EXTENDING THE VALUE OF TRADE SHOW DISPLAYS
A looping trade show video display can be an effective tool to stop audiences and capture attention at trade shows. In our March ’09 Update we included a list of guidelines to help people achieve the most from their trade show productions, which is available on our site here. But what can you do with that slick, fast-paced looping video once the trade show is over? More than you may think.
Here are a few examples of other applications for a trade show video loop:
Lobby Display – The video can loop alone or in combination with other productions to create a professional lobby display that reinforces key messages to visitors.
PowerPoint Presentations – A blank screen is a missed opportunity. Before a presentation begins, a trade show display can be set to loop as the first slide in a PowerPoint based presentation. As audience members arrive and take their seats, the loop reinforces a positive company image. The loop can also play at the end of the presentation or during the Q&A session to further reinforce the company image.
Company Web Site – A looping video can add depth to a company web site and can stimulate site visitor interest in the aspects of the company promoted by the loop.
Social Media – YouTube and Facebook offer great video playback. Adding the trade show loop to these sites costs nothing and increases the company’s presence online.
When we create a trade show video display we always deliver the project in the format required for the venue, along with other formats suitable for PowerPoint, web site placement, social media applications, even a format suitable for portable media like iPhone, Windows Mobile and Blackberry. If you have a trade show display created internally or by another vendor that you’d like to repurpose for one or more of these other applications just give us a call and we’ll be happy to reformat it for you without charge.
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WEBINAR PRODUCTION SOLUTION IMPROVED
In our Update of December ’08, we described a solution we developed to efficiently capture PowerPoint based presentations on video. The system is completely portable, captures the presenter AND the presenter’s computer screen, includes professional lighting and high quality audio, and makes creative use of a teleprompter to put the presenter at ease. We have now expanded the system to include a digitizing tablet that enables the presenter to include ‘marker board’ or ‘John Madden’ style notes that are recorded in real time as part of the presentation.
Here are a few tips to prepare a presentation for online publication to your web site or YouTube:
Break the presentation into smaller pieces. This enables the audience to work through the material a little bit at a time. Rather than requiring the audience to set aside an hour to try to digest the full presentation, ask them to set aside six minutes per day for a couple of weeks. This approach is also more suitable to file size limits on many web sites and is much more compatible with how YouTube handles video.
Create PowerPoint or other graphics considering the audience. Have you ever heard a presenter say of a PowerPoint slide, “I know you can’t read this but…”? Use a font size of 24 points or larger.
Practice. Yes, we are all busy and making the time to practice can be difficult. However, if the message is important than being prepared is important. The President of the United States is busy too, but he managed to devote more than an entire day to preparing for his State of the Union Address.
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NEW WEB PAGE ON OUR SITE
After much consideration we’ve finally added a page to our web site that is all about the gear we use to create our productions. The page is here - http://www.texas-pictures.com/gear.html. Please check it out. We’d love to hear your input.
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WE’RE ON FACEBOOK
Social Media like Facebook can be a great venue to build and maintain connections and is a great way for us to quickly display some of our latest video productions. Check out our page and get on our “Like” list at the Texas Pictures Facebook Page.
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OUR THIRD ANNIVERSARY
April 21st marked our third anniversary. It seems every year is a better time. In 2009 we expanded into some new markets, came up with some new production techniques and new applications for productions, we developed more comprehensive and thoughtful methods for helping clients achieve their goals, and we got to do a few things that may have actually saved some lives. How cool is that?
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UPCOMING EVENTS BMA – The Topic for the Houston Chapter of the Business Marketing Association May luncheon is, “How to Make Your Brand Relevant to B2B Customers.” The luncheon is on Thursday, May 20, 11:30-1:00. The BMA holds regular luncheons on the third Thursday each month. Learn more about BMA events here.
ASTD – The Houston Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development has a luncheon meeting planned for Wednesday, May 19, 11:30-1:00 titled, “Optimal Learning,” presented by Jay Clancy of the company, Strategic Ascent. Learn more about ASTD events here.
AAF – The Houston Chapter of the American Advertising Federation May luncheon will feature speaker Dan Hill, a recognized authority on the role of emotions and body language in consumer and employee behavior. Learn more about AAF events here.
HNN – Houston Networking News is holding their annual “HNN Building a Better Business Conference and Mini-Expo” all day on May 20. Learn more about HNN events here.
inHouston – inHouston Uptown Mixer is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 from 3pm to 8pm. Learn more here.
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UPCOMING TRIPS
We have video and/or photo shoots scheduled for several domestic locations over the next few months. If you have any location shooting needs give us a call. We may be able to combine a trip or two and save everyone some travel costs.