In the spirit of welcoming the Winter chills, we thought it only fitting to reflect on the glorious Outdoor Events that the long and sun-filled days that Summer allows us. As part of this homage we have compiled a quick list of outdoor event essentials to help you plan properly for next season. Last month ...

Holding an event? Here’s how to get people going hashtag-crazy… When it’s your responsibility to manage an event for your company, one thing you want to achieve is people talking about it. You want everyone at the event to share what they loved most, those joining virtually to feel part of the conversation – and ...

On 23 May, NUSHIP Hobart 39 was launched from Techport Australia, Port Adelaide and Encore were there to help see her off in spectacular style. The Hobart is Australia’s first next generation Air Warfare Destroyer and an important milestone for the Royal Australian Navy as well as for her builder, the AWD Alliance. Event was ...

Northern lights and Scandinavian end of year celebration theme The final part of our four-part blog series for end of year celebrations event theme trends for end of years parties is all about embracing sleek and sophisticated Northern Lights event theme for an authentic Scandinavian end of year celebration theme design. As you would have ...

For the first time, Tasmania will play host to a fun festival celebrating all things science and the International Year of Light. The very first Festival of Bright Ideas will present a diverse program of hands-on activities, science entertainment, and celebrity speakers. As part of National Science Week, the festival will take place over two ...

Australia’s first Top 100 Restaurant Awards made a huge splash on the awards circuit earlier this year. The star-studded event brought Australia’s foodies, restaurateurs’ and celebrities alike onto Melbourne’s Crown Towers’ pool terrace for the highly anticipated event, proudly co-hosted by Crown Resorts and Fairfax Australia. Event Brief Encore was approached by Crown Resorts and ...

Feast your eyes on this stunning enchanted forest event theme we designed for this year’s Victoria Racing Club Young Member’s Ball. The night was a spectacular evening filled with performances including death-defying aerial-artists. Event Brief Our team has been lucky enough to work closely with Victoria Racing Club over the last consecutive five years.  Every ...

Our General Manager of Digital, Tim Chapman, shares his two cents on why we should be webcasting our events and how it can actually generate you a profitable outcome. Making money from webcasting is not a new concept, the real challenge is producing content that people are willing to pay for. Asking people to pay for a low quality video with little or no interactivity simply does not work. Over the past year Staging Connections has taken a new approach to monetisation in the webcasting market by offering consultative sessions with our clients. We start by addressing the key outcomes required from the webcast which are most commonly an extra source of event revenue, catering to a wider paid audience and a cost efficient way to provide an engaging archival representation of the event. If the event attracts a fee to attend then a natural progression would be to charge for viewers to watch the webcast. The key is replicating the event in broadcast quality vision with a high level of audience interactivity to rival being there in person. The plan starts with the monetisation options and which will work best dependant on the event. Options include a pay wall using PayPal for attendee viewing, webcast sponsor(s) to offset the cost of the webcast equipment in return for static and video advertising, in webcast purchase of products or services and affiliate marketing opportunities. A rising trend is the use of paid webcasts for CPE (Continuing Professional Education) as many professionals must acquire a set number of points per year to maintain their qualification. The Staging Connections webcast platform differs to others on the market and makes the monetisation task much simpler. We start with a blank canvas and expertly design a HTML play page that incorporates all manners of monetisation opportunities. It starts with a branded registration page offering seamless integration to the pay wall feature. You are then transported to the play page where advertising loops in the video and slide windows surrounded by attractive branding with active links to sponsors showcasing their products or services that can be purchased directly. The page has a social media feed running and a chat room to keep everyone entertained during breaks with the chance just for the webcast viewers to win a prize in one of the pop up polls towards the end of the day. As the webcast draws to a close the viewer is redirected to information regarding the clients next event. The viewer leans back in their chair at the end of the day having downloaded the conference notes, met some new people on the web chat who have now become contacts on LinkedIn and generally been impressed with how good the camera quality and slide integration were all making the investment as a viewer very worthwhile. Written by Tim Chapman, General Manager - Digital, Staging Connections. Tim has an extensive background in combining technology into the event space. He is passionate about being at the forefront of digital trends and utilises this knowledge to build product offerings for the Staging Connections Group of Companies. Tim has developed a new webcasting platform recognised as one of Australia’s most advanced in functionality and continues to develop solutions using leading edge technology custom designed for the events industry. Want to know more about webcasting? Download our latest Event Insights white paper on Making Money from Webcasting Related Articles Launching Hobart 39 - webcasting The Benefits of Event Webcasting Take your event from stage to screen ... Read More

Generation Y and Millennials have more decision making power than ever before and it’s not just the generation that’s changing; it’s the way they consume technology that’s prompting the events industry to change. It's time to get up to speed. You might think they’re asking too much, that they have ‘big’ ideas or maybe you just get annoyed that they don’t answer their landlines, but don’t underestimate what they’re capable of. It’s time to get in touch with the next generation of event buyers. Generation Y and Millennials have more decision making power than ever before and it’s not just the generation that’s changing; it’s the way they consume technology that’s prompting the events industry to change. The opportunity is here. Adapt or die. The next generation are demanding, they do have ‘big’ ideas and they don’t like taking your sales calls. Get to know them, their priorities and their love for all things tech, and you’ll be way ahead of the rest. In the first ever Australia Asia Pacific survey conducted by the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC), Generation Y and Millennials, those aged 18 to 32, placed more importance on the technology capabilities of a venue than any other generation. Why? Because technology isn’t an add-on for them. It’s not even a ‘part’ of their life, it is them, it is their life. There’s an opportunity here for venues and event suppliers. When the future of meetings and events lies in the successful communication and collaboration of buyer and seller, all parties must understand the needs and wants of the other. For venues, attracting event buyers lies in communicating their unique technical facilities and strength of their team. For event suppliers, attracting buyers lies in the technology they offer and success of past events delivered. We’re in house at 70 venues across Australia and New Zealand, and as the only supplier to hold this accolade, we feel privileged to be able to offer innovative technical solutions; through the people with the know-how and the boundary-pushing products and services that we’ve tailored to each of our venues. Our technology includes the latest webcasting and live streaming technology, Event Feed – our real-time social media platform to boost event engagement, Event Poll which allows live voting, contests and question submission at events like conference and of course event apps. Plus we have the latest and greatest multimedia 3D mapping programs which project onto any 3D surface, offering phenomenal impact and uber-widescreen technologies to truly transform events. We’re seeing that generation Y event buyers are more interested in these technologies. Priorities of the decision maker have changed. Baby Boomers and Generation X had top priorities like quality, dedicated service teams and a superior food and beverage offering. Generation Y and Millennials are placing greater importance on location, technology and experiential learning aspects like team building. Each of these priorities open the door for venues and suppliers to be more innovative. Together, we’re set to see more and more creative and high-tech events, what better way to get that immensely satisfying wow-factor for you audience?! We’ve invested in all sorts of engaging solutions, ones that integrate technology into the heart of events. Engagement for us is not just a buzzword, it’s a critical event component that can allow you to transform attendees into a community of brand ambassadors. With society in general placing greater importance on digital communications and technologies, it’s no surprise that it’s a key desire for Generation Y and Millennial event buyers. This generation has grown up with limitless information literally at their fingertips, wherever they are, whenever they need it. Google, Facebook, Snapchat are all instant technologies that give the user exactly what they want. This generation is not waiting for the best sales call, they’re actively searching for thumb-stopping digital content, and they’re integrating it into their events at the speed of light! Recognising the pace at which technology changes, we’ve got a dedicated team whose sole purpose is the discovery of the latest technology from across the globe. It’s these technologies that can transform events and make them stand out from the crowd. We’re onto it. This article was written by Tim Morgan, General Manager of Venues for Staging Connections. Want to know more about event trends? Download our range of free White Papers today. ... Read More