: Facility Overview With our event app, you can help your guests out by uploading a map of the location of your road show as well as important information about the venue where your event is taking place. For out of town guests, you can also include shuttle and transportation information to and from the venue using the Transit feature. 4. Attendee & RSVP List Feature: Attendees You can help facilitate networking at your event by uploading a list of attendees who have confirmed their attendance. Our app allows your event’s attendees to e-mail one another by clicking on a guest’s name. Our application then takes the user right to their device’s e-mail client so they can begin typing their e-mail. 5. Upload essential event information for download Feature: Downloads With every event, there are leaflets and handouts that are needed to convey useful information to your event’s attendees. With our event application, you are able to upload all of this information so that your guests can access it from their smart phone or mobile device during the event. 6. Give your sponsors exposure Feature: Sponsors With our event app, there is a dedicated sponsors area where you are able to highlight the sponsors of your road show in a new and much more engaging way. Event Briefcase comes with an area that is completely dedicated to sharing sponsor information with your event’s attendees. In this area, you can share your sponsors’ content and include hyperlinks to websites and other relevant sponsor or partner information. 7. Get your audience talking with live audience polling & social media integration Feature: Links Live audience polling is a fun way to engage your audience and is a way of garnering their participation during your road show. With Event Briefcase, you are able to share a link with your attendees that take them to your event's Event Poll where your attendees and read and respond to questions. If you're holding your road show events simultaneously this is a fantastic platform for gathering all of the responses and instantly displaying them on screens for all to see, regardless of their location. Additionally, our event social media platform is another great tactic for event planners to use to encourage social promotion of their event. Event Feed captures all social posts containing your event's hashtag and pushes them live to screen in your venue. It can be both public or private. If your event is private, you can include a link to a private Event Feed, where your attendees can upload comments and imagery to a closed social feed that only gets displayed in the venue, rather than posting it publicly. 8. Up-to-Date News Feature: Bulletins When you have important news or bulletins to share with your event’s attendees, you can upload this information and share it via the news and bulletin area of our event planning app. This is a great way to convey important information about your event and to keep attendees up-to-date. 9. Showcase engaging video content Feature: Videos A great way to engage your audience is by sharing a video. Videos are an easily digestible, content-rich source of information that conveys a large amount of information to your guests while requiring only a small time commitment from them. With Event Briefcase, we make it easy for you to share videos with the attendees of your road show. 10. Promote venue offers and deals Feature: Links / Downloads When planning a road show at a specific venue, that venue will often have promotions that the venue wants to highlight for your guests. With Event Briefcase, showcasing in venue promotions is a piece of cake. Whether it be restaurant, accommodation or hotel facility offers, Event Briefcase gives you the option to upload downloadable pdfs, upload links to videos and more. Event Briefcase by Staging Connections - a free corporate event app. Our Event planning app makes sharing information with your road show’s attendees simple and easy. Best of all, Event Briefcase comes free-of-charge when you hire our AV Services. When you choose Staging Connections, you are choosing a company with more than thirty years of experience that we can put to work for you at your event. To help you pull of a road show that will knock your guests’ socks off, we can provide you with a professional event production team to assist you with executing a flawless road show. To find out how Event Briefcase can enhance your event, speak with one of our Staging Connections representatives today by calling 1800 209 099 or by sending an online enquiry. -- ... Read More

Bringing the magic to life, Staging Connections was brought on board alongside SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre by one of New Zealand’s largest food distributors and retail store organisations, to support their biennial Expo tradeshow event. This was a night for Foodstuffs to celebrate with their members and support centre as well as acknowledge their supply partners. Foodstuffs hosted a beautiful Twilight Market themed gala dinner in one of Auckland’s iconic dining spaces. Foodstuffs NZ gala dinner at Skycity Auckland Convention Centre. When the 700 guests arrived to the New Zealand Promenade at the SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre, they were greeted with market stalls and festoon lighting, provided by event design partner Event Impressions, and food from The Kitchen Co SkyCity. Staging Connections installed elegant draping to ensure an intimate ambience within the space, and used moving spotlights to highlight the colourful market stalls. The team used clever audio visual technologies to transform the venue and enliven the event atmosphere. The attendees explored the unique environment created, tasting the unique food offering provided, and mingling under market umbrellas and around sparkling table cloths. “We delivered a very professional ‘twilight market’ theme experience and your help with regards to the audio and lighting made the night look fantastic.” Joanna Fifita, ‎Event Manager at Foodstuffs New Zealand Following pre-dinner drinks, the guests moved into the New Zealand Room, that was beautifully decorated by event design partner Event Impressions and continued the evening’s theme. The Staging Connections team of NZ lighting designers devised a creative lighting solution to add sparkle to the gala event’s proceedings. Lights were used to layer blue and purple hues over the table settings and a light haze created a shimmer across the room. Moving spotlights heightened the celebratory atmosphere throughout the awards proceedings, pinpointing the winners and drawing them onto the stage to collect their awards. Twilight Market theme gala dinner with styled table centrepieces. Cluster pendant lights created a focal point and were hung high above the tables projecting moving shadows onto the crowd and attractively showcasing the night’s meal. As part of the AV solution, Staging Connections provided multiple screens, including three major screens lining the front of the room to support the multimedia content provided by the Foodstuffs team, ensuring the audience had clear sightlines from all corners of the event space. The use of rustic wooden tables combined with traditional rounds led to the diversity and depth of setting in a room which easily caters for up to 1000 persons. This is ideal for these types of dining events; giving SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre, Event Impressions and Staging Connections the opportunity to work together to showcase the venue in a unique and interesting way. Audio Visual and Lighting designed by Staging Connections. Plan your next event with the leading AV & events company across Australia and New Zealand There's a lot that goes into creating an unforgettable awards night. As all of your most important stakeholders are in the room and with so many individual elements, you’ll need an experienced AV and event company specialised in delivering awards nights and gala dinners. Staging Connections has been the name behind some of the largest and most technically demanding live events to hit Australian soil. Having been in the events business for over 30 years, our experienced team of technicians and event directors understand what it takes to deliver to this scale and profile. We only use brands we trust; we take a tailored approach to every brief using the largest range of event production services; and we work with you every step of the way so there’s no surprises. If you’re interesting in finding out what Staging Connections can do for your event, get in touch with us today by calling 1800 209 099 (AUS) +64 9259 0025 (NZ) or by completing our event quote form. -- Wanting to know more about Staging Connections? Why not look at our most recent events Meet your local New Zealand events team ... Read More

It’s no surprise that Australia has been ranked ‘most exciting destination for conferences’ in a recent report published by Tourism Australia. With unrivalled vistas, iconic landmarks, some of the world’s most livable cities and strangest creatures, plus the lengthy flight is tax deductable – who wouldn’t jump on a chance to come here for ‘work’? The new study looked into the decision-making process of international delegates for a destination conference with the purpose of helping event marketers understand what the biggest motivators were. The appeal of Australia for its beautiful countryside and beaches are an obvious draw-card, but there is much more to Australia when it comes to a conference destination. When comparing different countries, we’re seen as safer, more reliable and we have a strong portfolio of successful international event experience. It’s therefore easy to understand why Australia is the perfect trifecta. "22% of respondents rated Australian conferences 10 out of 10 versus the 16% global average." New research on Association Conference Delegate Behaviour, Tourism Australia So what are the other draw cards? The study revealed destination appeal, conference content, speaker reputation and networking potential are the main drivers. Delving deeper into the quality of content, Australia is a safe-bet when considering the profile of speakers at our conferences, the high standard of audio vision and production delivery, and of course our world-class conference venues. But this isn’t anything new or previously unassumed. The report also highlighted that for over 60% of respondents, extending the trip into a holiday is a decision influencing factor. This is a useful insight for the way we plan and promote our conferences to international markets. Respondents felt a strong social program that includes networking events and leisure activities which highlight the country’s history, culture, food and wildlife is a key component to what makes a conference appealing. "Conferences which successfully manage to integrate the program of events with the destination are the most appealing." New research on Association Conference Delegate Behaviour, Tourism Australia In its path to gaining a deeper a understanding of the conference delegate, Tourism Australia embarked on a data sharing arrangement with Virgin Australia which sees them tracking and passing on information relating to online activity for any consumer who comes to Australia.com and then moves onto Virgin Australia digital properties. This partnership is to be part of a number of other data partnerships in the next 12 months. Without having inside knowledge into the arrangement and what the set objectives are, it will be interesting to see how the two use the shared data and whether it will provide any great insight into marketing our conferences. It may be an obvious tactic in marketing internationally, but the report stressed the need for a sophisticated and well thought-out conference website that informs, inspires and motivates delegates. Having an aesthetically appealing website coupled with a helpful event app is the best way to attract and keep your conference delegates engaged through-out the entire life-cycle of the conference – pre, during and post. Without this crucial touch point, you’re basically fishing without a hook and hoping for the best. Sydney is our most popular destination for international conferences and the forecast is strong. For association events like international conferences, Sydney offers the chance for global thought leaders to connect and collaborate. There is a real sense that Sydney is undergoing a transformation, with many new infrastructure developments offering great opportunities for future business events. The conference and exhibition market in Sydney, is expected to hit a high in late 2016, when the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) opens in Darling Harbour. So this research is pertinently timed. The ICC Sydney has already secured a number of major international events which will no doubt support Tourism Australia’s 2020 goal is to achieve more than $115 billion in overnight spend by 2020 (up from $70 billion in 2009). The opening of the Centre is also perfectly timed for the recent opening of Four Points by Sheraton Sydney in Darling Harbour. The venue will be Australia’s largest hotel, boasting 892 guest rooms and 3,700sq metres of conference and event space making Darling Harbour a new conference hub for Sydney. The importance of the business events industry to Australia, cannot be underestimated in terms of their economic contribution. Another report by Ernst & Young and the Business Events Council of Australia found that over 37 million people attended more than 412,000 business events in Australia between 2013 and 2014. These business events directly generated $28.0 billion in direct expenditure, $13.5 billion in direct value added and 179,357 direct jobs. Another piece of research released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that Australia welcomed 555,800 international visitor arrivals during June 2016, an increase of 13.7 per cent compared to the same month during the previous year. For the year ending June 2016, total international arrivals reached 7.8 million, up 10 percent compared to the same period last year. Australia is home to some of the most skilled event professionals in the world, having played host to numerous large global events including Rotary, the Olympics, Amway, Commonwealth Games, so we have the experience to deliver. Staging Connections recently delivered the Amway Taiwan international incentive event as well as working on LNG18 (the International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas. Both events delivered huge benefits to the economy. With our vast natural beauty, new and expansive event infrastructure, tourism partnerships and a skilled community of event professionals, it’s no doubt that our nation is set to see the number, quality and profile of both association and corporate events rise. Marketers across Australia, including those in house at venues, suppliers, caterers and event management companies have a major opportunity to push the core benefits of Australia out to market, that fortunately, are the ultimate match for the desires of international business travellers. They say records are set to be broken, and with Australia’s inbound tourism and events sector heating up rapidly, get ready for it to boil over! -- This article was written by Adele Symonds, Marketing Manager at Staging Connections. ... Read More

Nothing makes you feel more invigorated and motivated than being by the beach, which is why launching their newest skincare product sea-side at Adelaide's Glenelg Beach made perfect sense for Modere Australia. The product launch took place as part of a three day conference and leading event services company, Staging Connections, were brought on board to give this year's conference wow-factor. The Event Brief Staging Connections partnered with the innovative Australian skincare, wellbeing and home care brand, Modere to deliver their bi-annual conference. The three day conference was to be held at the stunning seaside venue, Stamford Grand Adelaide in February 2017. Staging Connections were engaged to execute the conference, alongside the social events which included an evening cocktail function, an impressive product launch and a stylish after party to conclude. Keeping in line with the brand essence of Modere, Staging Connections needed to deliver a stylish, smart and sophisticated conference that left guests feeling inspired, motivated and eager to continue building a successful business and helping to truly transform lives. The Event Solution As the in-house event services provider at Stamford Grand Adelaide, Staging Connections provided an end-to-end solution for the Modere Australia three day conference and social events. The solution encompassed all audio vision, staging, lighting, styling and digital event services, with the combined effect resulting in a seamless event experience that brought the Modere brand to life. In attendance were over 600 Modere employees from all levels of the business, interstate and even international guest speakers. Setting the tone for the conference was a stylish Welcome Cocktails event for the Elite Modere Team. Staging Connections bathed the room in red and white lighting to reflect the Modere brand colours and guests were treated to a performance by a pianist playing under some street light props. Following an all-day conference, Friday night saw the Staging Connections team create an event look and feel that screamed ‘Colour!’ to support the launch of Modere Australia’s bold new makeup line. Beautifully bright and lush furniture decorated the room to match the backdrops and floral arrangements. Staging Connections enhanced the theme with spectacular coloured uplighting which added movement and bursts of colour to the space. Pictured: Staging Connections used clever AV and lighting to support the 'Colour!' product launch. The main event took place under a large marquee situated on the beachside front lawns of the Stamford Grand. The look and feel of the After Party reflected the Modere motto – Live Clean – and was created under the guise of ‘modern jungle ’ with lots of greenery, crisp whites and touches of Modere’s red as branding cues. Pictured: Event styling by Staging Connections Pictured: A green wall was used as a stage backdrop for the DJ. Along the marquee’s side stood giant letter lights spelling ‘Modere’, and inside the marquee lived an abundance of ‘Hamptons’ style furniture and large dance floor for guests to relax and dance the night away. Pictured: Giant letter lights were installed along the side of the marquee. The Modere team walked away with a live recording of the conference thanks to Staging Connections’ Event Record product. The recording captured two days of the conference, including the special guests and international speakers, and means the Modere team have a copy of the entire event at their disposal. The Special Touches From the moment the guests entered the hotel, on a sweltering hot Adelaide day, they were treated to a calming VIP event that celebrated the success and new developments for the business. The location and venue, offered perfect ocean views and reflected the Modere Australia motto and left the guests feeling inspired and motivated. What did the client say about the conference and product launch? Modere Australia were delighted with the successful event, and the exceptional customer service provided by the Adelaide Staging Connections team across the three days, notably identifying the special touches from the team, to ensure a professional, yet fun and high quality event. Natalia Colombo, Event Coordinator for Modere Australia noted the outstanding service provided by Staging Connections. “Dion is exceptional. With him at the helm I never had to worry. He really went above and beyond and has amazing people skills and professionalism. Alana is extremely talented and also went absolutely above and beyond. Without her, the after party wouldn't have been anywhere near as much of a success. Chris - worth his weight in gold. I never worried when he was around and nothing was too much trouble. These three people are truly amazing and I am very grateful. Cooper and the 'A' team were also lovely and easy to deal with. All in all, you have one happy customer that won't be going anywhere else for her future event needs.” Natalia Colombo, Event Coordinator, Modere Australia. ... Read More

Every year supporters of the Adelaide Crows Football Club flock to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for their annual Gala Dinner. It’s a chance for the Club’s devoted members to get up close and personal with some of the players. The main aim for the evening to is raise funds to support the club’s forthcoming season, and they do this by putting on an extravagant gala dinner complete with fantastic live performances and a high-end silent auction. As the Crows’ official audio visual partner, our Adelaide team go above and beyond to make each year better than the last. The Event Brief On the 16th February the Arena of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre hosted nearly 1000 club VIPs and guests. The sheer size of the venue made it possible to design, create and deliver a stunning Gala Dinner setting and live silent auction. The client required that we simultaneously display video and animated multimedia, as well as live camera feed onto the various screens on stage, which is a challenge that our technical team love to rise to. The theme for this year’s gala was Purple and Gold, and what better way to bring that to life than through an indulgent Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate theme. Being one of the club's major fundraising events for the year, we needed to deliver a high impact, engaging experience, with the keenest eye on every detail to ensure a truly memorable event. Our Event Solution In our 12th year as the official audio visual partner, we wanted to deliver something special that pushed the envelope on last year’s visually spectacular Right Royal Gala event. We delivered a complete event production solution, encompassing all audio, vision, lighting, staging, multimedia creation, styling and production management. The event experience started as soon as guests arrived at the venue. To create intrigue and tease the event theme, we created a styled entrance way with purple swagged draping and a purple carpet running down the centre to the main doors to the Arena. Custom designed signage was fastened to the drape line to create a tailored welcome. As guests walked down the carpet, upbeat ‘Wonka’ type music was played to fit the Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate theme and set the tone for the evening. As guests continued up the purple carpet to the Arena doors, they met another themed feature – golden urns on plinths filled with colourful lollypops indicating that their journey had only just begun… Guests were invited to walk down the Arena stairwell filled with gold and purple lights and enter the main Arena floor. The vast space was transformed into a delightful, magical setting using theatrical intelligent lighting, themed styling and an enchanting stage look. All eyes were drawn to the giant custom stage set, created using our new 3D Scenic Panels in the Harlequin pattern flanked with multiple screens framing the Toyota car ad– the grand prize of the evening! Large inflatable red and white candy trees were placed around the room and stage for colour and a quirky touch. The 32 m wide x 9 m high Scenic Panel stage backdrop became the central projection surface for the night, featuring custom Crows themed multimedia content for the Welcoming and Closing presentations and for each individual auction item. All content was created in house by our multimedia design team. As a clever touch to add theatre and excitement, every guest was given a Golden Ticket on arrival with the lucky Golden Ticket winner taking home the brand new Toyota. The annual Crows Gala Auction is a highly anticipated event for the Staging Connections Adelaide team. The event gives us the opportunity to create truly immersive experiences and we love the challenge of doing something completely different every year. The Adelaide Crows event’s team are a pleasure to work with and encourage us to push the boundaries and embrace new products and new ideas. With another successful gala all wrapped up (in purple and gold foil), we look forward to next year’s creative brief! -- See more recent event work Get in touch to start planning your event ... Read More