You can throw the best event of the year but if you don’t have the pictures to prove it-how will anyone know? Photography is one way to ensure that every moment of your fabulous event is documented. Good photos can capture the success of an event but great images can be sent to the media for post press coverage. Event photos can also be used in documents to show the success of your event to potential sponsors and attendees for next year.

Here are some tips on selecting the perfect photographer to shoot your event.

What is your budget?
Pricing can be a maker or breaker when choosing a photographer. Knowing the budget set for photography by your event planners or committee is key when beginning your research. Understand the levels of each package the photographer offers and the pricing of additional services provided by the company such as editing and processing.

Does their work work?
Liking the work of your photographer is key. Conduct research to make sure the photographer has experience with a similar environment.  For instance, you do not want to hire a photographer for a social event whose expertise is portraits. Determine what your mission of photography is and ask yourself can their general style give me that?

Be in the Picture

An important question to ask your photographer is if he/she takes names of those in the photos. If not, designate a publicist to accompany the photographer and capture the names of those photographed. This will ensure there are no misspellings and make it easier to submit the photos to the media.  Make a list of any must-have shots of the venue or guests and point them out to the photographer at the beginning of the night.

Turnaround Time

If your publicist will be sending your photos to the media, it is important to know submission guidelines and deadlines. Be sure and set a date with your photographer of when you will receive the photos, as to not miss any media opportunities. Ask how long the photographer will take for editing and how you will be receiving the photos-CD, website, flash drive?

After you’ve secured the perfect photographer, you can sit back, relax and enjoy your event knowing that your guests and event elements are being successfully documented.

Got a problem that needs a creative solution? Check out Sticky Wisdom: How to Create a Creative Revolution at Work. Written by the folks at ?WhatIf!, a leading innovation consultancy headquartered in the UK, it’s an easy read that breaks down the barriers to creativity. For those of us that aren’t naturally creative geniuses, Sticky Wisdom, provides practical tools that will help anyone innovate.

“Revolution”

One of the most helpful techniques outlined in the book is called “Revolution”. The core of this concept is to challenge the rules and assumptions associated with the problem you are trying to solve. You first define the rules and assumptions and then you flip them on their head to see if you can come up with something new.

The only way to fully understand “Revolution” is to give it a spin. Let’s take the white ceramic teacup on my desk next to my mouse and see if we can improve on it.

Five Innovations

After completing a quick version of “Revolution”, let’s try to come up with five innovations from the original white ceramic teacup.

1. Teacups for Charity – Teacups hand-painted by a local children’s charity where half of the profits go to the charity.
2. Wine Tumbler w/ Handle – A wine tumbler (stemless wine glass) with a handle to avoid temperature changes caused by the heat from your hand (a reason for the stem in the first place) .
3. Gourd Teacups – Sell gourds as teacups and market them as “green”.
4. Teacup Hand-Warmer – A large thick plastic teacup that has spaces for both hands that serves as both a teacup and hand-warmer
5. Disposable Tea-Ready Cups – Paper teacup with tea and filter in bottom. Just add water.

I’d say that’s not bad for one person brainstorming about a product for 15 minutes. Imagine what your entire team could do for your business in two hours!  The toughest part isn’t the exercise. That’s fun. It’s stopping your daily routine to try something new.

For a more detailed look at ?Whatif!’s “Revolution” exercise and others like it, grab a copy of Sticky Wisdom.

- CF

So what’s the difference between public relations and advertising?

The two industries are different even though they’re commonly confused as being the same. Advertising can employ over the top techniques to get attention, while successful PR campaigns require more restraint. Here are some clear differences:

• Public Relations is a field concerned with creating good will and keeping a company/product /person in front of the public and top of mind with the media

• Advertising is paid for with the intent to persuade or remind an audience about a product/service/company with the intent of making a sale.

• Public relations campaigns require a nose for news and a comprehensive understanding of the media. PR agencies exercise creativity by crafting captivating, factually correct stories that educate readers about their client.

• Advertising relies heavily on creativity, catchy slogans and eye-catching graphics to attract consumers’ attention.

• With public relations, you have no control over how the media presents the information you send them in the form of a press release or media alert or if they will even use your information at all

• In advertising, you pay for the space, so you have creative control over what you want to say

• With a strong PR campaign, a third-party article written about a product or coverage of an event on TV or in the print media says they’re seeing something you didn’t pay for with ad dollars and view it differently than they do paid advertising which creates credibility in the marketplace

• Consumers know when they’re reading an advertisement they’re trying to be sold a product or service. Unfortunately, the consumer often views an ad cautiously