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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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The Roosevelt Hotel
New Orleans, LA Overview: The Roosevelt is a Waldorf Astoria property in the heart of the French Quarter. The lobby, guest rooms and restaurants are what you would expect from a Waldorf hotel: historic, expensive and a little small. Ballroom: The main ballroom, The Roosevelt Ballroom, is around 18,000 square feet and it can be divided into sections. For […]
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Brian Beaulieu
Type of Speaker: Economist, ITR Economics Pros: I have the opportunity to see a lot of economists speak, as they are popular at corporate events. Often we will see the same economist “flavor of the month” at many conferences, but Brian Beaulieu was a new name to me, and I was very impressed with his presentation. He […]
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My Guide to Working with Non-Professional Talent
by Amy Wrobel, Producer Telling a compelling story typically requires a good storyteller. For some shoots, we’ll hire professional talent, on-camera, or voice actors to carry the message, but in other situations, it’s better to use real people. Real people–that’s what we ‘in the biz’ call anyone who’s not professional, paid talent. Using non-professional talent […]
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The Back-Up Plan
This week’s post is brought to you by Tri-Marq VP of Sales, Tom Graybill. There’s an old saying: “Murphy was an optimist.” When it comes to A/V at your event, planning for the worst is the best medicine to beat Murphy’s Law. Thus, the importance of the Back-Up Plan. A good Back-Up Plan includes two […]
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Directing Live Coverage: EAA AirVenture 2014
By: Greg Ideran I was lucky to have the opportunity to continue my passion for live directing this year in Oshkosh, WI at EAA AirVenture 2014. Tri-Marq produced over 50 hours of live video spanning the entire week of the EAA event. Footage consisted of simple one-camera interview shoots in addition to eight-camera coverage of […]
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Tri-Marq Volunteers: Greg Ideran
Tri-Marq welcomes our latest addition to the family, Greg Ideran. Greg is a recent graduate of Marquette University. Tri-Marq is excited to have him on board to work in the production team as a producer. During his time at Marquette, Greg participated in Marquette M.A.R.D.I. G.R.A.S. (Making A Real Difference In the Gulf Region and […]
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Tri-Marq Volunteers: Amy Wrobel
To continue the series about volunteer work that our team at Tri-Marq participates in, we would like to introduce Amy Wrobel! Some of her volunteer work includes the YMCA Sponsor-A-Scholar Program, the Susan G. Komen Southeast Wisconsin Race , and the Fisher House Foundation. Thanks for all of the great work you do with Tri-Marq […]
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Lumens Aid: Bright Ideas for Picking the Right Projector
Guest entry by Tom Graybill, Tri-Marq Director of Sales There is generally one truth when it comes to projector brightness: the brighter, the better. Filling your screen with a vibrant, bright picture makes it easy for your audience to see your PowerPoint, your video, or your camera shot. But how powerful of a projector do […]
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Making the Connection
Meetings are considered ‘successful’ when they find a way to connect with their audience. As time moves on, event planners and event speakers are looking for more ‘path less traveled’ ways of making a connection and holding their audience’s attention. In the age of digital technology, we’re always looking for new ways to enhance meetings […]
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The Technology WOW Factor
We work with many of our clients year after year (in some cases, for twenty years!), so we’re always thinking of creative ways to make their events bigger and better. The challenge to outshine ourselves is fun for us as it gives our team the chance to bridge creative options with technology. Our clients want […]
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It’s Show Time
Now that it’s January, show production season is in full swing. We just returned from a show in Atlanta for an international company with whom we’ve worked for nearly ten years. This first show of the season kicks off a year of our crew traveling from coast to coast working with clients across many industries. […]
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Meeting Openers
In the last entry, Dan filled you in on instant AV. This week, we want to talk about another type of video in meetings – the meeting opener itself. Video openers are the easiest way for our clients to get their theme across to meeting participants. It can be tough to fit the whole idea […]
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Question Authority
“Question authority” is a concept that we first heard at an employee meeting that we produced for one of our favorite clients, and is a philosophy we have introduced to our own production team. For us, questioning authority means the ability for everyone on our team to ask questions and make suggestions as experts in […]
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Get to Know the Banquet Captain
A few years back we produced an event at a large San Antonio hotel. This property had been around for a number of years and had an established banquet and catering team. During the site visit, I made a point to ask the name of the banquet captain who would be working our event. This […]
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The Importance of Proper Preparation
We were recently hired by a client to work on the creative design of their show and to direct the show on-site. There was an existing vendor who was to provide all of the production equipment. Though this isn’t our usual way of working an event, we trusted the client and the event seemed like […]
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The Real Cost of Foregoing an Event Site Survey
When clients review budgets one of the first items to be questioned is often the production site survey. When you add up the cost of the plane ticket, hotel room, and per diem this line item looks like a great place to trim some budget. So why is the production site survey so important? A […]
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Celebrity Riders: The Difference Between a Want and a Need
Celebrity Rider: (n): a list of requirements, requests, or conditions that a performer or celebrity expects in addition to their appearance fee. Celebrity talents always provide an interesting and unique experience for our team, especially when they come with a ‘rider,’ or a list of requests. The celebrity brings their talent to the show, and […]
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Light It Up
When clients think of stage and set design, they think of set construction and video projection. Sometimes, they need to be reminded of a third important element: lighting design. Creative and exciting light design can make a good show go from ordinary to extraordinary. Everyone sees video projection at shows, but when you see a […]