Metal of Honor 2016 Award Video from George Sickler on Vimeo.

Try to think of the last gala or awards dinner or benefit auction that you attended. Was it boring? Exciting? Mundane? Fun? Think for a minute about what things/people made it fun…what things/people made it boring or awkward?

The last gala event I went to, there was never a dull moment. We came in, were seated, served salad and met our fellow table attendees. Shortly after arriving, a high-powered video (like the one I made above) was played which summarized our week (it was a conference), drew us in with some inspirational content, then wowed us with video and photo of our destination for next year’s conference! Then, the hosts gave awards, we ate dinner, a man had an unexpected panic attack and had to be carted out to an ambulance on a stretcher, then the hosts wrapped up the event with a DJ and dancing.

Now, BESIDES the man having the panic attack (he was ok), the rest of the event went really well! No one was bored. No one left early. Everyone was enjoying themselves but the event hosts were ALSO getting some necessary things done…how!? How do you make information fun? How do you run a successful gala event?

Here are some things the experts suggest:

  1.   Food – duh. This is a no-brainer. But make sure to taste-test, verify good customer service, and make sure your needs are clearly spelled-out. If your menu contains possible allergens, make sure to make your guests aware of that beforehand and ask the caterer to offer an alternative dish for those who are allergic. It would be best to do this on the RSVP form. Alcohol isn't a bad idea, either, as people are more likely to attend an event with an open bar...or even a cash bar!
  2.  AV team – use the hotel’s AV team or hire another good alternative. Ask if there are any events they’ll be doing soon that you could attend to get an idea of their typical service. The AV aspect is important, so don't go cheap, here!
  3.  Emcee – the emcee should be someone from among your own staff/volunteers.
  4.  Entertainment – provide a DJ or casino tables or something similar to keep your guests happy and make them WANT to attend.
  5.  Creative ways of conveying info – you’ve gathered the people there, you have information you want them to know, but they clearly don’t want to listen to a random guy drone on and on about it in a monotone voice. But, they also don't want to roll their eyes all the way through some cheesy video that your friend tried to throw together. So….HIRE A VIDEO PRO…what I’m saying, really, is hire us…Hire Mountain Harvest Media to create an amazing video presentation that will leave your dinner attendees wanting more!

 

So – that’s why you need video at your next gala. A video will pull together the necessity of information and the power of entertainment and combine them into a fun, upbeat opener like the one above! Give me a call to find out how the power of video can help you!