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The objective
of staging is to create the best environment and atmosphere
in which to stage the event.
To
achieve this objective there are many sub headings to address.
We’ll start with the Venue.
The
Venue
The
Venue has to be chosen according to the numbers attending
and the type of event.
Some
features of the venue can’t be changed
Room
size
Ceiling
height
Access
, location and parking.
For
some events using a Marque or a Hoecker ( the big brother
of marquees) is the answer.
The
features of a venue that are superb for one type of event
may be a great disadvantage for other types of functions for
example low ceilings may be great for creating an intimate
atmosphere for a cocktail party, wedding reception or dinner
party but high ceilings are required for an event that involves
projection so the people at the back of the room can see the
bottom of the screen over the heads of people seated at the
front. High ceilings are better for all sorts of other reasons.
Spotlights hung from high ceilings don’t shine directly
into presenters eyes, hanging points for projectors and lighting
are less noticeable. A high ceiling can always be made to
look lower with drapes and settings, a low ceiling is less
easy to work with when staging a major events.
Blackout
and views also have their place. We have staged events in
a venue chosen for it’s great views only to have to
black out the windows with heavy drapes so the video projection
and slides are visible.
Forward
planning also comes into venue choosing. Roadshows round the
country need similar venues so the same type of event can
be staged in similar rooms. Suitable venues are often booked
up to 12 months in advance.
Once
the venue is chosen it then becomes ‘THE THEATRE’
If only architects and designers realised this their whole
thought process when designing spaces for events would improve.
THE
AUDITORIUM is the area where the guests are gathered. Are
they standing or seated.
If
they are seated is it theatre or classroom or banquet style.
How is the area to be made attractive and
reinforce the theme or the message of the event.
The
worst examples of not having thought this through comes from
events where guests are standing while speeches or presentations
are being made. It’s OK for 5 or ten minutes but if
people are asked to stand and listen for longer than this
they shuffle and try to find somewhere to sit and start talking
among themselves and both the presenter and the guests start
to feel uncomfortable.
The
temperature of the Auditorium is also important. Trying to
create a warm friendly atmosphere in a place that’s
freezing cold just does not work. A warm and stuffy room is
not conducive to people concentrating on facts and figures,
particularly just after lunch..
The
size of the space where the event is to be held is also important
in creating the right atmosphere.
If
the numbers expected are not known in advance then partitions
and plants can be used to change the size according to how
the space fills up. Atmosphere at events can be created or
destroyed by having too much or too little space for those
attending.
Check
the floor and wall surfaces. It’s much easier for guests
to hear and understand speech in a carpeted room than one
with a hard floor.
The
Stage
In
many venues the stage is placed in different parts of the
auditorium for different events For examle on Monday in section
1 the stage is set for a single presenter with slides and
video speaker support. The stage is placed next to the screen
in the centre of the shorter wall opposite to where the guests
enter. On Tuesday in section 2 a stage is placed in one corner
for the quartet and another stage is placed in another corner
for the after dinner speech.
On
Friday night the whole room is opened up for a big dinner
dance in the evening with a band (one stage) cabaret (2 stages)
dance floor with an exhibition dance to start things off (3
stages) and top table for speeches (4 stages) .
When
choosing a venue it’s up to the organiser or producer
to decide where the best positions are to focus the attention
of the audience. In a well designed multi purpose venue the
technical facilities like sound and lighting allow for the
attention to be focussed in different areas at different times.
Other
considerations include where food service is from or if there
is the possibility of noise coming from other areas like an
adjacent function room, the kitchen /service area. or even
from outside.
The
setting & decoration
In
theatre the set is used to set the scene. At events settings
and props can be used the same way. Logos projected onto screens,
posters, banners, balloons, backdrops, framed pictures, table
decorations, costumes, live human statues, lasers, lights,
sound, animals, vehicles and anything else that the imagination
and the budget will allow. Whatever settings and props are
used The main consideration is ‘Are they enhancing
the message and atmosphere of the event, are they relevant
to those attending.
As
the setting and theme becomes part of the venue for the event
check that the venue can accommodate the items to be used.
Facilities like hanging points and walls that can have things
attached to them are a great advantage. Set up time is reduced
and designers can place things exactly where they want them.
Lighting
I
feel very strongly that lighting at an event is not there
just to illuminate the area. It’s there to create the
appropriate atmosphere and direct peoples attention to the
various points of activity as the event progresses.
In
the ideal venue all lighting would be patchable in small sections
so for each event ‘House Lighting’ could be
defined as the area where the guests are situated for that
particular event.
Activity
areas could be lit by spotlights hung from bars in the ceiling
and plugged into sockets in the ceiling also terminating at
the same patch bay as the house lights. This way existing
house lights like down lighters could also be used to highlight
areas of activity like a top table, a buffet or a display.
To
complete the ideal scenario a lighting board on a long lead
could be placed in the control position, again different for
each type of event, and the operator could easily create the
required atmosphere and highlight the required areas throughout
the event.
In
venues that don’t have these ideal facilities built
in, then lighting and rigging equipment has to brought in
and as long as the ceiling is high enough the same effects
can be created but with much more time, effort and expense.
The
perfect venue would have a dual system with toungsten lighting
on dimmers controlled from the lighting board as desribed
above with a second system incorporating flouresent fittings,
preferably concealed, controlled from switches by the doors
for set up, cleaning and emergency use.
To
comply with safety regulations and conserve electricity concealed
fluorescent lighting could be installed with switches at the
doors. This could be used as cleaning and set up lighting
and left on for events that require maximum general light
in the room.
Sound
At
many events if the guests can’t hear and understand
what they have heard they may as well not have bothered to
attend. If the sound is good it grabs the audiences attention
and allows them to concentrate on the contents rather than
having to strain to hear or understand. If the sound is not
clear the audience gives up after a while and they start to
shuffle and talk among themselves. This shuffling and talking
starts in the areas furthest from the points of sound and
builds till the people nearer to the points of sound also
find it difficult
to concentrate so they also start shuffling and talking till
the whole presentation is most unpleasant for both the presenter
and the audience.
There
are different types of microphones designed for different
purposes. A microphone like a Shure SM 58 designed for singers
who hold the microphone right up to their mouths is not nearly
as good for speeches as a condenser mic designed to pick up
sound without loss of frequency response from a distance.
Many presenters ask for a radio lapel microphone, this is
fine as long as the sound system is capable of producing satisfactory
results with it.
In
most venues there is an in house sound system, some have ceiling
speakers placed quite close together throughout the room.
If this type of system is working properly and adjusted correctly
then the sound for speech should be excellent especially if
the speakers above the presenter can be turned
off or down to illiminate feedback.
Music
maestro please...
Music
can be used to tremendous effect to create different atmospheres
during events as the mood dictates.
Music
can create excitement, produce a solemn mood, induce applause
at the end of segments or during awards. Music can create
a welcoming atmosphere as gusts enter and help them to leave
on a high or a low as the event demands. Music can wake people
up and rejuvenate them ready for the next item on the programme.
When using music in this way at an event the sound system
needs to have the volume and dynamic range to do the job.
The ceiling speaker system at most venues is no able to produce
the desired results.
PROJECTION
- (AUDIO VISUAL - MULTIMEDIA - SLIDES - VIDEO )
Technology
is advancing very rapidly in the way presentations are produced
but when it comes to staging the event on site Multimedia
has been around for as long as slides were shown in conjunction
with film.
The
current excitement stems from the ability of computers to
output presentations like Powerpoint, a graphics programme,
in conjunction with sound and moving pictures direct to screen
via a data projector.
There
are many different projectors available today and many different
types of computer. When staging an event the trick is to make
sure the computers, the computer leads and projection system
are all compatible.
Screen
size and the ambient light in the room can also be a determining
factor when deciding what type of projector to use. There
are many choices and they grow all the time. The two basic
types of projector are the CRT using 3 guns with a separate
lens for Red Green and Blue which have to be lined up prior
to each event and an LCD which has a single lens. In each
type there are different brightness’s and capabilities
in terms of what resolution of computer image they will project.
Prior
to set up it’s necessary to know who is changing the
images from where. Sometimes the presenter will want to do
it, other times an operator can change images leaving the
presenter to only be concerned with the words and the delivery
of the presentation.
A
Backup computer is often set up for important events with
the images being changed in tandem with the main computer
so it can be switched in if the main computer fails.
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