Your event is scheduled, with an outstanding agenda and delegate list. But not everyone can be there – and no one sees everything. So how do you spread the word wider?
A great way to share the latest intelligence from your headliners, networked professionals and rising stars, is live opinion videos – shot and uploaded to your Youtube channel within the hour. They keep your target audiences engaged – whether they’re coming out of another conference session, or waking up on the other side of the world.
You could pull out your smartphone and hope for the best. But remember you want short, sharp clips with rich, valuable micro-content, that aren’t compromised by clattering crockery and chiming session bells. So whether you’re going to film in-house or hire a pro, here are some top tips on how to get great live opinion videos at your next conference.
WHY?
It sounds obvious, but if you don’t know who your audience is and why they should be watching, they probably won’t. Apart from those who couldn’t attend, and those who are stuck in session, how about the rest of your network? Prospects for next year’s conference? Online sharers..?
WHO?
You’re looking for a strong mix of styles, such as: thought leaders; iconoclasts; keynote speakers; rising stars; steady performers; new voices from distant markets. Have plenty of back-up options too, because you can never film everyone you want at a conference. Email as many of the list as possible a week in advance, to tell them what you’re planning and get their buy-in. The more you do here, the more likely people are to cooperate.
WHAT?
Aim to get one question for each person that elicits great relevant content – pertinent to the event, fine-tuned to their expertise. It needs to be a hook to get them engaged, not provoke them to give you their company line.
HOW?
Working on gaining just 3-5 minutes of a delegate’s time. It’s vox-pop style shooting: a quick brief on what’s required, tech set up, a bit of coaching, and you’re off. Your cameraperson should be familiar with the equipment and comfortable with a semi-journalistic role. For ultimate speed there’s the iPhone 6+ kit. You can trim the piece in-phone, and upload direct to Youtube in minutes. Taking a fraction longer but reaping great rewards is Sony’s wonderful A7S – its beautiful image quality even in low light, combined with small MP4 files make it a winner. Either way, don’t be tempted to use the built in mic – you need to get close to the speaker’s voice, so a lapel microphone is best.
WHERE?
The experience needs to be as easy as possible for your delegate – and you need watchable, usable content. Focus on a few things: a variety of backdrops that place the speaker at your conference. Ambient noise – don’t shoot next to a constantly banging door for example. Some light on the speaker’s face (but not so much they squint) and avoid strong lights behind them. For framing, the speaker’s eyes should be approx 1/3 down from the top of the frame.
To see how these tips can work in action, contact us for a show reel.
This article was originally written for Formative Content.
Photo credit: Laura Lee Moreau/Unsplash
