You’ve made it past the wild world of AV and event production terminology as it relates to PEOPLE and TECH – I hope you’re enjoying this ultimate backstage pass of event production lingo.

Captain’s log, Stardate -299486: This is the final blog of an exhaustive three-part series, addressing Event Industry Language. 

Keep your energy levels boosted – buckle up, grab your headset and read on!

AI-Powered Event Personalization  

Artificial intelligence (AI) can analyze attendee data and preferences to personalize the event experience. It can create tailored recommendations for customized agendas, event analytics, custom event logos, or chatbots to help answer common questions from attendees when on the event’s website. AI helps create personalized journeys for each participant. Look for more info about the use of AI in our next blog, AI: The Secret Sauce for Your Next Event.

Brand Activation

Brand activation is an approach where you engage your audience with a memorable experience, creating an emotional connection. For events, this is done by way of a digital or an immersive in-person experience that generates brand awareness, builds lasting connections, and drives your brand message home for the audience.

Drape, Staging Concept & Fabrication, Scenic

You’ll typically see these three items grouped together on a quote. It involves the integration of drape, staging concept and fabrication, and scenic elements aimed to create an engaging and professional environment that aligns with the event’s objectives.

Draping involves the use of fabric materials to create visually appealing backdrops, partitions, or coverings in the event space. Various types of fabric, colors, and textures can be chosen to match the event theme or branding.

Staging Concept & Fabrication involves designing a layout that maximizes visibility, functionality, and aesthetics. It involves the ideation, design, fabrication, and assembly of the stage. Fabrication involves the construction and assembly of the stage using sturdy materials, ensuring it meets safety standards and can support the weight of presenters, props, and equipment.

Scenic includes visually striking props, set pieces, or installations that enhance the overall ambiance or convey a specific theme. These can include custom-built structures, branded displays, interactive installations, or artistic backdrops.

Experiential Event and Design  

Since you’re on our website, I’m going to assume you realize that those boring, one-dimensional conferences have become a relic. You have probably also run across the term “Experiential Event”, which means the event focuses on creating immersive and memorable experiences for attendees.

In my opinion, this term is overused. Yes, of course you want to deliver an “experience”! We strive for an event that is excellent, memorable, outstanding, and buzzworthy!

Experiential Design focuses on creating environments and spaces that engage and inspire attendees. Experiential design considers elements such as layout, aesthetics, flow, and interactive features to create a cohesive and impactful event experience.

Green Room, Green Room Monitors

The green room is the place backstage (or in a nearby room), away from the audience, where the presenters are asked by the stage manager to wait until it’s time to go onstage.

Why green room monitors? These are a good option for the speakers waiting backstage that want to watch the presentation being given before he/she goes onstage. Although they may be able to look over the shoulder of some of your backstage technical staff, do you really want them walking over the cables and breathing down the necks of production team members in key positions of a live show?

Hybrid Events  

With the rise of remote work and virtual connectivity, hybrid events combine in-person and virtual elements to reach a broader audience. They offer the flexibility for attendees to participate either physically or remotely, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility. Furthermore, they expand the horizons for event planners by enabling them to access presenters from distant corners of the world that might have otherwise been out of reach.

Immersive Experiences  

Corporate events are no longer limited to traditional presentations. Immersive experiences aim to engage attendees on a deeper level through interactive installations, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and multisensory elements. 

Master Account

The master account streamlines the payment process by allowing all charges incurred by event participants to be billed to a single, overarching account. This simplifies tracking and reconciliation and provides greater control, efficiency, and accountability for both the event organizers and the partners/vendors involved in the event.

Show Flow

Also called the “run-of-show”, the show flow is a document entailing the rundown and timeline of your event. Typically created by the Producer, the show flow is shared with key production and AV staff. Not to be confused with the script, the show flow includes each element of the show such as when the doors open, presenter times/names/durations, multimedia details and relative notes.

Ideally, the Show Caller would receive the show flow a few weeks prior to the event. However, once at the event, the Show Caller may be seeing it for the first time. The show flow is modified as needed during rehearsals and then redistributed to key production and AV staff by the Show Caller.

Site Inspection, or Site Visit

This is a good time to establish rapport, if you haven’t yet, with your AV (Technical Director) and Production (Producer/Live Event Director) representatives as you walk the venue together and discuss the details. They will have valuable input regarding the room/s you have selected such as the best screen position/type/size for your stage, rigging opportunities, load-in/load-out location, flow of attendee foot traffic during the event, ideal opportunities for branding, best location for the social portions of the event and the backstage equipment and staff setup. The Site Visit will likely also include travel, meals and hotel for the AV and production representatives.

Strike

Deconstruction of the event. Also referred to as tear-down, breakdown, load-out. Once your event has wrapped and the attendees have departed from the venue, make way for those proficient and focused AV techs and labor! They work swiftly to get the equipment dismantled, carefully packed away, and loaded back onto the truck.

Miscellaneous

Various other deliverables and services may be available depending on your AV and production company, such as ideation for theme development, videos, attendee morale boosters, and special organizational or creative projects prior to, during or after the event.

Congratulations on attaining the esteemed status of Event Linguist! Here’s to crafting unforgettable moments, pushing boundaries, and continuing to shine as a corporate event expert.

You’re well on your way to bringing your corporate event experiences to life – and in the words of the Klingons, I bestow upon you abundant Qapla’! (that’s “triumph and success” in Klingon).