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Nearly two-thirds of the respondees felt that the legacy from the Olympics and the Jubilee celebrations would make an improvement in their fortunes this year. Overall the feeling in the industry is one of growth and change.

64% felt that their prospects are looking better for 2012 against the results for 2011 and 49% felt that budgets for events in 2013 would be higher following the Olympics in 2012. 

86% of those surveyed said they would be investing in more social media as part of the event marketing mix and technology played an important part in the minds of organisers with 57% planning to invest in event technology and 54% in AV equipment.

Another question which raised an interesting topic was ‘Will you be increasing/investing in experiential activity in 2012?’ and 47% surveyed said emphatically yes. Generation Y and X audiences are particularly responsive to experiential marketing and the industry is beginning to respond to their presence at events.

Interesting article in the Daily Express today by Adam Edwards.   Apparently I’m not the only person who struggles to hear the dialogue in some films.  Edwards’s article explores the potential causes of the audience not being able to hear what the actors are saying and being unable to follow the narrative.  

Having acknowledged that this wasn’t a problem in old movies several industry sound experts point the finger at the director’s desire to have the sound effects louder and that advances in technology have allowed the sound to be replayed louder, but has reduced the dynamic range.    No doubt this may contribute to the problem and I dare say a director who has watched it over and over again and has memorised much of the dialogue probably isn’t the best person to judge, but aren’t we missing the bigger picture?.... and I mean ‘Picture’. 

We know that the actual dialogue only represents part of the way we communicate. Research has shown that over half of any message can be delivered via non verbal communication such as body language, facial expression and eye movement.  So in the search for an answer to the problem of sound in the movies, we should also be looking at the way they are filmed.  

Has the overall style cinematography changed and is there now a vogue for shots that feature more of the action and less of the close-up dialogue?  If this is the case, the directors need to take care to review this objectively to ensure the audio and visual information works well together and doesn’t get lost in the distractions of noise, gimmicks and effects.    Just like anyone giving a presentation, tell the story first, support it with graphics that add impact, and keep the distracting effects to a minimum.

Adam Clark

Exciting news - our Bid Again Now iPad app has been approved on the iTunes App Store.  This means people using our brilliant new innovative bidding system at silent auction events can use any iPad to submit their bids.

We are replacing our existing touch screen system with iPads.  We have decided to do this because we feel that iPads provide a much easier system for our bidders to use than our existing touch screens.  Our iPads can be installed in booths at the event or can be used by volunteers who can circulate around the venue helping people to place their bids.  We feel this is a big advantage to our PC based system.

We are currently looking to port this to other mobile platforms such as iPhones as well as Android based phones and Blackberrys making it as easy as possible for bidders to place their bids and to raise funds for charities.

Currently Bid Again Now is raising 30% more money than traditional methods and the iPad app will help raise even more.

This year’s Suffolk Head Teachers’ Conference will take place over the period 12th-14th October at Five Lakes Hotel in Essex. Attended by Head Teachers working in Primary Education, the conference is designed for delegates to share best practice and discuss the challenges facing the education sector. With a range of international and national speakers, the conference provides a forum for academic discussion and the consideration of new ideas. The event also aims to improve cooperation and collaboration between the Education Authority, Governors and Head Teachers.

AV Unit will provide technical support to the two day conference but will also be exhibiting. The stand will demonstrate the latest audio visual technology available to schools and have an installation technician on hand to answer technical questions and queries. In particular, delegates will be able to see the benefits of Digital Signage, reviewed elsewhere in this newsletter, and the Visualizer, a high-definition short throw multimedia projector. Designed to meet the needs of educators, the Visualizer is so adaptable that AV Unit will be offering a Lumens version, valued at £799, as a prize draw.