Author: Betsy Johnson

  • An aerial shot of the hotel de Coronado, the site of a recent Tri-Marq event.

    Hotel del Coronado

    San Diego, CA Overview: This is a historic hotel right by the water in San Diego. The rooms in the main hotel are the best rooms—the rooms in the adjacent buildings are a little dated. There are a couple of nice restaurants and shops right on the property and you are within walking distance to a number of […]

    Read More

  • "Under the Streetlamp" performing at a recent Tri-Marq event.

    Under the Streetlamp

    Type: Evening Entertainment Pros: Under the Streetlamp is kind of like booking the musical performances from “Jersey Boys”. Four singers backed by a good band perform the classic American radio hits from the 1950s and 1960s. From the moment they take the stage, the performers remind you of the classic music style of 1950’s American […]

    Read More

  • A view of the Royal Canin show produced by Tri-Marq in a small event space. The main feature has 3 small LED boards and 2 projector screens on each side.

    How to be Creative with a Small Ballroom

    Smaller ballrooms, especially ones in boutique hotels, always present challenges when we are designing creative staging plans. Low ceiling heights, minimal rigging or small room sizes are common in these properties. We are always looking to find creative uses for existing technology to combat these challenges. Recently we found that LED wall technology has been a huge […]

    Read More

  • A view of how Tri-Marq set up the Disneyland Grand Californian ballroom for a recent event. There are projector screens lining each side wall and a large screen in the front of the house with uplighting on both sides.

    Disneyland Grand Californian

    Anaheim, CA Overview: Located in the heart of Downtown Disney the Grand hotel is the upscale cousin to the original Disneyland Hotel. Ballrooms: The Sequoia ballroom is very nice and is located in an enclosed conference section, which also includes many of the breakout rooms. The enclosed space includes a couple of registration desks as well as a […]

    Read More

  • An image of the catchbox audience-friendly microphone in 4 different colors: yellow, orange, blue, and purple.

    Catchbox Review Is In

    Overview:  We have had the opportunity to use the Catchbox on a couple of shows. Here’s our review! Technically: The Catchbox works exactly as advertised. The sound quality was very good and the foam cube protected the microphone well. Audience Reaction: If you are looking for a fun way to engage Q&A this is a good product but […]

    Read More

  • A photo of the Center Disneyland Ballroom from the back of house at a recent Tri-Marq event. There is gold uplighting, pipe and drape, and 2 large LED screens flanking 3 LED panels.

    Disneyland

    Anaheim, CA Overview:  Who doesn’t love Disney? We have produced multiple meetings at the Disneyland hotel in all of the ballrooms. The event staff is responsive, the ballrooms are a good size and the attendees always seem to respond well to the property. Ballrooms: The Magic Kingdom and Disneyland ballrooms (as well as the Disneyland Exhibit Hall) all […]

    Read More

  • A photo of Brian Regan speaking at a recent Tri-Marq event.

    Brian Regan

    Type: Entertainment, Comedian Pros: He is very funny. His style is similar to Jim Gaffigan’s and he had the audience laughing the entire time. His performance is very much like a typical standup performance so it works well for a large audience.  Brian is known for being one of the “clean” comedians, so the typical concerns about […]

    Read More

  • One of the three painters in action. She is painting a man with a white beard with a red bandana.

    The Three Painters

    Type: Opening act, speed painting Pros: The audience enters to a blank, dark canvas and within a couple of minutes three painters create a masterpiece. The painting starts with a series of brush strokes and over time grows to be a full caricature portrait of a famous person. As an option, one of the painters […]

    Read More

  • Improve your Site Surveys

    Conducting a Standard Site Survey When an event planner conducts a site inspection and evaluates a property, they often try to look at the property through the eyes of an event attendee. What does the lobby look like and is it clean? Is the front-of-house staff friendly and attentive? What does a typical guest room look like? […]

    Read More

  • A picture of the screen setup at the Omnitracs conference at the Hilton Anatole.

    Hilton Anatole

    Dallas, TX Overview: I have heard that this is one of the busiest conference hotels in the Hilton chain, and after working here I believe it. This is a very large property so it has some quirks that can definitely influence the success of an event, but that size also makes it a great hotel for […]

    Read More

  • A photo of Mark King speaking at a recent Tri-Marq event.

    Mark King

    Type: Keynote Pros: Mark is not someone who we see very often at events. There always seem to be a couple of “hot” speakers every year who either present at the meetings we produce or are on the short list to be a presenter. Our client identified Mark as a presenter with a good message who they […]

    Read More

  • An image of Tri-Marq technical directors on a site survey, inspecting the wide screen before the event.

    Importance of Technical Site Surveys

    There are too many occasions when we (as the production company) have to convince clients to allow us to conduct a technical site visit. I had a fascinating exchange with a conference service manager (CSM) on a recent site visit that helped prove why these site surveys are so important.  We were hired to manage […]

    Read More

  • A photo of a drum setup at a concert that took place as entertainment after a Tri-Marq event.

    Managing the Rock Band Sound

    Whenever clients hire rock bands for corporate shows, we always add a drum shield onto the equipment list. These are almost never on riders and many bands hate them, but when the lead singer, production manager and most importantly the client hears how loud the percussion sounds in a corporate ballroom, the hate quickly goes away. […]

    Read More

  • Tri-Marq Sponsors Lanyon Live 2015

    Lanyon Live featured informative, inspirational speeches from some of the meeting planning industry’s leading minds and most compelling personalities. The latest trends in the meetings, events, travel, and hotel industries were discussed while picking up best practices that inspired everyone. The event was held at the Fairmont Dallas, Dallas TX. Tri-Marq Communications, Inc. was honored […]

    Read More

  • The 'Cheap Trick' Drum setup featuring their logo on the bass drum.

    The “Five Minute Drill” with Old Rock Bands

    We have had the interesting experience with a couple of rock rands from the 60’s and 70’s who still think it is “cool” to make the audience wait in anticipation for their grand entrance on stage.  At a recent corporate event, the stage manager for a “rock band” listened to the rehearsed band introduction by […]

    Read More

  • a lineup of 3 professional headshots. One man and 2 women.

    Headshots for Everyone

    One of the services that we offer at events is show photography. Many events feature a photographer to capture the key highlights and events, but one of our event photographers also happens to shoot unbelievable portrait shots and is often hired to shoot headshots for artists and performers.  Bonus Feature As a fun, added feature […]

    Read More

  • Mike Eruzione

    Type: Keynote, Captain of 1980 Olympic Hockey team Pros: I have worked with Mike Eruzione a number of times as a keynote or featured speaker. On every occasion, you can feel the excitement and energy coming from the audience when he talks about the 1980 Olympic Hockey team. Mike always connects the presentation to the theme […]

    Read More

  • A photo of Ron Blackmore and 2 other men

    Ron Blackmore: Someone you Should Know

    Ron Blackmore is a talent agent/broker and runs a company called NextLevel, which contracts talent for private events. I have worked with Ron for over 10 years and always feel that he puts the clients’ interest first every time.  One of the things I most appreciate about Ron is his ability to present a group of […]

    Read More

  • A close up of the neck of a guitar

    When the Band Van Breaks Down

    The Saturday afternoon before a large corporate show that we were producing, I looked down to see my cell phone ringing—not always a good thing this close to a show. The call was from the production manager for the band scheduled to be the Tuesday night entertainment. Three previous calls had planned this part of the show […]

    Read More

  • A photo of a concert from the audience view

    But No Brown M&Ms

    Rock bands have long been famous with their specific and lengthy backstage requirements. These demands are found in a rider attached to their contract and can detail anything from a band’s snacking needs to lighting and sound equipment requirements. This list of requirements can be short or can go on for pages—in perhaps the most […]

    Read More

  • Tri-Marq wins Telly Award for MGIC

    Tri-Marq is proud to win a bronze Telly Award for our work on “We Are Pioneers” for our client, MGIC. This motion graphics video showcases the company as the pioneer in the private mortgage insurance industry. The video aired at the MGIC Annual Sales Meeting and was launched in conjunction with their social media campaign. […]

    Read More

  • A photo of the exterior of the Loews Chicago.

    Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel

    Rosemont, IL Overview:  This is a very nice property that has been recently totally remodeled. Its management is very event friendly and understands what it takes to put on a good show. There are four medium sized ballrooms and plenty of breakout rooms. Ballroom: Ballrooms and breakout rooms are divided into two sections on either side […]

    Read More

  • Steve Forbes

    Type: Keynote Pros: When it comes to the topics of business and economics, the name Steve Forbes carries a ton of name recognition. His presentation was focused on the economy but he did mix in a few interesting stories about politics. He did a question and answer session and answered every question very directly.  One note, the […]

    Read More

  • A photo of Stuart Varney speaking at a recent Tri-Marq event.

    Stuart Varney

    Type: Economist/Moderator Pros: As a Fox Business analyst, Stuart Varney will be well known by many attendees—especially those who follow business news closely.  We have worked with Stuart as both a keynote economist and as a panel moderator. Stuart is intelligent, entertaining and very quick on his feet. As an economist he mixes economic forecasting and news […]

    Read More

  • A photo of Sugar Ray Leonard speaking at a recent Tri-Marq event.

    Sugar Ray Leonard

    Type: Keynote Pros: He is an energetic speaker who entertains the audience with fascinating stories about his life as an Olympic and professional boxer. He also tells a number of “behind the scenes” stories about his life and fights. Ray uses a number of videos to create a visual timeline of his successes in both the […]

    Read More

  • A photo of John Foley speaking at a recent Tri-Marq event.

    John Foley

    Type: Keynote Pros: I have to admit that I didn’t know who John Foley was before his keynote, and had never seen him on any of our clients’ keynote lists. After seeing his presentation I have to wonder why I haven’t seen him before. John mixes stories with leadership insight into a high energy, entertaining and informative […]

    Read More

  • A photo of a woman holding the Catchbox.

    Catchbox

    We’re looking to cut down on the cardio. During the Q&A portion of events, we are usually running around the room, passing the microphone to all the audience members who have questions. Sound familiar to you? We came across a new product that could replace our light workout with increased audience engagement—truly a win-win. Catchbox […]

    Read More

  • A photo of a woman holding an iphone.

    Let’s Get Social

    Consumers have more power than ever now because of social media—they are able to control the conversation. But the brands that interact with their audience through social media enable a two-way communication that allows them to better connect with their audience. So we found a tool to help manage that conversation. Using a tool like […]

    Read More

  • A photo of branded elevators at a recent Tri-Marq event.

    Brand the Elevators

    An event’s theme and brand play a vital role in its success. Countless hours are spent developing and refining an event’s brand and tagline, then more time is spent adding visual life to that tagline. Maximizing opportunities to expand that tagline or brand outside of the meeting space can be an effective way to add […]

    Read More

  • An image of a projector

    When Failure Leads to Success

    Five minutes into the CEO’s presentation, one of the projectors on a two-screen widescreen blend went out. Half of a 60-foot wide and 20-foot high screen went black, and somehow this event was still a success. The elapsed time from the moment the projector failed to the point that the entire back-up scenario was in […]

    Read More