It's all in the detail

This photograph is entitled the girl with the dog. Everything in the photo draws your eye towards her, the perspective of the lines, the shadows and the patch of light as she runs towards the dog. At first glance you might just see the bright tiled facades (of the Moorish Quarter in Almeria) but inevitably she catches your attention.
If the photographer had started by looking for a photograph of a girl and a dog they would probably have been looking for a close-up shot, with a cute smile and a wagging tail. Sometimes, an oblique approach is more powerful.
That's especially true of mass communication; it's the advertisements that you don't immediately "get" that ultimately stick in your mind. Just think about it: how many Brits speak enough German to translate Vorsprung durch Technik...? - and yet anyone can now tell you what that Audi strap-line means - at least in general terms, if not with precise accuracy. Which is just like the photo above. You can't quite see if it's a dog or a cat, and you're guessing it's a girl, but the message is all there and more importantly, you can feel the playfulness in the characters. Just as the word "Technik" hints at solid German engineering even if you don't speak the language.

Communication is not about what you write or say; it's about how people interpret your words, and you don't always need to spell it out in block capitals in order to be understood. In fact, a little subtlety is a powerful weapon in mass-communication. Did you know that to date the mobile communications company ORANGE has never shown a mobile phone handset in any of their TV or cinema advertising? The handset is just a piece of equipment: what ORANGE wants to be associated with are the concepts of community and shared experiences.
What is it that you're trying to tell your audience? Does the key message really need to be centre-stage, or can you be more subtle, focus the audience towards the message and let them absorb the mood. Like the little Spanish girl running down the hot street in the afternoon sun.

Worth the Journey

It's not just the building that matters when you're planning a corporate event; it's where the building is and the excitement that you can generate by choosing a location that takes delegates away from their everyday environment and gives them a new experience.
Many European cities are attractive venues for international organisations since international air travel makes them easily accessible from most global locations. Delegates like the idea of encountering a different culture; it makes the conference something of a mini-break from routine.
Amsterdam is a favourite conference destination, with its canals and boats, its vibrant night-life and welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. It's also well equipped with a variety of venues from conventional large hotels to the truly obscure, like the gasworks.
The aerial photo shows the Westerfabriek venue in Amsterdam, and from this angle it certainly doesn't look like the venue for an exciting corporate event.

Then take a look at this fashion show, or the photo of the main space dressed for a Gala Dinner and you can see the impact that can be achieved with a little creativity.




A successful event needs a WOW! factor, and nothing works better than the unexpected to surprise people and keep them talking for months afterwards.