Guy Kawasaki

Type: Keynote, Former Chief Evangelist at Apple

Pros: Guy Kawasaki is said to be one of the only people in the world to have worked for Steve Jobs twice and survived. Stories and anecdotes about the early days of Apple like this are mixed in throughout Guy’s presentation. These stories alone may make him a good keynote, but his messages on innovation and entrepreneurship are very interesting as well.

Cons: Guy is a little eccentric and needs to be reined in on Q&A if timing is an issue at your events. When we worked together he did a great job with Q&A, but if we didn’t keep him moving toward the door I think he would still be in the ballroom answering questions.

Producer’s Notes: For a conference with a theme around innovation or creativity, Guy would be a good speaker choice.

Bandaloop

Type: Opening Act – Vertical Dance

Overview: After a performance by Bandaloop, the audience had only amazing things to say. If you are looking for reactions like “breath-taking” and “amazing” after a performance, then Bandaloop is an act worth considering.

Performers from Bandaloop (a vertical dance company) dance on the sides of buildings or suspended from climbing ropes in the air above your head.   

Application: We were hired to find and produce an opening act for a very large convention in Las Vegas. The act was to be featured as part of the event opening, which took place outside, where the audience gathered in front of the entrance doors waiting for the show to open. We wanted a performance that would happen among the audience, so the side of the convention center became the stage and the dancers performed right above the audience’s heads.

Things to Consider: You need to have the right space for this performance.  A small ballroom with limited celling height will not work. This is a physical dance so the performance cannot be too long either.

A significant amount of rehearsal time is needed for this performance. Because the performance often takes place on a real object (which cannot be replicated exactly in a studio) rehearsal time on the building specifically is required. Rigging and set-up is very important too.

In addition, a custom music track is not required, but definitely adds to the impact of the show.

Producer’s Notes: This is one of the most interesting opening acts we have produced. If you are looking for something completely different with a big impact, this is an act to consider.

See the Highlights:

Be a Creative Morning Person

In a creative industry, I think we are always keeping our eye out for inspiration. We’re looking for a moment that sparks an idea or fires us up about a project. Recently I’ve noticed that these moments come from collaborating and surrounding myself with other creatives—those people that have the same but completely opposite brain as me all at once.  

I discovered a group called Creative Mornings that offered that kind of creative community. This group organizes breakfast lectures once a month that pulls in all kinds of creative types. Each month a national theme is announced and a local maker, doer, designer or entrepreneur is highlighted and they give a talk in each city. Plus, it’s 100% free AND you get free coffee. (Coffee, you know, the creative fuel.)

For 90 minutes there is a unifying, creative energy in the room. Ideas are sparked. Thoughts are shared that resonate with the audience. By the time the talk ends, everyone leaves with their idea tank filled up.

CM/CHI

The last Creative Morning I went to was in Chicago in a warehouse. Yes, a warehouse! The warehouse is being transformed into a workshop collaboration space called Lost Arts by one of the co-founders of Kickstarter, Charles Adler. The best thing he shared was “Rules are not meant to be broken. Rules are temporary.” 

There are over 100 chapters of Creative Mornings all over the world—so go be creative beyond the 9-5 and meet some awesome people in your city!

For more info: creativemornings.com

Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort

Amelia Island, FL

Overview: For an Amelia Island property, there is quite a bit of ballroom and meeting space available at this hotel.

Ballrooms: There are three ballrooms ranging from the largest, the Magnolia, to the Cumberland, which is the smallest, and a mid-size ballroom called the Amelia Ballroom. 

A second ballroom is located in an adjacent building and is more of a standard ballroom.

There also are quite a few breakout rooms but the ballrooms can be split into larger breakout rooms if needed.

Rigging was easy and the ballroom load-in was very easy as well. 

Location: Like everything else in Amelia Island, you are a little far from off-property activities.  The plus is that you are right on the ocean and the pool area is amazing.

Rooms: I don’t usually comment on hotel rooms, but I thought these were just all right. They reminded me more of a motel room than a luxury hotel, but we (as crew) often don’t get the best rooms, so there may be much better rooms available that we didn’t see. 

Signage: The signage at the hotel could use improvement. Many people seemed to be getting lost as they walked around, so good event signage (and a lot of it!) is a must for this property.

Producer’s Notes: From a production standpoint, I thought this was a great property. This is not a resort we see mentioned a lot on short lists for property searches and is one to consider. 

Terranea Resort

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (near Los Angeles)

Overview: When I need a high-end resort to hold an event, this is the first place that comes to mind. Located about 40 miles from LAX (closer to Long Beach airport) this is truly a gorgeous property.

Ballrooms: The property has a couple of large ballrooms and multiple breakout rooms. Rigging in the ballroom is easy and the ballrooms themselves are beautiful. The main ballroom features street level doors for easy load-in and load-out.

Note: There is truck parking but make sure you arrange this ahead of time and confirm. This property is very aware of its image and trucks need to be in select designated areas. Deliveries from outside vendors also required some attention to detail, but was easy with the right amount of pre-production.

AV Staff and Equipment: We really didn’t use in-house AV for anything other than rigging.

Location: This is a destination resort so attendees really don’t have to leave the property for anything. While expensive, there are numerous restaurants and bars on the property and the areas for outdoor receptions are, like everything else, exceptionally beautiful.

Con: The cost. This is not an inexpensive property to stay or work at but if budget allows, this should definitely be a property to look at.

Meritage Resort & Spa

Napa, CA

Overview: There are not a lot of properties in Napa that can host a corporate event. The Meritage in Napa is one that works well for small or medium sized events. One of the things I liked best about this property was that it felt like the event “owned” the property. I think because it isn’t the largest property, the staff felt very focused on the attendees and meeting planners.

Ballroom: The main ballroom is the Meritage Grand Salon, which is approximately 8,000 square feet and sits directly off the main lobby. There are a couple of pre-function spaces and a terrace that connect the ballroom area to the main pool and offer beautiful views of the area.

A second ballroom is located in an adjacent building and is more of a standard ballroom.

An amazing cave space is also available for receptions and small events.

Location: The Napa area is beautiful but a site visit to this property is advised because the wine area is very large, and the Meritage is set at the far southern end of the area.

Con: The ballrooms are not very large, so the ceiling heights and power take some creativity to work for a larger event. A creative room and stage design is a must for these rooms.

Producer’s Notes: If Napa is the destination that you want, then the Meritage is a great and accommodating option.

David Marquet

Type: Keynot, expert on leadership and organizational design

David is an energetic speaker whose claim to fame is his success as a Navy Captain. During his time in the Navy, he took over the lowest ranked submarine, and through superb leadership skills, turned it into the highest performing sub in the US Navy.

Pros: Very entertaining speaker who engages the audience and uses a few interactive polling questions to involve the audience in the presentation. The presentation I saw was a combination of leadership topics and interesting stories about his time as a Navy Captain.

Cons: His presentation is a little bit like Mike Abrashoff, whose presentation is about the Captain who turns around the ship.

Producer’s Notes: Entertaining speaker who was informative and entertaining. Fits well with any military or nautical theme.

Rating: 8              Crew Member: Video Lead

Hotel del Coronado

San Diego, CA

Overview: This is a historic hotel right by the water in San Diego. The rooms in the main hotel are the best rooms—the rooms in the adjacent buildings are a little dated. There are a couple of nice restaurants and shops right on the property and you are within walking distance to a number of great restaurants. Everything is a bit pricey, but that is to be expected from a classic hotel like this.

Ballrooms: There are a couple of ballrooms. Off the main lobby there is the ballroom called “The Ballroom”, which has an existing stage and windows that wrap around the room. This is a great room for food events or gala dinners. 

Another ballroom on the property is called the Crown Room. This is a beautiful wood-lined ballroom, which works great for meals and could be used for a small general session.

The final ballroom is the Grande Hall. It is located in an adjacent building and features an upstairs ballroom with multiple breakout rooms on the first floor.

Note: There is a large elevator stage that is ideal for load-in and load-out, but I’ve heard it breaks often. This means load-in to the Grand Hall can be an issue as there is only one other small elevator.

AV Staff and Equipment: In-house AV is expensive at this property. We mainly worked with them to handle a few breakout rooms, but the staff was attentive and the equipment was in good shape. 

Note that in-house AV is exclusive for AV on the garden lawn by the beach. Again, I thought the equipment cost was expensive but they set lighting out there often and provided some nice options for lighting and décor.

Producer’s Notes: The hotel is a historic hotel with a great vibe that is frequented by movie stars. For a destination trip, it would be fantastic. While the rooms for general session are not very large, there are a ton of breakout rooms so the hotel is well suited for a medium size show.

Under the Streetlamp

Type: Evening Entertainment

Pros: Under the Streetlamp is kind of like booking the musical performances from “Jersey Boys”. Four singers backed by a good band perform the classic American radio hits from the 1950s and 1960s.

From the moment they take the stage, the performers remind you of the classic music style of 1950’s American rock. The performers are drawn from Broadway musicals and not only have great voices but real charisma on the stage.

Cons: Maybe not the best act for a 20 something audience, but if the audience features any baby boomers this group would be a great fit.

Producer’s Notes:  This was a really good show and a great way to end the event. We produced backing graphics to complement their act, and were lucky to have special expertise on our team. Our audio and lighting directors have Broadway show experience, which definitely helped the overall performance!   

How to be Creative with a Small Ballroom

Smaller ballrooms, especially ones in boutique hotels, always present challenges when we are designing creative staging plans. Low ceiling heights, minimal rigging or small room sizes are common in these properties. We are always looking to find creative uses for existing technology to combat these challenges. Recently we found that LED wall technology has been a huge asset to us on a couple of recent shows that had small rooms.

LED to the Rescue

Instead of building an entire wall behind the stage, we created a series of LED panels that acted as a backdrop instead. Standing roughly 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, the panels were ground supported and offered a visually interesting background. We created a number of different graphic looks for the panels, which allowed us to change the look and feel of each presentation. 

The content for the panels was created using existing artwork from the client that was put together into a creative and engaging set. The great thing about these panels is the versatility we were able to achieve for each presenter. The graphics on the panels were changed to support each presenter’s unique message. Most importantly, they fit well into a very small ballroom! 

Disneyland Grand Californian

Anaheim, CA

Overview: Located in the heart of Downtown Disney the Grand hotel is the upscale cousin to the original Disneyland Hotel.

Ballrooms: The Sequoia ballroom is very nice and is located in an enclosed conference section, which also includes many of the breakout rooms. The enclosed space includes a couple of registration desks as well as a board room and many breakouts. The location provides a sense of being away from the Disney experience and focused on the event.

Rigging is a little challenging in the ballroom so a careful rig plan is required. The ballroom and foyer are attractive and offer great possibilities for branding and stage design.

As with all Disney properties, load-in and load-out requires some planning. PSAV handles in-house video and sound. They handle the breakout rooms set well but responsiveness can be a little slow, so a plan for support should be reviewed.

Breakout Rooms: The breakout rooms in the conference center work great. There are a few rooms outside the conference center that share a hallway along the main path to exit the hotel. Be aware that there is mixing of conference attendees and Disney vacationers during peak times, and can make for a crowded area.

Location: The hotel is located in the heart of Downtown Disney so attendees have many options for dinner and entertainment.

Producer’s Notes: Great property with a great location. Of the Disney properties in California it is in my opinion the nicest property.

Catchbox Review Is In

Overview:  We have had the opportunity to use the Catchbox on a couple of shows. Here’s our review!

Technically: The Catchbox works exactly as advertised. The sound quality was very good and the foam cube protected the microphone well.

Audience Reaction: If you are looking for a fun way to engage Q&A this is a good product but it does need some set-up for the audience to fully embrace the concept.    

On a couple of shows where the MC embraced the idea, demonstrated the use and encouraged the audience to toss the cube around, the reaction was positive. On another show where there really wasn’t any set-up the Catchbox seemed a little forced.

Breakout Rooms: We used the Catchbox in breakout rooms and the keynote speakers were able to easily toss the Catchbox into the audience. It worked very well. 

Conclusion: For a general session application, the Catchbox can be a fun tool but needs to be targeted to the right audience. If the MC or main presenter buys in to the concept, it makes it easier for the audience feel comfortable with this tool.

Note: The Catchbox needs to be tossed from one audience member to another, or tossed to a moderator who then tosses it to the next person with a question. While the Catchbox is soft foam, if it is thrown with a lot of force it can knock water glasses off of tables.   

Read part one of this post here for more background info on this product.

Disneyland

Anaheim, CA

Overview:  Who doesn’t love Disney? We have produced multiple meetings at the Disneyland hotel in all of the ballrooms. The event staff is responsive, the ballrooms are a good size and the attendees always seem to respond well to the property.

Ballrooms: The Magic Kingdom and Disneyland ballrooms (as well as the Disneyland Exhibit Hall) all work well for general sessions. The Exhibit Hall requires some creative stage design, as there are a couple of pillars that need to be worked around.

The Center Disneyland Ballroom has an existing stage and AV and works great for dinner functions.

In-house AV is handled by PSAV for video, and Disney Engineering handle lights and sound. PSAV seems to have a lot of turnover at the property. Many of the Disney Engineering staff have been on-site for many years and work well with outside production companies.

Internet is something to pay attention to, as it is expensive. We have had some issue with bandwidth as well. The on-site team is willing to work with you but you have to address this early and test immediately.

Loading docks: Disney has very particular loading dock requirements so careful attention to detail on load-in and load-out is required.

Breakout Rooms: There are a lot of breakout rooms but they differ greatly in location and size. There also are a number of rooms located in adjacent buildings which require attendees to walk outside. A thorough review of breakout rooms on the site visit is recommended and good show signage has proved valuable.

There are breakout rooms next to the Exhibit Hall, which can work well when moving back and forth between sessions, but not all rooms have air walls that go to the ceiling. This has not been an issue for us in the past but is something to look at.

Location: Downtown Disney is located next to the hotel so attendees have many options for dinner and entertainment.

Producer’s Notes: Great property with lots to offer. Some past experience working at the property definitely pays dividends and improves the overall working experience.

Brian Regan

Type: Entertainment, Comedian

Pros: He is very funny. His style is similar to Jim Gaffigan’s and he had the audience laughing the entire time. His performance is very much like a typical standup performance so it works well for a large audience. 

Brian is known for being one of the “clean” comedians, so the typical concerns about stand-up performances are avoided. If excessive language or sexual humor is a concern, he may be a good choice.

Cons: Brian travels with an opening act, which is a little forced for a corporate performance in my opinion. This may not be a concern for everyone.

Brian’s rider should be reviewed carefully. When we worked with Brian, the opening act performer did the sound check and was the on-site contact for the rider. The rider is built for a standalone comedy act, so a number of items may not be applicable for a corporate show.

Producer’s Notes: He made me laugh and most of the audience as well.

Rating: 7.5                Crew Member: graphics lead

The Three Painters

Type: Opening act, speed painting

Pros: The audience enters to a blank, dark canvas and within a couple of minutes three painters create a masterpiece. The painting starts with a series of brush strokes and over time grows to be a full caricature portrait of a famous person.

As an option, one of the painters can paint the portrait upside down and then spin it to reveal the finished artwork.   The performance is accompanied by live singers who perform a medley of popular songs.

Note:  There are other similar groups who also paint portraits but just to a music track without the live singers.

Cons: Based on the audience, the live singers can be a little forced if the selected music doesn’t connect to the theme or message of the event.

The length of the performance needs to be controlled. The longer this is drawn out, the less effective I think this act is as an opening.

Producer’s Notes: This is a performance that once you have seen it, you probably don’t need to see it again, but for a first time audience it can work and definitely grabs the audience’s attention. 

Production Crew Speaker Reviews

Our team sees and hears a lot of speakers each year, so as an added feature to the speaker reviews, we thought it would be fun to ask a crew member his or her thoughts on a speaker. We are going to pick one crew member and ask them to rate the keynote or entertainer on a simple 1-10 scale. We won’t be identifying them by name but will list their position on the crew. This is just another perspective to help identify interesting speakers for your events.

Improve your Site Surveys

Conducting a Standard Site Survey

When an event planner conducts a site inspection and evaluates a property, they often try to look at the property through the eyes of an event attendee. What does the lobby look like and is it clean? Is the front-of-house staff friendly and attentive? What does a typical guest room look like? Are the rooms, hallways and elevators clean and well maintained?

These observations can offer great insights into how the property functions and can also offer a glimpse into how smoothly a planner’s on-site experience with the hotel staff will be. The lobby, bellmen and guest rooms are the first things an attendee will see.

Conducting a Technical Site Survey

Just as event planners try to recreate the attendee experience on their site visits, our production managers recreate the crews’ first experience too. We start outside at the loading dock, take a trip up the freight elevator and experience the long push through back-of-house, passing around or through the kitchen, down long hallways filled with back-of-house staff and then finally into the ballroom.

By focusing on back-of-house, we get a different perspective and can look at the upcoming event from the viewpoint of our production crew. This extra step usually provides some interesting insights.

For Example...

We recently completed a show at a property that had the worst back-of-house I have ever seen. The freight elevators were in poor condition, the back-of-house was dirty, storage was disorganized and we were not greeted or acknowledged by any staff we passed along the way.

The entire show was one challenge after another as the crew dealt with broken elevators, pre-arranged items such as truck parking, load-in and load-out times and a consistent lack of energy and interest by many banquet and support staff. And we were prepared for all of it.

A few months earlier, our site survey of this particular venue started at the loading dock and included the following:

1.  Promises made with the CSM for load-in times and truck parking. However, based on the reaction from the dock supervisor (who we always ask to meet) it was clear that the CSM could promise anything, but this was his dock and you better know his rules.

2.  A request to ride the main freight elevator (not just see it) revealed that it was broken. However we were assured it would work for our event. The elevator was clearly not kept clean as well.

3.  A walk down the back hallway showed banquet storage that was disorganized and again evidence of a general lack of cleanliness and attention to detail.

Based on the above observations, we went into this event with a plan to deal with broken elevators, a back-up plan if our pre-arranged plans changed at the last minute and the expectation that staff requests (whether from us or the client) would take a long time to be resolved.

The event came off seamlessly and the audience was none the wiser for the challenges we faced. We were better prepared to deal with those obstacles because of the observations from our back-of-house site survey.

Next time you are on a site survey, ask the CSM to take you on a walk through back-of-house. See the dock, ride the freight elevator and walk the path to the ballroom. If those areas are clean and well maintained and the back-of-house staff (away from the guest areas) are friendly and attentive, it might provide some insight into how your last minute request to flip the room will go or what will happen when you need a stage added to a breakout room. 

Hilton Anatole

Dallas, TX

Overview: I have heard that this is one of the busiest conference hotels in the Hilton chain, and after working here I believe it. This is a very large property so it has some quirks that can definitely influence the success of an event, but that size also makes it a great hotel for events.

Ballrooms: There are a lot of ballrooms on this property.

The Chantily Ballroom is my favorite at the property. It is large with great rigging, and the loading area is directly outside the ballroom

The Grand Ballroom is also nice and has the same good rigging.

The Imperial Ballroom is on an upper floor (the third I believe) and is my least favorite ballroom on property. The room, registration area and hallway leading into the room are great but there are a few challenges:

• The floor vibrates a little bit so you have to be careful with placement of the projection and screens.

• There is an elevator that leads directly to the room, but it is right next to the loading dock, which you usually can’t use. The push from the loading area travels through the busy dock area which can slow down the load-in and out.

• The elevator needs to be locked off or controlled carefully during the show because it is loud and would be a disturbance.

• Note: We have always asked for and gotten control of the elevator, but I have heard this is sometimes an issue on other shows.

There also is a Trinity Ballroom next to the exhibit hall, but this is more of a tradeshow area than a ballroom. If you are using this room for a general session, pay attention to the house lighting in the room.

Breakout Rooms:

• The best breakout rooms: above the Chantily Ballroom.

• The West Wing of the hotel has good breakout rooms as well but it is a little off the beaten path, so signage is a must.

• The breakout rooms in the Atrium are small and definitely require signage for attendees to find as well.

Note: The dock at this property is very busy with food delivery and use of it is very restricted.  The main loading area does not have a dock, so trucks need a lift gate or forklift to load and unload. We have used the dock in the past, but it was negotiated in advance and was not easy.

Producer’s Notes: Great property in a great location with tons of general session and breakout rooms. Especially with a little experience, this is a property we like to work at.

Mark King

Type: Keynote

Pros: Mark is not someone who we see very often at events. There always seem to be a couple of “hot” speakers every year who either present at the meetings we produce or are on the short list to be a presenter. Our client identified Mark as a presenter with a good message who they thought would resonate with their audience, and they were right.

The talk was on leadership where he presented his steps for turning around TaylorMade golf.  The history and back-story about the growth of TaylorMade was an interesting story as well. He discussed the success he had with abandoning the traditional methods of building a golf brand and instead focused specifically on the golfer who bought equipment annually.

One big hit with the audience (and I am not sure if he does this at all events) was at the end of the presentation he gave away a number of TaylorMade golf clubs and bags.

Cons: None.

Producer’s Notes: He was an interesting speaker and the golf connection definitely seemed to connect with the attendees in the audience. The growth of the company through non-traditional methods seemed to resonate with the audience, who were very engaged with his story.

Note: TaylorMade has now been sold to Adidas and Mark is serving as President.

Importance of Technical Site Surveys

There are too many occasions when we (as the production company) have to convince clients to allow us to conduct a technical site visit. I had a fascinating exchange with a conference service manager (CSM) on a recent site visit that helped prove why these site surveys are so important. 

We were hired to manage the audio/visual component of an internal sales meeting and were bringing in most of the AV equipment from outside vendors (only using in-house for some breakout room support).

The CSM greeted us by thanking us for taking the time to do a technical site visit (again, we are not using in-house for this job.) She proceeded to tells us of the difficulties she had with the group who had just finished their conference at the hotel. As with our show, the AV was brought in from the outside but in this case, the production company or client did not see the need for a site visit. 

Consequences of Running a Show with No Site Visit

Some things went wrong:

• Their initial room diagram was incorrect because they were only working with the dimensions posted on the hotel website (which were not up-to-date)

• They were unable to plan for the exact height and location of the chandeliers in the ballroom

• The unknown lack of close freight elevators during the scheduled load-in time meant a long push and created extra delays

• These initial problems resulted in the need to change the location of the screens, which changed the size of the stage, location of the power drop and front-of-house position

All of this meant delays, more stress and extra money for the client. The CSM and her team were affected too—their schedules were significantly impacted, which caused further delays.

Site visits by the production team, even on smaller events, often result in saved time, money and stress for the entire event team. Do a technical site survey!